ChrissySC Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 My Maltese was diagnosed Type 2 today. Shots twice a day. Success? Did costs get high? Reprecussions? Daddy is a diabetic. Now his little guy is too. I swear this is sympathetic pet disease syndrome!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 My Maltese was diagnosed Type 2 today. Shots twice a day. Success? Did costs get high? Reprecussions? Daddy is a diabetic. Now his little guy is too. I swear this is sympathetic pet disease syndrome!:lol: One of my cats was diagnosed in April and also gets 2 shots a day. She was very sick with diabetic ketoacidosis and was hospitalized for a few days but now she's regulated. She and our other cats are all on a low carb diet now which means no dry food at all. I also started buying some low glycemic canned food for our dog to hopefully keep him from becoming diabetic. What kind of insulin are you using? My cat gets 1 unit of Lantus twice a day (a human insulin). I switched from the regular vials to the Lantus Solostar pens...only I use a regular syringe to get the insulin out of the pen, not the special needles made for the pens that people use with it. It's less expensive this way given the very small dose she's getting. And she has her own savings card at the Walgreen's pharmacy. :001_smile: I found a good book on Amazon called Sugarbabies (R. Golub) that has a lot of good info. on caring for diabetic cats/dogs. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Aww, :grouphug: to your pup! When I was a teen, one of our dogs became Type 2. She had insulin twice (maybe 3 times?) daily, a fairly high dose. We used human insulin and syringes from the pharmacy, my younger brother did it all, bless his heart. She was on a special dry food we bought at the vet, too. She lived for several years after her diagnosis, and she wasn't young to begin with. Good luck, it will get easier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 Ty, he is coming home to spend the night, but has to go back in the morning. :( I feel so sorry for him. At this point, we are learning. I do not know what his dosage or type of insulin (other than a human derivative) will be. I wondered if this was unusual. I suppose it is not. Daddy is so upset. :( I am so glad I noticed something was wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 And she has her own savings card at the Walgreen's pharmacy. :001_smile: Laurie, how did you get this? :bigear::001_smile: My experience is similar to Laurie's -- a cat who was very sick, diagnosed, on Lantus injections 2x a day. He was on a strict prescription diet too. After 6 months, he went into remission. (Yay!) So, he's still on the strict diet, but no more shots (at least for now). Lantus is expensive, but is supposedly the insulin most likely to result in remission (if that happens). In our case, the Lantus & the diet changes worked. Of course, as one cat went into remission, another cat of ours was diagnosed w/ diabetes. :tongue_smilie: It gets easier as you get used to it. But, it's an expensive problem (imo). The insulin is $100+ per bottle, plus you have to buy needles. The prescription food is outrageously priced (and we go through quite a bit because now all 5 of our cats eat it). My savings account has been depleted between all that & our vet bills over the last year. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 (edited) Laurie, how did you get this? :bigear::001_smile: It gets easier as you get used to it. But, it's an expensive problem (imo). The insulin is $100+ per bottle, plus you have to buy needles. The prescription food is outrageously priced (and we go through quite a bit because now all 5 of our cats eat it). My savings account has been depleted between all that & our vet bills over the last year. :001_huh: The pharmacist told me about the savings card. I signed up for it in the store but I think you can do it online as well...you do have to pay $20/year for membership. The pens come 5 to a box so the initial expense seems huge (about $200). Once opened, the pen is good for 30 days...so for my cat, this is a 5 month supply instead of the vial which costs a little over $100 and much of it is wasted. The prescription food is expensive and also unnecessary for diabetic cats. The internal medicine vet at the animal hospital gave me a list of low carb canned cat food that's available in the grocery store and places like Pets Mart. I'll be happy to type out the list later if you'd like it. * I just remembered that I've already typed the list out here, in case anyone is interested in the low carb cat food: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264437 Edited June 28, 2011 by Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 I need to remember to ask about the pen and low carb canned food at the vet tomorrow. Great info ty everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I need to remember to ask about the pen and low carb canned food at the vet tomorrow. Great info ty everyone! I've been buying Merrick's for our dog because there's a low glycemic label on the ones that are low carb. Be sure that they tell you what to do about possible hypoglycemia episodes. Our cat has to eat before she can have her shot. One day she threw up about 1/2 hour after eating and her blood sugar dropped very fast because of the insulin already in her system. You'll want to find out what your vet recommends if this happens. (I'm testing my cat's blood sugar at home so I can keep track of this and do things like blood glucose curves at home without having to take her to the vet since I can report the numbers by email or phone. Being able to monitor blood sugar levels at home is also a way to save money.