Is Human Insulin Safe For Cats
General guidelines for insulin peaks and nadirs in humans are available on many manufacturers web sites see references below.
Is human insulin safe for cats. The common 10 ml bottle a cartridge that is inserted into an insulin pen for human diabetics and as a pen that is filled with the insulin. For a diabetic cat you can use any of these. When diet isn t enough to reverse diabetes an insulin pen is one potential. Insulin syringe source dose humulin n u 100 human recombinant dogs and cats 0 1 0 2 u kg q 12 hr protamine zinc prozinc u 40 human recombinant cats only 0 2 0 7 u kg q 12 hr glargine lantus u 100 synthetic 0 25 0 5 u kg q12 hr detemir levemir u.
For many of the same reasons adult onset diabetes in people has risen dramatically obesity and in the case of cats a diet that is too rich in carbohydrates. However unlike human diabetes who have many different types of insulin to chose from the selection of insulin for cats. More specifically if your cat needs more than one insulin unit for each pound of body weight to keep blood sugar within the ideal range or if your kitty s blood sugar level stays above 300 gm dl even after several insulin injections he is insulin resistant. Lantus sanofi is a longer acting insulin commonly used by the task force in cats because it has an adequate duration of action in most diabetic cats.
The glargine product information for human use recommends replacing the vial every 28 days but if kept refrigerated the insulin is effective for cats for at least three months. Though giving injections to a cat can be a scary prospect for many cat owners most owner s find the injections are easier than they thought. Unless they are born with a proclivity to diabetes most cats contract the disease as a result of overeating. Comparison of different types of insulin most commonly used in dogs and cats.
If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes mellitus it means that his pancreas is not producing enough insulin to regulate the amount of sugar in his bloodstream in most cases of feline diabetes insulin is the treatment of choice. Lantus and levemir and some other human insulins are available in three different containers. With the cartridge you don t need the insulin pen. Knowing the peak action time of the insulin is very important because you do not want your cat to have a hypoglycemic episode that is potentially fatal.
Cat diabetes has practically become an epidemic in the u s. Glargine u 100 human recombinant. Not only does lantus insulin work better in most diabetic cats but it is also readily available at any human pharmacy which makes it convenient to obtain. Several studies have demonstrated that glargine is effective for controlling blood sugar levels in diabetic cats and achieving high remission rates.
Feline diabetes like its human counterpart can stem from genetics pancreatic trouble a reaction to medication or overeating. Lantus is relatively expensive but the benefits to the cat are significant because of its high efficacy and the possibility of inducing remission.