Aerobic exercise decreases interstitial glucose concentrations up to 2 h after exercise in dogs with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus: a preliminary study.

Introduction: The effect of aerobic exercise on glucose concentration has been reported in healthy normal and over-conditioned dogs and in experimental dog models. However, the effect of aerobic exercise on interstitial glucose concentration (IG) has not been reported in dogs with insulin-treated naturally-occurring diabetes mellitus. Objective: Determine if aerobic exercise decreases IG in outpatient diabetic dogs. Methods: Five NPH insulin-treated client-owned diabetic dogs were prospectively enrolled into this interventional longitudinal cohort study. Dogs with a flash glucose monitoring system performed once daily aerobic exercise over 30 min for 7 consecutive days, if IG was Results: Marginal means (95% confidence intervals) of IG were significantly lower 1.5 h after exercise [188 mg/dL (96-281 mg/dL)] and 2 h after exercise [185 mg/dL (82-287 mg/dL)] compared with marginal mean IG measured just before exercise [223 mg/dL (129-317 mg/dL, Conclusion: Our preliminary data suggest that aerobic exercise may reduce IG levels up to two hours following exercise. These findings indicate that exercise could potentially serve as an adjunct approach to managing insulin-treated diabetic dogs in a home setting.