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 I have to prick him in his little ear :( I will be monitoring him as well. I had to work, and they called to explain about the drunken episodes and giving him sugar water and k.syrup. I was warned about food first too. Poor things - I'll be pricking him and daddy in the mornings! (Daddy cannot prick his finger. Dork, LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 The pharmacist told me about the savings card. I signed up for it in the store but I think you can do it online as well...you do have to pay $20/year for membership. The pens come 5 to a box so the initial expense seems huge (about $200). Once opened, the pen is good for 30 days...so for my cat, this is a 5 month supply instead of the vial which costs a little over $100 and much of it is wasted. The prescription food is expensive and also unnecessary for diabetic cats. The internal medicine vet at the animal hospital gave me a list of low carb canned cat food that's available in the grocery store and places like Pets Mart. I'll be happy to type out the list later if you'd like it. * I just remembered that I've already typed the list out here, in case anyone is interested in the low carb cat food: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=264437 Thanks, Laurie. The vial of insulin has been fine for us. (My cats have been on a dose of about 4 units, 2x a day.) Also, the pharmacist & our vet both told me that the vial will last much longer than the so-called expiration date on the bottle. (Just thought I'd mention that in case someone else is in the same boat & is thinking that a lot of the vial would go to waste.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I have to prick him in his little ear :( I will be monitoring him as well. I had to work, and they called to explain about the drunken episodes and giving him sugar water and k.syrup. I was warned about food first too. ) Maybe you've already heard this...it helps to warm the ear first. I tied a little uncooked rice in a sock and warm this in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Some Neosporin + Pain ointment applied first might also help. When my cat gets squirmy or starts shaking her head I try to catch some blood on my thumbnail and then test it after she has made her escape. I hope everything goes well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 (I'm testing my cat's blood sugar at home so I can keep track of this and do things like blood glucose curves at home without having to take her to the vet since I can report the numbers by email or phone. Being able to monitor blood sugar levels at home is also a way to save money.) Maybe you've already heard this...it helps to warm the ear first. I tied a little uncooked rice in a sock and warm this in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Some Neosporin + Pain ointment applied first might also help. When my cat gets squirmy or starts shaking her head I try to catch some blood on my thumbnail and then test it after she has made her escape. I hope everything goes well! How often do you check the glucose curves at home??? This option hasn't been mentioned to me, but I'd definitely like to look into it more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 I did the first shot this morning! He goes back to stay the day and be watched. I wanted to let you know because I hate threads that don't resolve! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 The pharmacist told me about the savings card. I signed up for it in the store but I think you can do it online as well...you do have to pay $20/year for membership. Did you know that if you are a member of AAA you can get discounts on prescriptions at your pharmacy? Our dogs are so big that often it's cheaper for us to have our vet call meds into our pharmacy. We use the AAA discount to cut down the cost. Sorry about your little guy (and your big guy!) astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 We had a cat with Type 2. He took a pill, not shots though. He was old when he got it and lived until he was very, very old (we took him in as a stray. vet think he was about 20 when he died). I hope all goes well with your dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 How often do you check the glucose curves at home??? This option hasn't been mentioned to me, but I'd definitely like to look into it more! I took my cat back to the animal hospital to have her first curve done after starting on insulin. The vet told me that I could do the next curve at home a month later and email the numbers and she would let me know if the dose needed to change. Since then, my cat has had a fructosamine test done at our regular vet's office (one blood draw) and that showed that she is regulated on her current dose. At this point, she stays on this dose and I keep track of her morning pre-shot and evening pre-shot blood glucose readings to make sure her numbers aren't too low to get the shot. The only time I've done multiple tests during the day since then was the day she threw up and I had to monitor her for hypoglycemia. Doing the curves at home might be more accurate because the stress of riding in the car, staying at the vet's all day, etc. can raise blood sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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