Cats: Vetsulin dosing and administration
Syringes
Vetsulin® (porcine insulin zinc suspension), from Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, is the only FDA-approved veterinary insulin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in both dogs and cats.
Vetsulin is presented in glass vials at a concentration of 40 IU per mL of solution, which facilitates more accurate dosing, especially of small pets like cats. Our Vetsulin formulation eliminates the need for dilution of higher-concentration (100 IU/mL) human insulin to animal-size doses. To avoid dosing errors when administering Vetsulin to cats, it’s important to use a U-40 syringe.
For your convenience, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health offers U-40 syringes in two sizes—a 1 mL syringe and a 0.5 mL syringe, which is ideal for cats. Our syringes are individually wrapped and come in boxes of 100.
Advise pet owners not to reuse insulin syringes. After a single use, insulin syringes and needles should be disposed of in approved sharps or biohazard containers.
Why U-40 syringes must be used with Vetsulin
Because Vetsulin has a concentration of 40 IU per mL of solution, a U-40 syringe must be used to achieve correct dosing.
Some pet owners may try to purchase syringe and insulin supplies from their local human pharmacies. Pharmacies carry U-100 syringes only. They do not stock either U-40 syringes or Vetsulin. And most pharmacists are not even aware of U-40 syringes or Vetsulin.
U-100 syringes will deliver less than half the required Vetsulin dose
Human insulins are formulated at a concentration of 100 IU/mL. As a result, using a U-100 syringe designed for human use with Vetsulin will deliver two and a half times less insulin than required. Conversely, if a client uses a U-40 syringe with a 100 IU insulin preparation, he or she would inject about twice the amount of insulin needed. This could cause fatal hypoglycemia!
Strongly encouraging clients to purchase both Vetsulin and U-40 syringes from your veterinary clinic is the best way to protect your patients from incorrect insulin dosing. Remind your clients that using U-100 syringes from a human pharmacy to administer Vetsulin will result in incorrect insulin dosing, which puts their pet in danger of experiencing serious health consequences.