Introduction

A U40 insulin pen (VetPen®, MSD Animal Health) has been available for use with a veterinary-approved insulin product (Caninsulin®, MSD Animal Health) since 2012. This is the first survey of veterinary professional and pet owner experience using this device under field conditions.

Objectives

To collect and evaluate the ease of use and satisfaction of veterinary professionals and pet owners with the veterinary insulin pen in The Netherlands.

Methods

Veterinary professionals (n=89) and pet owners (n=82) were asked to complete separate online surveys. Both surveys included questions related to training, ease of use, and overall satisfaction. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

Main reasons cited for using VetPen® by the 43 veterinary professional respondents were ease of use (42%), choice for owners (19%) and novelty (12%). The majority (63%) of veterinary professionals found it easy to teach pet owners how to use VetPen®. Almost all (85%) of the 48 pet owners that responded reported that VetPen® was easy to learn how to use. High overall satisfaction scores out of 10 were awarded by both veterinary professionals (mean 7.3, SD 0.92) and pet owners (8.0, 1.02). The majority (67%) of veterinary professionals and almost all of the pet owners (92%) were satisfied with VetPen®.

Conclusions

VetPen® is easy to use and the majority of users are satisfied with it. Higher pet owner satisfaction likely reflects greater familiarity. Allowing pet owners to choose their preferred insulin delivery device may improve treatment adherence, glycaemic control and quality of life.