For years, people have owned pets for companionship. Now health benefits have been associated with people who have pets. Discover more about how pet ownership can help people with diabetes live their life.
Choosing to own a big dog means bigger medical bills, bigger pet food bills and pretty much bigger everything. Choosing a cat or small dog is often easier on the pocketbook, and they are much less likely to hog the bed. Nonetheless, small pets often present obstacles that the typical pet owner doesn't expect. Dosing of medication may be the biggest.
Interacting with ADW customers is one of the best parts of my job. As the staff veterinarian at ADW, I get great access to lots of diabetic pet owners and then I can translate our talks into newsletters that may be of value to all of you.
This week I received an email from a customer and diabetic pet owner asking if veterinarians are in collusion on making insulin so pricey. I promise you, we are not! Shoot, most of the insulins I prescribe these days (Glargine, NPH, Levemir) I have owners get at their own pharmacy. We veterinarians don't have a whole lot of say in the price of insulin.
For the vast majority of diabetic pets we give insulin at the time of feeding. Usually once a pet starts to "dig in" at the food bowl we have the pet owner give the injection of insulin. I think the best reason for this is that the pet is too busy eating a delicious meal to pay much attention to the itty bitty prick of an insulin needle.
I had out of town visitors last week. That's what happens when you live in sunny south Florida in the winter. It was a long week. I did have ONE good house guest last week, however. It was Max, the newly diagnosed diabetic cat.
I made a new friend this week. Maximus is a 14 year-old charming orange tabby cat. His human noticed Maximus losing weight over the last month. Max apparently was never one to miss a meal before recent weeks.
Two weeks ago I got a new patient. He came to my clinic for a second opinion, as well as a quote for a dental cleaning and extractions of some abscessed teeth. And, by the way, he is an 18-year old uncontrolled diabetic cat. I thought this patient would be a good example for our readers […]
Years ago, before I had honed my charming bedside manner, I entered a well pet exam and teased the client that she had a "max pin" instead of a "min pin". That's short for miniature pinscher for those not used to vet speak. I don't think the client heard a word I said after that.
Last week I met a new patient. A family brought me their chubby, handsome, middle-aged pug. He had been to his regular veterinarian several times over the prior month because he had unrelenting soft stool. Their usual veterinarian was out of town, so the owners came to my hospital.