Some dogs with diabetes mellitus are insufficiently controlled with NPH insulin, leaving practitioners in search of a longer-acting insulin alternative. The search has become even more difficult since a purified pork source lente insulin was removed from the market by the FDA in 2009.

What they did
In a recent study, six newly diagnosed and 11 insulin-treated diabetic dogs were given recombinant human protamine zinc insulin for 60 days. On days 7, 14, 30, and 60, the dogs were evaluated (history, physical examination including body weight, serum fructosamine concentration, and blood glucose concentration) before and at two-hour intervals (up to 10 hours) after insulin administration.

What they found
The dogs demonstrated significant decreases in mean 10-hour serum blood glucose and serum fructosamine concentrations at day 60, and clinical signs including body weight improved. Hypoglycemia was the only adverse event observed.

Take-home message
The study results suggest that the use of this insulin product is effective in diabetic dogs and offers an alternative to patients poorly controlled with other insulin preparations.

Maggiore AD, Nelson RW, Dennis J, et al. Efficacy of protamine zinc recombinant human insulin for controlling hyperglycemia in dogs with diabetes mellitus. J Vet Intern Med 2012;26(1):109-115.

Link to abstract: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.00861.x/abstract