Epidemiological study of dogs with diabetes mellitus attending primary care veterinary clinics in Australia

Abstract

Background: The objectives of this study were to establish the prevalence, risk factors and comorbidities/ sequelae for diabetes mellitus (DM) in Australian dogs presented to first-opinion veterinary practices. Methods: Electronic patient records of dogs (n=134,329) attending 152 veterinary clinics during 2017 were sourced through VetCompass Australia. They included 418 dogs with DM; a prevalence of 0.36 per cent (95 per cent CI 0.33 per cent to 0.39 per cent) in Australian dogs attending these veterinary clinics. By comparing with the reference group of rarer breeds and unidentified crossbreeds, multivariable modelling was used to reveal breeds (and their crosses) with significantly highe..