Zeke will turn 14 in December of this year. Despite the dog diabetes he continues to be healthy and even vigorous at times. He walks most nights with me about a half mile and continues to take off running once or twice a week with our other elderly dog, Bailey,who is 13 and a half and not diabetic.
I attribute his vitality in part to the the Rimadyl that Zeke takes for his arthritic problems that older dogs get. Zeke has been on Rimadyl since January 2008. At that time he had cataract surgery to relieve the blindness that came with his diabetes. The veterinary opthamologistput Zeke on Rimadyl to reduce inflamation from the eye surgery.. After two weeks when they took him off the Rimadyl I noticed that Zeke was perkier on the Rimadyl so we kept him on it.
Zeke was taking 25 mg of Rimadyl once a day. His veterinarian noticed that Zekes liver vaklues have been climbing over the last year so we have reduced him to 25 mg of Rimadyl every other day and his liver values the bloodwork that his vet orders each month shows that his liver values are decreasing which his vet and I very happy about.
On the day off of the Rimadyl Zeke takes a medication called Ultram which is for pain. He takes 1/2 of a pill in the morning and sometimes in the evening. Zeke seems to be doing ok so far on the pet meds regimen that he is on so we will continue to monitor him.
I had an older dog named Sheena who was on Rimadyl in the mid 90s and I did not see any difference in her. So I am glad that the Rimadyl keeps Zeke acting so young.
When Zeke was diagnosed with diabetes in July of 2007 I really thought that it was the beginning of the end for him. Luckily with the help of some very patient and caring veterinarians, the right pet meds, and me, his loving dog-mom,he continues to do well. We will be celebrating Zekes 14th birthday on Dec. 1, 2010.
Zeke, a 15 Year Old Diabetic Dog
Zeke is believed to be a Puggle
Vetsulin Critical Need Program - Second Order of Vetsulin Received
I recently received my second order of Vetsulin through the Vetsulin Criticial Need program. This time I purchased 3 vials and the cost with UPS overnight shipping was about $140. The Vetsulin arrived 2 days after my veterinarian ordered it for me just like it did last time.
I have always had to monitor Zekes glucose output in his urine with Bayer Diastix which are urine dip sticks that tell you how much sugar is being put out in the dogs urine. With the Vetsulin I am obtaining through the Vetsulin Critical Need program there does seem to be the difference in strength between the vials like there always was before The only difference is now we know it is because of the inconsistency of strength in the Vetsulin itself.
When Zeke measures high for glucose on the Diastix I adjust his Vetsulin dose up a half or whole unit,. If he measures negative for glucose when it is time for his next Vetsulin injection then I lower his dose by a half unit or a whole unit.
As always I take Zeke to his veterinarian about every month or two to have his blood glucose checked. Zeke is one of those diabetic dogs who seems to always either be a little too low or a little too high when the vet checks his blood glucose levels.
I have always had to monitor Zekes glucose output in his urine with Bayer Diastix which are urine dip sticks that tell you how much sugar is being put out in the dogs urine. With the Vetsulin I am obtaining through the Vetsulin Critical Need program there does seem to be the difference in strength between the vials like there always was before The only difference is now we know it is because of the inconsistency of strength in the Vetsulin itself.
When Zeke measures high for glucose on the Diastix I adjust his Vetsulin dose up a half or whole unit,. If he measures negative for glucose when it is time for his next Vetsulin injection then I lower his dose by a half unit or a whole unit.
As always I take Zeke to his veterinarian about every month or two to have his blood glucose checked. Zeke is one of those diabetic dogs who seems to always either be a little too low or a little too high when the vet checks his blood glucose levels.
Vetsulin Critical Need Program
With my supply of Canadian Vetsulin, also known as Caninsulin, running out I requested that my vet order the Vetsulin on a Wednesday. On Friday morning the UPS driver brought my package of Vetsulin. I was surprised at how quickly it arrived. It was shipped via UPS Next Day Air and well packaged with a gel ice pack that was still half frozen.
I paid $42 per 10ml bottle plus $12.90 for shipping on 2 10 ml bottles. This is just a little more expensive than purchasing Caninsulin from the online Canadian pharmacy where I paid $88 for ten 2.5 ml bottles plus $14 for shipping.
With the Vetsulin having the issues with consistency of strength it is better for me to purchase the larger bottles so that Zeke is getting more of the standard Vetsulin dose with each injection. I could not find the 10ml bottles of Vetsulin / Caninsulin at the one Canadian pharmacy that I could find selling Vetsulin online.
