For those who have dealt with this is he fine to just stay on vetsulin
Hi,
Why exactly are you thinking of switching insulins? Your cat's numbers are looking really good.
And you are achieving a level of control with Vetsulin that is way better than is
typical for this insulin (it can often drop the blood glucose very steeply; but not, it seems in your kitty's case....)
I'm generally of the view that, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'....
I agree with Janet that your kitty has a good shot at remission...
I'd just say that if you are aiming for slightly tighter control do be cautious about the lower ranges. Numbers below about 50 on a human meter or 65 on Alphatrak are getting into hypo range. So it's wise to keep
above these numbers to give some buffer of safety, especially with Vetsulin/Caninsulin.
Re air bubbles in syringes, it can be helpful to press the plunger down really firmly (ejecting all the air that you can) and then hold that down while inserting the needle tip into the actual insulin. Then, when you withdraw insulin you may find that you are far less likely to get air bubbles. (I also quickly 'press and release' the end of the plunger a few times too once the needle tip is in the insulin, prior to drawing up the dose, and this 'seems' to me to create a sort of vacuum that minimises air in the syringe... I don't know if that will work for you too...)
I know that it is easier to get air bubbles with Vetsulin anyway because of its needing to be mixed before each shot. That itself can create bubbles, but 'hopefully' those will subside somewhat if the insulin is left to stand for a few minutes after mixing and before giving the shot.
If you are struggling to measure small doses in U40 syringes then there is the option of using U40 insulin in
U100 syringes. But this must be done in conjunction with a conversion chart (which we have here) to ensure that the correct amount of U40 insulin is drawn into the U100 syringe. Doing this can make measuring small doses of U40 insulin much easier... If you want to try this be sure to get U100s with half unit markings
Quick explanation...
U40 insulins (Vetsulin and Prozinc) have 40 units of insulin per ml.
U100 insullins (Lantus, Levemir) have 100 units of insulin per ml.
So, there are 2.5 times the number of units per ml in U100 insulin as there is in U40 insulin. Or, looking at it another way, U100 insulin is 2.5 times as 'strong' as U40.
What this means in practice is that one unit of U40 insulin will measure to the 2.5 unit line on a U100 syringe. This is why measuring smaller doses is easier in U100s....
Here is the link to the conversion chart just in case you're interested in seeing how it works:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm
I don't have very good close vision so I always use a magnifier to check doses anyway. I have a craft magnifier on a stand that I keep on the kitchen worktop for that purpose. And it is a huge help with the smaller doses...
Keeping fingers and paws crossed for continued improvement!
Eliz
Oh, PS....
I hadn't seen anyone reporting remission on vetsulin so I was honestly getting worried.
There have actually been lots of remissions with Vetsulin (I've been on this forum for 14 years and I've seen plenty....). But, in terms of remission, Vetsulin/Caninsulin seems to work best for that group of cats that only need a short time on insulin (and maybe a diet change) to go into remission. If a cat is not getting good control with it after a few months then it may be worth trying a switch to a different insulin.
