Hello,
My name is Charity and I've been lurking here a while...since my (approx) 15 y.o. tabby, Levon, was diagnosed in late June 2014.
He hasn't started insulin yet (sidelined by vacations and a UTI that landed him in the hospital for a few days...he was dehydrated and refused to eat). However, we are ready to start soon.
I just wanted to share some information I've learned for others who might live in MN/the Twin Cities metro. Unfortunately, my very kind vet is not very knowledgeable. Thank goodness for The FDMB. What a great, supportive community. You've saved my sanity several times, not to mention ol' Levon's health. Is there a better place to post this info? If so, please let me know. Still learning the lay of the land here.
So I guess the biggest lesson learned so far is that it boils down being willing to do the work. Like with most everything else, you have to be your own advocate and do a lot of research on your own.
Thank goodness for the FDMB's advice on glucose monitors, food, and for the shopping list. These are invaluable.
Sharps disposal: My vet clinic told me I would have to buy special sharps containers from them and then they could dispose of them. They refuse to take sharps in any other container and told me I could absolutely not dispose of sharps in my garbage (they also didn't tell me about options to destroy). This is not entirely accurate. You can buy sharps containers and arrange for disposal with your vet, clinic, or other; you can buy a device to destroy sharps. But currently it is legal to dispose of sharps in your garbage in MN. The rules vary by state. http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.ph...isposal-options-for-needles-and-syringes.html
Lantus (glargine) prices: My vet did warn me about the high cost and offered ProZinc as an alternative. I called around to several pharmacies: Walmart, Target, Costco, Walgreens, CVS, Cub. Cub offered the best price, and was the only pharmacy that will sell individual SoloSTAR pens.
Pet sitters: A big issue for us has been that since Levon was diagnosed, we have had a series of short out of town trips, which has thrown a wrench into feeding and bg monitoring. Our trusted friends and neighbors who usually pet/house sit moved away this spring. I was able to find a handful of professional pet sitting services via Angie's List and online searches. We used a service called Whiskers to Tails Petsitting and would recommend them wholeheartedly. Some sitters may not be able to administer insulin, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
My name is Charity and I've been lurking here a while...since my (approx) 15 y.o. tabby, Levon, was diagnosed in late June 2014.
He hasn't started insulin yet (sidelined by vacations and a UTI that landed him in the hospital for a few days...he was dehydrated and refused to eat). However, we are ready to start soon.
I just wanted to share some information I've learned for others who might live in MN/the Twin Cities metro. Unfortunately, my very kind vet is not very knowledgeable. Thank goodness for The FDMB. What a great, supportive community. You've saved my sanity several times, not to mention ol' Levon's health. Is there a better place to post this info? If so, please let me know. Still learning the lay of the land here.
So I guess the biggest lesson learned so far is that it boils down being willing to do the work. Like with most everything else, you have to be your own advocate and do a lot of research on your own.
Thank goodness for the FDMB's advice on glucose monitors, food, and for the shopping list. These are invaluable.
Sharps disposal: My vet clinic told me I would have to buy special sharps containers from them and then they could dispose of them. They refuse to take sharps in any other container and told me I could absolutely not dispose of sharps in my garbage (they also didn't tell me about options to destroy). This is not entirely accurate. You can buy sharps containers and arrange for disposal with your vet, clinic, or other; you can buy a device to destroy sharps. But currently it is legal to dispose of sharps in your garbage in MN. The rules vary by state. http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.ph...isposal-options-for-needles-and-syringes.html
Lantus (glargine) prices: My vet did warn me about the high cost and offered ProZinc as an alternative. I called around to several pharmacies: Walmart, Target, Costco, Walgreens, CVS, Cub. Cub offered the best price, and was the only pharmacy that will sell individual SoloSTAR pens.
Pet sitters: A big issue for us has been that since Levon was diagnosed, we have had a series of short out of town trips, which has thrown a wrench into feeding and bg monitoring. Our trusted friends and neighbors who usually pet/house sit moved away this spring. I was able to find a handful of professional pet sitting services via Angie's List and online searches. We used a service called Whiskers to Tails Petsitting and would recommend them wholeheartedly. Some sitters may not be able to administer insulin, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
