911 Syringe change

Our vet ran out of U40 syringes......he gave us a RX for a pharmacy, and said we could get them there....went to the pharmacy, and of course, they dont have U40 syringes.....he told us that U30 would work.....his explanation was that U40 syringes hold 40 units, with 1 unit markings....and that the U30 holds 30 units, with .5 and 1 unit markings.....he told us it would be the same....but Ruckus' numbers have gone up.....HELP! What do I do...I can't find a converstion chart, but I know that the U30's are not right.....

 

I am not sure about U30 vs U40 but you can use U100s with ProZinc as long as you use our conversion chart:


https://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm

You can buy U100 syringes at any drug store. They are the ones human diabetics use. Just be sure to get the ones that measure by 0.5 units (rather than by whole units) so you can shoot smaller doses as needed. Sometimes the pharmacy has to hunt around, but they usually have them.

 

so I need to trash the U30 syringes, go buy U100 syringes, and convert the dose.........??

 

That's what I would do. They are not expensive. A quick online search showed 100 syringes for $18. You want U100 3/10cc 5/16" half unit syringes. Maybe call around to a couple stores first.

And inform your vet that it is not possible to buy U40 syringes at a drugstore. They are only available through the vet or sometimes online.

Most members here use U100 as it is easy to shoot tiny doses and the syringes are readily available and less expensive than U40s at the vet. But up to you.

 

ok....so here's my take on it.......we went to the vet's...they were out, so they gave a prescription, advised us to go to "any pharmacy", and we could get the prescription filled........not saying a word about not being able to buy U40 syringes, not telling us that we could buy U100 syringes, and use a converstion chart........didn't say a word.......pharmacist tells us that U30 will work....explains that one syringe holds 40 units and one holds 30......and that must not be accurate? and this would all explain why Ruckus' #'s are high......looks like we're not giving him enough insulin?

 

Hi Becky,

I'm not sure if you saw my reply on FB.

I think your vet is confused. What U40 means is that in 1 milliliter (mL) of fluid, there are 40 units of insulin. A U100 insulin has 100 units of insulin in 1 mL of fluid.

Syringe barrel sizes vary. There are syringes that hold 30, 50, or 100 units at one time.

MOST syringes for U40 insulin are 3/10 mL or 1/2 mL syringes. I've never seen a 1 mL syringe for U40 insulin so I don't think that your old syringes held the full 40 units.

I don't know of any human pharmacy chain that currently carries pet syringes. There are no U40 insulins for humans.

I think your pharmacist got you confused by calling them U30 syringes. I think what you really have is U100 syringes that hold 30u of insulin. If you take a pic of the box and post it here or on FB, we can help you know what you have and how to safely use them.

---Jenna Marie Watts

 

Getting a picture now

 

Don't need a picture.....they are U100 syringes......just need to print the conversion chart out, and thankful that this happened, so that now we understand the insulin vs. syringe........good god, just when you think ya got it, you find out you don't and it's the cat that suffers :'( Big Thanks to Pumpkins Mom and Sue! I finally get it

 

Oh, good! Just be sure to use the conversion!

 

Or can you just go to a different vet office and get u40's?

 

I bought my u40 syringes from another vet when my regular vet didn't have them. I have both u40 syringes and u100 syringes for Smoky. I keep the u100 syringes in a different place though as I don't want to mix them up and give a wrong dose. Smoky sometimes needs smaller doses: 1.6, 1.8 and it's easier to use the u100's with the conversion chart for those times.
I buy u40 syringes from ADW online and the brand name I use is Carepoint. The ones I get are 3/10cc, 29G, 1/2" needles with half unit markings.