Missy & Jazz
Member Since 2013
Firstly, I am no expert with cat diabetes, that’s for sure! I am a complete beginner actually, but I am learning quickly – particularly with regards to sourcing the necessary products and equipment :roll:
I thought I would share my (minimal so far) experience in tracking down the items we need at reasonable prices, in the hope it might help cut some of the costs for other diabetic cat owners. This may all be old hat to a lot of owners out there, but I would like to try to give at least just a little back to a resource that has already helped me immensely. If it helps just one person, I’ll be happy!
Please try shopping around so you don’t get ripped off – I was completely shocked to see the difference in prices between what the vet quoted and the prices I could find elsewhere – for exactly the same thing! I’m amazed that they can get away with it, and a bit put out that my vet clinic is not trying to provide things for their clients at a more reasonable cost. My actual vet was completely supportive of me trying to source the products elsewhere though, so your vet might be too.
Things I have learnt:
- Do Not assume your vet will offer you the best prices for the drugs, food, and equipment you need.
- Do shop around! A few hours spent doing internet research and phoning around potential suppliers can save you substantial $$$.
- Do make sure you know EXACTLY what items you need before trying to track down the cheapest supplier (be prepared to ask your vet to write down all the details clearly, and remember to get the concentration of insulin, sizes of items [eg. 10 mL vial], needle gauge, etc). You need this information to accurately compare prices and ensure you get the right products.
- Do check and double-check you have all the details correct before purchasing or (more importantly!) using any items you have sourced from places other than your vet (I would suggest even physically taking the items in to show the vet and confirm in person).
- Do (for prescription medicine/food ) remember your vet may charge a prescription fee to write the thing! (mine charges $25 per script) and take this into consideration when comparing costs. If your vet does this, ask nicely if it’s possible for the vet to put a repeat (as many as possible!) on the prescription, then you will save the cost of multiple prescription fees.
- Do remember to take shipping/postage/collection costs into consideration if applicable.
- Do use your instincts, particularly with online companies – make sure you are getting brand new, genuine, unexpired products (not take-offs). If it sounds dodgy, it probably is.
- Do ask if a particular supplier can order in specific products for you if necessary (get a quote on the cost of the items and any ordering fees before you put the order in!). Also do join up any loyalty programs associated with your suppliers/products.
- Do ask if a supplier can price match if you find a lower price elsewhere (handy if the lower price was not in your local area, but a local store will match it).
- Do try contacting human chemists/pharmacies (including reputable online and discount ones), human medical supply companies and wholesalers, veterinary product suppliers and wholesalers, large chain petstores (bigger usually = more purchasing power, so lower prices), other vet clinics. Make sure any wholesale companies are happy to sell small quantities to members of the public at the wholesale prices.
- Do, if you have any issues when asking about prescription meds/food or syringes, explain briefly that it is for your diabetic cat, and that yes, you do have (or can get) a prescription from your vet. I had no problems with this, even with ‘human supply’ stores.
- Do check if suppliers offer discounts for buying bulk.
I am happy to share the info I’ve found about sourcing specific products in Victoria, Australia. Please make sure these products are the right ones for your cat though (as recommended by YOUR vet, not mine!) before purchasing.
All prices are in AUD and are what I was quoted (correct as at 12 April 2013), but obviously they may change.
This is what my vet prescribed:
*Glargine (Lantus ) 100 IU/mL, 10 mL vial (vet price: $177.50 per 10 mL vial)
*BD Ultra-Fine Needle Insulin Syringe 29 G 0.3ml (vet price: $1 per syringe)
*Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d Feline 156 g tin (vet price: $2.85 per tin)
Compare this to what I could find by looking up wholesalers, other suppliers, etc:
*Glargine (Lantus ) 100 IU/mL, 10 mL vial (human chemist price: $70 + $25 vet prescription fee = $95)
(almost half what the vet quoted me, even with the prescription fee)
*BD Ultra-Fine Needle Insulin Syringe 29 G 0.3ml (medical supply shop price: $0.25 per syringe)
(a quarter of what the vet quoted me – this saving alone means I can afford to use one syringe per injection, not the ‘use one syringe for 2-3 injections’ that
the vet suggested and I wasn’t keen on, while still saving 50% on the vet costs)
*Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d Feline 156 g tin (large petshop VIP price: $2.78 per tin)
(not a massive saving obviously, but for me, it all counts
)
Please let me know if you want details of the exact suppliers and I will send them to you – I am not sure of the board’s policy on including links to shop websites so haven’t listed them here. The companies I found may ship to your area, but you would have to contact them direct to check.
If you know of any reputable suppliers with good/better prices, (please let me know!!) please feel free to add them here. It may have already been done, but if not, maybe we can compile some kind of ‘reasonable price database’ for Australian suppliers of diabetic cat necessities!
