Help with affording insulin.

[Margaret500]

I am on Social Security and limited income.

My 10-year-old heeler-border collie developed pancreatitis and diabetes. He was hospitalized for 2 days. He came home yesterday, on insulin N 7 units twice a day and special diet for the pancreatitis.

I have a Relion meter from Walmart and that is all I can afford. I am a diabetic and use it for myself. The vet said human meters don't work very well for dogs but I was wondering about it.

He is just not the same dog before getting sick, tired, but at least is not throwing up and urinating all the time.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[jesse girl]

Re: New and need help.

hi and welcome

that is not a long hospital stay for pancreatitis which is a positive sign .

many of us use humane meters because of cost and work very well may not be perfect but what is

usually the humane meters become more accurate when you get closer to a 100 and can be quite a bit off in the 200s and higher most read lower and thats what most relion users see but not all the time and there are exceptions so comparing to the vets is always a good idea and best to compare to a lab analyzer .

its great your testing as you know low blood sugar is the most dangerous situation that can occurs so your testing will help with that the pancreatiis could affect digestion for some time so you may see some fluctuations in blood sugar until your pup heals

[momofdecker]

Re: New and need help.

Hello & welcome to you and your pup. I'm sorry he had such a rough beginning but am glad you have him home and that he is doing better.

Many folks on here do home test. Lots of resources on this site and lots of people who can offer great tips on locations for testing and how to get enough blood out of your dog. There are a variety of meters that are used. The relion brand is one several folks on here use. It does tend to read lower than a canine calibrated meter, but it will still provide you with patterns and trends as to how your dog's food and insulin are balancing together. The general thought is that human meters tend to be more 'off' in the higher range numbers. As your dog drops down in the 100's and lower the readings tend to be closer to actual readings.

Many will say that a diet change is not necessary unless there is a medical need. Pancreatitis likely qualifies as a medical necessity. What food was he put on? Did your vet share that if you have troubles getting him to eat you can still give reduced insulin? Most say you can give 1/4 dose if no food or only 1/4 of food was eaten. 1/2 food = 1/2 dose. 3/4 food = 3/4 dose.

Did your vet mention anything about checking for ketones while working towards regulation? There are ketone urine strips you can purchase at most local pharmacies. You can use them to test your dog's urine for ketones. Anything more than a trace can become an emergency situation.

Can you tell us how much your pup weighs? I'm assuming you probably know that wal-mart sells their relion brand novolin n for around 25.00 per vial?

Was any other blood work run at time of diagnosis? Any other medical conditions or medications?

Best of luck to you and your pup in this new journey together!

Holli

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: New and need help.

Welcome to the forum Margaret. We had a border collie growing up. Feel free to ask any questions were here for you.

Mo

[Monsters Momma]

Re: New and need help.

Margaret, you have found the best place to be. People here deal with this daily, some longer than others, that's what makes it so great. People aren't afraid to share what they know if its going to help someone else!

Don't be afraid to ask questions and tell us all about you and you pup!
Mel

[buddy]

Re: New and need help.

Welcome!

I have the AlphaTrak and two Relion monitors and after extensive testing of nearly 1 year, I have found the Relion to be very reliable. You just need to multiply the result by 1.5.

In fact, at our veterinarian, they pulled blood sample and their lab result was 407, AlphaTrak was 413 and Relion was 406 (after multiplying 1.5) -- which is quite amazing to say the least.

[Abby's Mom]

Re: New and need help.

Hi Margaret,

Well we certainly do not need to teach you about diabetes. You already have a wealth of knowledge I am sure already with your experience.

Just wanted to say Welcome. Let us know how we can help. You have gotten great advice already.

Just wanted to let you know that if your vet has suggested Novolin (which hopefully he has), you can purchase this at Walmart for 24.88, the relion brand. It is the least expensive insulin there is out there, and alot of dogs can be regulated on it. Syringes can be bought there as well for a fraction of the costs, and if you are not familiar with American Diabetes, they too have a pet section of supplies.

Barb

[Margaret500]

Re: New and need help.

Thank you for all the support. His name is Soba, after the noodles.

He seems so tired and has diarrhea, but the vet said that was due to the pancreatitis.

He is eating food from the vets, Hills Prescription Diet I/D low fat, GI restore, because of the pancreatitis.

