Syringe brands and needle gauge?

Status
Not open for further replies.
CassWTribby

CassWTribby

Member Since 2017
hi everyone,

I'm wondering what syringe brand and needle gauge everyone uses?
We are currently using a 40u Caninsulin syringe with a 29 gauge 1/2" needle.

Tribby is definitely noticing her shot! She is very good for the BGT so I am considering switching to a thinner gauge needle.

I found an online pet pharmacy that sells non brand u 40 syringes at half the cost so will try those next time.
Www.petpharmacy.com. They also have good prices for insulin.

Thanks
Cass and Tribby
 
CassWTribby said:
hi everyone,

I'm wondering what syringe brand and needle gauge everyone uses?
We are currently using a 40u Caninsulin syringe with a 29 gauge 1/2" needle.

Tribby is definitely noticing her shot! She is very good for the BGT so I am considering switching to a thinner gauge needle.

I found an online pet pharmacy that sells non brand u 40 syringes at half the cost so will try those next time.
Www.petpharmacy.com. They also have good prices for insulin.

Thanks
Cass and Tribby
Click to expand...
You can try a thinner gauge needle. What injection site are you using? Also, check the duties, shipping cost, etc. if this pharmacy is in the US.
 
You can get 31 gauge at Shoppers, Metro and Loblaws but they ARE NOT measured in units, they're metric. I prefer Monoject over BD, they have a much softer feel. I can show you the math but you have to triple check those figures first and then triple check them again. This is only something I would say to someone very familiar with diabetes.
 
Noah & me said:
You can get 31 gauge at Shoppers, Metro and Loblaws but they ARE NOT measured in units, they're metric. I prefer Monoject over BD, they have a much softer feel. I can show you the math but you have to triple check those figures first and then triple check them again. This is only something I would say to someone very familiar with diabetes.
Click to expand...


Syringes in Canada are still measured in units as far as the dosing goes. The NEEDLE LENGTH is in metric example: 5/16 inch needle length would be 8mm in Canada. As far as measuring the number of units the syringes are the same everywhere as long as they are the same type.
 
Noah & me said:
Please ignore EVERYTHING I said. I use metric syringes that are not measured in units, something I absolutely cannot advocate doing here.
Click to expand...
Can you post a picture (with information readable) of the box the syringes come in? Or you can post a link to with info on the syringes.
I do not understand what you mean by metric.
 
For you only Larry. Monoject Ultra Comfort 29 or 31. They come in boxes of 100, either 1/2cc or 1/3 cc, 1/2" needle. They are almost impossible to find retail, BD has taken over the industry. (I hoard them)
 
Kris & Teasel said:
You can try a thinner gauge needle. What injection site are you using? Also, check the duties, shipping cost, etc. if this pharmacy is in the US.
Click to expand...

We were told to use her back, or either side, or bum to inject in.
It's in my province so only low shipping fee. I order my horses NSAID from there.
Good prices!
 
Sorry, forgot. They are all marked the same way, .3 cc will have 30 lines, .5cc will have 50 lines so matter what you use every line will always be .01cc or .01ml. 2.5ml = 1 unit Caninsulin.
DO NOT COPY USEAGE OR DOSING
 
I think I am going to use the rest of the Caninsulin syringes but use a smaller gauge needle then what it comes with. She also only gets 1 u so doesn't need a large gauge needle.

My boss a nurse recommends injecting in the back of the neck but my vet told me not to there... she's skinny since being sick and weighs only 5 lbs. not a lot of fat under the skin to inject into. Poor kitten!
 
Noah & me said:
Sorry, forgot. They are all marked the same way, .3 cc will have 30 lines, .5cc will have 50 lines so matter what you use every line will always be .01cc or .01ml. 2.5ml = 1 unit Caninsulin.
DO NOT COPY USEAGE OR DOSING
Click to expand...
I am SO bad at math I honestly would not even attempt to!! Lol
 
NO NO NO It's not that simple. I don't mean to be a smartass but didn't your vet show you? Does anyone have a link to YouTube showing where? Please!!!
 
