FDA WARNING ON VETSULIN FOR DOGS AND CATS
November 5th, 2009 by Dr. Donna Spector
The US FDA has issued a warning about Vetsulin, an insulin commonly used in the treatment of diabetes for dogs and cats. There have been varying amounts of insulin found in the product which could cause unpredictable and possibly dangerous fluctuations in blood sugar levels. If your pet uses Vetsulin, monitor them carefully for unusual signs of high or low blood sugar. Vetsulin supplies will be limited until the problem has been fully resolved and the FDA recommends possibly changing patients to other forms of insulin.
Contact your veterinarian with any questions you may have regarding your pet with diabetes. Read articles for more information on treatment options for feline or canine diabetes, Feline Diabetes: A New Look at an Old Disease, and Diabetes in Dogs.
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November 7th, 2009 at 10:28 am
What are the “other forms of insulin” referred to? What options are available for Vetsulin??
November 9th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Hi Gary:
There are many types of insulin that can be used in pets with diabetes (e.g. NPH, glargine, etc). Each insulin type may be dosed and used differently so you need to ask your veterinarian what would be appropriate for your pet.
Good Luck.
Dr. Donna Spector
December 12th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Our dog, a pug, went on vetsulin and three days later was blind. He is now on human insulin. Did vetsulin have anything to do with him going blind?
Thank you
December 15th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Dear Betty,
It is unlikely that vetsulin had anything to do with your Pug becoming blind. Diabetic dogs develop blindness for many different reasons and many times the blindness occurs very rapidly such as you described in your Pug. Some common causes of blindness in diabetic dogs include cataracts, retina problems and high blood pressure. Your veterinarian should be able to give you more information about what caused your dogs blindness.
Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector
December 17th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Thanks and welcome – feedback much appreciated
December 31st, 2009 at 10:06 am
My 11 year old Jack Russel has been on Vetsulin for 5 years. She was well regulated at first, but lately has been up and down. She also had to have eye surgery to restore her sight, which I believe was directly connected to the unpredictability of the Vetsulin. Now we are concerned about her liver count which is also related to the diabetes. With the advice of our vet, we are going to attempt to switch her to PZI. Can you give your opinion of the PZI product?
January 5th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Our Siamese has been on Vetsulin for about a year. He does have fluctuations in blood sugar which we were puzzled by as he eats the same amount, at the same time every day and has 2 shots of Vetsulin at the same time every day. Yet he has low sugars of 57 at 2 a.m. (husband is a night person) & day sugars varying from 120 to 250. It is probably the Vetsulin. Our vet told us that cats are very hard to regulate, so we attributed it to that. He is on the last bottle of Vetsulin & our vet is going to order a different insulin. This is really sad as we have had a hard time getting him kind of adjusted. Now we have to get him adjusted on a different insulin product which will mean more testing, which he hates. He doesn’t mind the shots, as he gets a treat or gets fed after it, but he hates the poking of his ears for the test. He gets treats after that too, and we hate doing this to him.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Hi Kathy,
Managing diabetic cats can be challenging. One of the reasons their blood sugar varies so much from day to day and within a day is because many cats are still secreting some of their own insulin. There is no rhyme nor reason to when their body secretes it….it happens sporadically leading to some of these wide fluctuations despite a stable diet. One of the most important things you can do for your cat is to make sure he is eating all canned food–one with high protein and low carbohydrates. NO DRY FOOD! Following this diet plan can help cats lessen their needs for insulin or even revert back to a non-diabetic state.
Good luck.
Dr. Donna Spector
January 11th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Hi Sue:
There is no cookbook recipe for managing diabetic dogs and every dog will require something slightly different and will often do better on one type of insulin over another. Each insulin has pros and cons and your veterinarian has the bigger picture with your dog and is likely recommending PZI based on detailed information.
You mentioned your dogs liver count is up. One reason dogs can be difficult to manage is the development of other medical problems (such as cushings disease, hypothyroidism, liver disease, etc). All of these things can cause the liver counts to change…so make sure to talk to your veterinarian about these things before you change from her current insulin.
Hope that helps.
Dr. Donna Spector