Hey Vortex Fam!
Gather ‘round the nostalgia campfire. Today's Throwback Thursday, we’re jumping in the time machine for a story that quite literally changed lives (and saved countless dog tails from wagging off into oblivion due to diabetes).
If you’ve ever wondered how dogs with diabetes went from hopeless to happy, treat-munching furballs, buckle up. This one’s close to my heart and to my clinic fridge, which always has a vial of insulin with a pet’s name on it.
What’s This All About? - A Sweet Crisis
Once upon a time - specifically, the early 20th century, diabetes was a death sentence for both humans and dogs. When a dog’s pancreas went on strike and stopped producing insulin, sugar built up in the bloodstream like an uninvited party guest.
Without insulin, the cells starved, organs failed, and fur parents could only watch helplessly as their beloved companions wasted away.
Cue dramatic thunderclap.
What exactly is Diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus (the fancy Latin for “sweet urine disease”) is a condition where your dog’s body can’t properly control blood sugar levels because the pancreas stops making enough insulin or any at all.
Insulin is the hormone that tells cells to absorb sugar (glucose) from the blood and use it for energy. Without insulin, glucose piles up in the bloodstream, but the cells starve. So, your dog’s body tries to fix this by breaking down fat and muscle for fuel instead - not ideal.
Result?
- High blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
- Sugar spills into the urine (why it’s called sweet urine)
- Constant thirst and peeing
- Rapid weight loss despite ravenous appetite
- Weakness and, eventually, life-threatening complications.
How Does It Happen?
Most diabetic dogs have Type 1-like diabetes: their immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Over time, the pancreas waves a tiny white flag and stops making insulin altogether.
Certain breeds are more prone - think Poodles, Dachshunds, Beagles, and Schnauzers. Obesity can tip the scales (pun intended). Hormones can too - unspayed females have higher risk due to progesterone’s sugar-raising effects.
Why Does It Happen?
There’s no single villain but here’s the suspect list:
- Genetics: Some breeds pass on faulty pancreas blueprints.
- Autoimmune quirks: The immune system mistakenly destroys insulin-producing cells.
- Obesity: Makes cells less responsive to insulin (insulin resistance).
- Hormones: Pregnancy or hormone imbalances can worsen it.
- Pancreatitis: Repeated pancreas inflammation can damage insulin-making cells.
How It Happened - From Human Discovery to Canine Miracle
Setting the Stage: Diabetes Before Insulin
Before the 1920s, a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus - whether in humans or dogs, was almost always a death sentence. Dogs, like humans, would waste away, becoming weak, dehydrated and ultimately succumb to complications like ketoacidosis.
At the turn of the 20th century, scientists suspected the pancreas was the key, but isolating what exactly controlled blood sugar was a scientific puzzle yet unsolved.
Enter the Dogs: The Pioneering Experiments
Key Players:
- Frederick Banting (Canadian surgeon)
- Charles Best (medical student)
- John Macleod (professor of physiology)
- James Collip (biochemist)
In 1921, in Toronto, Canada, Frederick Banting had a radical idea. He believed that if he could tie off the pancreatic ducts in a dog, the enzyme-producing cells (which cause tissue breakdown during extraction) would die, leaving the insulin-producing islets of Langerhans intact.
He approached Professor Macleod for support and a lab. Macleod, initially skeptical, provided lab space, 10 dogs and assigned Charles Best as Banting’s assistant.
How It Happened: The Experiments
One of their most famous test subjects was a dog named Marjorie - a completely pancreatectomized dog who was kept alive for 70 days with daily injections of the crude extract – a lot longer than anyone thought possible back then.
Why Dogs?
Dogs were ideal for this research for practical reasons:
- Their pancreatic anatomy is similar enough to humans.
- Diabetes can be reliably induced surgically.
- They were large enough for repeated blood sampling and careful observation.
Moreover, dogs were historically common in physiological research at the time, a practice now considered ethically problematic but pivotal to early endocrinology.
Why It Happened: The Urgency and Innovation
The early 20th century was a period of intense interest in hormones. The idea that organs secreted chemicals into the bloodstream was transforming medical science. Diabetes, a deadly, common disease, urgently needed a treatment beyond starvation diets. Banting’s insight built on decades of research suggesting the pancreas held the key.
The choice to use dogs was both a necessity (no synthetic insulin existed by then) and an ethical norm for experimental physiology in that era.
Breakthrough and Legacy
By January 1922, the team had purified their extract enough to test it in humans - beginning with 14-year-old Leonard Thompson, a severely diabetic boy. It worked - saving his life and launching insulin therapy worldwide.
Banting and Macleod received the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Best and Collip were controversially left out, though they contributed crucially.
Veterinary insulin therapy naturally followed; diabetic dogs and cats could now be treated and live normal lifespans, a reality that was impossible before this discovery.
Modern Impact
Today, insulin is a mainstay for managing diabetes in pets. Thanks to those early canine experiments, countless dogs - both test subjects and patients, paved the way for a century of life-saving endocrinology.
A Complicated Legacy: The Animal Welfare Story Behind Insulin
As we celebrate insulin’s discovery, it’s easy to picture brilliant scientists and life-saving vials. But let’s pause for the real unsung heroes: the dogs who made it possible and the uncomfortable truth about how much they endured along the way.
