"Hershey was born on October 23, 1995. I  already had Jagger,another minpin, who is Hershey's mother, and  Jagger just went to the Rainbow Bridge, this past March 30th, 2004. Jagger was 11 years old.  Hershey is 8 yrs old.

May of 2001 Hershey was diagnosed with diabetes. That is when I found Muffin, and boy was I ever glad to have stumbled onto the Muffin website, as I knew nothing about diabetes in animals.

Then in Feb. 2003 Hershey was diagnosed with cushings disease. Hershey was treated for the cushings disease for awhile, she was put onto the medication Lysodren, and she went thru all the blood work and ultrasound testing, and then she went thru the loading phase of the lysodren, and she did good for awhile. But... soon it was wreaking havoc with her blood glucose and diabetes, and so something needed to be done. Also, Hershey was getting sick from the Lysodren, so per my vets instructions, and the specialist's instructions, she was weaned off of the lysodren and now all she is being treated for is her diabetes.

Hershey is on ten units of Humulin N insulin twice a day, she eats Hills RD Rx food, twice a day, measured,she gets canned and dry kibble, and can have some pumpkin, pure, 100% pumpkin from the can mixed into her food. 

Currently this is what Hershey is eating and she also takes a medication for her pancreas called viokase and, from the health store, a med called chromium, for her liver.

She has some good and some bad days with the untreated cushings, as there are some symptoms she has, especially at nite, the restlessness and the panting, when she gets too hot, from being under all the covers on the bed, minpins like to do this kind of thing, being under covers.

I am trying to do my best with Hershey as I am on a very limited income due to the fact that I am on permanent Social Security Disability, for my lung disease, neck and back problems. But Hershey's costs are too much for me to handle alone. I do get some help thank goodness from IMOM.
They help me with the viokase medication, and a little help with her food, but I must pay the rest of whatever the food  costs are.

IMOM will pay for Hershey to have a glucose fasting blood test if she needs it, but only if I know in advance, in order to have the vet fax to IMOM what the cost will be, sometimes, in an emergency, there isnt any time for faxes to IMOM and then I am having to pay that bill for whatever it may be.

Right now, Hershey's list of expenses are as follows:

Viokase pills,  $18.50 for a bottle of 100, and IMOM is paying for this at this time.

Food- now all this depends on how much I can pay, which isnt much, IMOM will pay $50.00 towards Hershey's food. I have to pay the rest. The prices for food are:

Hills RD Rx food
one case of 24 cans=  $32.00
one 10 pound bag of dry kibble $15.00
one 30 pound bag of dry kibble $ 37.00

Insulin and syringes, IMOM is helping me with these items at the current time, 

I dont get any help for vet visits for Hershey if she needs to go in for a visit, for a shot or just to be seen if she is sick, or just a check up.

I dont have enough money every month to care for myself, never mind Hershey's special needs. I am doing my best, and sometimes my best just isnt good enough.

Well, this is the story about Hershey and myself right now."

Denise - May, 2004