By Jamie Martin
Dog owners in Illinois now have an opportunity to help advance veterinary medicine while receiving a free health evaluation for their pets. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is conducting a study to create guidelines for using hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to detect and monitor diabetes in dogs.
The study is open to young, healthy dogs between six months and two years old. Participants will be scheduled for a short appointment on October 26, 2025, at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where each dog will undergo a quick physical exam and blood test.
Owners will receive the results of a complete blood count, a chemistry panel, and a comprehensive interpretation of findings by veterinary experts. This evaluation, which normally carries significant cost, is provided free of charge as part of the research.
Diabetes in dogs requires lifelong treatment and rarely goes into remission. Researchers, including Dr. Arnon Gal, a veterinary internal medicine specialist, and Dr. Denzel Adam, aim to use HbA1c to identify dogs that may be at risk before symptoms appear. “Ultimately, we hope to make it possible to identify dogs at risk before they develop diabetes,” said Dr. Gal, “so that one day veterinarians may be able to intervene early and prevent the disease entirely.”
A portable testing machine has already shown promise in measuring HbA1c in dogs, and researchers believe that identifying a “pre-diabetes gray zone” could transform how the disease is managed in pets.
By taking part, dog owners contribute to a project that could protect future generations of pets, while gaining valuable health information for their own dogs.
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Categories: National