My dog has been diagnosed with diabetes today

[Issabellasmum]

Hi everyone I'm completely new to diabetes looking for some guidance and help with this, my 11yr old border collie Issabella has been diagnosed with diabetes and today we gave her the first insulin injection .
Our main concern after her well being is the cost of this illness and it's treatment . At the present time it's costing £60 approx per two weeks for syringes and insulin ,never mind vets fees blood tests etc any advice on how we could save on the cost would be greatly appreciated .
Many thanks
Issabellasmum

 

[noblehead]

Do you have pet insurance, most policies will cover you for conditions like diabetes.

 

[Issabellasmum]

No we do not have insurance

 

[jack412]

see the chemist to buy it over the counter, it has to be cheaper than a vet, or is it restricted?
does the UK have a junkie needle exchange program? you should be able to get free needles

 

[noblehead]

That's a shame, my brothers dog broke it's leg and the vet bill was £4800, as he had insurance they paid for the treatment.

I'm not too sure how you could reduce the costs, have you thought about asking the vet if they can help reduce the costs considering your dog will need insulin for life, failing that the PDSA might be able to help or advise you.

Meant to say, I'm sorry about your dogs diagnoses.

 

[Issabellasmum]

Hi jack412 no we cannot get free needles but I have found that I can purchase them cheaper on line , as she needs 2 injections daily it's going to be quite costly . I don't believe I can purchase the insulin from a chemist in the UK , it's quite annoying that if I was a junkie I would get free syringes !

 

[Issabellasmum]

That's a shame, my brothers dog broke it's leg and the vet bill was £4800, as he had insurance they paid for the treatment.

I'm not too sure how you could reduce the costs, have you thought about asking the vet if they can help reduce the costs considering your dog will need insulin for life, failing that the PDSA might be able to help or advise you.

Thanks noblehead for your reply the vet did advice me to look online for syringes and I think maybe I can purchase insulin online but I'm a little wary of doing that at this present time , I don't believe I can get help from PDSA or RSPCA as I work and do not claim any benefits ( low paid care assistant ) but I love my dog and must find a way to buy her treatment at lowest cost , thanks for taking the time to chat with me on this subject

 

[jack412]

here they don't ask if your a junkie, you just ask for needles at a chemist and they give them to you, we have vans that go around the city handing them out,
if you were american you could go to walmart and buy standard insulin for a few dollars, there has to be a way to get insulin other than a vet, I know what ours charge for antibiotics, it's a stupid price, try a farm animal medical supplier or whatever they call it there

 

[Brunneria]

What are you feeding the dog? And how much carbohydrate does it have?

We have had a dog for about a year now, and I researched healthy diets - and was absolutely horrified at the amount of cereals and carbohydrate in normal commercial dog food. And it is carbohydrates that drive up blood sugars in dogs and humans.

I found these two websites that sell (what I consider to be) the healthiest dog food, unless I prepare it all myself.
http://www.wolftucker.co.uk
http://www.naturalinstinct.com/all-dog-food/

I realise that it is too late to prevent your dog from developing diabetes, but switching to low carb dog food might make a huge difference to its quality of life!

Have a read of the forum for LCHF (low carb high fat) diets, and you'll see the benefits.
And google BARF diet and raw dog diets.
I know a local dog breeder and dog shower (crufts every year), who feeds her dogs nothing but a raw diet. Her dogs are jumping out of their skin with health. Never seen such amazing animals.

 

[noblehead]

No problem Issabellasmum. I wasn't aware the PDSA was just for people on low incomes so apologies for that, often seen the leaflets in the vets when I've taken my dog along but never actually read them.

I hope you do find a suitable place to buy your supplies and you get your dog back to good health, the very best of luck and do keep us informed on your progress.

 

[Hooked]

Hi everyone I'm completely new to diabetes looking for some guidance and help with this, my 11yr old border collie Issabella has been diagnosed with diabetes and today we gave her the first insulin injection .
Our main concern after her well being is the cost of this illness and it's treatment . At the present time it's costing £60 approx per two weeks for syringes and insulin ,never mind vets fees blood tests etc any advice on how we could save on the cost would be greatly appreciated .
Many thanks
Issabellasmum

Sorry to hear about your dog. I would recommend looking into feeding a raw diet to you dog. With minimum carbs the amount of insulin needed is greatly reduced. I've raw feed my own dogs for 8 years now and they are the picture of health.

Look up prey model diet, Tom Lonsdale has a few books on it. I'm on my kindle and can't post up links, but can put them tomorrow when I'm on the PC of you are interested.