I paid $42 per 10ml bottle plus $12.90 for shipping on 2 10 ml bottles. This is just a little more expensive than purchasing Caninsulin from the online Canadian pharmacy where I paid $88 for ten 2.5 ml bottles plus $14 for shipping.
With the Vetsulin having the issues with consistency of strength it is better for me to purchase the larger bottles so that Zeke is getting more of the standard Vetsulin dose with each injection. I could not find the 10ml bottles of Vetsulin / Caninsulin at the one Canadian pharmacy that I could find selling Vetsulin online.
Top 10 Dog Diabetes Online Resources
I have done alot of online research on dog diabetes so that I can educate myself on how to manage Zekes' dog diabetes. Below are some websites that I feel are very helpful and contain alot of information on dog diabetes.
K9 Diabetes (great forum on dog diabetes)
Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM
Vet Info Dog Diabetes
Pet Diabetes
Pets Web MD
Diabetes in Dogs
Washington State Univ Veterinary College
Merck Vet Manual
Pets With Diabetes Forum
Canine Diabetes
Have you come across some great online resources for managing your dogs diabetes? If so please feel free to post them in the comments below.
K9 Diabetes (great forum on dog diabetes)
Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM
Vet Info Dog Diabetes
Pet Diabetes
Pets Web MD
Diabetes in Dogs
Washington State Univ Veterinary College
Merck Vet Manual
Pets With Diabetes Forum
Canine Diabetes
Have you come across some great online resources for managing your dogs diabetes? If so please feel free to post them in the comments below.
Update on Vetsulin Critical Need Program Pricing
I took Zeke to his veterinarain for a check up over the weekend. She had completed the paperwork to enroll Zeke in the Vetsulin Critical Need Program which is for dogs who cannot be safely transitioned to another type of insulin. The price to get Vetsulin directly from Intervet, the manufacturer of Vetsulin, will be $42 for a 10ml vial (we used to pay $33 and then $35 before) plus shipping costs. There would be a flat rate shipping cost for up to 5 vials. The most vials we could purchase at one time based on Zekes' current Vetsulin dosage would be 6 vials. So I need to compare this to the pricing on the Caninsulin (Canadian Vetsulin) that I ordered from an online pharmacy in Canada and see what is cheaper. Without doing the math I think the pricing is pretty similar.
Vetsulin Critical Need Program
With my stockpile of Vetsulin about to run out later this summer I ordered Caninsulin from a Canadian mail-order pharmacy that handles pet meds. Caninsulin is the same exact medication as Vetsulin only it is sold under the name Caninsulin in Canada. What I would normally pay about $66 for here cost me $88 plus $14 for shipping so it is much more expensive. The Caninsulin took about 1 week to arrive and was shipped with an ice pack in the box.
Zekes' veterinarian has enrolled him in Intervets' Vetsulin Critical Need program which is for dogs with diabetes who for health reasons cannot be switched to another type of insulin. The way the program works is that the veterinarian fills out a form and sends it to the manufacturer of Vetsulin, once they approve it, the manufacturer will send the Vetsulin medication directly to the pet owner, and then they will bill the veterinarian who will then bill the dogs owner. Sounds kind of complicated but I suppose they think this will prevent the vet from dispensing the Vetsulin to newly diagnosed dogs.
In any case I am very glad that I will still be able to get the Vetsulin here in the USA. We do not have any information yet on how much the Vetsulin will cost under the Critical Need program. I will post an update once I know more.
Below is a link to Intervets page about the Vetsulin Critical Need program. If you scroll about halfway down you will see it.
Vetsulin Critical Need Program
Zekes' veterinarian has enrolled him in Intervets' Vetsulin Critical Need program which is for dogs with diabetes who for health reasons cannot be switched to another type of insulin. The way the program works is that the veterinarian fills out a form and sends it to the manufacturer of Vetsulin, once they approve it, the manufacturer will send the Vetsulin medication directly to the pet owner, and then they will bill the veterinarian who will then bill the dogs owner. Sounds kind of complicated but I suppose they think this will prevent the vet from dispensing the Vetsulin to newly diagnosed dogs.
In any case I am very glad that I will still be able to get the Vetsulin here in the USA. We do not have any information yet on how much the Vetsulin will cost under the Critical Need program. I will post an update once I know more.
Below is a link to Intervets page about the Vetsulin Critical Need program. If you scroll about halfway down you will see it.
Vetsulin Critical Need Program
Cataract Surgery for Dogs with Diabetes
I took Zeke to Dr. Ebbinger at Veterinary Vision in Rochester, MI for an evaluation of his eyesight in November of 2007. Zeke was scheduled for Cataract Surgery in January of 2008.
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