can i sue my vet?

Question

my dog is diabetic for 4 years now...my vet is telling me he will not sell me anymore insulin unless i bring my dog to him to have his blood checked...i check my dogs blood on a constant basis....diabetes in a dog is no diferent than human diabetes....can i sue him

Answer 1

Yes... you can sue anybody anytime for just about anything. Do you have any real grounds or will you win is a totally different question.

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Answer 2

All I can really say to you is that you are very lucky your dog is still okay. It is absolutely necessary to do a glucose curve test around every six months in a diabetic dog, just to make sure that the insulin dose is still correct for the animal. If it gets off balance by the dog gaining or losing weight, or other body changes, your dogs life could be at risk. You cannot do this test with only a blood test at home. It is called a curve because they measure the peaks and valleys of sugar in the blood over a four hour period. If you care about your dog, you should listen to what your vet has to say. He knows what he is talking about, and YOU are not a vet.

Answer 3

No matter if you check your dogs blood regularly or not you still MUST take him in on a routine basis to have the vet do blood testing as well. A diabetic dog is NOT the same as a diabetic human!!!
The vet has every right by law to refuse to sell you any more insulin if you do not get your dog in for a check from the vet.

Answer 4

Depending on the insulin and the state you reside in, you may not require a prescription at all. My dog has been on insulin for around 5 years and was on Humulin-L. My pharmacy would sell me the insulin and the syringes without a prescription. I'm in North Carolina.

I've recently switched to Vetsulin. It's made just for dogs and cats, so the human pharmacy doesn't carry it. My vet has no problems selling me the insulin...even if they don't see my dog monthly.

You can't sue your vet for not writing the prescription. Many vets like to do regular glucose curves to make sure the insulin is properly regulating over a 12 hour period.

I get a glucose curve done on my girl every 3 or 4 months, just to make sure everything is working as it should. My girl is almost 17, so the diabetes is the least of her problems. :) If your dog is a senior dog, having regular bloodwork isn't a bad idea. It's a pain in the butt and can be expensive, but they can check liver and kidney functions as well, which is important for diabetic animals.

Answer 5

your vet is looking out for your dogs best interest. Diabetes can do damage on the organs, even if its kept under control. He needs to see the vet for checkups to be sure he's doing well with the treatment. Just because the blood sugar levels are good, doesnt mean there's not other problems!

You cannot sue your vet. He has the right to refuse to prescibe something. He's only looking out for your dog's health! If your dog is suffering organ damage, there may be a better treatment besides the insulin.

You are right that diabetes is not much different in a dog, than it is in a human.... diabetic humans should be checked out on a regular basis too!!!

Answer 6

No you can't. It's his responsibility to make sure that the dog is reacting properly to the insulin and a check with his equipment is the only way he can be sure. It's good that you check at home (I do too) but the vet does need to know what he's prescribing for and the only way he's 100% sure is to do the test once a year. You've had the dog away from the vet for 4 years, I'm surprised this hasn't come up sooner actually. Our vet wouldn't have let an owner go that long, regardless of how good a watch they keep on their animals.

Answer 7

no. He has the right to refuse to refill the patients medicine just like a human vet. How long ago did your dog have a check up and blood work done to monitor the diabeties? If it has been a year or more I would recommend another checkup from a vets office. Something could have changed or the medicine isn't the right dose anymore. Please take your dog in for a check up either to the previous vet or a new one. But vets have the right to refuse to right perscriptions if they require a check up, which I don't see is so bad.

Answer 8

No, in fact, you could probably sue him if he kept giving you insulin without demanding that you bring your dog in and then something happened to the dog because of the insulin. The dog is effectively under his care if he's writing prescriptions for you. In this situation, the vet has an obligation to see the dog and confirm that the dog is in good condition and is getting appropriate care and having you test the dog is not a replacement for the vet seeing the dog personally.

Answer 9

Your vet is right. Diabetes is a very difficult disease to control. Even if you check everyday your dog's body could be changing and the vet needs to make sure he's getting the right level and type of insulin. He also needs to check for signs of progression. Listen to the vet and take the dog in.

Answer 10

i do not see that you can sue him because he is trying to do his job by being the professional Doctor. Any Doctor must see the patient on a regular basis to check the blood themselves as diabetic animals have serious health consequences. He is held liable by State law if he DOESNT do the bloodwork himself and sells more insulin. If the bloodwork came back too much insulin he could do harm by selling it-- he has to do this- he is held liable by State law to require you come in. Like you said it is like humans- would a medical human doctor allow a patient to do his own decisions at home without ever having a check up? NOt likely- blood is always done at intervals before a new Rx is given.

Answer 11

I am also diabetic and test my sugar at home at least 4 times a day. I still have to have tests at the lab every 3 months. Just because the sugar maybe okay when you test it that's not to say it's stable all the time.The ones done at the lab give the total average for the 3 months not just at the times you test yourself. He needs to have blood tests at your vets too so no you can;t sue him. In fact if he wanted to be nasty he could probably report you for not having the tests that are vital to your dogs well being.