Canine Diabetes - Vetsulin
3So my parents just found out their doggo is diabetic and requires regular injections of Vetsulin. I have been looking to see if I can find an Rx discount or coupon for the insulin and am coming up empty. Figured I would throw it out here to see if anyone knows anything
Thanks!!
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goodrx.com
@lonnyzone yeah, thanks. No discounts for Goodrx or the gold option.
The vet might have some info. Also track down some rescue groups and ask them.
@f00l oh good idea, thanks!
Definitely check and see the pricing on Chewy.com. Typically they have some okay deals on pet rx stuff
@SpoopySkeleton I get my dogs meds from chewy because they are cheaper than my vet. They usually have a deal for 30% off your first order, so make sure to check for a coupon if they are going to use chewy.
@SpoopySkeleton @RiotDemon thanks and the 30% off is a good idea. Otherwise chewy is about $10 higher per vial than the vet.
@SpoopySkeleton @tinamarie1974 did they check the pricing online? What about Walmart? Sometimes they can get pet medications for cheaper.
@RiotDemon @SpoopySkeleton Thanks I did. Walmart, sams, costco, petmeds, chewy, etc. I am so frustrated because I can usually find something. I even checked mfg web site to see of they had a discount card and no dice.
@tinamarie1974 here’s an interesting article about using human insulin instead of vetsulin.
Maybe it’s something they can discuss with the vet?
https://www.dvm360.com/view/walmart-insulin-ok-pets
@tinamarie1974 ugh that’s frustrating, I’m sorry
@RiotDemon @tinamarie1974 I have had 2 cats with diabetes. One I used cat insulin with and one I used human insulin with. In both cases they did just as well although the vet said it is harder to find the right dose with human insulin and animals can react a bit more unpredictably with human insulin. Fortunately with cats one (human) vial lasts about 5-6 months if always kept in the fridge as that stuff is expensive!! The 30 day expiration on the human vials presumes it isn’t kept refrigerated. If it is kept refrigerated it can be used for months. My vet told me that and people on a list I was on said their vets said that too. The cat insulin does have a shorter shelf life even if refrigerated. Don’t know if the same holds true for dog insulin. I got the cat insulin through the mail at a much lower price. Came in an insulated box with frozen packs.
The other thing they need stocked with is something to take care of is insulin shock. One cat got that twice and one got it once. In one case my cat got it in the middle of the night, I didn’t know as I was asleep and so was lucky to be saved in the morning by the vet. In the other two cases I treated with honey in their mouths and they both recovered. I could tell something was up because of their behavior (so make sure they know the range of behavior that might indicate this - and it is better to err on the side of giving the animal a sugar hit than the other way around).
In one case my cat got diabetes after pancreatitis and about 6 or 7 months later was fine. In the other case that cat had it the rest of his life (so I dealt with it with him for a bit over 3 years).
Oh and have them buy a human blood monitor (way, way cheaper than an animal one both with the monitor and the test strips). It will need calibrated with the vet readings (and the readings aren’t all that linear, at least with a cat) so that they know what human number is “normal” with animal and what is considered high, really high… I’d bring it with me to the vet’s and each time my cat was checked we’d run it with the human one too and compare. I bought a Walmart Relion as it is cheap, doesn’t need much blood (important for a small animal) and the strips weren’t all that expensive. If it is a small dog make sure they get the one that doesn’t take much blood (pharmacist would know if the vet doesn’t), if it is a large animal then one used with kids would be find. I’d pin prick my cat’s ear. All it took was one drop and you move where you get it each time you check. Once my cat was stable on the dose I didn’t check daily.
The monitors only have to be accurate plus or minus 15%? (forget the exact number for sure - what is important is that it is a range) from the true rate (FDA requirement) so knowing the range that is “normal” for the dog when calibrated is important.
Also io.groups (yahoo groups are history on Dec 5th and most have moved to io groups) I think has a dog diabetes group (the cat one I was on moved there - that cat only died 2 years ago next month). They might find that helpful to see how other dog owners are handling this, get ideas and to ask questions where they don’t want to bother their vet yet again. They also though need to be careful what advice they take as not all people on those lists believe in science based treatments. I found the cat list very useful for finding cheaper insulin and monitor strips, coupons, etc. and suggestions for food to feed if my cat hated the special food (which both of mine did) as someone posted a link to where someone else had analyzed a ton of cat food out there for % sugar based food ingredients (that list also was useful for cats with kidney disease as one of mine had as they did that for that diet need too).
@Kidsandliz @RiotDemon thanks! Lots of good info. One stupid question, what is an io group?
@tinamarie1974 https://groups.io The folks who created yahoo groups founded that forum and most of the groups that were on yahoo have moved over there. You don’t get spammed, no advertising (their business model is to have free groups with very limited storage space and groups that pay for more space at several different tier levels). There is never a fee for group members, rather the owners of some of these groups that want/need more space ask for paypal donations once a year and some groups paid for by organizations, the group owner, etc.
Some groups may have moved elsewhere. I know the feline one I was on on yahoo had hundreds of members.
EDIT - I just searched and under dog diabetes and canine diabetes and groups are tiny. They may have moved to facebook instead of a yahoo groups type forum. Search facebook for both.
EDIT again
This one on facebook has 2300+ members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/53033914604//
This one on facebook (private page) has 8+K members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/25580892259/
This one has 17+K members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineDiabetesSupportandInformation/
There are probably more but these 3 would be a good start
Might want to pre-screen those groups for your parents if they get overwhelmed by too much information… oh and whether they stick to science or not.
