Ask a Vet: Diseases Animals Share with Humans

For many of us, chronic disease is a part of everyday life. But did you know there are a number of conditions that are common in both humans and animals? ARL’s veterinary staff confront chronic disease on a daily basis, and thanks to advancements in veterinary medicine, our pets can live healthy, happy, and long lives with treatment. OFFF sat down with Dr. Emily Forline, ARL’s Senior Veterinarian and Medical Supervisor for Community and Shelter Medicine, to talk about some shared illnesses and how they affect our pets and the animals we serve.

Dr. Emily Forline

OFFF: What are some common diseases that animals share with humans?

Dr. Forline: Most of the medical conditions and diseases that affect humans also affect animals. Some of the more common shared ailments are allergies, anxiety, arthritis, various types of cancer, dental disease, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and obesity. Additionally, humans and animals also share many zoonotic diseases (diseases that spread from animals to humans) such as rabies, ringworm, and tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

OFFF: Just like humans, many of these diseases are controllable with treatment, correct?

Dr. Forline: While some of these diseases cannot be cured, many of them are manageable through several means. Treatment could include medication(s), surgical intervention, or diet. As an example, for a patient with diabetes, depending on the severity, management could include diet and weight loss or in more severe cases daily insulin injections.

OFFF: How does ARL help pets in the community that show signs or symptoms of disease?

Dr. Forline: If an owned animal presents to one of our community programs with clinical signs of a disease, we will speak with the owner(s) regarding the findings of our examination and then make recommendations as to what the next steps for definitive diagnosis and/or treatment would be. We sometimes refer our clients to full-service veterinary hospitals in the area if we recommend additional diagnostics such as blood work or x-rays or if their pet needs surgery for something we are unable to address in a mobile clinic setting. Recently we were able to refer a client internally to Boston Veterinary Care for dental surgery and an inguinal hernia repair. In this case the client qualified to have the expenses covered by the Alice T. Whitney Helping Hands Fund.

OFFF: What could someone expect if they were to adopt an animal with any of the aforementioned diseases?

Dr. Forline: While the expectations will vary greatly depending on what disease(s) an individual animal is being treated for, generally speaking, animals with a chronic condition will need to be evaluated by their new veterinarian on a more frequent basis than an otherwise, healthy pet. For example, a cat with hyperthyroidism may need to be seen by their new veterinarian every three to four months for an exam and blood work. Additionally, medication would need to be administered once or twice daily to help keep this cat’s thyroid level in check.

Common Diseases Animals Share With Humans

• Allergies • Anxiety • Arthritis • Various types of cancer • Dental disease • Diabetes mellitus • Heart disease • Hyperthyroidism • Kidney disease • Obesity • Rabies • Ringworm • Tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever

For more animal health tips, visit arlboston.org.