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My diabetic dog's insulin broke. What to do until I get more?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 15 lbs

My dog has diabetes. I dropped his insulin and it broke. I can't replacement until Tuesday. He will miss 4 shots. WHAT SHOOULD I DO TO KEEP HIM WELL UNTIL THEN

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 8th, 2020

Just keep him on his normal feeding and exercise routine. His blood sugar will be elevated without the insulin but a couple days should not be that huge of a problem. What you may notice is a temporary recurrence of signs (such as excess thirst and urination), but is not life threatening. If you see him acting ill though you should take him to an ER clinic immediately.

27Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on June 27th, 2018
Unfortunately there isn't a lot you can do in this situation since there is no substitute for insulin. You can wait until morning and go to your nearest vet who has some insulin on hand. I would also contact your local ER vet to see if they have some insulin readily available to give to you to hold you over until Shorty gets his supply in the mail.

Another alternative is to have your vet call in a prescription to your nearest pharmacy (i.e. Walgreens, CVS) to give her until her supply comes in. She may just have an extra supply of insulin on hand, but that is better than having her blood sugar too high and potentially causing further complications (i.e. ketoacidosis) depending on how much longer she has to wait.

Best of luck to you and getting Shorty's insulin delivered soon! If it comes in some time tomorrow, although not ideal, she will likely be just fine. Take care.
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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