Caninsulin discontinued ½cc U40 syringes‽

Hi,

The other day I went to buy some more needles from the vet, but they said that Caninsulin no longer manufactures the 0.5ml (20-unit) U40 needles that we have been using for a long time. I had to get the 40-unit needles which I hate because they are longer and fatter, so the hash-marks are closer together which makes drawing precise doses much more difficult. Not only are half-units much harder to measure, but air-bubbles are harder to get out (which makes measuring an exact dose all the harder). Worse, the needle on the 40-unit syringes seems to be a higher gauge than the 20-unit syringes which means the poor girl gets hurt a lot more now.

I was actually hoping that there were 10-unit needles, but now I cannot even get 20-unit ones! :-x We checked the drug-store today and found some 0.5ml syringes, but they were U100, not 40.

The vet said that Caninsulin discontinued the 0.5ml syringes because they were not useful for dogs who need large doses, which as a cat-owner, I find incredibly offensive! :evil:

I tried looking it up, but I cannot find any confirmation of this. In fact, 20-unit needles seem to still be for sale on Amazon, though I don’t know if those are new or overstock. I checked Caninsulin’s site, but they had no information about anything. Also, not all diabetic dogs are large and need high doses anyway, so the explanation seems all the more unlikely.

Did Caninsulin really discontinue 0.5cc U40 syringes? If so, is that really the explanation they gave, and what alternatives are there?

Thanks a lot.

 

No idea about the discontinue issue but you can use a conversion chart so that you can just use the U100 syringes.... what dose are you giving.. can you check on this chart?

U40-U100 conversion chart

ETA: where are you located? City/country? The syringes are not made by caninsulin/vetsulin makers, and U40 syringes are used for people giving Prozinc/PZI insulins to their pets, so my guess is that it's your vet or your current supplier who is no longer carrying them.

You can look at some sites online, like BD or even 1800 pets...
http://www.1800petmeds.com/U+40+Syringe ... 10725.html

 

You didn't mention where you are. If youre in the UK, it seems that the u-40 0.5ml Caninsulin syringes are still available, from various suppliers:

http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/05ml-can ... 17550.html

http://www.petvetmedical.co.uk/1ml-cani ... 5-PK30.htm

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/veterinary-suppl ... -u40-p-295

However, I would agree with what has already been said by Blue, and encourage you to consider looking at a conversion chart for using u-40 insulin with u-100 syringes. This is what I did throughout the time my Cleo was on caninsulin. The syringes are much cheaper, more readily available, and available in different gauges, such as 30G and 31G (much thinner needle) as well as being available in smaller sized barrels, such as 0.3ml rather than just 1ml or 0.5ml.

But do ensure you are absolutely certain of the dosage conversion before you start using a u-100 syringe; post here to double check perhaps, just to ensure no mistakes are made.

H

 

Thanks for the suggestion everyone. I actually did consider that I could just do a simple calculation since it would only have to be done once (at least until/unless her dose changes). In fact, some time back, someone at the vet had sold us U100 needles without pointing it out, so for at least a couple of dozen shots, the poor girl was being under-dosed. When I noticed the difference, I made sure to learn how it works and am now extra careful about any changes.

She gets 3.5 IU twice per day, so if I can find small enough syringes (both the barrel and the needle), then I don’t mind doing a bit of math. I just took offence to the explanation given (which I already thought was incorrect anyway, so hopefully it was only the girl at the register who misunderstood something, otherwise it really hurts my trust in the vet/clinic).

We’re in Ontario, so I don’t know if anything has changed, but I’ll check the drug-store(s) again this weekend to see what my options are; hopefully at the very least, I can find something with a smaller gauge needle, then I’ll donate the rest of the box to Salthaven (the local wildlife rehab sanctuary). I’m also glad to hear that it may be cheaper too since vets do seem to have a racket with pet meds (I never really trusted the vet’s instructions about the special food that my cat “must” eat. I understand what makes it different, but that I can only get it from the vet instead of from stores or direct from the manufacturer makes me wonder about kick-backs and such).

 

What food is this?

The reason I ask is that many vets are still wrongly recommending that we feed our diabetic kitties dry food, which is not only a wholly inappropriate diet for any cat, but is also a leading cause of diabetes, and will actively worsen diabetes by raising blood glucose. Even the 'prescription diabetic management' feeds such as Purina DM, Hills and Royal Canin are far, far too high in carbs for a diabetic cat. Wet food is an absolutely necessary part of the treatment for diabetes. A food that is lower than 8% carbs is what most people here feed their cats. Just for comparison, the dry prescription 'diabetes management' diets are often over 20% in carbs. Many US/ Canadian members feed their cats the Fancy Feasts wet food, this is a low carb diet which is extremely well regarded in the treatment of feline diabetes. And it's also a damn sight cheaper than the prescription crap the vets push on us!

However, please ensure you are testing blood glucose regularly throughout the transition from dry food to wet. This is imperative as the change to a lower carb food can dramatically reduce the cat's blood sugar levels, meaning they need a far lower dosage of insulin than previously; this can often result in a state of diet controlled remission, where insulin is no longer needed at all. You will therefore understand that there is a very high risk of a hypoglycaemic episode if you continue to dose the same amount of insulin whilst switching food, and are not monitoring your kitty's blood glucose levels regularly.

Please do post back and let us know!

H

 

I also live in Ontario and use the U-40 1/2cc syringes. I remember last month when I went to my vet to get a new box of syringes. They gave me the U-40 1cc which is so difficult to see the units. I went back and ask them for the U-40 1/2cc. I was lucky to have the last box. They charged me C$62.15 including tax for the 100pcs. I went to search for similar syringes in Pharmacies. They only got the U-100 and they cost C$33.00 for a box of 100pc. I am now giving my cat 2 units of Caninsulin U-40, that means if I switch to U-100. I need to give my cat 5 units with the U-100 syringes (2 x 2.5). I just want to make sure before I buy the U-100 syringes.

My vet wants me to take my cat for a fructosamine blood test every month and it cost me around C$200 each time. Thanks to this site, I learn to do the home testing. The first BG meter I got from a Pharmacy is one touch verio iq. I always got error message and wasted some of the strips. I bought another one Accu Chek Avivia that work well.