Hyperkalaemia after Insulin in dogs

142 reports to the FDA describe hyperkalaemia in dogs given Insulin. That is 1.9% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 0.3% across reports for all dog medicines, so it is reported unusually often with this medicine.

142Reports

60%Marked serious

9.2%Recovered

15%Died or euthanised

89 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

3 3.4%

1–2 days

0 0.0%

3–7 days

5 5.7%

1–4 weeks

9 10%

Over a month

70 80%

How the animals did

Recovered

6 4.2%

Recovered with lasting effects

7 4.9%

Still unwell when reported

41 29%

Died

9 6.3%

Euthanised

12 8.5%

Not known

67 47%

Problems reported at the same time

Hyponatremia

71 50%

Low sodium-potassium ratio (na:k ratio)

60 42%

48 34%

48 34%

40 28%

37 26%

Didn't work as expected

37 26%

Hypochloraemia

36 25%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Insulin treats diabetes.

Questions owners ask

Can Insulin cause hyperkalaemia in dogs?: 142 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within 89 days of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Hyperkalaemia with similar medicines

Hyperkalaemia after Trilostane (Vetoryl) 1,751 reports · 15% of its reports
Hyperkalaemia after Phenylpropanolamine (Proin) 23 reports · 0.6% of its reports
Hyperkalaemia after Levothyroxine 56 reports · 1.9% of its reports

All reported side effects of Insulin in dogs · Medicines most reported with hyperkalaemia