I recently had a client with a newly diagnosed diabetic pet who was having trouble getting a big enough blood droplet for the glucose meter. It can be daunting and frustrating to get a sample of blood when you first begin. I thought today I’d share with you all some suggestions for getting an adequate blood […]
How often do I need to get a new bottle of insulin?
I strongly recommend that you follow the manufacturer’s expiration dating guidelines when using insulin and discard of any unused insulin once it has reached the expiration date. The manufacturers of insulin put their products through rigorous tests to ensure that the product is effective as […]
Whether you check urine glucose on your diabetic pet depends on several factors, the most important of which is whether you have a diabetic dog or diabetic cat. My answer for a diabetic cat is an emphatic yes, particularly for newly diagnosed diabetic cats.
Why do I have to give insulin injections? Can’t I use an oral hypoglycemic medication for my diabetic cats? […]
Checking a blood glucose with a blood glucose monitor tells us what the pet’s glucose levels are at that very moment. Fructosamine is a blood test that reflects what the blood glucose has been over the preceding 2 to 3 weeks. […]
Yesterday I got a call from a neighbor a few streets over. I’m not their regular vet but I met them last year. We hit it off well and had exchanged phone numbers when we met. Their veterinarian diagnosed their cat with diabetes 6 weeks ago. […]
Last week a client of a newly diagnosed diabetic dog asked me why we don’t know immediately what the correct dose of insulin will be for her pet. That’s a great question! For many medications we have a set amount or dosage for a particular body weight. […]
When I make the diagnosis of diabetes for a dog or cat, I understand how overwhelming it can be for the new diabetic pet owners, so I try to be generous with my time. […]
Let’s talk some insulin generalities today.
U-40 insulin is more dilute than U-100 insulin. U-40 means there are 40 units per milliliter of fluid. U-100 means there are 100 units of insulin per milliliter of fluid. U-40 insulin is pretty much only a veterinary type of insulin these days. […]
There has been buzz on the vet street for months that Vetsulin is coming back. Well, the time is now here. Merck just brought back this porcine insulin zinc suspension after a lapse on the American market since 2009.
This is good news to pets that did well on this product, and it gives veterinarians another choice […]