? New bottle of Prozinc insulin very cloudy with white clump at the bottom!

[MayL]

Hi there,

It's time to give my cat his insulin and I just opened the new bottle of Prozinc and it looks different from the last bottle. It was overall clear but with a large clump of thick white something on the bottom. I started to roll it in my hands and the clump got smaller and my insulin got cloudier. The clump is small now but not all gone. What should I do? Can I give my cat his insulin? Attached is the picture. I can't get a good shot of the clump. Thank you!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I'm pretty sure that's the way it usually looks. You may have gotten a vial that's been sitting for awhile and all the particles just collected along the bottom.

ProZinc is a suspension so it has to be mixed thoroughly and should look cloudy

 

[MayL]

Ok! I am just nervous because my first bottle didn't clump like this. But like you said maybe this new one has been sitting awhile. I can test my cat to make sure it's working after I give him an injection. Thanks!

 

[FurBabiesMama]

The cloudiness looks normal. I guess the clump is what happens when it has been stored and has not been rolled. As long as the clump goes away after rolling the vial, I would think it would be okay. Did it work?

 

[MayL]

Yes, the clump went away last night and it's still gone today. I called the manufacturer of Prozinc and the customer service person answered and consulted with his supervisor and they both decided it was best I return the bottle to Costco Pharmacy (where I got it from). I am not so confident that they knew much about the product and just figured it's the safest answer to give me. Also, because I didn't buy it from a licensed vet clinic there is nothing else they can do to help me. They can't guarantee a product from Costco

I wonder if this is true if I buy from online stores as well? Has anyone else experienced a manufacturer saying things are out of their hands when purchased from certain stores? Thanks!

 

[FurBabiesMama]

I think I may be confused. What were you wanting the manufacturer to do? I find it to be pretty standard that you go to the store/company that sold you a product if you have an issue and need to return or exchange the product. So, if it needs to go back, it makes sense to me that you would take it back to Costco.

Costco is pretty good about things, so they will probably give you a brand new vial without any problem whatsoever, but I do not know that all sellers would be quite that easy going about it. I can see some saying that if the insulin is not out of date and if it has the appropriate appearance after being rolled, there is no reason they should have to take it back.

I take it you never gave a dose from the vial so you do not know if it worked okay or not?

 

[MayL]

I think I may be confused. What were you wanting the manufacturer to do? I find it to be pretty standard that you go to the store/company that sold you a product if you have an issue and need to return or exchange the product. So, if it needs to go back, it makes sense to me that you would take it back to Costco.

Costco is pretty good about things, so they will probably give you a brand new vial without any problem whatsoever, but I do not know that all sellers would be quite that easy going about it. I can see some saying that if the insulin is not out of date and if it has the appropriate appearance after being rolled, there is no reason they should have to take it back.

I take it you never gave a dose from the vial so you do not know if it worked okay or not?

Hi there,

I was surprised the manufacturer of Prozinc could not provide any information to help me determine if the product was safe to use or if it was spoiled simply because I didn't buy it from a vet clinic. They said they don't know how Costco handled it and so they don't know what Costco did for it to clump so they can't say what the clumping meant. Prozinc cannot guarantee a product's effectiveness and honor what it's supposed to do when I buy it from Costco. They told me if I purchased the product through the vet they could provide "further" assistance. I felt I was left hanging re: basic questions about the product they made. Anyway, seems like the moral of the story is that sometimes it might be better to get a product through a vet.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Oh, I see. I knew there had to be something I was missing. It is odd that they could not offer any info on what might cause clumping and whether that is a concern. I can see them not being able to speak to the effectiveness of a specific vial when they do not know the handling conditions, but the same would be true if it was purchased from a vet.

Vets usually charge considerably more for it. I purchase my vials online, and they are shipped to me overnight on dry ice. So far, I have not had any issues.