Insulin for Dogs. Choosing the Right Syringe

Insulin for dogs and the syringe you use are important factors for you to consider if symptoms of diabetes in your dog has been confirmed and the pet displays continuously high blood sugar levels. Treating diabetes is a long process that sometimes can last your dog's life time.

If your pet has been diagnosed with diabetes, there is a strong chance that you will be involved in taking care of your pet at home. Home care of a diabetic dog involves monitoring blood sugar levels and injecting insulin on a daily basis making it essential for the owner to acquire some expertise in checking blood sugar and injecting insulin.

Diet adjustments can help manage blood sugar levels in many instances. Nevertheless, injecting insulin is almost a fundamental aspect of the treatment of diabetes dogs. While you pick up the process of injecting insulin from your veterinarian make a point to enquire about the type of syringe that should be used for injecting insulin for dogs.

Firstly, have a close look at the needle. It comprises of a bevel, point and heel. Needle length is crucial because a 12.7 mm long needle may be too big for thin dogs and probably will go right through the pinched skin and out the other side. Insulin should preferably be injected subcutaneously and an 8 mm long needle suits most dogs as it makes it easier to get the insulin into the fat layer under the skin.

The capacity of the syringe is calculated in cubic centimeters (cc) and is interchangeable with milliliters. One cc of insulin in the syringe is equal to 1 ml and so forth. The strength of insulin is measured in international units (I Us). The two common strengths are U40 and U100, which means 40 units and 100 units per milliliter.

There are different types of syringes configured for both the strengths. To begin with, these were distinguished with color codes but the practice seems to have been discontinued now, so check the barrel to be sure. Syringe barrel size too is important and depends upon the dose that you have to inject.

The right way to inject insulin for dogs is to first pull up the skin and introduce the needle, bevel side up, firmly into the skin and parallel to body. The tent that you make by pulling the skin guarantees that the insulin is injected into the skin flap. Make sure that the needle does not pass through the tent.

To ensure that you do not bend the needle while drawing out insulin from the ampoule, make certain that you do not insert it all the way into it. If by any chance you bend the needle discard it and begin again.

Insulin syringes have needles that are coated with silicone to protect against contamination of insulin. This is also done to make the injection as painless as possible. Employing the same syringe and needle over again may wear away the protective covering, causing more pain.

This can also interfere with the insulin action. It may also contaminate the insulin and white precipitates could form in the ampoule over time.

Syringes that have been used for injecting insulin for dogs must be disposable according to the state laws as they are a potential health hazard. This is because of the sharp lancet and the fact that drug remainders are likely to get spoilt. Destroying disposable syringes is also crucial to prevent re-use.

Digestive Support

UTI-Free

Runipoo Relief