My dog has diabetes & ketones. Can I treat her at home to save cost?

Question

We just found out that our dog has diabetes and an elevated level of ketone (1) and our vet is recommending multiple days at a hospital to get her back to "normal" diabetes. Blood work is also showing:a potential issue with the pancreas. Likely cost is $10,000. Is there any way to do this at home or with less cost? All of this started after she got a Next guard pill for fleas in early October. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed | 10 years and 2 months old | 14 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

Princess has probably been diabetic for a while (possibly many months). When the diabetes continues on untreated, the dogs can become ketotic. If she still has a good appetite, the she may be able to start insulin shots, anti-nausea medications, pain medications, etc. at home without needing specialized hospitalization. If she is very ill, her best chances are in the hospital. You always have the option of declining in-hospital treatment and trying to treat at home, but you may not always be successful. You should discuss all available options with your vet, even if the outcome is not ideal or leads to a poor prognosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a very serious problem in pets and causes life-threatening abnormalities. They need aggressive IV fluid therapy and a special type of insulin to slowly decrease their blood glucose and manage them through the many ups and downs. The monitoring and hands-on-vet care required means high bills. Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas - the organ that regulates insulin) is very common in diabetic dogs, and can make things harder to treat since it causes intense pain and nausea. Your vet probably also warned you that having a diabetic dog is expensive since she will need regular vet visits, blood glucose monitoring, insulin and the syringes to administer it, a change in diet, etc.

My dog has diabetes & ketones. Can I treat her at home to save cost?

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