How to set up diabetes clinics

Having a newly diagnosed diabetic pet can be an overwhelming time for owners. Having a good point of communication can be really helpful for an owner enabling them to convey any worries. Offering the opportunity for the owner to discuss difficulties should be advocated, with nurse clinics providing support and education. Having a named nurse that can act as this port of call, can help to put the client's mind at rest, and the nurse can answer any queries or questions they may have.

Having a set practice protocol for the treatment of diabetic patients is an important first step. The ISFM consensus guidelines for diabetes protocol (Sparkes et al, 2015) and the MSD/UK-Vet guidelines (Ackerman et al, 2018) can aid the practice in creating their own protocol for treating their diabetic patients. This will need to include what insulins to start the pet on (Fiure 1), dosage guidelines, dietary guidelines, frequency of re-examinations etc. These will need to be decided on by the whole veterinary professional team. It is an ideal opportunity to use evidence-based medicine and reflective practice in designing the protocol.