Beginners' tips on shooting insulin?

Hi, I've been treating my cat for a week but still nervous I'm not injecting the insulin right. I'm using the scruff of the neck but because I need to restrain my cat (I sort of sit behind him and catch him with my knees), I'm not injecting from the side as I've seen in videos but from the back (ie, I'm behind him). Just now I'm pretty sure the needle went thru the other side of his skin and shot onto my hand I don't think this usually happens but I'm definitely disappointed and worried. Any tips for beginners that might come in handy? For people who do the shot alone how do you restrain your cat? Should I shave his scruff for now to see better what I am doing? Any advice appreciated, thanks!

 

Hello momma bean. I had the vet shave a 4x4 patch just over top left shoulder. It helps to see where the needle is going. We have all been there. Before long you'll be a pro at it. I use 3 finger pinch for tent. How long are your syringes? Your doing great, and just let me say what a great thing your doing by treating your furbaby. Keep at it. Take deep breaths often. my kitty sits still now but before I toweled her like a burrito. Give lots of treats, try to just hold him more often give treat for sitting there no matter how long. Positive reenforcement goes a long way.

 

I wish I had some advice for you. Jones was easy to do, just pinch, create the tent, put needle straight to the body and push till you enter and then press the plunger. I think you develop a bit of a feel after awhile. At first I couldn't tell if the syringe was going in or not, but now I can. Jones is pretty mellow and as long as there is a treat in front he was willing to sit still. He doesn't like it on his hind quarters though, so I just move from one side over the top to the other side on his front.

ETA - I thinking everyone has done a fur shot. Just don't try to give another injection as you don't know how much insulin Samson has received. Also, tomorrow is another day....this dance isn't over yet.

 

First of all wellcome!! is nice to have you here.

For what you said you just had a fur shoot, it has happened to us all at one time or another, don't beat yourself about it.

I shooted Babu on the side because at least for him seemed that the shoot on the scruff hurted him more so he jumped and turned around when I did it so I started shooting on the side I did shaved an area about one square inch, I had to since Babu has a huge amount of hair and pretty long.

I also toweled him taco (burrito ) or more like a half one just so that he felt he was beeing restrained

Also I used 6mm syringes that made me easier not to go through

 

Take a deep breath...you and Sampson are/will be ok. The small amount of insulin you might have given yourself will be adjusted for by your body (and if you are diabetic yourself, you already know what to do). I get my insulin all drawn up and ready to go, then put the food out (I have 7 to feed and they each want to be first!). Then as Tom begins to eat, I pinch up a handful from each side of his shoulder blades. He's sturdy so there is almost .75 in of fat to shoot into. I inject the needle all the way in...and you do develop a "feel" for it...then inject the insulin. I'm not speedy, but I don't drag things out. After the first week, Tom quit even looking around to see what I was doing.

 

There are good videos on You Tube showing how to do this.

 

Thanks everyone for the support. It's just hard because I wait all day to give the shot, and then I feel like I blow it...very frustrating. (Also to be clear I didn't prick myself with the needle it just shot out onto, not into, my hand.) The first few days I was giving Samson his shot while he was eating, and he didn't care. He's super frustrated and suspicious with me now, though, with me chasing him around all day long to get blood tests... so now he's suspicious when I approach him. I'm hoping that once he gets used to all this he'll settle down and stop being so freaked out, and go back to just munching away while I give the shot.

My friend has some clippers he can lend me so I'm thinking I'll shave a patch so I can see better. Are there instructions for toweling like a burrito?

And yes, I've watched all the videos, thanks! Insulin syringe is a U40.

 

I just watched some cat-wrapping videos, but those all seem to totally cover the scruff - if you wrap the cat how do you get at the scruff to put in the injection?

 

Put it a little further back just to keep his front feet from coming up. When I put her on the towel and folded over the first flap she laid down and I just put the second flap over to hold her. If that makes sense.

