Cataract surgery for diabetic dog?

SidecarFlip wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:
I am on a canine diabetes forum and from the information and traffic there, I don't know of anyone who has even considered putting their pet down because of diabetes. Many of us use Novolin N from Walmart which is $24 for one vial. Our dog currently gets 9 units twice a day and a bottle last more than a month. Needles are $12.95 for 100, which is almost a 2-month supply.

I think the vet makes a big difference in the way pet owners approach their pet's disease. Education is the key.

I also had an epileptic dog. He had gran mal seizures. We eventually got them under control, but that is one condition where I have known people to put their dog down. Again, education is the key.

Dale

Just asked my wife about your insulin versus our 'for human' insulin. She told me that when we started the pup on insulin 5 years ago, it was Humalin and our vet and what she has read, switching insulin and going with something else after the pup is already on one type for a while, can have an adverse impact. In our situation an 'adverse impact' could be death and while it's expensive (30 units 2 times daily) at 130 bucks a hit, we can handle the expense.

IOW, we aren't changing anything at this juncture. She don't have that long to live anyway. In human years, she's 70 plus.

I will say that we will never get another dog. Getting to old for one and two, if something happened to us, who would take the responsibility or ownership.... no one.

Every dog we have had in the past 35 years has been a cast off, a stray. Out here where we live, in the country, people drop off their unwanted pets all the time and expect others to take care of them. People today cannot accept responsibility for the actions or their charges and frankly, I'm tired of assuming their responsibilities.

I never suggested you should change insulin. I merely pointed out some cheaper alternatives to people who might think the expense was not worth keeping their pet alive.

For our girlie, the expense is roughly $37/month and she is doing well on Novolin N from Walmart. As always, one should follow the advice of their trusted vet.

I do want to give fulltimers a "heads up." Indiana has passed legislation which requires you to have a prescription for your dog's insulin. I believe the only other state that has that law is Alaska. That was with a small bit of searching, so don't hold that for gospel. But since we spent the summer in Indiana this year, I had to get the vet to write a prescription. Our girlie was diagnosed in Texas so no prescription needed there.

Dale