Unsure About Unit Lines On Syringe

[Jackie & Ms. Soleil]

Good Morning All!

I could possibly be thinking into this too much. I have to give Soleil 2 units of Novolin N insulin. When the vet initially showed me how to do it, we tested with water so I had an idea of how simple it was to administer the shot. But I hadn't gotten the prescription until later in the week and started her dosages last Friday night.

How can I be sure I'm using the correct line(s)?

We're currently using 31 Gauge, 6mm (15/64") length needle with a 3/10 mL syringe.

There's a first longer line, then two shorter lines, then two short lines. Am I using the shorter lines, or the short lines?

My concern is that I may not be giving her enough insulin. Her numbers were amazingly low the first weekend of receiving insulin. So low in the evening in fact that it didn't warrant a shot. But now they've stayed over 300. She's eating, drinking, using the litter box, and hasn't gotten sick. So something has to be happening for her numbers to go up and down, but I don't like leaving her at home when her numbers are so high.

If no one is able to give advice on the syringes I use, I absolutely understand. I can always take the box to the vet as soon as I can to get their advice on it. I feel like what I received isn't the same as what I practiced with. Or, like I stated earlier, I could be overthinking it.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Kris & Teasel]

The first longer line closest to the needle is the zero line. Does the box your syringes came in say they have half unit marks? If so, then the next line from zero is a half unit, The line after that is one unit and so on. This diagram might help:

 

[Jackie & Ms. Soleil]

A THOUSANDS times, thank you for this diagram! The current needles I have is the one on the left based on how they look. I’ll double check the box, but it doesn’t say specifically that there are half unit marks (see attached).

 

[MindyC]

I have the same syringes (and insulin). Those are half unit markings on the left, even tho the box doesn't say they have them. I thought those were probably the syringes you had when I saw that you were using Novalin. Both Novalin and ReliOn are Walmart "brands."

 

[Jackie & Ms. Soleil]

I have the same syringes (and insulin). Those are half unit markings on the left, even tho the box doesn't say they have them. I thought those were probably the syringes you had when I saw that you were using Novalin. Both Novalin and ReliOn are Walmart "brands."

I see that you’re using Novolin as well and that your fur baby went into remission after six weeks. Were his / her numbers spiking as well until the calmed down? Also, how long are you giving them to have eaten before giving the insulin? My vet said wait five minutes, I’ve read around that some people give it an hour. I know all cats are different, but it does worry me that the insulin doesn’t seem to be helping her numbers go and stay down.

 

[MindyC]

Max was actually on Lantus, not Novolin, when he went OTJ the first time. At that time, we thought he might have a chance at remission since we believed the diabetes to be caused by a long round of prednisone given for excessive vomiting. I figured out later it probably was his food making him sick, but knew nothing about contents of cat food or nutrition prior to the diabetes and coming here. This time...well, he's 17 and has CRF, so we're not really expecting a chance at remission.

As for Novolin, we're spiking pre-shot nearly every cycle. He has obscenely high pre-shot numbers, and we're dropping 300-500 points by nadir, so it probably is not the best insulin for him. Increasing his dose could make him crash (and in fact, nearly did). At the moment I'm trying to "feed the curve" by spreading out feedings to shot time and +4 so that maybe he won't drop so low and we can make his curves more gentle. I just started that a day or so ago, and haven't been able to do a full curve, so I don't know. I'll get more numbers on that this weekend.

I am keeping him on Novolin for now because I have enough data to be reasonably sure he'll be fine while we're on vacation. We leave in just over a week, and will be gone for 10 days. My mom will give shots, but she won't test (I don't blame her), so we'll be giving a reduced dose and lots of extra food and see how he's doing when we get home. We'll switch to Lantus after we get back.

I give his shot at feeding time, I don't wait (frankly, I'd forget, but this was also the habit from when we used the Lantus before). His pre-shot/feeding numbers are over 400, usually close to 600, so we don't need to wait for the food to hit.

 

[MindyC]

I see that you’re using Novolin as well and that your fur baby went into remission after six weeks. Were his / her numbers spiking as well until the calmed down? Also, how long are you giving them to have eaten before giving the insulin? My vet said wait five minutes, I’ve read around that some people give it an hour. I know all cats are different, but it does worry me that the insulin doesn’t seem to be helping her numbers go and stay down.

I know you're not asking for a dose recommendation, but looking at your spreadsheet, I'd be very leery of giving a 2U dose for Soliel. To go from 503 to 135 in 3 hours is a huge drop, and to be that low that early in a shot cycle could cause him/her to drop dangerously low. Previous advice I've received on this board have pointed to wanting to keep them around or above 100, especially with a new diagnosis and/or dose. I would probably back down to 1 or 1.5U and give it at least a week with as many tests as you can manage to see what is going on before making a dose adjustment. As stated on another thread somewhere I read today, a too-high dose can look just like a too-low dose, and your dose may be too high and is making kitty "bounce" with a bad glucose rebound. I am also considering this possibility for my Max...just haven't quite decided if I should follow through with a reduction.

 

[Jackie & Ms. Soleil]

I know you're not asking for a dose recommendation, but looking at your spreadsheet, I'd be very leery of giving a 2U dose for Soliel. To go from 503 to 135 in 3 hours is a huge drop, and to be that low that early in a shot cycle could cause him/her to drop dangerously low. Previous advice I've received on this board have pointed to wanting to keep them around or above 100, especially with a new diagnosis and/or dose. I would probably back down to 1 or 1.5U and give it at least a week with as many tests as you can manage to see what is going on before making a dose adjustment. As stated on another thread somewhere I read today, a too-high dose can look just like a too-low dose, and your dose may be too high and is making kitty "bounce" with a bad glucose rebound. I am also considering this possibility for my Max...just haven't quite decided if I should follow through with a reduction.

Thank you! I’ve scheduled an appointment for her with a new vet to not only get a second opinion about her diagnosis, but to also go over with them what I’ve been doing for her to ensure I’m helping her and not hurting her. I’m not a fan of how disheveled she looks either. I know weight gain is something to be expected as time passes, but she only looks and feels thinner than when I initially took her to a vet and she got diagnosed. I’ll end up posting about her visit with who I hope will be her new vet going forward. With it being around the corner from where I live, this will hopefully lower her stress levels from the car ride as well.