Syringes

Insulin syringes for dogs and cats come in all shapes and sizes, and if your pet has been prescribed insulin, you may be confused by the different options available, with syringes varying in unit measures, size of syringe, needle width and even needle length.

Read our handy guide on choosing the correct syringe for your cat and contact our customer care team if you are unsure.

Choosing the right insulin syringe for your dog or cat.

It is important that the number of insulin units (either U-40 or U-100) is used in the correct syringe i.e. U-40 insulin must be used in a U-40 insulin syringe.

Your vet will have given instruction on the dosage of insulin your pet needs, and the combination of the syringe unit and syringe size will help you achieve that.

As an example, if the prescribed dosage of insulin is 20 units of U40 insulin, you would use a U-40 insulin syringe that had a capacity of 1/2cc (0.5ml) or above (with 1/2cc being the full dose needed).

If you needed to administer 10 units of U-40 insulin, you would use a 1/4cc (0.25ml) of a U-40 syringe.

Other markings you will find on your insulin syringes will be the gauge designation, indicating how thin the needle is. The higher the number, the thinner the needle.

A common gauge for insulin needles range between 28-31 (around 0.3mm).

As a comparison, a gauge 10 needle is 3.4 mm.