The Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Sixth Edition, states:
"Diabetic cats are notoriously unpredictable in their response to exogenous (outside) insulin. No single type of insulin is routinely effective in maintaining control of glycemia, even with twice a day administration.
It is not possible to predict which type of insulin will work best in individual diabetic cats. The initial insulin of choice ultimately is based on the veterinarian's personal preference and experience."
Your veterinarian will determine the best insulin therapy for
your cat through a series of insulin and dose adjustments.
Beef-Pork Insulin (PZI Vet® Insulin)
Made by IDEXX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Protamine Zinc Insulin (PZI Vet®) is insulin that is made specifically for cats. The protamine and zinc help to slow down the release of the insulin into the body’s tissues and helps to provide a long duration of action. PZI Vet Insulin requires a prescription and is bought from veterinarians.
PZI Vet Insulin is made of 90% beef insulin and 10% pork insulin. Beef insulin is very similar to cat insulin, differing by only one amino acid. Some cats that do not respond to human insulin can experience better control, consistency and flatter blood glucose curves with PZI Vet Insulin.
In appearance, PZI Vet Insulin is a clear liquid with white insulin crystals at the bottom of the vial. When mixed gently and thoroughly, it looks milky. It is typically injected twice a day, with meals. However, if an owner is not able to give two injections a day, the cat may benefit in spite of being given only one injection per day. Blood glucose control may not be optimal at this level, though.
PZI Vet Insulin has a concentration of 40 units insulin per milliliter of fluid (U-40).
CAUTION: U-40 insulin must be injected with red-capped U-40 insulin syringes, whose scale goes up to 40 units. These syringes are specially designed to accurately measure U-40 insulin.
Human Insulin
Despite the name, this insulin does not come from human beings! Its chemical structure is the same as human insulin and it is made in a factory using a chemical process. Human insulin is readily available from local pharmacies, and may require a prescription.
Your veterinarian will recommend a type of human insulin, such as intermediate-acting or long-acting, for your cat.
No one insulin preparation is perfect for every cat. Your veterinarian will determine the best insulin therapy for your pet through a series of insulin and dose adjustments.
* NPH is a type of intermediate acting insulin. It is successful in controlling the diabetes of some cats. In others, however, NPH does not last long enough in the body for good blood glucose control.
* Insulin glargine (Lantus) is a long-lasting insulin whose effect lasts from 10 to 16 hours in most diabetic cats. It is absorbed and metabolized by the body in a manner that is similar to PZI insulin.
Human insulin preparations are usually injected twice a day, with meals. Human insulin preparations have a concentration of 100 units of insulin per milliliter (U-100).
CAUTION: Human insulin must be injected with orange-capped U-100 insulin syringes. Their scale matches the concentration of the human insulin.
Insulin Onset, Peak and Duration
Insulin package labels describe how quickly the insulin starts to work (onset of action), when it reaches the greatest effect (peak) and how long it lasts in the body (duration).
In animals, (and for that matter, in people, too) the response to insulin varies greatly from one individual to the next, so these insulin performance descriptions do not always apply. For example, most insulins have an immediate onset of action in cats and dogs, and the duration of action may be much shorter than the number of hours listed on the insulin label.
Shelf life of insulin
Always follow the storage and handling instructions that come with your insulin.
Human insulin
Bottles of human insulin, either open or unopened, generally last for one month when stored at room temperature (59 to 86°F). A bottle is considered open if its seal has been punctured. If you remove the cap but do not puncture the seal, the bottle is considered unopened.
Many people store their unopened bottles in the refrigerator and keep open bottles at room temperature because they find it uncomfortable to inject cold insulin. If stored in a refrigerator, unopened bottles are good until the expiration date printed on the bottle. Opened bottles that are stored in a refrigerator should be used within one month of being opened.
Do not use bottled human insulin past the expiration date printed on the label. And no matter what the expiration date is, throw out the bottle one month after you open it. To help you keep track, write the date that you opened the bottle on the bottle's label.
PZI Insulin
PZI insulin is a more stable solution than human insulins. IDEXX Pharmaceuticals has shelf life data for up to 2 months.
