With all the pet diabetes problems and mis-information going on about Vetsulin and what to do with diabetic pets, our phones have not stopped ringing. I wanted to share this note I received from a pet owner suffering with her diabetic dog who was on Vetsulin.
Dear Dr. Carol,
I was really happy this morning. At 11 units of Humulin insulin given last night, my dog Scruffy’s urine tested (-1), so I decreased the dose 1 unit, on his new insulin. Chuckle, chuckle, YEP I finally understand the information you tried to explain to me on the phone several times regarding monitoring and adjusting his new insulin levels! I know that could change, but that was great news as far as I am concerned.
Thank God I talked with you on the units of insulin to administer. I am so glad I got him off the Vetsulin. Like I said, this information was worth a lot to us for Scruffy. ESPECIALLY, you explaining to me to NEVER INCREASE MORE THAN 2 UNITS! My friend in Ohio, just lost her dog while it was on the Vetsulin insulin. I know she was under the opinion that you could give the dog a lot of units, if the blood sugar levels were not stabilizing. So very sad, between the dog being on the recalled Vetsulin, and giving him a large dose at one time, that I’m sure contributed until his death.
It has been a very stressful time with the Vet my dog has been seeing here in California. Scruffy was having some really scary times with what looked like he was having a stroke, very lethargic, etc. When I took Scruffy in, and insisted he be changed from the Vetsulin to the Humulin insulin because so many people are losing their pets, and I believed that Scruffy was having so many problems with his insulin levels, they wanted me to sign off on a paper saying their Veterinary practice would not be responsible for possible Vetsulin problems.
I also told them I wanted a refund from their office for the Vetsulin. I was of course given a very hard time. At first they said they would not give me a refund for the Vetsulin. They actually said to me the reason being they could not give me a refund because I opened the bottle and therefore they could not resell it for another dog, and also said they would not get their money back from Intervet/Schering-Plough.
I was shocked and told them, I could not believe that they would even consider selling the bad insulin for another pet since there are many dogs and cats that have already died because of the Vetsulin. I know there is now a class action lawsuit on the Vetsulin.
I also told them it was not my problem if they would not be refunded from Intervet/Schering-Plough for the bad Vetsulin. With this being said, his Vet in California, pretty much changed their tune, gave me my money back for the Vetsulin, and also changed his insulin.
I was happy to know his new insulin does not even need a prescription, and it did not have to be purchased through that vet. The new insulin is also a lot cheaper than the Vetsulin.
I will try to make a long story short, I cannot believe that my vet did not inform me of any Vetsulin issues and I found out through you and then by reading all of the blogs of pet owners of diabetic dogs and cats who have died as a result of the Vetsulin.
I hopefully have gotten my dog off of this Vetsulin in time. Since Scruffy has been on the new insulin, he has not had any disorientation problems or any other health issues, such as when I though he was having a stroke.
Thank you so much for all the time you have spent with me by phone, explaining all this to me. I am so glad I found you by doing a google search for top holistic vets. You have given me so much more info about my dog that I have ever received in the last 15 years from my own vet.
Also, I am a true believer of your PAAWS vitamin supplements. Scruffy is now acting a lot younger than his actual years. Before, you could see that he was in pain, when he tried to get up. Now, he gets up, is playful, and is back to being my protector. A major difference!
Thank you Dr. Carol, I will be in touch…Scruffy’s Family in California
hi dr.carol, thanks for calling me back i cant find the number for the class action lawsuit. can u give it to me please.
Hi Michael
Here is the information, for diabetic dogs and cats who wish to participate in the class action law suit on Vetsulin,
contact attorney Rick Kerger at 1-419-255-5990.
The article was posted in the Toledo Blade Newspaper on December 26, 2009.
Read details on the Vetsulin Law Suit Class Action Details .
