New: Looking for Cost Effective Insulin Resources

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myrrh

Member Since 2012
Hi,

I am new to the message board. My cat, Myrrh, was diagnosed with diabetes approximately one year ago. I have been paying out-of-pocket for insulin, syringes, and MD cat food. Expenses are adding up and I would like to control my spending, if possible.

Is there someone I can contact about insulin donation in the NYC area?
Any tips on how to take care of a kitty of a budget would be great.

Myrrh has been part of the family for 12 years and I want to give her the best care I can.

Thank you.
 
Hello,

Is that MD as in Hills Science Diet prescription M/D? Canned or Dry?

That's one place, if you are using prescription food, that you can cut costs significantly.

Carl
 
Yes, I have been giving her prescription cat food recommended and purchased from the vet. It is the Hills M/D. I'll read through the message boards for more information on alternatives to feed her, but if you have immediate suggestions, please include them in a post.

I would love to find someone donating insulin as well but I'm not sure who to contact regarding that. Suggestions?

Thank you.
-k
 
Are you hometesting? If not and taking your cat to the vet to be tested, hometesting is one way to save money. Also, you can use store brand meters instead of name brand ones. Walmart Relion meters are good and the strips are not expensive.

I also use the Relion syringes, so using generic brand syringes can also save money.

As Carl said, you do not need to feed prescription food. Many of us feed our cats either Friskies, Special Kitty or Fancy Feast.

Also what insulin are you using? If Lantus or Levemir, buy it in the pens and not the vial. The initial cost of the pens is about twice the cost of a vial, but you get five pens. Because you can use almost every drop of insulin in each pen, it will be enough insulin to last close to a year. If you use the vial, it usually becomes ineffective in about 2-3 months and you end up throwing most of it away.
 
Not sure if there are any currently donating insulin, but look on the "Supply Closet" forum.

As far as food.... the Hills food, which is supposed to be "good" for diabetic cats, is actually way too high in carbohydrates. You can get better quality ingredients, and much lower prices, at the grocery store. Fancy Feast Classics and Friskees Pate style, for instance are two brands that are lower in carbs, and at least as good ingredient-wise.

One thing to be aware of - when you switch to lower carb food, it could give you an immediate lowering of blood glucose levels. So monitoring the BGs when you switch is really a great idea.

Here's a link to a chart that Dr. Pierson recently created. It shows dozens of brands and flavors of canned food. The number we pay the most attention to is the "% calories from carbs". Anything under 10% is okay, and the foods I mentioned are all 7% or less I believe.
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf

You might wonder why vets prescribe the Hills food? I have no idea, other than that the Hill's sales reps must be really good at "selling it". Many vets aren't aware of how bad the stuff really is for diabetic cats.

Also, many of us (me included) have simply returned the Hills food to the vet and gotten a full refund. I just told him Bob refused to eat it anymore (which was actually true in Bob's case).

Carl
 
What do I look for when purchasing cat food from the store? Is there something to look out for?
I have been buying Lantus in the vile. Do I ask my vet for a different prescription to receive the pens?

I appreciate everyone's help. Thank you!
 
What do I look for when purchasing cat food from the store? Is there something to look out for?
Click to expand...

You can print out that pdf that I linked, and highlight the "good ones". If you buy Fancy Feast, make sure the label says "classic". If Friskees, make sure the label says "pate".

Carl
 
Your vet will need to give you an Rx.
Sam's Club pharmacy is open to anyone and may sell you 1 pen at a time. Some folks will purchase from Canada and have it shipped, which may be OK, so long as it isn't really hot out.
You use a U-100 syringe to draw the insulin out, so do not get the needle tips for the pen.

I feed Wellness Turkey & Giblets (5 young, growing cats that need the calories) and with some older cats in my household (one has had bladder stones), now mix in 1 can of the Friskies Turkey & Giblet Special Diet pate with each can of Wellness.
 
