About one in three Iowans is obese and it’s no coincidence more of our pets are also getting hefty. A new report says the number of dogs with diabetes has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Veterinarian Courtney Campbell says with pets, just like with people, there are two primary keys to avoid the ailment. “One of the principles of managing diabetes is good food and good exercise,” Doctor Campbell says. “As long as we’re not overfeeding our pets and we’re making sure they’re well exercised and keeping them slim and trim, we can definitely lower the risk factors for seeing this increased incidence of diabetes diagnosis.”

He says there are a few important symptoms of diabetes in our pets for which owners should be watchful. “Is your pet drinking more water than usual? I’m talking about how you can’t even keep the water bowl full,” Campbell says. “He’s just constantly drinking and drinking and sometimes drinking out of odd places, like the toilet bowl or even a glass of water that you’re holding, or something like that.”

Other symptoms include frequent urination as well as a huge appetite but no weight gain. If you notice these symptoms, make an appointment with your veterinarian. If your pet is found to be diabetic, it may require regular treatment. “Insulin by far is the most common mainstay of therapy, but diet and exercise can go a long way,” Courtney says. “In dogs, we can actually see a decrease in the amount of insulin they need if we get them slim and trim, lose some weight and have a good diet and exercise.”

Some cats that lose weight and become healthier may go into diabetic remission, where no insulin is needed at all. In the past ten years, diabetes diagnosis in dogs is up 80-percent and 20-percent in cats.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa has a higher percentage of older residents than most states and a new study finds older drivers may be at a higher risk for car crashes if they have a history of falls. Nick Jarmusz (JAR-mus) with Triple-A-Iowa, says the agency’s research points to a correlation. Jarmusz says, “Our study found a link between falls and crashes, specifically, that older drivers who have a history of falls are 40% more likely to be involved in crashes than their peers who have not had a history of falls.”

Once someone’s had a bad fall and been hurt, it’s unfortunate, but Jarmusz says it can be something of a domino effect. “The injuries themselves that are caused by the falls can lead to a diminished capacity,” he says.

The study found the factors that may lead to a fall are the same sorts of things that may lead to issues behind the wheel. He says Iowans may need to have a conversation with a loved one. Jarmusz says, “If your parent or older relative has a history of falls, it may be a good idea to talk about how that may be impacting their driving or whether it’s still safe for them to drive or to drive in certain conditions.”

The study was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

(Radio Iowa)

A report out of Nebraska say two people from Atlantic were injured during a collision at around mid-day Sunday on Interstate 80. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, the accident happened near the Waverly exit when an eastbound semi crossed the median and struck a westbound SUV occupied by 78-year old Robert Harlan and his 78-year old wife Joan, both of whom are from Atlantic.

The driver of the semi was also injured. He was identified as 45-year old Princewill Dabrinze, from Texas. All three were transported to a local hospital. The accident remained under investigation.

Newly released national data shows children born in rural Iowa may be more at risk to drug exposure than kids in the state’s larger cities. Health officials say a higher percentage of newborns in rural areas are affected by prescription pain killers and heroin than in urban areas. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is offering an explanation.  “The challenge is rural areas is that sometimes you look for help and it’s not there because the facilities and the personnel aren’t there,” Vilsack says.

The statistics from 2013 show that five out of every 1,000 births in urban areas were affected by drugs compared to eight out of every 1,000 in rural areas. Vilsack, who served as Iowa’s governor from 1999 to 2007, says more people know each other in rural areas, so those who are struggling with drug addiction may be more reluctant to seek help out of fear their neighbors will find out. He says it’s important to recognize addiction is an illness, not a flaw. “It just makes it a little bit easier for people to come forward,” Vilsack says.

President Obama recently signed a bill designed to provide more education, prevention and treatment programs to rural areas.

(Radio Iowa)

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says a Red Oak woman was arrested Sunday afternoon following a traffic stop. 25-year old Christine McGlade was pulled over at around 1:50-p.m. for having expired license tags and a cracked windshield. McGlade was found to have had a warrant for her arrest issued out of Page County. She was arrested for Driving While Revoked, Failure to have an ignition interlock device, and Expired tags. McGlade was being held in the Adams County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Iowans involved in organ donation will be involved in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena again this year. Iowa Organ Donor Network spokesman, Tony Hakes says the Donate Life float in the parade on January 2nd will include a florograph with a likeness of organ donor Dyllan Lawson. “His family is going to go out and be able to decorate float and see the florograph actually on the float — and do a bunch of other fun things with the family,” Hakes says.

Lawson had just completed his first year at the University of Iowa in pre-medicine when he was involved in a car accident on June 30th, 2011 that left him with severe head injuries. His organs were donated to four people. “His family has done a lot of things to promote donation in the last few years,” Hakes says, “they hold a 5-K and they do some stuff at a baseball game. Dyllan was a big baseball fan and player.”

Hakes says this is a good way to honor Dyllan and thank his family for continuing the support of organ donation. “Turns out that his family is actually fans of the Rose Parade, they watch it every year, and they have been sending a rose out to the Donate Life Float each year,” Hakes says. “And so this year to honor him and them — we decided to send his parents and sister and brother out to represent us at the Rose Parade.”

Iowa is also sending a representative who had received and organ donation to ride the parade float, and another person who donated an organ to walk along with the float. “And it turns out that our walker is the liver donor of our walker, a mother and daughter team. So, that is going to be pretty special for them too,” Hakes says.

Cindy Newton is a living donor to her first and only daughter Carlie who was born with a disease that kept her liver from functioning. “I think she was just a few months old when her mother got tested and was able to donate a partial liver to her. So I think that was 18-19 years ago now, because she is a freshman at Iowa,” Hakes says.

This year’s float is called “Teammates in Life” and includes 95 other organ donor recipients along with Carlie Newton. The float is modeled after a Polynesian catamaran.

(Radio Iowa)