At my wits end with vets!

[Kiekoo]

Hi! I have had a diabetic Dachshund for 5 years now. When my dog was first diagnosed I thought it was the end of the world - but we have muddled through it and she is a bright, waggly and lively dog. She gets 2 insulin shots a day, at a fairly high dosage. I am a responsible dog owner and put a great deal of time, love and care into keeping her well managed.

My problem is that the vets regularly refuse to write us the scripts for the insulin. To the point of being completely unreasonable. It's not the first time I have been surprised to reach the end of the bottle so quickly, phoned for a script only to be met with unreasonable demands and outright refusals. They must have a full BGC before anyone will write a script, but its a 12 hour commitment for me that needs to be scheduled, ahead of time so I can make up the work hours I miss.

Her regular vet is off sick, and I have just administered her last remaining dose. Stressful stuff sheesh! The receptionists and other vets on duty refuse to write the script, so I am not sure what my options are here. Will she die without insulin? If so, how long do I have to make another plan?! Her regular vet is supposed to be back tomorrow, so I could probably get a script then. I also have some old insulin in the fridge - do you all think I should rather use that rather than nothing?

Is there anything else I can do? I am in South Africa btw. So insulin is not available over the counter.

Thank you a million times over for any advice you might be able to give!

[amydunn19]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

What a scam they have going! You can try to use the old insulin - it shouldn't be harmful, it just may not be effective. It might be ok to wait until tomorrow. To allow your dog to run out of insulin should be against the code of ethics these vets are governed by but I don't know about South African law. Unfortunately, you may be at their mercy. Your dog can be in danger without insulin for a long period of time. Are other vets this difficult to deal with? You might see if others are more accommodating.

It is too bad you can't order insulin online. Do you check your dog's blood sugar at home?

[Eddie]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

We also need prescriptions in the UK but fortunately our vets are pretty obliging, even though we actually buy insulin online as it is so much cheaper than getting it from them.
If it were me I would be putting in writing my very strong concerns today, reminding them of the risks to my dog if they refuse to do the prescription and saying that I would hold them entirely responsible if anything happened to my dog. I would also ask if they would give even one bottle (or half bottle or anything really) of insulin before your regular vet comes back then you can negotiate with them as to the future supply.

I'm really sorry for you to be in that position.

Antonia

[jesse girl]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

it maybe a good idea to order extra vials of insulin . unopened and not used can last awhile

i would probably use the older insulin . i always keep and older vial encase i drop and brake the vial jesse is using now

i have gone 3 months using the same vial of insulin for jesse

[Kiekoo]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

Thank you so much for the advice and sympathy! I have been utterly distraught! My girl has been with me for 13 years, I can't believe after all the time, love and effort it will be heartless vets that will be the end of her I am absolutely astounded that supposed "professionals" can deny life-saving medicine.

I will have to use the old insulin and hope for the best. It hasn't expired yet but there is a patch of coagulated material I can't seem to get rid of. I guess it is better than nothing?

There are no guarantees her vet will be back tomorrow, but I have hope that the old vials will keep her going until I can sort this out. I am not the best at confrontation so this whole situation just has me a teary mess. But you are absolutely right Antonia, I must at least put this in writing to them. Knowing them my messages of urgency have been lost for the umpteenth time under a mess somewhere is unbearable.

And yes it is absolutely a scam, they need the income from the repeated visits, tests and if they string you along long enough you are forced to buy their insulin at the DOUBLE the price. No vet that I have seen will issue a repeat or even prescribe a spare for emergencies. I suppose they make even more money if she is hospitalized as a result of this.

Is there anything else I can do to minimize the risk? I don't test her myself but I do have the kit. I have tried extensively and failed to get a decent reading, maybe I must make a mission of it again.

I see her insulin is available over the counter in a neighboring country, it's a 13 hour drive but it would be sweet to be able to give these guys a firm middle finger without endangering my dog further

Should I give her less food? Add in a little extra walk? I feel so helpless!

[Kiekoo]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

I have finally got the insulin! Dog has survived the blunders!! Thank you again for the advice and support! I will now invest some serious time and effort into getting the home testing right.

[Cara Sandler]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

So glad to hear that she's ok. And yes, quite honestly, I would probably make the 13 hour drive and stock up on insulin as much as possible.

[Eddie]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

Very glad to hear it all worked out ok in the end.

I'd definitely try to get at least a spare bottle in case of accidents. I wonder if you can get it online from wherever it is that doesn't need a prescription? Or find a more co-operative vet!

Antonia

[k9diabetes]

Re: At my wits end with vets!

Ugh... how frustrating!!

Yes, if you can buy more than one bottle at a time, do so. And then request a refill when the next to last bottle runs out so you always have some.

This is actually a good idea anyway - to have a backup bottle in case something happens to the working one.

Perhaps an in-person conversation with the vet would help? Worth a shot.

Or maybe you could get three vets and stagger them!

Natalie