Back in the early 1900s, the rules for animal research were… let’s just say, a lot looser than today’s standards. Humane treatment was not consistently regulated, anesthesia was basic and animal welfare laws were patchy or nonexistent.
Here’s what actually happened:
- Dozens of dogs were used. ~10 dogs in the early phase and ~33 dogs in the extended series, including Marjorie (Dog #33) - the dog most often highlighted in historical narratives. Many had their pancreatic ducts tied off, a surgery that caused discomfort and required careful aftercare (by the standards of the day, anyway).
- Other dogs had their entire pancreas surgically removed to induce severe diabetes. These dogs faced rapid weight loss, dehydration, excessive thirst, and weakness - hallmarks of untreated diabetes.
- Once diabetic, they received crude insulin extracts which did work but the purification wasn’t perfect. Impurities sometimes caused fever, allergic reactions, or variable effectiveness.
- Marjorie, the most famous lab dog, lived for 70 days post-pancreatectomy with daily injections. While extraordinary medically, it raises modern questions about her quality of life during those months.
The dogs were critical to cracking the insulin puzzle - They did not just prove insulin worked. They were the first patients, showing how insulin controlled diabetes day after day but they paid a steep price for it. The focus was almost entirely on human benefit.
Then vs. Now: How Insulin is Made
Then (1921-1923): Crude and Animal-Based
- Source: Insulin was extracted directly from the pancreas of dogs in the lab.
- Process: After duct ligation, the pancreas was removed, ground up, mixed with saline or alcohol, filtered crudely, and injected into patients (first dogs, then humans).
- Problems: Early extracts contained impurities, bits of other pancreatic proteins or enzymes. Causing side effects like fevers and allergic responses.
- Scaling up: To supply humans, pharmaceutical companies soon switched to slaughterhouse byproducts - mainly cow (bovine) and pig (porcine) pancreases from meat-packing plants. This was a huge step: more ethical than using lab dogs directly, though it still relied on millions of livestock being processed for meat.
- They grow in huge tanks, crank out pure human insulin, and we harvest it.
- Result? Ultra-pure, highly consistent, lower allergy risk, and no need for pancreas tissue.
This is called recombinant DNA technology - it revolutionized insulin production in the 1980s and made modern diabetes treatment safer for both humans and animals.
Good news for pets: Today, veterinary insulins are also derived this way or made from purified pork insulin (still used because it’s very similar to dog and cat insulin). But synthetic versions dominate the market.
Modern Animal Welfare: How It’s Different Today
Today, research ethics have come a long way:
- Refinement: Minimize pain and distress.
- Reduction: Use the fewest animals possible.
- Replacement: Use alternatives like cell cultures or computer modeling whenever feasible.
In short: the kind of large-scale, invasive experiments done in the 1920s wouldn’t pass today’s ethical boards without extremely robust justification and strict humane conditions.
Grateful, But Not Glossy
So how do we, as vets and pet parents, make peace with this complicated history?
- We acknowledge it honestly. These dogs suffered and their sacrifice led to a treatment that has saved and prolonged millions of human and animal lives.
- We commit to better. Today’s science leans heavily on non-animal methods whenever possible. Insulin itself no longer depends on animals for production - a major win for animal welfare.
- We remember. Every insulin shot you give your diabetic dog today is possible because of Marjorie and the many unnamed lab dogs of the past. Their story reminds us that medical progress must go hand-in-paw with compassion and ethics.
What Does This Mean for Your Pup?
Nowadays, if your pooch gets diagnosed with diabetes, it’s not an automatic tragedy. With modern insulin therapy:
- They can live happily for years.
- You become an expert at giving tiny shots (don’t worry - they barely flinch).
- Vets like me monitor blood sugar like hawks on caffeine.
Fun fact: Some dogs even wag their tails when they see the syringe because they know treats are coming after!
A Personal Story - Meet Bella, My First “Diabetic Queen”
I’ll never forget Bella, a plump Beagle who trotted into my life during my very first year in practice. She peed a lot, drank enough water to flood a garden, and looked constantly hangry.
We ran tests (she gave me the Beagle side-eye the whole time) and boom! - diabetes. Her owner was devastated, picturing tearful goodbyes.
But thanks to insulin therapy (and Bella’s stubborn love for chicken jerky), she lived four more mischievous years, once stealing an entire bread slice while I explained her glucose curve to her human. Classic Bella.
What Can Pet Parents Do?
- Watch for signs: Excessive thirst, frequent urination, sudden weight loss - these might be red flags.
- See your vet: We’ll run a quick blood test and urinalysis.
- Start treatment: Insulin therapy, diet adjustments, and regular check-ups work wonders.
- Learn the routine: It sounds scary at first, but most pet parents master giving shots faster than they master clicker training!
Why It Matters - Then & Now
The discovery of insulin didn’t just change human medicine, it rewrote the fate of diabetic dogs forever. What was once an automatic heartbreak now becomes a manageable condition with the right care.
So next time you see that tiny vial of clear liquid at your vet’s, remember: it’s not just medicine. It’s a century-old hero that keeps tails wagging and hearts full.
Let’s Chat!
Has your pup ever had a brush with diabetes? Or maybe you’re a seasoned insulin-shot pro? Share your story below. Your experience might comfort another worried pet parent today.
Until next time, stay vortexy, stay sweet (but not too sweet) and give your fur babies an extra cuddle for me.
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