? Can I use Expired ProZinc if that's all I have

Kathy4Lewie

Kathy4Lewie

Active Member
Hi All,

My username is Kathy4Lewie, but this post is about Skipper who was just diagnosed. A new bottle of ProZinc won't arrive until Friday or Saturday. Skipper's reading at the vet yesterday was 449. I have an old opened bottle of ProZinc that's been in the refrigerator with an expiration date of May 2020. So it's a year old. It's milky white color (like skim milk). Is it still good enough at least a little bit to give Skipper some relief until the new bottle arrives?

Thanks in advance,
Kathy
 
Did the vet mention if Skipper had ketones? If not, I think I would be inclined to just wait the few days for the new bottle if it were me. A bottle that old likely won’t be as effective as a new one which isn’t such a huge issue, but I’m not sure if there’s a risk of contamination or not with it being old and already opened
 
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The risk of contamination is scary.

I called the clinic to ask about the ketones and it took some time to talk to a veterinarian.

I read online that ketones also show up in the blood, but I guess you're talking about a urine test?

The vet said a urinalysis wasn't performed to check for ketones, so he wants me to bring Skipper back to the clinic tomorrow. So it's a good thing I haven't given an insulin shot with the old insulin. What I have done is switched him to a lower carb canned food so hopefully, he's feeling a little better.

Please let me know if the ketone test is by urinalysis.

Thanks,
Kathy
 
There may be little to no risk of contamination, I am not sure though!

Very surprising they did not check for ketones! Ketones can be checked by a blood test, but you need a special meter to do it. They can also be checked in the urine, which can be done by your vet but you can also do it at home. You can buy urine strips that will detect ketones
 
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When I talked to the vet, I had a PubMed article open that was talking about measuring ketones by the blood. The vet said it was only by urinalysis. I was confused but now I think he meant that that's the only way they can test for ketones. I've since read about glucose/ketone meters. Thanks for telling me about the strips since they will be much cheaper. I guess I'd better take Skipper into the clinic tomorrow anyway since I told the vet I would. After that, I'll buy the ketone strips.
 
I wouldn’t trust a bottle of insulin that is that old. A year is way too old to have any good outcome in managing the blood glucose levels with Prozinc insulin, or any insulin for that matter.

Insulin degrades with time especially something like Prozinc insulin. Even if the insulin is still cloudy it doesn’t mean it’s good though. The molecules of the insulin break down and just are not effective after a long period of time.

Please refer to the sticky at the top of this Prozinc ISG forum. The one on Insulin care and syringe info.
 
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