If people express salient beliefs and values in caring for pets then it is worth considering that dogs and housecats are routinely treated using the biomedical armamentarium. To investigate animal-human connections in the treatment of dogs and housecats for diabetes, we conducted ethnographic interviews in Canada with 12 pet owners and six health professionals in conjunction with a review of documentation on diabetes in cats, dogs, and people. Treating dogs and housecats for diabetes, we conclude, pivots on recognition of these animals as sentient selves. At the same time, treating diabetes in dogs and housecats helps to produce a named disease as a physical thing. In treating a housecat or a dog for diabetes, pet owners breach one of the foundational distinctions of Western science: human and nonhuman bodies exhibit continuity in terms of physicality, but a fundamental discontinuity exists when it comes to interiority.

Results reveal a gap in the existing literature. In studies of diabetes, pharmacy practice researchers do not appear to consider the influence of pharmacists' communication skills on health outcomes. Future studies should be designed to incorporate a communication research component.

This study explored whether previous experiences with human diabetes influenced how people perceived and responded to the onset of diabetes in a companion animal, and if the experience of diabetic pet care might influence people's thinking and actions in relation to human health. We conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with sixteen (16) pet owners who had treated dogs and cats for diabetes, along with semi-structured interviews with seven (7) health care professionals and an appraisal of documentary sources. We found that talking with pet owners about their experience of diabetic pet care brought to the surface poignant reflections on human health and health care. They did not strictly separate human health from what they had learned in the course of caring for a companion animal, in other words, even as they recognized and honored species differences. These findings suggest that the anthropological concept of illness prototypes is relevant for the field of anthrozoology. Indeed, illness prototypes that cross species boundaries may prove useful for health researchers, animal welfare organizations, veterinarians, and professionals who treat human patients or who aim to promote human health.