CassWTribby said:
I think I am going to use the rest of the Caninsulin syringes but use a smaller gauge needle then what it comes with. She also only gets 1 u so doesn't need a large gauge needle.

My boss a nurse recommends injecting in the back of the neck but my vet told me not to there... she's skinny since being sick and weighs only 5 lbs. not a lot of fat under the skin to inject into. Poor kitten!
Click to expand...
If her skin is thin and loose along her sides you can try what I do: pinch about an inch or two of skin near where the fur erupts, lift it up high and taut to form a tent, feel with a finger for the little depression that is the "tent door" and poke the needle in there at a slight downward angle.
 
Silly question: does the needle come off the caninsun syringe?
I was hopIng to pick up a smaller gauge on my way home and switch them.
Asked my hubby to try and he had no luck.
 
I think we might be talking about 2 different things here. I think CassWTribby is using the Caninsulin Vetpen and not drawing insulin with a syringe. I have no experience with these personally.
 
Noah & me said:
NO NO NO It's not that simple. I don't mean to be a smartass but didn't your vet show you? Does anyone have a link to YouTube showing where? Please!!!
Click to expand...


My vet did show me, I watched all the videos and have given injection before IM and Sub Q. I'm looking for a better way for my cats comfort. She is a very laid back cat and is showing stress/pain at insulin time.
 
Hi again,

I don't mean to be confusing and apologize if I was. I'm brand new to feline diabetes.
I just am trying to make sure I am doing the best for my cat and she is really not happy with the current insulin injections. So I am trying to find another option of syringe to hopefully make her more comfortable. Her diagnosis happened very quickly in the evening so I did not have a chance to do any research and just went with my vets recommendations and purchased what the clinic had.

I am using the caninsulin brand syringe and drawing 1u of caninsulin insulin out of a vial 2 x daily to inject sub q into my cat.

I'm really starting to dislike the caninsulin brand syringes. They are pricey $54 a box. The needle is a large gauge 28, so hurts more and is NOT removable. So I cannot swap it for a smaller gauge needle.
My easy going, lovable cat has started biting at insulin time. She is fine for the BGT but I am using a fine lancet.
Tomorrow I am going to look for a different u40 syringe with a thinner gauge needle.

A side note:
When I was recapping the syringe to dispose of it the needle pierced through the cap and into my finger. It hurt quite a bit so I don't blame Tribby.
 
There have been reports of dull needles from other folks here awhile back although I don't think they were 40u needles but it could happen. Have a good look at the needles. If you keep the bevel of the needle at the top when injecting it may be more comfortable for her. The other trick you might want to use is to let her eat most of her meal, wait and then shoot while she eats the rest of the food. Some us shoot while kitty is distracted by havingtheir faces buried in their food bowl.
Larry and Kitties said:
Then use human U40 syringes and use the conversion
Click to expand...
I think Larry meant to type U100 syringes.
 
Noah & me said:
Sorry, forgot. They are all marked the same way, .3 cc will have 30 lines, .5cc will have 50 lines so matter what you use every line will always be .01cc or .01ml. 2.5ml = 1 unit Caninsulin.
DO NOT COPY USEAGE OR DOSING
Click to expand...
THAT WAS A MISTAKE Should have read as "so matter what you use every line will always be .01cc or .01ml., therefore .025ml = 1 unit To must of us that would have immediately been spotted as an error, it's 100 times the dose and you would have needed multiple syringes to get that much insulin into a cat. But, there is a newbie in the thread and I should have not only been more careful, I should not have said anything about changing syringes at all. Cass and Tribby, are you both still with us?
Quickly I will explain why I changed syringes. A 31 gauge is 0.01425 inches outside diameter, a 31 gauge is 0.01025 inches outside diameter, only 72% as thick as a 28 gauge. Nigel was small and had lost weight, the 28 gauge made him squeal. The syringes I use are clearly marked for insulin use, they're just not marked in units. Whether they're BD or Monoject, still the same markings.
I typed too fast, did not check my math and made a mistake. Very Sorry.
 