He weighs 45 pounds. I have the Relion insulin N at 7 units twice a day, Relion needles etc.

I have a Relion monitor that I use for myself.

I am so worried about him. He is so tired, compared to the old self that was so energetic. I love him so much. I have had him for 10 years and he has been a great friend to me.

The vet said the monitors for people are not reliable for dogs, so I have not tested him since coming home. Maybe I should anyways.

[stylynjm]

Re: New and need help.

Welcome Margert,
Just a note. I use the Relion confirm meter. They also have a Prime meter Don't know which one you have.
On the confirm, 100 or below, mine is about 30 points low, in the 100's, it is maybe about 60-80 points low, and above 200, I figure just about 100 points low. If I get a 234 on the confirm, it is just about a 330 comparison. Others will respond I'm sure.
Good luck, It can work, I to am on very limited income, so it can be done.

Test!!!! At least before food morning and night. It will give you an idea what he is doing. Even if the reading is lower than he is, on mine, if I get a 50 or 60, I know Sissy is 90-100, getting low. You want to be able to keep your baby safe

[stylynjm]

Re: New and need help.

Added question,
Is he on medication for the pancreatitis??? My other dog has that and he was on meds and something for pain. He is not diabetic, but since I got him settled on RX food, in 3 years he has not had any trouble..

[Margaret500]

Re: New and need help.

I have the Relion Prime meter. I just checked his blood sugar and it said 137 on the Prime, so if I multiply by 1.5 that gives me 205.

This is a big, big improvement for him as he was originally 535 and 400 at the vets, then on insulin at the vets was 200,

But he still has a lot of diarrhea and is very tired.I called the vet and am waiting for a reply.

[amydunn19]

Re: New and need help.

Hi and welcome! My Maggie has had diabetes almost six years now and she has had many pancreatitis issues for years. She was bitten by a copperhead when she was about a year old and got an almost fatal case of pancreatitis while recovering from the bite. Our vet at the time was sure she wouldn't live through the weekend but she is tough and still here 12 years later.

Pancreatitis is very hard on them and newly diagnosed diabetes makes them feel bad too - double whammy! Did you get any meds from the vet for the side effects? Maggie was on tramadol and cerenia. Tramadol would help with pain. Cerenia will stop any vomiting. You can get some canned pumpkin, not the pie filling, and that should stop the diarrhea and shouldn't make him worse. I also gave Maggie some boiled chicken and homemade broth. Something about the chicken and broth is so easy for them. Maggie was a real uncooperative eater though. She refused the prescription food - hopefully you won't have that problem. The recovery from pancreatitis is slow. The high blood sugar is probably not helping the way he feels either.

Maggie also took pepcid for a long time. That can help with digestive discomfort.

Don't feel alone - it all feels pretty bad right now but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Lots of good advice here.

[Margaret500]

Re: New and need help.

Now my Soba has had diarrhea all day. I talked to the vet and he said come by tomorrow and pick up some antibiotics, pain meds, etc.

Well the diarrhea is very bloody. I am concerned me might not make it. I don't want to see him suffer. He looks uncomfortable to me. He has had several bouts of bloody diarrhea.

I am afraid of watching him go downhill. My vet bill was over 450 already. I have really tried, but I just don't know what else to do.

His blood sugar is improved, but he has a much worse problem now. Is it normal to have bloody dyarrhea after pancreatitis.

[Eddie]

Re: New and need help.

Hello and welcome!

I'm sorry your dog is having such a hard time. It is horrible to see them feeling ill though sometimes it is partly a matter of giving their bodies time to sort things out. He probably feels sleepy because he feels ill (just like people do). When our dog was first diagnosed (just with the diabetes without extra complications) he did almost nothing but sleep for several weeks.

I have no experience of pancreatitis but, for what it is worth, when our dogs have diarrhea I often find that giving them boiled or scrambled egg helps calm things down and I don't think it has much impact on their blood sugar levels.

Hope things improve soon.
Antonia

[amydunn19]

Re: New and need help.

I wouldn't necessarily panic - a small amount of blood with pancreatitis is normal. This is a very painful condition but can be controlled with pain meds. Only you and the vet can make that call, though. I had one vet who told me that Maggie was suffering and wouldn't make it. When I went in to see her, she perked up and got up wagging her tail. I knew she wasn't giving up.

Pain meds could make a big difference. Shocking they weren't already given actually....