diabetic dog help

[JANE4girls]

my friend just found out after spending $1200 or so that his dog is diabetic. Meaning he will have to have shots at a rate of $200 a week, something he can't afford.

are there any other treatments or cheaper generic meds?

are there any dog rescue groups that take animals that owners can't afford to take care of? he is a 6 year old healer mix

my friend feels really bad about it but just can't afford the expense of taking care of a diabetic dog as he is even skimping on his own diabetic meds.

[rbunnymom]

Have her check out IMOM.org Helping People Help Pets (http://www.imom.org) I can personally vouch for this organization. I had a 17 yr old cat with diabetes. She lived to be 21 thanks to the support and help from imom.

PM me if you have any questions.

[JANE4girls]

Have her check out IMOM.org Helping People Help Pets (http://www.imom.org) I can personally vouch for this organization. I had a 17 yr old cat with diabetes. She lived to be 21 thanks to the support and help from imom.

PM me if you have any questions.

I checked out their site, but looks like they don't offer ongoing help with meds


"Effective April 6, 2009 IMOM can only accept applications for pets who are in a life threatening emergency and need one-time care. There are no exceptions."

We will keep looking though...I feel so bad for him

[platty46]

Sorry for the person going through this..we had a diabetic dog..I can't understand it costing that much for insulin. A dog can only take a few units each time..It was the special dog food that cost a lot for us.Not sure where the person lives and the rate of cost in that area..tell your friend he is in my prayers. Some would put a dog down rather than take care of it..Our little dog was a member of our family and did all we could do for her.God bless and your in my thoughts and prayers.

[JANE4girls]

My friend told me the bottles cost $60 each and that one only lasts for 2 days...at least that is what he got from the vet, so about $200 a week with the needles too. We are in the Houston area, so still trying to find other alternatives, even buying the meds online if they will be cheaper. But he just went through a divorce and basically does not have the money unfortunately.

thanks for your help

[weekitty]

It should not cost that much, i had a cat maybe 15 pounds, had to have shots twice a day... get the insulin and the needles at your local drug store, walmart what ever, call around for price.. you will need a script from the vet for the needles.. and i didnt have the cat on special food ... maybe $50.00-$100.00 a month at most...

[JANE4girls]

okay i looked it up online for him this morning and it is about half the cost online for vetsulin for the 40 bottle, so $34 and some change

that helps some but not a lot, we are still looking

[zoeys_mom]

Call some of the country vets for advice and alternatives to the name brand meds.
I find the country vets to be MUCH cheaper than the city ones. They don't even charge an office visit fee out in Rosenburg/Richmond and they are very informative and friendly.

[rbunnymom]

I checked out their site, but looks like they don't offer ongoing help with meds


"Effective April 6, 2009 IMOM can only accept applications for pets who are in a life threatening emergency and need one-time care. There are no exceptions."

We will keep looking though...I feel so bad for him


So sorry. I didn't know they changed their policy. I hope your friend is able to find help.

[JANE4girls]

okay, he apparently got the dosage wrong, or misunderstood. each bottle will give 20 doses, not 5 that he thought, so that makes a huge difference in the cost!

I had to call my vet and have them explain it to me, so that I could tell him to get more information from his vet.

Now he is going to see if he can get insurance for the dog...after the fact because that will be much cheaper too

[Penelope06]

I was about to tell you to have him get a second opinion!

Is his dog on Vetsulin? If so, he needs to get it from his vet or PetMeds (If they offer it), or a similar website. Any other insulin will not do. And he has to make sure he gets the correct syringes if he gets them from anyone other than his vet. It's very easy to have something accidentally go wrong if the wrong insulin/wrong syringe is used. Another thing is most diabetic dogs are put on a prescription diet, if his was, he can ask his vet if that brand is having a promotion. For example, Hill's is having a promotion called "We are Hill's" that offers coupons for Prescription foods.

As for the insurance, have him call the insurance companies first to find out what they will cover, and how much since the diabetes is now considered pre-existing and most companies won't cover anything considered pre-existing.

Cassie, LVT

[ironeagle48162]

I have a diabetic kitty, and to my knowledge, no pet insurance company will cover any pre-existing conditions. I think your friend is on his own when it comes to the expense of caring for his dog.

We were paying $96 every 6 weeks for my cat's insulin, plus special food, plus syringes. We had to switch him from PZI (no longer being made) to Lantus, which is much more inexpensive and he's doing well. I couldn't find any way to save money on his expenses besides calling around for prices at local pharmacies.

Regarding food, Innova makes really good low carb food for cats, so I imagine it's the same for dogs. Wet food tends to be lower carb, but my kitty won't eat it. He used to be on Hill's Prescription Diet because he had urinary crystals. I found out it had 36 grams of carbs per serving. He's now on Innova EVO which has only 6 grams of carbs per serving. Make sure your friend researches the carb content in foods. You wouldn't believe all the junk and fillers in some of that stuff.

I hope your friend does not give up his dog. Adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment. I don't see people giving up their diabetic kids because they're expensive and I think it should be the same for animals. I have spent a LOT of money on my kitty. I would never not get him the treatment he needs because of money (unless he was terminally ill), even if I had to empty my savings account. I know I'm on my :soapbox: here, but I get very sad when I hear of people giving up their pets because they can't afford them, or they move (like you can't move your pet?), or they just plain don't want them anymore. My vet told us that there are people who put their pets to sleep once they found out they were diabetic, which is just horrible. I think it's worth the investment to have someone, or something, in your life that loves you unconditionally.