I'm not sure about the Lantus pens, but with the vials, if you don't shake them and keep them in the fridge, they will last about 6 months, possibly more. Not the month that your pharmacy might quote you which is fine for humans who use a lot more and usually have insurance coverage. As long as the liquid is clear and I believe has nothing that looks like debris in it, it's good to use. If you're not able to get it cheap from Canada, call around to pharmacies for a price check. Ask if they have time for that at the moment and say you want a cash price on whatever your Rx is. Sam's & Costco can both fill prescriptions for non members.
 
Frugal Feline Diabetes tips: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/frugal.html

myrrh said:
Yes, I have been giving her prescription cat food recommended and purchased from the vet. It is the Hills M/D. I'll read through the message boards for more information on alternatives to feed her, but if you have immediate suggestions, please include them in a post.

What do I look for when purchasing cat food from the store? Is there something to look out for?
Click to expand...

You can cut costs significantly on food by feeding commercical canned foods instead. Here are some quick shopping lists of suitable foods to feed to a diabetic cat:
Dr. Lynne's Wet Food list
List of low carb gluten free Fancy Feast
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=84885
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=81687
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=84512

Here are the more extensive food charts:
Dr. Lisa's new food chart http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf
Binky's canned food charts
Pet Food Nutritional Values list
Hobo's Guide To Nutritional Values

Look for foods under 10% carbs on the above four charts.

myrrh said:
W
I have been buying Lantus in the vile. Do I ask my vet for a different prescription to receive the pens?
Click to expand...

Yes, you will need a prescription from the vet to buy the Lantus SoloStar pens. There is currently a $25 coupon for the SoloStar pens but it expires on Dec. 31, 2012. You use the SoloStar pen just like the bottle: insert needle into the rubber stopper and draw out the insulin. You do not use the pen the way a Human diabetic would. See this info sticky for more info on how to use, handle, and store Lantus: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151

Some people buy their Lantus from online Canadian pharmacy. The price is pretty inexpensive but you do have to factor in shipping costs. Here is a thread with info: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11530

Call around to the local pharmacies to see what the SoloStar pens costs and if a single pen can be sold. Or check out https://www.goodrx.com/ for approximate prices in your local area.

You can use a free prescription drug card to save some money on Lantus at the pharamcy. Here's one that can be used for pets: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=53397 Further down in that thread are links to other free prescription drug cards that you can use.

The Supply Closet board currently has some Lantus being offered by people who no longer need them: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=15 You can send a private message (PM) to the person who is offering the Lantus to check if it is still available.

For insulin syringes, you can purchase them online. Many people here buy from AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com (tip: use the blue ADW ad link that is at the top of the board so that the baord receives a commission that goes towards web hosting and other maintenance costs :thumbup ) Some brands of insulin syringes costs as little as $14 for a box of 100 and may even have an option to buy a case of 3 boxes for a low price. If you have a Walmart store nearby, their Relion brand of insulin sryinges is good to use and inexpensive.

Are you testing your cat's blood glucse levels at home or do you pay the vet to do it? This is another area where you can save $$$. Blood glucose curves done by the vet are often inaccurate because many cats are so stressed out that their blood gluocse level just stays really high. By doing it at home you can be sure that you are getting an accurate reading. Besides, it can save your cat's life. Blindly giving insulin without knowing what the blood glucose level is dangeerous. You don't need an expensive pet meter (ie AlphaTrak). A Human blood glucose meter is all you need. You can request a starter kit from http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=60261 or just head to the local pharmacy and pick up a meter and supplies. Wal Mart's Relion brand of blood glucose meters are what many people here use. Other popular brands are AccuChek, OneTouch, and Bayer.

You can also buy most brands of hometesting supplies (ie, test strips and lancets) from AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com I think Relion test strips can be bought from Walmart.com (again, use the blue Walmart ad link at the top of the board :smile: )
 
One other suggestion is check Craigslist. Some times you get lucky and will find a private party selling lantus. Just make sure its been refrigerated, check the expiration date, and that its still sealed. I looked at Craigslist and found a lady who was going from pen to a pump and didn't want to throw out 8 boxes of pens. So I bought two boxes of pens for $50 each - a huge savings considering pharmacies charge $225 per box. Jan
 
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