Pet Diabetes Newsletter

I always ask for feedback and questions from my own patients and from the readers of this newsletter. Over the years, I have learned that no question is silly, and in fact if one person is asking it, many are probably thinking it.

I was chatting with a friend this morning about the cost of health care. Her insurance company wants her son to use a generic of his medication. Her son feels he can tell the difference between the generic and the "brand name" medication.

Urinary incontinence is not uncommon in spayed dogs, and some conditions increase the chances of incontinence. Whenever a pet is producing larger volumes of urine, the urinary bladder is more often full.

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.

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.