Coytee Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I have a diabetic cat. We give him a shot of insulin for his diabetes and a shot of 'something' (it's a diuretic) for his 'something else issue. I have no idea what it's called. Here's my issue.... We already have something like two boxes of 100 syringes for his diabetes. I have to go to the vet every now & then to get the syringes for his diuretic shot. (bag of 10) I want to use the same (size) syringe as these two are different sizes. The diabetes syringe is the smaller of the two (which is what we want to use for both) The diabetes syringe is a 3/10mL scale and a full syringe is 30 units or I guess .3 mL The diuretic syringe is 1/2 mL scale BUT, a "full" syringe is 20 units (so I'm guessing that 20 units = 1/2 mL) The cat is taking 4 (of the 20) units of insulin and he's taking 30 (out of 30) units of the diuretic. What I want to do is use the small syringe for the insulin shot but, I'm running my brain in circles trying to figure out what I might use to multiply (or divide) by to convert one to the other. As a practical matter, I've taken 4 (of the 20) units in the larger syringe and used water to then squirt into the smaller syringe. After trying to purge the air bubbles (and losing a bit) it's looking like I'm around six units. I prefer to do it mathematically and know I'm on target. One nice thing about the smaller syringe is it has a more exact scale. I feel like I'm stumped on an algebra test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) Here's my thinking Syringe A: 20 units = 1/2 mL so 40 units = 1 mL Syringe B: 30 units = .3mL so 100 units = 1 mL Since he's taking 4 units (of syringe A) that is 10% (of the 40 units, so 10% of 1 mL) which means he would take 10 units of insulin from syringe B Teacher says??? Edited April 14, 2015 by Coytee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel's wife Posted April 14, 2015 Moderators Share Posted April 14, 2015 Hang on....I'll copy and paste this to my daughter who is an RN and see if she can figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 I just realized I failed to convert it back to the .3mL scale.... so 10% of 1 ML equals how many units of .3mL Geez....I'm getting twisted up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel's wife Posted April 14, 2015 Moderators Share Posted April 14, 2015 1 ml=100 units Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel's wife Posted April 14, 2015 Moderators Share Posted April 14, 2015 Coytee, You now dang good and well I am mathematically challenged! Did that answer your question? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel's wife Posted April 14, 2015 Moderators Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) She said you are welcome to call or message her....let me know if you need further help. She really did not understand what you wanted to know. but her measurements are accurate. Edited April 14, 2015 by dtel's wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Are there model numbers on the syringes. That could provide a way to search for more exact information. WMcD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 hmmm... if he's taking 10% of 1 mL then I guess that would be 10 units of .3mL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 One (smaller) says U-100 Insulin 3/10mL single use only Second (larger) says U-40 Insulin 1/2mL single use only Length wise, they are about the same. The difference is diameter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 why don't you call your vet? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel's wife Posted April 15, 2015 Moderators Share Posted April 15, 2015 Hang on...asking her now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 The curious thing here is that both drugs should be dosed based upon need. Insulin dosing is often based upon blood sugar testing (short term) and A1C (long term). Diuretics are used based on a variety of measures. How old is kitty? How long has kitty been diabetic? Has kidney function been altered by the long term effects associated with diabetes? FWIW you should be able to get the dose equivalencies from your vets office. Insulin dependent (type 1) diabetes is a fairly complex disease and managing it properly is not as straight forward as many believe. It can have a host of complications to make early proper treatment imperative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I have not checked it, but the following link may help or at least be useful to confirm your calculations. http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm WMcD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Came up with this 3.33/20 (units) = 1.5 and he's taking 4 units of the smaller (*1.6667) which would be 6.6667 units I did ask my vet.... I don't think he wanted to do the math. He said "Well....it's a different scale" (well yeah...?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 The cat is a handful of years old (he was a stray so we're guessing maybe 8 tops?) This is a new situation and we changed from insulin 'x' to something better. We started at 1 unit....2 units....3 units....now at 4 units. I need to get him i this week to see how it's working. Seat of the pants on our side is, it's either correct or near. His appetite is back up, his activity is back up and he's more of his old self. We might not be done yet but we're getting close. I just don't want to keep two different sizes of syringes for him. Seems the smaller syringe is more accurate anyway so I'm ok with using it (if I can figure the conversion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 I have not checked it, but the following link may help or at least be useful to confirm your calculations. http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm WMcD Looks like you get the weekend off. I think that is EXACTLY what I need. Thank you. You are most resourceful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) why don't you call your vet? The only safe way! ... but talk to the vet directly, not someone at the front desk! If we understood the markings denoting the syringe size/type for sure, it might just be a problem of ratio/proportion, or better yet, a conversion factor like we used to use in chemistry class that lets you cancel out the units to confirm you're doing it right. On second thought, now that I've read your response in post #15, fire your vet! Edited April 15, 2015 by garyrc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Unsure how to gauge 'correct' in a vet application for diabetes. Just read a blurb on feline diabetes and going to bow out here. Follow your vets advice. Hope it all works out for the best. Pets are like kids. Tough to see them sickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsoncookie Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I am not this type of Doctor. But I do know dosages do not need to be on the specified "nuts" on by far most meds. Think about meds you/ your spouse/ etc take. Are the dosages really so critical they have to be +- 1%? "As a practical matter, I've taken 4 (of the 20) units in the larger syringe and used water to then squirt into the smaller syringe. After trying to purge the air bubbles (and losing a bit) it's looking like I'm around six units." More than sufficient equivalent. I prefer to do it mathematically and know I'm on target. One nice thing about the smaller syringe is it has a more exact scale. Getting, like I myself have gotten many, until I caught myself, OCD. Don't sweat the small stuff situation. IMHO, YMMV, I'm not an MD currently, but was a certified Gyno for years. Lars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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