 

I had issues at first. Now it's easy. I do this:
- get Leo's food ready
- get the dose ready
- food goes on floor
- I kneel down behind him, pull out skin from his left flank with my left hand
- then I dose him with my right hand

I prefer to call it dosing than shooting. I also got shorter 3/16" needles. That makes it almost impossible to poke thru. Also I just poke down thru the fur. Since the needle is short, the only place it is going to bottom out is into the skin tent that I pull out from his left flank.. Often I dose him in the side, anywhere between the back and front leg. It is so quick, he doesn't notice as he is driven by food.

 

Like others, I let food help me. Is there a low carb treat that he absolutely loves? You could possibly give him his shot & tests while eating a special treat. Have you tried freeze dried chicken? I have never seen a cat that didn't go crazy for freeze dried chicken.
My girl is a lovebug also but quite fractious, and I could not do her injections any other way. I call it "chicken and a shot"

When she was first diagnosed, I never thought I would be able to get the shots into her. The first week was horrible, I was like you, chasing her around, trying to find a good time, place to do it, and every time I touched her to would swat at me, scream and run off. Add the anxiety never giving injections before and unsure if I was even doing it right...oh what mess! You can practice the injecting to make yourself a bit quicker and more comfortable with that aspect of it (I used a stuffed animal)

I manage Katie's 2x daily injection (by myself) with this routine- before her meal and after her test, I announced it's time for "chicken and a shot".
I prepare the shot, crumble up freeze dried chicken on a plate and set it on the counter (our "shot spot). WHILE she was eating her treat, I did the injection.
It became a routine and she expected it. I do the same for tests (different spot, the living room chair is the "test" spot)
I always choose the same shot for shooting, the same spot for testing, and don't chase her around. On the rare occasion she refuses to get up to the "spot", I placed her there and immediately give her the chicken and shot or test. Most of the time she waiting in the "spot" for it. I think having a "shot spot" and /or "test spot" (giving the shot in one place of the house w/treat) all the time is better. They begin to learn that's the only place it happens and they get a treat, and they aren't fearful of you every time you get them near in between shots & tests. If you inject them in random spots, they never when to expect it and become fearful. It becomes an unpleasant experience. You want it to be pleasant, and the treat makes it a much happier experience...a reward of sorts.

Hope this helps. Try using a treat he absolutely loves and cannot resist.

 

These are great tips! @katiesmom, he loves freeze-dried liver so I will try this. Also important to have one spot as you mentioned. Thanks!

@JeffJ: I'm intrigued by the shorter needle. Can you get those in a U40 dose? How does that work? Also can you explain more what you mean when you say "I just poke down through the fur"? Do you mean as opposed to horizontally or...? THANKS ALL!

 

A couple of things that helped me...
1. I watched a bunch of youtube videos over and over.
2. I got a shorter needle syringe. I use bd 6mm
3. I give him dried bonito flakes as a treat. He goes CRAZY for these. I also give him this treat for bg testing. He now purrs while getting his ear pricked & while I am giving him his shot!

It gets better...I promise

 

Dont shoot in the same spot,i use the scruff and right above front legs both sides. kitty will get used to it. me and my cat have a routine. i feed her then i tell her its time for your shot,she sits down i rub where i inject then shoot,then she gets up like nothing happened!

 

I had some U40's from the vet office. They were thick gauge and long. I hated them. So I used the conversion chart and used U100's. For small dosed (up to 15 units) that works just fine. The conversion chart is on this website somewhere. If you use it, just be real careful. I printed it out, and I double checked for each dose. Anyhow this allowed me to use U100s with short needles. I might be wrong but U100s are highly available (i.e. Walgreens, Walmart, etc) in various lengths.

But this is an opinion thing. Other people might like the long needles.

For the dose procedure, I pull Leo's skin out sideways in a "skin tent". Then I poke down into the tent. This is a 100% method for us. Leo is pretty chubby so there is a lot of skin to select from. He's our good boy.

 

Love the pics of Leo and little dude. Leo is quit handsome. Head bumps

 

I distract my cat with a food treat, I am very calm when I do the jab, I prepare the needle before giving the treat and as other people in this thread have said, I carefully pick up the skin rather than the fur, that way you can see where to put the needle, our needles are extremely fine and our cat doesn't ever feel anything. I tend to do the jab in a different part of the back each time. I also stroke the back before picking up the skin so that he thinks I am petting him.