Where all can you give an insulin injection?

I have been giving Ferdinand his shots in the scruff of his neck but I was wondering if there were any other areas on the body I could give him the injection? I would like to try different areas so he doesn't get sore or get any scarring.

Thanks!
Melody

 

Besides the scruff area, you can give the insulin injection along the sides of the body, at least an inch or so away from the spine. That is because it is harder to get a bit of skin tented too close to the backbone. In the belly is another option. Left side, right side, upside down side.

If you change the injection site, a couple more tests may be in order. The scruff does not have as many blood vessels so the absorption of the insulin can be slower and more erratic in the scruff. You may see more even absorption when injecting in the sides/belly areas. ECID

 

ANy place you can pull up a tent of skin. I liked to go off to the side of the scruff and use loose skin around the shoulders.

 

Here is a diagram if that will help.

 

Thank you all very much! The diagram is particularly helpful.

Melody

 

That's a great diagram. I shoot the flank most often. Usually drop a treat and when Kiki is munching I play with her side and she doesn't even notice the shot.

 

I usually shoot all along the side, from Chester's hip to his "arm". I try not to shoot the same spot twice in a row. There's plenty of loose skin for me to get a good tent. He gets most of his shots on his right side because of the way I hold him.

 

I usually shoot in the right flank. Mikey doesn't really like shots in his left (I'm assuming he might be predominantly "right-handed" and doesn't like me approaching him from his left; it's his right ear that also bleeds better so it's also his right ear that I test most). To make up for single-side shooting, I've created an imaginary grid pattern on his flank that is 7 "columns" long for each day of the week and 2 "rows" wide for AM (closer to the head) and PM (closer to the rear).

I also shoot him in his scruff when he's running low at pre-shot since I know that his nadir is usually delayed till +8 or so when I shoot him there (just in case he unexpectedly drops again early on in they cycle, which he's done before in the past).

 

This is a really good idea Kpassa, thank you, Frog is seeming pretty much like your Mikey, he doesn't really allow me to go at the left side, I've tried, but even when I did manage to get a blood drop he kinda freaked out and bolted before I got it... He's very much calmer from the other side, like two different cats. This concept will really help me, because I was fearful of overdoing one spot.

 

Yeah, he's really funny about it, too. He'll hear me coming and I long ago learned to announce that it's time for his shot once he got wise to my sneak-attack "shooting while he's eating" method. He still lets me do it while his head is in the dish...as long as I alert him first. And whenever I approach on his left, he won't look up from eating but he'll scoot his bum towards the left (usually into Henry, who is next to him also eating, but they often swap sides), and present me with his right side for the shot. :lol:

 

You know, I thought I was crazy ... but it seems to me that when I show Frog the syringe first he is much easier to handle... if he thinks I'm going for the ears he tends to be a bit more resistant. I've even had the sense a few times that he was Asking for the shot specifically.

 

Cats are smart and they soon catch on that the shot makes them feel better and when they miss a shot, they don't feel very good. I've heard from human diabetics that high sugars make them feel like they're drunk and hungover at the same time. Imagine how a cat feels!

And cats also soon learn that testing is associated with them feeling better. Or, at the very least, they've figured out how to con you into giving them treats whenever they sit still for you for a few moments so you can make that clicking nose in their ear. :lol: Even my non-diabetic, Henry, tries to get in on that action and will actually take over Mikey's spot in my lap when I've finished testing him! haha_smiley (I only test Henry occasionally, though from the amount of treats he cons out of me, he thinks he's getting tested just as often as Mikey.)

 

LOL that is awesome

It's probably good that you let him 'con' you out of treats, because it encourages him to still be a willing patient for those times when you DO want to test him! Plus... less jealousy issues that way.

 

Henry can't even tell the difference between when I actually poke his ear or when i just click the lancet pen next to his ear. :lol:

I figured I'd let them decide the whens, wheres, and hows of testing (and shots for Mikey) because cats have simple demands that I can easily meet for their happiness. Sometimes Mikey prefers me to give him his shot before he will go eat, sometimes he wants to play a bit before his shot, sometimes he's not even hungry and just wants a treat. If I follow his lead, there's less of a battle and life is easier for everyone involved.

 

I sure wish Frog couldn't tell... He grouches at me every single time I poke, and I've tried pretty much every spot along the edge of that ear. I was using Neosporin + pain relief at first, but I had to stop it because I think he was getting an allergic response to it.... I was seeing small bubbles sort of popping up all along the edges of that ear, which have gone away since I stopped using the Neosporin... I wonder if there is something else that would help him with the pain of it without the bad response.

Also, I may go buy some smaller lancets, maybe we can get those to work and be less hurtful to him.

 

When first starting out and I was "butchering" his ears, Mikey had a similar problem with the Neosporin where it would aggravate his ears for hours after I used it and he'd keep rubbing at them and trying to clean them. After almost a week of this, a clerk at my local Mom&Pop pet store suggested I try using Veterycin, which is a highly diluted sodium hypochlorite solution (I think it is basically stabilized bleach akin to Dakins Solution) that is safe for ears and allegedly even safe to ingest. It worked fantastically and he stopped having issues with his ears. You can also use it on humans and I've had a couple of scrapes that I did a "side-by-side" comparison with: Nothing, Vetericyn, and the Neosporin and the Vetericyn spot actually healed faster than the Neosporin section. It's like magic or something. :lol:

The smaller lancets are a good idea, but it might take a little bit longer before you can get enough blood from using them so don't get discouraged if they don't work immediately. The pain will also dissipate as his ears start developing more capillaries for you to test from and as you start getting better at it (it usually takes about 2 weeks to a month or two depending on how often you're testing). I now no longer really use any stuff on his ears unless I've been testing him a lot (diabetics don't put stuff on their fingertips every time they test and cats generally don't use their ears nearly as much as we use our fingertips :lol: ).

 

Thanks for the info, I will get some and hopefully it will work for him.

 

A tip for using the Vetericyn is that I saturate a bit of paper towel in it and use that to wipe down his ear. Much less startling for the cat than spraying it directly on them. :lol:

 

lol good tip.. I had been thinking to maybe spray it on my hand, but you're right, a bit of tissue or cotton would probably be a better more sanitary choice

ETA: their website indicates that several nearby stores carry it, I'm going to try to get some tomorrow. (seems like a most useful thing to be having around this house anyway!)

 

Since Mr. Frog sounds a bit like Mr. Michelangelo in some of his "peculiarities," you might also want to check out this page I wrote up about Ear Testing Psychology if you haven't already seen it.

 

I did see it, that was the turning point between the multipoke struggles and finally getting some cooperation. Thank you, excellent insights.