Best Wishes
Dr Carol
I just called this attorney and they are very nice to talk to….my poor dog isn’t doing good even on Humulin now and hold the makers of Vetsulin responsible
Moose (my senior-adopted dog) diabetic cattledog-border collie mix, was seen by my vet for a well-visit on 10/13/09 & blood work was done; Dr wrote on his report, “Moose looks good”. I refilled the Rx for 2 vials of Vetsulin. Bloodwork came back; Moose was given Clavomax as a precaution for slightly elevated white count.
W/the new refills of Vetsulin, Moose began showing showing some signs of thirst, disorientation, incontinence, increased urination, weakness, unsteadiness & fatigue; but I attributed this to his age (14?): he died unexpectedly 10/30/09. The ASPCA newsletter 11/6/09, alerted me (all dog/cat owners) to the Vetsulin instability problem. It has since been removed from the market.
I believe his death was due to the current batch of Vetsulin (A170A01, exp 12/10) that I was giving Moose. I reported the lots to Schering Intervet (not very sympathetic- “Well, he was an old dog”,) & FDA & called my vet office to report the death & return the remaining vials.
We miss Moose terribly. SP Intervet has sent me a ‘will not sue’ waiver letter; I will not sign this. I would like to participate in the class action.
Dear Susan,
I want to express my sympathy and understanding to you and am truly sorry for your loss.
If I can help or you just need to talk please let me know.
To join the Vetsulin Class Action Law Suit call 419-255-5990
God Bless
Dr Carol
Moose (my senior-adopted dog/14?) diabetic cattle dog-border collie mix, was seen by my vet for a well-visit on 10/13/09 & blood work was done; Dr wrote on his report, “Moose looks good”. I refilled the Rx for 2 vials of Vetsulin. Blood work came back; Moose was given Clavamox as a precaution for slightly elevated white count.
W/the new refills of Vetsulin, Moose began showing showing some signs of thirst, disorientation, incontinence, increased urination, weakness, unsteadiness & fatigue; but I attributed this to his age (14?): he died unexpectedly 10/30/09. The ASPCA newsletter 11/6/09, alerted me (all dog/cat owners) to the Vetsulin instability problem. It has since been removed from the market.
I believe his death was due to the current batch of Vetsulin (A170A01, exp 12/10) that I was giving Moose. I reported the lots to Schering Intervet (not very sympathetic- “Well, he was an old dog”,) & FDA & called my vet office to report the death & return the remaining vials.
We miss Moose terribly. SP Intervet has sent me a ‘will not sue’ waiver letter; I will not sign this. I would like to participate in the class action.
We started our dog Benny, who looks just like a spitting image of Larry Friedman’s dog Dock, on Vetsulin right after he was diagnosed with diabetes last January. We were stunned how quickly he developed cataracts and tried to do whatever we could to save his eyesight.
To the point that we took him to a eye specialist in Virginia, a mere 10 hour car ride, to save what cataract and glaucoma had left damaged in both of his eyes. Only to learn that within only two months the damage already was irreparable.
After this our main goal became just to keep Benny comfortable and pain free. However, we were struggling with keeping his glucose levels stable. As a 23 pounds dog we started with 6 units twice a day, soon to be increased to 8 units and just in Dec increased to 10 units.
With all the information now surfacing about potentially contaminated Vetsulin, which does not perform as specified, I cannot help but drawing my own conclusion in connecting Benny’s deterioration in health to a defective Vetsulin.
Dr. Carol, maybe you have some insights for us on this.
Not that the supply of Vetsulin runs out we are forced to switch him to human insulin and we contacted Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health asking at least for coverage of the cost to switch. The response I received was devastating: I was asked if we “had a problem with Vetsulin” and that they won’t cover such costs of change.
When I asked them to address the concerns about a contaminated product that may have caused greater damage that just having to switch to human insulin the response I received was nothing but denial. They insisted that there is no recall, which I’m stunned how under FDA rules they can get away without. They admit on their website Vetsulin “to be out of specification in regards to the long term stability of the crystalline” which I understand should stabilize the glucose levels.
To cut a long story short: now that more info is available which fits into what we had to experience with Benny and being shown attitude when contacting Intervet/Schering-Plough I have no reservation to join the class-action lawsuit anymore.
