Diabetes has become the disease of the 21st century, and in Britain medical professionals believe it is on the brink of reaching epidemic proportions, but it’s not just a condition that affects humans.

As with people, diabetes is increasingly common in pets, especially in dogs and cats over six years of age, in overweight pets and in certain breeds. Sadly, many of our pets may be living with the condition without us knowing and this can have a serious effect on their long term health. Some pets are at higher risk of diabetes than others.

November is Pet Diabetes Month, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the condition and to enable owners to have their cats and dogs tested for diabetes with free testing at participating vets across the UK.

And to help you figure out how to spot the symptoms and what treatment is available for your pet if they do have diabetes ITV’s ‘Zoo Vet At Large’ Matt Brash and Diva Dogs’ Louise Harris have teamed up with MyPetonline and the Royal Veterinary College for a live-stream TV launch of Pet Diabetes Month.

The 20min programme featuring staff and students from the college, will ask why pet diabetes, like human diabetes, is a growing problem.

It will also give you tips on how to look for the signs and symptoms of diabetes in dogs and cats, and how the condition is diagnosed with Louise’s dog Lola being tested for diabetes during the show.

The programme, the first live-streamed event on the disease in pets, will also look at management of the disease and demonstrate the latest innovation available to owners with diabetic pets – the vet pen – an easily deliverable way of giving insulin to diabetic cats and dogs.

Finally, it will highlight how pet owners can access free diabetes health checks across the country throughout November.

View the talk here: http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/pet-diabetes-clinic-live-from-royal-veterinary-college-with-tv-vet-matt-brash