Shopping List for Your Diabetic Dog
Today we are going to talk about gathering some supplies to have on hand. Lately we have been seeing several situations in our Facebook Group (CDSI) where if the person just had a couple things on hand, things could have gone very differently. So today I am suggesting some additional supplies to keep your pup safe. I’d like to thank the “Sugar Baby Angels” for their help compiling this list of items. Let’s get started…
Meter and Strips – It comes as no surprise to you that this is at the top of the list. Your meter is your most important tool when it comes to managing this disease. If you aren’t testing yet, please consider getting a meter anyway. Having it on hand is so, so important. I can’t tell you how many times we have seen a member that is frantic in a situation, they have a meter but have never used it. We talk them through their first test “under fire”, which is not how you want to learn to test, and an emergency vet visit is avoided in most cases. So please, please, PLEASE, have a meter on hand. It’s so important and can end up saving your pup’s life and also a ton of money!
Syringes – We all know that we must have syringes to administer insulin. I will remind you that these are one use syringes and should only be used a second time if it’s a true emergency. Keep in mind that Advocate/PetTest has great syringes for both types of insulin and also have a 30 gauge needle that is very thin and may help those of you that have a pup that is sensitive to their injections.Be sure that you are buying the correct syringe for the insulin that you are using!
Ketone Strips – We have talked about these quite often and are a must have item. They are very inexpensive and can save your pup’s life!
Feeding Syringe – This is a new item to the list. You may never have to use it to feed your pup, but this is another item that when you need one, you REALLY need one. Always better to have it in your “bag of tricks” then to be caught without it! There will come a day when your pup won’t eat and you need to get meds (antibiotic or nausea meds) into him/her and this will be a lifesaver!
Baby Food – I ordered Beechnut meat and broth (chicken, turkey and beef) by the case from Amazon to have on hand just in case I needed to make some gravy to entice Max to eat. He was VERY food motivated, but on the rare occasion that he wasn’t feeling his meal, this saved me!
Pepcid/Zantac – Pepcid that may help with stomach acid. See prior posts for dose suggestions.
Baby Aspirin – In the event that your pup needs pain relief and you have nothing on hand, this can take the edge off of their discomfort.
Pepto Bismol – This can be used for diarrhea if the natural supplements don’t work (pure pumpkin)
At your next vet appointment ask if your vet is open to giving you a few of each of these to help your pup as needed:
Cerenia – This is an anti-nausea medication that you should always have in your cupboard or among your supplies.
Metronidazole – This is the “go to” for diarrhea. You would do well to have these in your supplies also.
Pain Meds – The most used pain meds that we see are Tramadol, Gabapentin, and Galliprant. You don’t need to have a huge supply of these on hand, but it’s always best to be prepared if your vet is open to making sure that you have all that you need.
Field Kit – This is a kit to administer subcutaneous fluids to your pup at home. It consists of the bag of fluids, tubing and needles. If you can give an insulin injection, you can do fluids at home. I hope that you never have to, but if you need to, having them on hand will save you an ER visit and a bunch of money.
If your vet is a bit hesitant, perhaps mention that you’d like to have these things on hand in the event that you have an issue on the weekend or outside of his/her office hours and you’d like to have these basics at home to get you through so that you can bring your pup into this office as opposed to the ER. Just sayin’…
So add these things to your ever growing supplies list and pick them up along the way so that you are prepared to treat your pup no matter what arises. As I have mentioned several times, being prepared will save you panic, money and most of all in some cases your pup!
You’ll notice that for most of the products or groups that I mention, the text is linked to a website that you can purchase that item or a link to join the group mentioned. Just click on the colored text (red or blue, depending what device you are on) and it should take you right to the item or group. If you have any thoughts or ideas for topics that you’d like to see covered here, please feel free to comment below or send me an email at NancyForPetTest@pharmasupply.com. As always, please “like” this blog post or any of the others that have helped you or just refreshed your memory. Look for new posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
Until next time…