The American Animal Hospital Association’s recently published “AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats” may not jump off the page like a John Grisham novel. But it is full of valuable, expert information on the diagnosis and management of the disease. Vet-Advantage readers should make sure their customers are aware of it. (You can find it at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/AAHADiabetesGuidelines.pdf.)

The guidelines, which were sponsored by a grant from Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and published in the May/June 2010 Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, will hold special interest for distributor sales reps, as they are full of selling opportunities. For example, there’s a table listing recommended diagnostic testing for animals with suspected or confirmed diabetes mellitus. It lists all the necessary tests and procedures (e.g., CBC, serum biochemical analysis + electrolytes, T4, etc.), and should be shared with your customers.

More important, the guidelines are all about improving the health of pets. The information on diet therapy goals and management form a blueprint for vets and pet owners, and is “must” reading as well as “must” sharing. And the sections on insulin therapy for dogs and cats give detailed information that should be reviewed by all veterinarians.

“Management of the diabetic animal requires commitment and excellent communication between veterinarian and client about the treatment, follow-up appointments, associated costs, and home care,“ the AAHA points out in the guidelines. “Diabetes is a dynamic disease, and successful management requires frequent client education and communication with the veterinary team. With appropriate client commitment, monitoring, and a firm understanding of the variables that are within our control, [diabetes mellitus] can be well managed.”

Sales reps won’t dispense clinical advice to their customers about diabetes management after reading these guidelines. But they can use the publication of these guidelines to spotlight their role as a valuable information source to their customers. (The guidelines include a list of Web links for staff and client education.)

So check out the AAHA website, read the guidelines, then ask your customers if they’ve seen them. If they haven’t, they should. You tell ’em.