Thanks for reading – would love to hear others’ thoughts and experience with this aspect of diabetes management.
I thought I would share my (minimal so far) experience in tracking down the items we need at reasonable prices, in the hope it might help cut some of the costs for other diabetic cat owners. This may all be old hat to a lot of owners out there, but I would like to try to give at least just a little back to a resource that has already helped me immensely. If it helps just one person, I’ll be happy!
Please try shopping around so you don’t get ripped off – I was completely shocked to see the difference in prices between what the vet quoted and the prices I could find elsewhere – for exactly the same thing! I’m amazed that they can get away with it, and a bit put out that my vet clinic is not trying to provide things for their clients at a more reasonable cost. My actual vet was completely supportive of me trying to source the products elsewhere though, so your vet might be too.
Things I have learnt:
- Do Not assume your vet will offer you the best prices for the drugs, food, and equipment you need.
- Do shop around! A few hours spent doing internet research and phoning around potential suppliers can save you substantial $$$.
- Do make sure you know EXACTLY what items you need before trying to track down the cheapest supplier (be prepared to ask your vet to write down all the details clearly, and remember to get the concentration of insulin, sizes of items [eg. 10 mL vial], needle gauge, etc). You need this information to accurately compare prices and ensure you get the right products.
- Do check and double-check you have all the details correct before purchasing or (more importantly!) using any items you have sourced from places other than your vet (I would suggest even physically taking the items in to show the vet and confirm in person).
- Do (for prescription medicine/food ) remember your vet may charge a prescription fee to write the thing! (mine charges $25 per script) and take this into consideration when comparing costs. If your vet does this, ask nicely if it’s possible for the vet to put a repeat (as many as possible!) on the prescription, then you will save the cost of multiple prescription fees.
- Do remember to take shipping/postage/collection costs into consideration if applicable.
- Do use your instincts, particularly with online companies – make sure you are getting brand new, genuine, unexpired products (not take-offs). If it sounds dodgy, it probably is.
- Do ask if a particular supplier can order in specific products for you if necessary (get a quote on the cost of the items and any ordering fees before you put the order in!). Also do join up any loyalty programs associated with your suppliers/products.
- Do ask if a supplier can price match if you find a lower price elsewhere (handy if the lower price was not in your local area, but a local store will match it).
- Do try contacting human chemists/pharmacies (including reputable online and discount ones), human medical supply companies and wholesalers, veterinary product suppliers and wholesalers, large chain petstores (bigger usually = more purchasing power, so lower prices), other vet clinics. Make sure any wholesale companies are happy to sell small quantities to members of the public at the wholesale prices.
- Do, if you have any issues when asking about prescription meds/food or syringes, explain briefly that it is for your diabetic cat, and that yes, you do have (or can get) a prescription from your vet. I had no problems with this, even with ‘human supply’ stores.
- Do check if suppliers offer discounts for buying bulk.
I am happy to share the info I’ve found about sourcing specific products in Victoria, Australia. Please make sure these products are the right ones for your cat though (as recommended by YOUR vet, not mine!) before purchasing.
All prices are in AUD and are what I was quoted (correct as at 12 April 2013), but obviously they may change.
This is what my vet prescribed:
*Glargine (Lantus ) 100 IU/mL, 10 mL vial (vet price: $177.50 per 10 mL vial)
*BD Ultra-Fine Needle Insulin Syringe 29 G 0.3ml (vet price: $1 per syringe)
*Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d Feline 156 g tin (vet price: $2.85 per tin)
Compare this to what I could find by looking up wholesalers, other suppliers, etc:
*Glargine (Lantus ) 100 IU/mL, 10 mL vial (human chemist price: $70 + $25 vet prescription fee = $95)
(almost half what the vet quoted me, even with the prescription fee)
*BD Ultra-Fine Needle Insulin Syringe 29 G 0.3ml (medical supply shop price: $0.25 per syringe)
(a quarter of what the vet quoted me – this saving alone means I can afford to use one syringe per injection, not the ‘use one syringe for 2-3 injections’ that
the vet suggested and I wasn’t keen on, while still saving 50% on the vet costs)
*Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d Feline 156 g tin (large petshop VIP price: $2.78 per tin)
(not a massive saving obviously, but for me, it all counts
)Please let me know if you want details of the exact suppliers and I will send them to you – I am not sure of the board’s policy on including links to shop websites so haven’t listed them here. The companies I found may ship to your area, but you would have to contact them direct to check.
If you know of any reputable suppliers with good/better prices, (please let me know!!) please feel free to add them here. It may have already been done, but if not, maybe we can compile some kind of ‘reasonable price database’ for Australian suppliers of diabetic cat necessities!
Thanks for reading – would love to hear others’ thoughts and experience with this aspect of diabetes management.
