Any advice for life with a diabetic (Non-EB) dog??

[ddnene]

I'm not sure on cost differences between the two insulins. I'm gathering that the canine one is more costly tho , which is the usual case w/vet drugs. I understand that the canine insulin is a pork insulin which is identical to a dog's insulin. Dogs can use human insulin though but i think there's just a slight difference chemically but still compatible. You really should d/w your vet however, especially if Tia is responding positively to the canine one, it may be best to stick with it.

I was just curious because they had me use human insulin on my cat… I was just wondering if it was the same?!!

 

[cali baker]

[MENTION=9157]ddnene[/MENTION], cats can use human insulin but there is insulin designed to match cat's insulin, structurally. There are some differences between cats/dogs insulin w/human's insulin so that's why there is also specially formulated insulin for pets.

 

[ddnene]

@ddnene, cats can use human insulin but there is insulin designed to match cat's insulin, structurally. There are some differences between cats/dogs insulin w/human's insulin so that's why there is also specially formulated insulin for pets.

Thanks for the info on this Henny, I had NO idea they even had pet insulin because they never offered that option for me. I'm assuming that the pet version is safer for the animal...

 

[cali baker]

Thanks for the info on this Henny, I had NO idea they even had pet insulin because they never offered that option for me. I'm assuming that the pet version is safer for the animal...

The human insulin is just as safe for pets as pet insulin is; with both, you still need to monitor for low blood sugar reactions and other "side effects" as well as effectiveness of the insulin. I think the reason why some vets use pet vs. human insulin is bc the pet insulin, whether it's that caninsulin or vetsulin, is much more similar in structure to the animal's natural insulin than human insulin is.

 

[Libra926]

Thanks so much for the input, advice and well wishes everyone!

I went and picked up the insulin and gave Taz his first shot tonight. He will be getting shots twice a day for now. I was advised to give him the meds for 3 or 4 days, and then check his blood sugar again about 3 hours after his shot. He took his shot like a total champ, and got a small piece of plain baked turkey breast (skinless) as a post injection treat.

I have warned my girls not to give Taz anything for now. Thankfully I was already in the habit of buying soft natural treats, and slicing them very small (in Tia's agility they get a LOT of treats, but I didn't want her to gain weight, so I every 4 or 5 agility treats actually works out to 1 normal sized training treat lol), so their impact on Taz should be very small. We need to weigh out the pros and cons here. He is basically at "end of life" age for a Rotty, we knew that when we adopted him, but we want it to be a GOOD end of life. We want a happy dog that can feel as though he gets treats sometimes too. That is why I bought the skinless turkey breast, so I could cut it into small pieces and give it to him as a 'post injection treat'. With it being straight protein, and small pieces they shouldn't have too big of an impact on his blood sugar.

Turns out this is going to be fairly expensive though. If he does well on the dose he is on right now (25 units, twice a day), then it will cost about $200 a month. He is worth it, it's just a shame it has to cost so much. I am sure it doesn't cost that much to make canine insulin and lower prices would make treating diabetes a more available option for pet owners. I can't imagine how many pets are rehomed, abandoned or put down due to unnecessary high costs of pet medication (I realize some meds are expensive, and they need to charge more, but at the same time, I am sure there are a lot of companies that charge a lot for the drugs just because they can).

I would ask your vet to switch them to human insulin. Then I would get it at Walmart. At least here in the states Walmart has a deal with Eli Lily and they put there brand on a insulin and they sell their version of Humulin R for under 30.00 I believe.

 

[ThatsBull]

Just an update on my Rottie Taz:

He is ROCKING the insulin thing. First and foremost, he is AMAZING to give the insulin to. He hears me go into the drawer that has his insulin in the fridge, and he runs over and sits at my feet wagging his tail. When I need to check his sugar levels, as soon as I get the glucometer out, he will lay down and roll onto his side, so I can use his dew claw pad to check his sugar levels (I typically only do this every few days). The BEST patient ever! I think giving a needle would be a lot more traumatizing to me and my husband if he wasn't such an AWESOME patient.

He was taking 25 units twice a day (starting sugars were about 27.5)....after about 3 days, we knocked him down to 22 units because he was showing some slightly low sugar numbers (3.3...just under normal). We did 22 units twice a day for 4 days, and when I checked him this morning, 12 hours after his insulin, his levels were at 5.1, so I called the vet, who OK'd us to drop him down to 16 units twice a day. I did check his levels tonight (12 hours after his morning dose) and he was at 5.6, but not sure if we will continue on this. The vet thinks it's possible that his pancreas may just need a break after his pancreatitis attack, and MAY heal itself. Now it's a wait and see game, but at least he is so good about getting poked! Man I love this dog.

 

[Vikinggirl]

That's great news Christine, I'm so glad he's improving with the Insulin, and his sugars are stabilizing. I'm glad he's accepting the needles and test pokes so well, it sure makes it easier for you. Sending prayers that he continues to improve.

 

[Manydogs]

[MENTION=12783]ThatsBull[/MENTION] I am so happy for you that your dog is accepting things so well. All the years I had to use insullin for dog's it was human insulin. Did just fine. Check with Walmart on the price of insulin-it may be much cheaper for you-and you can order diabetic syringes online fairly cheap. Once you get the dose to where it is regulated, he will start to gain weight. It is great that his thirst is already better! Best of luck!

 

[My Otis]

Hi Christine, I had a Mixed Terrier who was diabetic, we gave him insulin twice a day 9 units, he was a diabetic for 8 years, Gizmo lived to be 14 years young.

 

[ThatsBull]

Taz just keeps getting better and better. This morning (at about 8am), I took his sugar levels at breakfast and insulin time, since we reduced him by 6 units twice a day, and he was at 3.6. I HAD to go to sleep (I work overnights), so I skipped his morning dose, just to be sure he didn't crash, and left my daughter with instructions to wake me up if he started drinking a lot, etc. When I woke up at 3pm, I checked his sugars and he was at 8.3 (JUUUUUUUUST above "norm"). So that was about 18 hours after his insulin shot. Tonight we are cutting him back even more and are trying him on 10 units.

I REALLY don't want to be giving him insulin when he could get low and we would be asleep or not home to see him crash so we can fix it, so we are trying to be really easy with the insulin, especially since he really seems to be improving.

 

[ddnene]

Taz just keeps getting better and better. This morning (at about 8am), I took his sugar levels at breakfast and insulin time, since we reduced him by 6 units twice a day, and he was at 3.6. I HAD to go to sleep (I work overnights), so I skipped his morning dose, just to be sure he didn't crash, and left my daughter with instructions to wake me up if he started drinking a lot, etc. When I woke up at 3pm, I checked his sugars and he was at 8.3 (JUUUUUUUUST above "norm"). So that was about 18 hours after his insulin shot. Tonight we are cutting him back even more and are trying him on 10 units.

I REALLY don't want to be giving him insulin when he could get low and we would be asleep or not home to see him crash so we can fix it, so we are trying to be really easy with the insulin, especially since he really seems to be improving.

I'm so glad to hear that he's responding so well to the insulin… great work mom!!!