Alis girls Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Our old cat had blood done today for diabetes or thyroid. Am I right in thinking there is somewhere online you can get meds cheaper than from your vet - but with a script. Our insurance aint going to cover it we dont think. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 The vets can give you a private prescription for the meds but usually not till the animal is stabilised on one or another medication. The vets will charge you for a prescription but if you google you can perhaps find them cheaper than the vets. The animal requires to be under vets care so they need to see him/her every so often to check them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursula123 Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I have a diabetic cat, she was diagnosed in May 2011. She is insulin dependant and has one injection which has to be administered at the same time each day. I have looked into buying her insulin online with a prescription from the vets, the vet told me he would give me a six month prescription, there is a charge from the vet to issue this! Taking this into account it is actually cheaper for me to buy it from the vet. However I do buy the syringes online as they work out £7 cheaper per 30, also she is meant to have diabetic food again cheaper online but she does prefer my other cats Go Cat, so a lot of the time she just gets that. Don't think this has done her any harm as was told by the vets a cat is lucky to pass two years after diagnosis and she is now coming upto 5 years. The cost per month is between £40- £50 per month for food, syringes and insulin. My friend has a cat with overactive thyroid and again looking into it the vets are cheaper for tablets. I am not sure if there is a standard prescription charge countrywide or it is down to the individual vet practice. I know the vets vary for blood tests etc as Octi cat has to have a fructosamine test every 6 months to check her levels and at my vets costs £55 but another vet in the area charges £45 but their insulin is far more expensive so it's all swings and roundabouts. Hope this all makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Thanx that's helpful. How much is the insulin alone and for how long Ursula. And can anyone point me to good websites for vetinaey sites. Thanks so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 The insulin length of use will depend on what dose you are giving - it is called international units iu's and the bottle is small with 10mls only - it should last ages and ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursula123 Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I use Caninsulin, it is about £8 per vial, once opened it lasts 28 days although I do notice that it starts to lose its effectiveness after approx 25 days. Luckily I only need to inject once a day but many cats need two injections per day. The insulin needs to be kept in a fridge and not shaken. I buy syringes from either animed direct.co.uk or chemist direct.co.uk they are £10 - free postage with animed and you get free postage if you spend £40 at chemist direct. There is a vet pen option but it was not cost effective for the dose that Octi has that is why I use syringes. The food I buy from pets at home online ( they do not stock it in the shop ) it is Science plan m/d and is about £30 for 5 kg. Over £45 at vets. The injection is time sensitive and needs to be done at the same time each day, if your cat is diabetic then choose a time that you are in each day, Octi has her injection at 8 am. Have a look at caninsulin.co.uk - very helpful site. Hopefully this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursula123 Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Sorry meant to add, it can take months to stabilise a cat all this time they will be having blood tests etc, I know it took about 2 weeks to get Octi dose right and about £300 in vets fees. She did have a hypo after about 18 months and we had to adjust her dose but was only one fructosamine test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I use animed.direct for thyroid pills, my vet charges £20 for a prescription but the tablets are around half the price that the vet charges. I think my vets are particularly expensive if I'm honest but I'm reluctant to change having taken the cat there for 7 years or so. You must have a prescription but you can scan it and submit it online and the pills usually arrive within a couple of days, it's an excellent service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
