? Have I been doing this wrong for a month?

I just read somewhere that insulin is not supposed to be injected under the skin in the scruff of the neck? Is that correct? The vet told me to make a tent in the scruff of the neck and give insulin that way.

 

It's no big deal. That's the way my vet taught me.

 

https://diabeticcatcare.com/DCCCOK/Injectionsites.htm

 

I was told the same thing by my vet. I use the shoulder area...morning is the right and night is the left. I move it around a bit so I am not injecting in the exact same area all the time. You can also use the flank. I have tried that on Jones and he flinches every time.

 

Whatever works for you. I poked Nigel in the scruff until he apparently got too much scare tissue there (vet's theory) and I actually bent the needle on the syringe. That was nowhere near the spine which is a creepy thought. Noah gets it in the flank too, he is a squirmer if I try the scruff.
I read here a long time ago that injecting into muscle mass makes the insulin act quicker and can mess up your curves but have never confirmed that. Try and rotate where you poke. I do a kind of tent thing I can't use words to describe. It all gets easier.

 

Dakota only comfortably let's me shoot scruff. I've tried other places, it all upsets him so we stick with scruff all the way from side to side.

 

Oh Silver does too. I must try somewhere else. I used scruff until the fur shot then moved to flank below shoulder.

 

Oh thank goodness. Pepper does so well there. I was hoping the scruff wasn't a bad place.

Pepper and I are finally into a routine. After she eats, I say "come on baby, time for you to feel better" and she comes walking over and lays down right in front of me to give her her shot.
She doesn't even flinch.
The vet shaved a 4" x 2" patch of hair so I can see where I am shooting.

 

Lantus and the scruff seems to be the biggest problem because Lantus creates tiny time-delay crystals in the under-skin fat layer, which you don't want to disturb by using the scruff to control the cat. My vet shaved a couple of patches on my cat's flanks to give the Lantus. My cat swiftly adjusted to it. When I start tenting him to give him his shot he just lies down for me, lets me give the shot, then gets back up and goes back to eating (I give it to him with his first meal of the morning and his first meal of the evening, when he's hungriest and finds food to be most rewarding).

If you're not using Lantus, there's no real problem with the scruff as long as you move your injection site around so that one site doesn't get all the pokes.

 

The scruff is the only place Squallie will let me inject, so scruff it is! Vet says that's okay.

Actually, I believe injecting into the muscle slows it down a bit (and is painful); injecting into the vein speeds it up and can be very dangerous.

 

I believe I heard that from @MrWorfMen's Mom but it was 2,000 post ago. Maybe she can elaborate. Into the vein! I'm glad Noah is not a tiny cat, more meat to work with.

 

That is the way I thought it worked as well.

 

I don't have x-ray vision, how can you tell? Maybe that's asking too much. What a great way to freak out a newbie.

 

@Peppersmom72 This is a perfect example of "Not everyone knows everything". It's a blessing that there are some people here who could probably go straight into second year veterinary medicine. It's a lot to take in.

 

Here's some info which may help:





Many of our Lantus users have successfully given insulin injections in the scruff for years. No matter where one shoots, the idea is to slightly rotate the injection site to prevent scar tissue from developing. It could be as simple as moving injections from one side to the other.

Intramuscular injections are absorbed faster than subcutaneous injections. *Usually* (there are exceptions) caregivers don't give IM (intramuscular) shots at home because the insulin is absorbed quickly... sometimes too quickly. However, it's not unusual for vets to give IM shots in a clinical setting to kick-start treatment when a cat is in DKA.


Edited to add:
Some excellent tips for injecting cats can be found here (1st post in the thread): Testing and Shooting Tips.
Scroll down a little bit to find the shooting tips.

 

Depending on your computer you can right click and save the above image as a picture. Might be helpful later.