Orthopaedic problems caused by the stress imposed by excess weight on the stifles and elbows. Another problem occuring is diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by clinically significant glucose intolerance and an absolute or relative lack on insulin. Insulin has to be administered artificially to match the glucose produced by digesting the diet. Another consequence of administrating insulin is the importance of palatability.
Palatability is particularly important when using relatively short duration insulins.
With these insulins in particular, it is vital that all the offered food is consumed within a short time. The sweetener, stevioside, extracted from the plants, is 300 times sweeter than sugar. The fresh leaves have a nice liquorice taste. Indeed, the leaves contain diterpene glucosides with a sweet taste but which are not metabolised and contain no calories. The biggest part of the glucosides consists of the stevioside molecule.