I sure hope we can have many more years with Benny and I’m sorry that I was not able to protect him from this.
Dear Oliver,
I understand your frustration and agree that the Vetsulin was responsible for Benny’s problems.
To join the Vetsulin Class Action Law Suit, call 419-255-5990.
You certainly should be able to enjoy many more good years with Benny and if I can help you with him, his diet, medical issues etc
please feel free to call my office toll free at 1-866-372-2765.
Best Wishes
Dr Carol
My wonderful miniature schnauzer of 10 years was diagnosed with diabetes this past September. He was placed on vetsulin. Regrettably he stayed at the kenned in October for few nights and got an infection but was given antibiotics. Shortly after Thanksgiving within a week notice he formed cataracts in both eyes. When I called my vet to set up appointment, I was told about the recall. His blood level since September has never been low despite now being up to 9 units. He has three glucose test plus other blood work. He just under went eye surgery this week, a cost of $2400.
Since December, “Fred” has been on people insulin called Lantus. His level really hasn’t lowered and it is costing me $200 a bottle because of no insurance for my dog. Why did my vet prescribed Lantus when he has said it is for people and never been tested on dogs? Anyone having problems? I’m trying to educate the difference to persuade my vet for a cheaper insulin that I know is out there for pets.
Finally, anyone having problems with Hills W/D food? My dog eat twice as much and very little energy. I switched him to a low carbohydrates and high protein dog food called EVO. Sugar level about the same but eats half and a lot more active! Anyone use another dog food?
Dear Angela,
I am sorry to hear about your dog, Fred’s Vetsulin problems and glad to help.
Walmart offers Humulin-N for $54.00 a bottle. Walmart also offers a generic version of Humulin-N for $20-$24.00 dollars a bottle. Based on using Walmart’s generic brand of DNA Based Insulin, for several other diabetic dogs that were also on Vetsulin, it works just fine.We have re-regulated these dogs in 3 to 5 days with no problems at all. Certainly either brand of Insulin would be fine for your dog.
Spending $200.00 dollars a bottle for Lantus Insulin is not necessary.
Lantus Insulin offers no benefits or your dog at all over Humulin, NPH or Walmart’s generic ($20.00 a bottle) brand of Humulin Insulin, called Novalin.
Regarding diet for diabetic dogs, Hills W/D is mostly corn and aside from all the preservatives and chemicals that are less than ideal for any dog, it does not offer much “real” nutrition at all. The thought process behind diabetic pets eating Hills W/D is “added fiber” which diabetic pet owners can easily achieve by offering and adding fresh vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, string beans, peas, etc to their pets meals. I have had success with my diabetic dog patients using a home made diet and/or switching them over to an organic dog food like Newman’s Own Organics, available at Whole Food Markets.
I am glad to discuss this with you. Feel free to contact our office toll free at 1-866-372-2765.
Best Wishes
Dr Carol
Dear Dr. Carol,
Thank you very much for your response regarding the Lantus insulin and my EVO dog food. I will contact my vet again and suggest the other insulin. I hope he will agree it is worth a try since his levels have only lowered slightly with LANTUS.
Am I informed correct that carbohydrates are bad for diabetics? That is why I have him on a high protein food like EVO.
Finally my vet suggested after I was concerned that a fourth gluocose test hasn’t changed anything to test for cushings disease. What are your thoughts?
Thank you for responding. I want to get the right meds for him before I reorder this week.
Hi, Angela…
We switched to Humulin N (no prescription required, but you do get $10 off with a prescription if you sign your dog up for a Walgreen’s card!) and our dog actually seems to be doing a bit better than with Vetsulin.
As for food, we quit using the diabetic dog food that our vet suggested. After some internet research, we went with an organic brand…we sometimes mix in cooked chicken or turkey for added flavor, our dog really likes it and it helped him gain weight, he lost 10 pounds when diagnosed with diabetes.
Good luck!
Hi Mary,
I am glad your dog is doing better and if I can help feel free to let me know
Best Wishes
Dr Carol