Syringe Help

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Tyger&George

Member Since 2012
I was just informed that I'm actually giving my cat more insulin than I think I am?

I was given a 10ml vial of Lantus and was told to give 2sid and then they switched me to 1 bid. I've been using the U40 syringes with the 100U formula. What does that mean? Could this be the reason she had her seizure on Wed?

I'm going to be switching to the Walmart Relion syringes ASAP now.
 
So I called the vet and the lady on the phone was like, these are the sharps we give all our clients who were with the other vet, and I was like, I know, but I think it is wrong. She asked the vet on duty (or so she says) and then comes back on the phone and says I should talk to a pharmacist about what type of needle I should be using. Um, yeah. You think? I don't get the feeling they want my business. :/
 
A vet that doesn't know the difference between a U100 insulin and the needles that go with it and a U40 insulin and the syringes that go with it would have me out the door and looking for another vet asap.

I can understand perhaps not knowing that cats metabolize insulin faster than a dog and thus needs to be dosed b.i.d. instead of s.i.d but to not understand the difference in the strength of the insulin is just plain dangerous.

there is a conversion chart for using U100 syringes with U40 insulin which a lot of folks using PZI use to microdose it is located here. http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm If you drew up 1u on the U40 syringe then you more than doubled her insulin dose...Did this cause her seizure...no real way of knowing without home testing to know what her levels were when she was given the shot and how fast she dropped, but it probably didn't help matters any either. If she was fairly low to being with and then got double what she was suppose to get that could have very easily sent her into a hypoglycemic seizure.

But then again Musette has pulled stuff on me where she will start out in the high 200s, very safe by all accounts to give her the normal dose and for some reason only known to her she decides to drop into the 30s in a couple of hours. Luckily I have always been able to catch her before she has had any problems with hypo.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
At least now you know the right syringes to use for lantus - U100. Until you get the Relion syringes, definitely use the conversion chart so you know how much George is getting for certain.
 
Oh wow. Just looked at the markings on the syringes. How do you guys ever give just .5? I think I have George .5 this am. Maybe less. Wow. :shock: Really makes me wonder how much I was giving her.
 
They make insulin syringes with 0.5 markings on them that is how we do it.. :-D

It only gets tricky when you have to shoot doses that are inbetween those doses. The syringes that I ask for when I get my Relion syringes are Capacity 3/10cc Gauge 30, Length 8mm (short needles). Now if your Walmart is like mine the folks behind the counter will have no clue that those syringes have half unit marks but they do. The first big line nearest the needle is the Zero line, the next little line on the left will be your 0.5u line and the first one on the right is your 1u line.

Hope that helps,
Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
It is just VERY different compared to the U40's. Just trying to push the plunger to the right line was stressful.

I watched a video the other day and realized the old vet taught me how to draw it wrong, as well. I've been pushing the insulin back into the bottle, not squirting it out like on TV.
 
I had the same thing happen at the vet. They showed me to push the insulin back into the bottle and definitely not a good idea, especially with lantus (because of the crystals). I had a hard time getting the syringes with the half marks at Walmart also - I've started taking the package in with me so they can see exactly what I need. I use the U100; 31g ;3/10cc; 8mm (5/16); short needles. They have the 1/2 unit markings. (Yes, Sid is on Prozinc which is U40 but I use a conversion chart because he gets such a small amt of Prozinc it is easier to dose with the U100s).

Here's a useful link about insulin syringes. It is for BD syringes, but the same concept applies to Walmart Relions. http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=7371
 
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