What is described as the dog/diabetes connection?

• A. Dogs have been used in pancreas transplant experiments that saved lives in both dogs and humans with diabetes
• B. Dogs cannot be used in diabetes research
• C. Diabetes only affects humans
• D. Pancreas transplant is only for humans

Answer: (A)

The dog/diabetes connection is that dogs have played a direct role in diabetes research, including pancreas transplant experiments that demonstrated viable treatment approaches for both dogs and humans. Historically, researchers used diabetic dogs to study how pancreas transplantation could restore insulin production and control blood sugar, showing that restoring pancreatic function could save lives. This work helped advance understanding of diabetes and laid groundwork for human therapies, including transplantation techniques and insulin treatment.

The other statements miss this reality: dogs do participate in diabetes research, diabetes is not exclusive to humans, and pancreas transplantation is not limited to humans.