? How to draw insulin from a pen.

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about moving from a pen insulin to needle for my foster kitty Lulu and would appreciate advice on how to draw the correct dose from the pen. I hoping this will reduce the rate of fur shots. Thanks

 

Just pull the cap off the pen, insert the syringe into the rubber stopper and pull the insulin out of the pen.

You don't shoot air into the pen. Also, if you pull out a little too much, just waste it down the sink or into the trash. Don't push it back into the pen because there's a tiny bit of lubricant inside the syringe to make the plunger move easier and you don't want to contaminate the rest of the insulin inside the pen.

 

Thank you very much for your help. So if Lulu is currently on 4 clicks of the pen how much insulin do I fill the syringe? Sorry, very new to all this.

 

When you use the "dial-a-dose", do you set it at 4?

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

Would you like me to tag Chris for you?

 

How is Lulu doing?

 

OK...that means you're giving 4 units (which is a really high dose)

So you'd draw insulin up to the 4U line on the syringe. The line closest to the needle is the "Zero" so you'd go to the 4th line on the right side (if using syringes with half unit marks)

 

We'd sure like to be able to help you and Lulu more! Could you answer a few questions?

What are you feeding Lulu?

How long has she been on Lantus? What dose was she started at? How were dose increases made? (like from 1U to 2U to 3U?)

Are you home testing? We are huge proponents of home testing here. By testing before every shot, you make sure it's safe to give insulin at all. By testing in between the shots, you learn how well Lulu is responding to treatment. Tests that are done at the vet's office are unreliable because the cat is under stress which can raise the glucose as much as 200 points.

Most cats should start at between .5 and 1U and increases should be in .25 to .5 unit increments. Otherwise you could bypass what could be a "perfect" dose. The vast majority of cats never need more than 3 units

 

Thank you very much. Yes it is a high does. I'm part of a rescue group. Lulu was surrendered 3 weeks ago and thats the does she was on. She's 18 months old and has had every test conceivable to try and work out why she has diabetes. Its been extremely difficult trying to get her to settle in a new environment and I'm working on getting her used to bloody glucose tests. She's very uncooperative at the best of times so im having to take baby steps. I've managed 2 blood samples in 2 days and working towards more if she'll let me.

 

Thanks Chris!

 

Lulu is on raw and a small portion of royal canon diabetes crackers. I believe she's been on Lantus for 3 months. She came to me as a rescue 3 weeks ago. Home testing has been a challenge.

 

Aww bless you for taking her in.

 

The Royal Canin is very high in carbs so if you can gradually get those out of her diet, it will only help.

She is young to be diabetic but we've had kittens here with diabetes so it's not unheard of! Thank you so much for being there for her!

As for testing, here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too! (substitute "her" for "him")

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you.

Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!

Hang in there! There's lots of others here who might have ideas that will help too. Mostly though, it's a matter of time (and as we all know, cat's do things on their own time, not ours!)

 

Hey @Chris & China (GA) Lulu just threw a 2.9 sorry I’m rusty I forget what that is in US but I do remember 2.7 is 50. Rita is still shaking (lowest numbers previously seen have been in the teens) but has done very well and didn’t pour a bunch of syrup down her throat just gave some low carb wet and will shortly be trying for another test. Definitely a reduction in order for Lulu. The question is how much. We will post again after things have settled down a bit with all the numbers we do have for advice - probably in the lantus board

 

There's a video on here somewhere that gave me a few tips on how to draw insulin from a pen using a syringe. Maybe somebody knows where it is and can give you the link.

 

Thank you, I think I know the one you are talking about. Had my first go this morning, after a few practice goes with some colored water I was all sorted.