Off Topic, Dog Question

[sleddergirl]

Just wondering if any of you have ever owned a diabetic dog. I have a customer that has one and she is wondering about testing the dogs blood sugar levels herself, instead of paying the vet to do it. She already gives the dog the shots herself, but doesn't test his levels. I have done the online research about it, but was wondering if any of you have experience with it.

Sue

[The Dragon Lady]

I am a diabetic, she can purchase a Glucometer from the pharmacy, you can pick them up for about $30.00. Test strips cost approx $1.00 per strip. What type of dog? I have spoken to my vet concerning Diabetes as we thought one of our Great Danes had it. The vet indicated that it was the same for pets. My only concern would finding the right lancet to pierce the skin. Please let me know if you have further questions, I am an old pro at the diabetes game. I hope this information helps.

[sleddergirl]

Its a golden retriever, about 11 years old, but apparently in good health besides the diabetes.................thanks for the info.

Sue

[The Dragon Lady]

I would suggest the One Touch Ultra, it allows you to retreive a blood sample from other areas of your body, than the finger tip. It only requires a small sample of blood. The machine cost $30.00 and i believe that for a box of 100 test strips it is $90.00 (its been a while since I used this machine). She would be best to test in an area that has alot of skin (will hurt less). I hope this helps.

[tHeGiNo]

Human glucometers are often used in veterinary medicine. The needles used to take blood are extremely small, and thus very little pain is delt to the animal. In addition, very little blood is required. I would not condone testing glucose levels by herself, unless guided by a veterinarian. At the least, I would advise her to let her veterinarian know she plans to test her dog by herself to recieve the proper guidance required. All in all I am sure the cost of having a vet to do it isn't too much more then doing it yourself, and wouldn't necessarily recommend self-testing.

[sleddergirl]

Thanks for the info. Actually, she is saying the vet she goes to charges her $150 everytime she gets the blood tested. I have received tons of info from some other sites I post on too, I will pass the info to her and she can make her own decision.