I write with regard to the suspected incidence of diabetes in Campbells. In April 1994 I humanely destroyed a sick hamster belonging to Miss Tye which was showing definite signs of excessive drinking and weight loss.
With the kind help of Trevor Whitbread who is a leading veterinary pathologist, the internal organs were examined under the microscope. The pancreas, which is the organ that secretes insulin, was abnormal with the insulin-producing glands filled with cells called macrophages. This left no functional tissue to produce insulin, resulting in diabetes. Urine was also tested and this had a high level of glucose in it, which is a good diagnostic indicator for diabetes.
Two main points arise from this:
At the time of writing (1995), Neil Wheadon was practising at the Haycombe Veterinary Surgery, Bath.