"Diabetic cats are notoriously unpredictable in their response to exogenous (outside) insulin. No single type of insulin is routinely effective in maintaining control of glycemia, even with twice a day administration.
It is not possible to predict which type of insulin will work best in individual diabetic cats. The initial insulin of choice ultimately is based on the veterinarian's personal preference and experience."
Your veterinarian will determine the best insulin therapy for
your cat through a series of insulin and dose adjustments.
Beef-Pork Insulin (PZI Vet® Insulin)
Made by IDEXX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Protamine Zinc Insulin (PZI Vet®) is insulin that is made specifically for cats. The protamine and zinc help to slow down the release of the insulin into the body’s tissues and helps to provide a long duration of action. PZI Vet Insulin requires a prescription and is bought from veterinarians.
PZI Vet Insulin is made of 90% beef insulin and 10% pork insulin. Beef insulin is very similar to cat insulin, differing by only one amino acid. Some cats that do not respond to human insulin can experience better control, consistency and flatter blood glucose curves with PZI Vet Insulin.
In appearance, PZI Vet Insulin is a clear liquid with white insulin crystals at the bottom of the vial. When mixed gently and thoroughly, it looks milky. It is typically injected twice a day, with meals. However, if an owner is not able to give two injections a day, the cat may benefit in spite of being given only one injection per day. Blood glucose control may not be optimal at this level, though.
PZI Vet Insulin has a concentration of 40 units insulin per milliliter of fluid (U-40).
CAUTION: U-40 insulin must be injected with red-capped U-40 insulin syringes, whose scale goes up to 40 units. These syringes are specially designed to accurately measure U-40 insulin.
Human Insulin
Despite the name, this insulin does not come from human beings! Its chemical structure is the same as human insulin and it is made in a factory using a chemical process. Human insulin is readily available from local pharmacies, and may require a prescription.
Your veterinarian will recommend a type of human insulin, such as intermediate-acting or long-acting, for your cat.
No one insulin preparation is perfect for every cat. Your veterinarian will determine the best insulin therapy for your pet through a series of insulin and dose adjustments.
* NPH is a type of intermediate acting insulin. It is successful in controlling the diabetes of some cats. In others, however, NPH does not last long enough in the body for good blood glucose control.
* Insulin glargine (Lantus) is a long-lasting insulin whose effect lasts from 10 to 16 hours in most diabetic cats. It is absorbed and metabolized by the body in a manner that is similar to PZI insulin.
Human insulin preparations are usually injected twice a day, with meals. Human insulin preparations have a concentration of 100 units of insulin per milliliter (U-100).
CAUTION: Human insulin must be injected with orange-capped U-100 insulin syringes. Their scale matches the concentration of the human insulin.
Insulin Onset, Peak and Duration
Insulin package labels describe how quickly the insulin starts to work (onset of action), when it reaches the greatest effect (peak) and how long it lasts in the body (duration).
In animals, (and for that matter, in people, too) the response to insulin varies greatly from one individual to the next, so these insulin performance descriptions do not always apply. For example, most insulins have an immediate onset of action in cats and dogs, and the duration of action may be much shorter than the number of hours listed on the insulin label.
Shelf life of insulin
Always follow the storage and handling instructions that come with your insulin.
Human insulin
Bottles of human insulin, either open or unopened, generally last for one month when stored at room temperature (59 to 86°F). A bottle is considered open if its seal has been punctured. If you remove the cap but do not puncture the seal, the bottle is considered unopened.
Many people store their unopened bottles in the refrigerator and keep open bottles at room temperature because they find it uncomfortable to inject cold insulin. If stored in a refrigerator, unopened bottles are good until the expiration date printed on the bottle. Opened bottles that are stored in a refrigerator should be used within one month of being opened.
Do not use bottled human insulin past the expiration date printed on the label. And no matter what the expiration date is, throw out the bottle one month after you open it. To help you keep track, write the date that you opened the bottle on the bottle's label.
PZI Insulin
PZI insulin is a more stable solution than human insulins. IDEXX Pharmaceuticals has shelf life data for up to 2 months.
No comments:
Post a Comment