@tinamarie1974 Here is another one with 3+K members
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogswithdiabetes/
Some have hundreds of messages a day, others not so much so.
There are more facebook groups but as I am looking more carefully some haven’t posted in several years. And of course those with a ton of members I doubt some members are all that active as their dogs may have passed and they just never unjoined.
@Kidsandliz thanks a bunch! I will check them out. Appreciate the feedback!!
@Kidsandliz @tinamarie1974 I had a cat who was diabetic for a long time. I have no input on cheap insulin – I always got it from the vet and it was expensive – but I did get an insulin monitor for free from someone, I think it was BD. There was a mail-in coupon in a box of syringes. I think they also sometimes had coupons for discounts on the syringes although there might be more options out there now. It has been a little while.
do you know anyone who lives in Canada or who lives near Canada and crosses the border regularly that might be an option for getting cheaper insulin and other meds
@f00l I thought of that, but only for work and I don’t think I have that kind of relationship where I could ask.
Oohhhh…I wonder if I can find a canadian pharmacy…Googling now…
@tinamarie1974
Pharmacies in Mexico might also offer good pricing. Either mail order, or personal pickup if you know someone who lives in Mx or on the border …
I don’t know anything about the legalities involved.
@f00l I know bunches of folks south of the border - use to work down there. That is worth checking. Thanks!!
@f00l @tinamarie1974 Be careful with the Canadian pharmacies that are mail order. Many of them online are actually located in Asia and just have a Canadian website or a Canadian distribution center but aren’t regulated by Canada because they aren’t actually dispensing per say out of Canada. I used to have a list of all the “fake” pharmacies in Canada. Found most of that out reading reputable sites on the web and research articles about this problem or discussed on a pet website with respect to expensive meds (like insulin, asthma meds…).
Watch it with drugs sourced from/made in India, highest counterfeit drugs made there in the world, followed by China, and a couple of other countries where counterfeit drugs produced in large amounts. If the drugs aren’t dispensed by a “real” pharmacy regulated by Canada, etc. you may be buying counterfeit insulin. “Real” pharmas sometimes get caught in that but not so much so due to all the oversight/regulations they follow. I forget all the countries (there are 3 main ones) but I learned this when trying to find where to buy inhalers for an asthmatic cat (that stuff is also very expensive).
@f00l @tinamarie1974 I also have a diabetic cat and got him in remission after the help and information from the folks at http://feline diabetes.com/FDMB Some of the folks on there have used this Canadian pharmacy for insulin: rxcanada4less.com I was going to use them but my cat went in remission. It takes longer with the shipping because it goes through customs.
I almost used this pharmacy once for myself because my dermatologist wanted me to use $400 cream on my face. I requested a copy of that prescription and when they got wind I was going to send it to Canada, I got a call a few hours later from a local pharmacy that was shipping the medicine to my front door for about $65.
@cedds @f00l @tinamarie1974 Nice on the price change for your med. I need that for two drugs I am not taking due to the price. Was that a local chain pharma or a privately owned one?
Is no one else… wondering? about the balls of the company that took insulin for pets and named it Vetsulin?
You can get insulin over the counter from Walmart. Or most pharmacies
I’m not going to pretend I read this whole thing but seem to be lots of options.
https://www.dvm360.com/view/just-ask-expert-your-insulin-options-diabetic-dogs
One of my vets told me years ago, that vaccines for pets were much better quality than those for humans, as animals don’t tolerate impurities as well as we do. That being said, I had a dog who lived a long time using human insulin, since that’s what was available at the time. I had to follow her around outside with a little cup, so I could check the sugar levels in her urine.
She figured out pretty quickly that the shot came with a piece of hot dog, that helped a lot.
I’m glad someone mentioned the over the counter insulin at Walmart, around here (midwest) it’s just under $25 a bottle (100ml or about 300units) but it’s got is trade offs. It is a fast acting insulin typically lasting about 4 hours in humans, vetsulin is an intermediate acting insulin lasting 12-24hrs. Also the over-the-counter is non-synthetic, meaning it’s made from pork pancreas, it will require refrigeration.
@speed20 @tinamarie1974 - fast acting might be a problem with respect to dog insulin shock. I’d check with the vet before purchasing fast acting.
Check Walmart’s PetRx.
@Tadlem43 yeah thanks, checked a number of Rx including Walmart. Everyone has the exact dame price. Around $60 a vial
I’m sure you’ve found these, but here’s come coupons for it.
Best of luck to the furry kid. Had a dog that went through that. It’s not fun for anyone.
@tinamarie1974 https://dealspotr.com/promo-codes/vetsulin.com
https://walmartcouponscodes.com/vetsulin-for-dogs-coupons
@Tadlem43 @tinamarie1974 OMG I would have killed for $60 a vial. I was paying around $600 something just a couple of years ago.
How big is the dog? If he is a small dog that vial will last far longer than a month. With my cat one vial lasted around 5 mo if I recall correctly. And I had to refrigerate it too. The so called expiration date was only a month but I checked with the vet and manufacturer (and the list I was on) and they were very conservative with that date as they presumed some people wouldn’t keep it refrigerated…
@Kidsandliz @Tadlem43 he is somewhere between 40-50 lbs. Not sure how many vials/month he will need yet. Still regulating him