 

[jack412]

code free meter and strips from amazon uk are the cheapest

this is what I have found, also if you keep it in the fridge all the time, it will last till it runs out, you don't need to throw it away after a month
Intervet Caninsulin 40iu/ml (2.5ml x 10)
code:CANI9
£46.21 (Delivery from £5.95)
Caninsulin suspension for injection is an insulin item that is used for the treatment of dogs and cats suffering from diabetes.
http://www.vet-medic.com/cats-c67/p.../intervet-caninsulin-40iu-ml-2-5ml-x-10-p7522

 

[Robinredbreast]

So sorry to hear of your poor dogs diagnosis. When a pet needs constant medical supplies it is costly.
I know that some chemists give out free needles, the customer's are not asked any questions about the usage, but the person has to fill out a slip of paper because the assistant has to tick the box that the customer has requested, then write their DOB and post code and initial it. I hope your dog feels the benefits of the medication now and is doing well.
As for the finances,you could ask to pay a certain amount of money per week, to spread the cost and the Vets are getting a regular income each week
Good luck,I hope it all gets easier for you as it must of been a bit of a shock and worrying at the time

 

[Engineer88]

Have you tried Animed - they sell animal px and are normally quite cheap.

Might be worth a look?

 

[Hooked]

code free meter and strips from amazon uk are the cheapest

this is what I have found, also if you keep it in the fridge all the time, it will last till it runs out, you don't need to throw it away after a month
Intervet Caninsulin 40iu/ml (2.5ml x 10)
code:CANI9
£46.21 (Delivery from £5.95)
Caninsulin suspension for injection is an insulin item that is used for the treatment of dogs and cats suffering from diabetes.
http://www.vet-medic.com/cats-c67/p.../intervet-caninsulin-40iu-ml-2-5ml-x-10-p7522

Just be aware that if you are ordering insulin etc online for your dog, you will need a prescription from your vet. Your vet might charge for this, the cost of which varies wildly from practice to practice.

 

[Mazzer]

Hi, So sorry to hear about your Border Collie, Issabella, it isn't easy I know as my cat (17 years old) was diagnosed with diabetes last October and it has taken 7 months to get his bg under control. I took him to the vet today and his bg is 5.7 which is the best it has been since diagnosis. He was initially on a low carb diet (Hills prescription diet), but got pancreatitis on Boxing Day and spent 2 and a half day in the vet hospital, so they had to change his diet to a light chicken and rice receipe (Hills) so that it was easier to digest and reduce the chance of him getting pancreatitis again.

Like you I haven't got insurance and it has cost me a fortune. So far I have spent about 2000 pounds on him (not that I mind cos I love him to bits). I buy my canninsulin and syringes from the vet, but I get his food on line. I also use the syringes more than once so they last a bit longer, as I am retired I have agreed with the vet to pay monthly which they are quite happy to do.

Now that we have got control he needs a fructosamine test in 3 weeks time and then don't have to go back for 3 months all being well.

Dogs are easier to control than cats as my cat wanders into other peoples houses for food so I have had to speak to all my neighbours to tell them not to feed him as he is on a very strict diet and any extra food would definitly raise his bg and make him ill.

If you get a meter your can ask the vet to show you how to do a spot blood test, which will save you money. I have a meter as I am T2 diabetic myself, but couldn't get any blood out of my cat's ears, so have had to get the vet to do it. The other thing is, vets want to do a blood curve which involves staying at the vets for a day to have blood taken every hour (expensive), but I have the frucosamine test done where they take blood and send it off and it shows what the average blood glucose level has been over a 3 month period and dosen't require a stay at the vets.

Sorry, I have waffled on a bit, but you have better control over a dog and I am sure that you will soon get her bg under control and then won't involve too many visits to the vet.

Good luck with Issabella I hope you get her sorted soon bless her, if you need a chat happy for you to message me if you need any further information.

Take care

Marilyn

 

[Issabellasmum]

Thank you everyone for you all your advice I really appreciate your time I'm sure Issabella will flourish once we get her stable . I think I've got a lot of work to do on the internet

 

[noblehead]

Try joining a Pet Forum too Issabellasmum, I'm sure they'll be other dog owners like you who have dogs with diabetes.

 

[CarbsRok]

Hi everyone I'm completely new to diabetes looking for some guidance and help with this, my 11yr old border collie Issabella has been diagnosed with diabetes and today we gave her the first insulin injection .
Our main concern after her well being is the cost of this illness and it's treatment . At the present time it's costing £60 approx per two weeks for syringes and insulin ,never mind vets fees blood tests etc any advice on how we could save on the cost would be greatly appreciated .
Many thanks
Issabellasmum

Sorry about your doggy developing diabetes, doggy will cope very well though
I think you are being ripped off by your vet. 1 bottle of insulin will last well over a month, ignore the advice to chuck it after a month. Syringes cost about £1.25 for a pkt of 10 even though they are classed
as disposable and told to chuck after I use, there's not reason why you can't use the syringe for at least a week. I always used to for myself and my dog when he developed diabetes at the age of 14.
Get your self a prescription from the vet for the insulin, if no joy change vet pronto.

Oh and mind the vet doesn't tell you doggy needs a special diet, that they just so happen to supply. All I did was match my dogs insulin to the food he had always eaten. He died at the grand old age of 15 1/2.

 

[Issabellasmum]

I think your right CarbsRok I'm being ripped off , had blood sugars check tonight at vet £17 !!!! £16.31p for a dip stick for her pee
I'm just an average wage earner I don't honestly know how I can afford to do this long term it's been £200 this week I seriously need to
find a cheaper way of helping poor Issabella or get a second job then we will never see each other :-((