Pets And Humans Suffer These 5 Diseases In Common

Does your dog have a fever? Do you find it decayed? It may have the same thing as you.

Is your dog more tired than usual? Do you feel thinner, drinking too much and urinating frequently? Do you think that despite having a voracious appetite your cat is losing weight? Or do you see him a little nervous?

Dalmatians, Chihuahuas, Greyhounds … The reason why there are so many dog ​​breeds on the planet.

If you notice some of these symptoms in your pet, you may be suffering from diabetes or hypothyroidism. These are two of the most common diseases in humans and they are increasing more and more among pets.

We tell you how they affect and what others have in common with us

1. Diabetes

Diabetes in humans is increasing and, according to Stijn Niessen, veterinarian of the Royal College of Veterinarians in the United Kingdom (RVC), the same trend is manifested in cats and dogs.

Fat cat They are by nature hunters, but nowadays most cats live in small apartments with no space for exercise.

“Cats are scheduled to be hunters but now live in apartments in the city where they exercise little. They also feed them very often, as a wrong way to give them affection, “he explains of the doctor.

However, he explains, this is not the only cause since there are many cats that are overweight and do not develop the disease.

In some cases, she says, the causes are genetic and are not necessarily linked to the pet’s lifestyle.

In the case of dogs, these do not have type 2 diabetes, but are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes, in which the immune system loses the ability to produce insulin, a key hormone that allows to store insulin safely.

In both dogs and cats (and sometimes in monkeys, rabbits and even rats) with diabetes, the most recurrent symptoms of this disease are constant thirst, need to urinate frequently and weight loss.

Humans with diabetes share the same symptoms. Treatment, in both cases, may include insulin injections.

Several studies in cats show that some can cause the disease to go into remission by losing weight.

2. Thyroid Problems

Frenetic activity and weight loss even when consuming foods in abundance may be a symptom of hyperthyroidism in cats.

As in humans, this condition arises when the thyroid gland in the neck produces an excess of hormones.

One way to treat this disorder is with an injection of radioactive iodine. In this way, the iodine is concentrated in the thyroid gland and emits radiation, killing the hyperactive cells.

What diseases can be infected by pets?

This is an effective method to cure hyperthyroidism, but the cat should be kept isolated for several weeks as they can emit radiation for a while.

Dogs, on the other hand, are more likely to suffer the opposite problem (hypothyroidism) .

Owners often detect it when the pet is more tired than normal, slower, and fatter. Some of these symptoms also manifest in humans with hypothyroidism.

And, just like the treatment in humans, the problem is stabilized by supplying a replacement of the thyroid hormone.

3. Pulmonary hypertension

Dogs who are short of breath or suddenly collapse can be given Viagra.

Cat Hyperthyroidism can be treated with an injection of radioactive iodine.

This drug became known worldwide for its effectiveness in erectile dysfunction. But before it was used for this purpose, researchers were studying the possible use of this drug to treat high blood pressure.

And now veterinarians use it to treat pulmonary hypertension in dogs (high blood pressure in the lungs).

Although it is the same drug, the formula for humans and animals is different.

4. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

The Feline Immunodeficiency virus (FIV) attacks the immune system of cats, which loses its ability to fight against other infections. In this sense, it is very similar to HIV in humans.

In the United States, for example, between 1.5% and 3% of cats are infected with FIV.

FIV symptoms include persistent fevers, hair problems and loss of appetite.

Other signs include inflammation of the gums, chronic infections of the skin, eyes, bladder, and upper respiratory tract.

5. Epilepsy

Although cats also suffer from it, epilepsy is more common in dogs.

It can cause seizures, but in some cases the symptoms are not so simple to diagnose. You can treat animals with pills, but it does not always work.

Holger Volk, a professor at RVC, believes that a diet rich in certain fatty acids may help.

Volk is currently testing this option on a significant number of animals to evaluate its effectiveness.

In addition, both Volk and Niessen believe that studying these common diseases in pets can help us to understand more about their impact on humans.