Royal Veterinary College Launches New Feline Diabetic Remission Clinic

by Taath · Published January 26, 2014 · Updated March 21, 2016

A new clinic has opened at the RVC in Hertfordshire to research the best treatments for treating cat diabetes. Dr Stijn Niessen and his team officially launched a new Feline Diabetic Remission Clinic in the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals in Hertfordshire last November.

http://www.rvc.ac.uk/News/PressReleases/pr1311-feline-diabetes-clinic.cfm

“Leading researchers at the Royal Veterinary College are busy unravelling the riddle for the best treatment of diabetes mellitus in cats.
Cats examined through the new clinic will benefit from optimum diabetic management, with the support of Internal Medicine Specialists, while contributing to the current scientific knowledge on the best treatment for diabetic cats.
Feline diabetes mellitus is a costly, chronic disease which can significantly decrease the quality of life of both cat owners and their pets. However, a proportion of diabetic cats can achieve diabetic remission and no longer require insulin therapy, which is increasingly considered the ultimate goal in treating diabetic cats.
Early evidence suggests that good, early blood glucose control increases remission rates in diabetic cats. However, there is little evidence about which treatment protocol offers the best blood glucose control and chance of remission.
“Our mission is to investigate the best method of achieving good blood glucose control, and diabetic remission, in diabetic cats,” said Dr Stijn Niessen, who heads up the clinic.
“The clinic also aims to identify predictors of diabetic remission, which will help veterinarians advise their clients on the chance of their cat achieving diabetic remission in the future.”
Dr Niessen added, “Interestingly, most cats seem to suffer from a similar type of diabetes as most humans. We always suspected cats to be extremely wise, but isn’t it interesting to know that they also might hold the answer to many questions we have about the human disease!”
The clinic is currently recruiting cats that have had diabetes for less than 4 months’ duration for a clinical trial, examining the effect of new insulins on blood glucose control and remission rate.
Enrolled cats will qualify for full underlying disease assessment at the referral hospital, several re-examination appointments, 12 months of prescription diabetic food, and 6 months of insulin therapy – all at no cost to owners.”

I think it is a great idea to test new insulins as once the disease has been discovered then it needs to be initially managed and in most cases this will be through insulin. However once the diet has been changed to a natural diet most cats go into remission, so I am am somewhat at a loss to understand what exactly this new clinic is going to achieve?? Will they really come to the conclusion that diabetes in cats is a result of a bad unatural diet and a sedantary lifestyle? I think not! So the fact that the Royal Veterinary College Launches New Feline Diabetic Remission Clinic is to be applauded but I wonder what it will ultimately achieve.