Vetsulin works better most of the time. It is worth the cost difference IMO.

We have an 11 year old dog on insulin and use the $25 a vial stuff from Walmart. Seems to work fine.

Now the prescription dog food is a whole different story at $73 a bag.



Gotta love those free puppies…

All insulins are not created equal...the Vetsulin is actually 2 different types of insulin that is blended to achieve optimal glycemic control in canines. It is the first choice by most veterinarians.

The dose of insulin of one type is not necessarily equivalent to the dose of another type of insulin. Then there is the U-40 vs U-100 syringe issue.

Vetsulin is my go to.

Concerning the special diet, the theory that diabetic dogs need to be on a high fiber, lower carb food like Hill's W/D has fallen out of favor recently. I rarely recommend special diabetic diets for dogs anymore. Cats, yes. Dogs, not so much...

What Scotty said. Changing from one to another doesn't mean the same dose, and trying to dose a U40 syringe for a U100 insulin or the other way around leads to over or under dosing. You don't want to play around with that without consulting with your vet first.

Just for clarity my use of the product from walmart and the 14u dose were recommendations from the vet.

Bonfire97 said:

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Thanks for the info Sunray. I saw your other post on this board. I hope your dog is doing well. I am definitely going to switch to the Novolin N when this Vetsulin runs out. What is sad is that I found the Novolin on a "pet med" website for nearly $200:

https://www.vetrxdirect.com/product/view/novolin-recombinant-dna-insulin-rx

Same thing you can buy at Walmart for $25. That's just ridiculous.

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Novolin N is basically an old school basal insulin. Aren't most animal insulins a mix of basal and bolus or just straight bolus? If so, you'd want Novolin R. Walmart also sells premix which is 75% N and 25% R.

The problem with both of those is while they work, they're extremely slow acting and not nearly as effective as more modern insulins for humans. I would assume it'd be similar in a dog.

You don't need a prescription to buy any of the Novolin insulin at Walmart. Seems odd a "vet" site would be selling it since it's made specifically for Walmart under their Reli-on brand and not available elsewhere

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I won't even approach my vet with asking about this because I am sure the answer will be "absolutely not".

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I think you have the wrong vet if they won't even discuss this with you.

Walmart also sells the U-100 insulin syringes for about .12/each in quantities of 100 per box, IIRC.

Some folks will blanketly 'dis' Walmart and their customers, but Walmart certainly does a nice job (and has for many years) keeping the prices on their Novolin insulins, syringes, and glucose test strips way down below that which you'll find at most other places.

I'm sorry to hear that your dog has diabetes and wish you the best in dealing with it for him.

I've had clients end up spending a whole lot more and causing life threatening situations by trying to change the type of insulin or dose on their own. This isn't something to play around with. Discuss your concerns with your vet and don't just start dosing it yourself.

Do not - I repeat DO NOT - fiddle around with the insulin doses and syringes as flippantly as you are discussing. The U-40 and U-100 syringes are NOT the same dose and you can easily over and under dose, with overdosing leading to hypoglycemia and possible death/seizures/coma, and underdosing leading to possible DKA. Your vet should be working with you to do what is best for the pet and your pocketbook, and if you don't feel they can, then find a new vet. Trust me, we are not making our money on selling Vetsulin to you.

Personally, when I got out of vet school 10 years ago, Vetsulin wasn't on the market at the time (was before and is now but wasn't the couple of years after I got out) and so I am used to starting them on Novolin N or Humulin N. You do not want the R insulins - they do not last long enough and are meant to be used as a CRI in dogs.
Vetsulin was made for dogs so sometimes works better. It uses U-40 syringes. Novolin and Humulin are human insulins, but often times will work fine for dogs. They use U-100 syringes.

Do not willy nilly change the dose of the insulin on your whims either. Glucose curves and/or fructosamines are needed to see whether to change the dose or not, along with clinical signs. Do this correctly at the beginning to avoid complications in the future.

The food is not as important as that they eat two meals a day when the insulin is being given, and minimize snacks/treats. I'd take your money you're spending on the food and put that towards the insulin, which $50/month is not much. Depending on your dogs size and dose, the bottle can sometimes last quite some time.

And this kind of attitude is why veterinarians make more money than we would if people actually did what we said. You've had no less than 4 tell you this is a mistake. Do you know why that is? It's because everyone of us have seen major screw ups with pet owners trying to play doctor on their own, especially with diabetics. This isn't something to play around with and if you can spout off like this on a message board but don't have the balls to talk to your own vet about your concerns, then go gamble with your dog's life and see what happens. You must be a south side bonfire guy.

Having a diabetic pet and caring for them is a major commitment in time and money. Your vet should have no problem discussing insulin options with you if you choose to listen to any of us, and if not you can see another one.

We have, you're just to stubborn or dense to listen to the advice because it wasn't the answer you wanted. Specific recommendations can't be made unless we've actually examined your dog. Once again, talk to your vet about your concerns. Insulin dosing, types, and treatment is not simple and interchangeable

Bonfire97 said:

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And this kind of attitude is why veterinarians make more money than we would if people actually did what we said. You've had no less than 4 tell you this is a mistake. Do you know why that is? It's because everyone of us have seen major screw ups with pet owners trying to play doctor on their own, especially with diabetics. This isn't something to play around with and if you can spout off like this on a message board but don't have the balls to talk to your own vet about your concerns, then go gamble with your dog's life and see what happens. You must be a south side bonfire guy.

Having a diabetic pet and caring for them is a major commitment in time and money. Your vet should have no problem discussing insulin options with you if you choose to listen to any of us, and if not you can see another one.

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Yeah, and not one of you have actually offered to try and help me out. Carry on Veternary god. And, to add to this comment - you throwing out some sort of percieved insult about being a "south side bonfire guy" really shows professionalism and credibility. That's classy "Dr.".

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Ouch. My daughter is very leery of pet owners like this and another reason why she doesn't tell her neighbors what she does for a living. Getting asked to dispense internet medical advice or getting the 20 questions game without seeing the pet in person happens way more than you know and I think the vets on here have been pretty damn fair.

Just my opinion from hearing her talk about her practice and what she sees daily. I think your current vet needs some tableside mentoring about talking with clients.

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Yeah, and not one of you have actually offered to try and help me out. Carry on Veternary god. And, to add to this comment - you throwing out some sort of percieved insult about being a "south side bonfire guy" really shows professionalism and credibility. That's classy "Dr.".

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WOW.

And you wanted help from the vets on this board? They could kill your dog providing "internet" advice and your are blasting them?

It is one thing for a lab to have "swim ear" and you ask for help. "Give me advice on my dog's insulin" is not the same nor should you expect them to go out on a limb and help.

You are Bonfire97? Were you a South side crew chief or something? Hotard?

They may have had co-ed dorm crew chiefs by 97...