Noah & me said:
The syringes I use are clearly marked for insulin use, they're just not marked in units. Whether they're BD or Monoject, still the same markings.
Click to expand...
All insulin syringes have unit markings. Each number 1,2, 3 etc. represents the number of units. Some syringes have two sets of lines with the numbers and lines on the right representing full units and the lines on the left representing 1/2 units. The BD syringes have the word "units" stamped on them at the bottom of the measuring lines.
 
Yesterday I said I was taking a break. I still am but need to get this out. First I took so long typing a post that another post popped up in the meantime and it looked like I took a shot at Kris & Teasel, that was not the case, very sorry for that. Then came the math blunder. I think "blunder" is an understatement.
Years ago when I was sent home with my first Caninsulin syringe NO ONE at my vets office knew what a "unit" was. Only years later, here, did someone tell me the Bunny Rabbit Unit story. The Caninsulin syringe packaging was marked on the back in metric, 1 cc with 40 lines meant 1 line / unit = 0.025ml. Those 28 gauge syringes caused Nigel a lot of grief and I got no help from my vet so I was left on my own to find an alternate. That was very frustrating. Yesterday I shot my mouth off, could have sent someone's cat to emergency and it looked like I took a swipe at a well known member. I just need to cool off.
 
Hi there again everyone!
Thanks again for everyone's help. My own vet gave me wrong information about taking blood from her ear. I could not do it the first morning after her diagnosis the night before and was very frustrated. Then was able to find this webpage with all the tips and tricks and bam! no problems since.

I am heading to the pharmacy today to get a smaller gauge needle. Then will attempt the math however I am horrible at math so may post her for a proofread.
I did inject her lower neck area today and although she started a bit (I always inject while she is eating her treat) she did not growl or try to bite me. the online pharmacy I use offer another brand of the u40 syringe at half the cost of the brand but they still have the 28 gauge needles. Poor animals.

Thanks again everyone!
 
Noah & me said:
Yesterday I said I was taking a break. I still am but need to get this out. First I took so long typing a post that another post popped up in the meantime and it looked like I took a shot at Kris & Teasel, that was not the case, very sorry for that. Then came the math blunder. I think "blunder" is an understatement.
Years ago when I was sent home with my first Caninsulin syringe NO ONE at my vets office knew what a "unit" was. Only years later, here, did someone tell me the Bunny Rabbit Unit story. The Caninsulin syringe packaging was marked on the back in metric, 1 cc with 40 lines meant 1 line / unit = 0.025ml. Those 28 gauge syringes caused Nigel a lot of grief and I got no help from my vet so I was left on my own to find an alternate. That was very frustrating. Yesterday I shot my mouth off, could have sent someone's cat to emergency and it looked like I took a swipe at a well known member. I just need to cool off.
Click to expand...
Couldn't have been much of a shot because I didn't even recognize it as one! ;)
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Then use human U40 syringes and use the conversion
http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm
You can get as thin as 31 gauge and as short as 6 mm
Click to expand...

Hi there,

I did get u100 syringes with a 31 gauge needle. Will try it tonight!

So I looked at the conversion chart.

If I was giving 1 u on a 40 u during I would give 2.5 u of same insulin on a 100 u syringe?

Is that correct? I don't want to mess up on my poor kitty.

I bought 10 syringes to try. $34 for a case. Not bad!

Thanks everyone, fingers crossed its better for her.

Cass and Tribby


H
 
CassWTribby said:
If I was giving 1 u on a 40 u during I would give 2.5 u of same insulin on a 100 u syringe?
Click to expand...
Correct.
Your U100 syringes have half unit marks, right? These allow you to measure fractions of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 u. You can eyeball 0.1, 0.3 etc. between those marks.
 
SO MUCH BETTER!! I can't even describe how much better that was using a 33 gauge instead of a 28 gauge. No wetness on her fur after as well. Which I think was blood from the 28 gauge poke.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top