The FINANCIAL — Merck Animal Health (known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada) on February 11 announced the launch of the Pet Diabetes Tracker, a free app that helps pet owners manage their pet’s diabetes on their smartphone or tablet.
Diabetes is a serious condition that can be easily and effectively managed if pet owners know what to look for, and work with their veterinarian on a health plan for their dog or cat. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats ranges from at least one in 1001 to one in 5002. The number of dogs diagnosed with the condition has tripled during the past 30 years3. Dogs receiving the proper treatment, however, have the same lifespan as a non-diabetic dog of the same age and sex. A diabetic cat can also have a happy and healthy life with treatment, an appropriate diet and regular healthcare routine, according to Merck.
The Pet Diabetes Tracker helps the pet owner to do routine, daily monitoring by entering important health information including blood glucose levels, food and water consumption, body condition and weight – all important factors to effectively managing a pet’s diabetes. Ensuring the pet’s veterinarian stays up-to-date with the pet’s management plan is important and with the Pet Diabetes Tracker, owners can send reports directly to the veterinarian with a touch of one button.
“To help ensure the long-term health and well-being of a pet, successfully managing the various facets of the disease and treatment is critical,” said Madeleine Stahl, DVM, Associate Director, Scientific Marketing Affairs, Merck Animal Health. “I think pet owners – especially those with a newly diagnosed pet – will find this app an incredibly useful tool because it puts all the pertinent diabetic health information at their fingertips.”
Another important part of diabetes management is ensuring that the pet has the proper levels of insulin and the Pet Diabetes Tracker helps with that as well. Pet owners can track the amount of insulin given and also set reminders for when the next dose is needed. They can even reorder insulin directly through the app to ensure they never miss a dose.
