How do you inject?

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monty_dweezil (GA)

monty_dweezil (GA)

Member Since 2014
This question may sound totally odd, but I'm just wondering how each of you injects your insulin? What technique do you use, where on the body do you do it, etc?

Dweezil has always been fairly ok with his injections, thankfully, though lately he seems to be a bit more difficult. As soon as we hold his skin, he hunches down and to the side and moves. It makes it quite hard to get the injection in properly.

For those who use the scruff or neck / upper back / lower back of head area like I do, how much skin do you actually hold? My partner holds a lot more than I do and is quite firm so Dweezil "obeys", whereas with me, I'm more gentle and only take a small amount so he moves around in "defiance". Heheh.

Any advice and tips are very much appreciated. I am a bit worried he will get more and more difficult to inject, which simply cannot be allowed to happen!
 
Gracie is focused on her food; she notices the small tug to tent the skin a bit, but is more interested in eating.
 
Dweezy is also focused on his food, but he always seems to be waiting for us to do his injection and so doesn't properly settle anymore. He is a smart kitty.
 
Tonka went for a few days a month or so ago that he decided he didn't like the injections and would flinch/tug out of the way as I was tying to inject him. And then he just forgot about it again.
As for how, I've never even tried to inject him when he wasn't distracted (i.e. eating). I pull up a "medium" sized tent of skin, relax it so it isn't pulling too much on him, and then inject at an angle into the tent. So far so good.
 
With a difficult cat, you may wish to give a low carb treat after injecting or testing. Spitzer was always eager for his and otherwise, quite squirmy.
 
Yes, I do Dweezy the same as Tonka.

And we actually used to give him his dried liver treats afterwards (and during at first), but then we found that didn't work as well as just giving his normal food. There is more to eat when eating his normal dinner so he is more occupied. Our issue with treats is that he just doesn't care enough if it still means something he REALLY doesn't want to do.
 
Are you at all nervous when you have to give him a shot, worrying that he'll resist? They seem to have an amazing ability to react to whatever we're projecting. (Teeger has a stellar habit of calmly trotting upstairs and hiding under a bed the moment I start to think about grabbing him to put him in the carrier to bring to the vet, even though I'm sure I'm hiding my intentions from him). Once I made up my mind to not worry about Tonka's flinching away, he quickly forgot about it again. Funny thing was, it only took one moment of resistance on his part to make me nervous about injecting him - had been doing so for a few months with no issues prior to this. So I reminded myself of this and it got better again. Could be something similar.
 
Mikey was so tiny and malnourished for so long when he was diagnosed that he didn't have any skin or fat for me to properly tent him so I had to improvise. I've been giving myself weekly b12 injections for years so I took that technique and applied it to Mikey. I give him what I call "flat" shots and a few months ago, another user was kind enough to upload photos of how she (and I) give shots without having to pull up extra skin/fur. It's more of a gentle roll technique to help separate the fur and lift the skin enough to get a good angle for injection.
 
Ooh, that's interesting, doing it more shallowly and just separating the fur...

And YES, I DO get nervous! Every single time! And I always have, ever since the first time I tried it! I actually get my partner NOT to loiter nearby or watch me, as it makes me even more nervous. The first few times I would get so irate at not being able to get my hand or wrist at the right angle, when Dwee would flinch or hunch or look around (I was never mad at him, just at myself and the situation), and then sometimes I'd throw my hands up and say "I can't do it! I can't!" lol. So...not exactly the most serene environment there.
 
Mikey, being like all cats, knows how to manipulate me quite well and will sometimes shy away or flinch just to get a rise out of me. If he does it even before I've poked him, then it's much easier to call him out on it as a giant faker. But if he does it during the shot, it throws me off a bit and makes me more cautious at the next shot time...which he immediately takes advantage of.

Over the years, I've learned to approach shot time in a very no-nonsense manner. And when he plays his games, I put on my "Mom" tone and tell him he's getting his shot whether he likes it or not, dammit! Because I'm the boss and I told him so! What's he going to do? Storm off to his room and slam the door and pout for an hour because Mom was mean? :p He forgets all about it the second I set his food down or toss him a few treats.
 
I use BD ultra fine II short needles which don't seem to worry him as much as the longer syringes. He's always been pretty good about it anyway but I do find these ones easier to manage too. $30aud box of 100 at the chemist. I always try to shoot a different spot than the last one and can pretty much go all the way down his back if I can get a tent depending on his position.
 
I just find it so hard to get enough skin! It isn't like he's lacking skin! He must hide it. Lol.

Tonight somehow i did a fur shot. SIGH. He kept ducking and hunching whenever i'd get his skin, and then i held it a bit firmer, shot it, but he moved and made a "shchff" sound and then i felt a drop on my finger. How did it get there, i thought. UGH!!! His fur was dry but i could smell the insulin.

I now am feeling stressed that he is always only getting his morning shot because i am so terrible at doing his evening shot!
 
I have a slightly different technique. The usual 'tenting the skin' thing didn't work so well for us.

I crumble a few treats for Bertie to munch on. Then I pull up some skin with the thumb and first two fingers of my left hand. So, the amount of skin I'm holding is just what I can secure with two fingertips and a thumb. Then I shoot almost directly downwards into the bit of skin that I'm holding, mid way between my fingers and thumb. This works for us because I can give the shot even if Bertie suddenly moves, as the skin is held gently but securely. When we were using the tenting technique I found that I 'lost' the tent if Bert moved and that resulted in a few wonky shots in the early days...

As others have said, if you are stressed about giving the shots that can have a big effect on how smoothly they go - for you and for the kitty. And I must confess that I did laugh out loud just now when I read that bit in your post about your telling your partner not to watch you because I suddenly remembered that I used to do that too!!! (Oh, gosh, it all comes flooding back now.....:rolleyes:)
But you will find a technique that works for you, just as I did. And when you do your confidence will grow in leaps and bounds, and you will be able to look back on this time and smile; or maybe even laugh out loud, just like I did just now when remembering my own early days....

Eliz
 
Eliz is right...you will find a technique you're comfy with. I've been at it for nearly 5 years now and it becomes second nature, I remember cringing in the early days every time I had to shoot and begging my partner to do it instead. I think most of us have done quite a few fur shots!
I find theres a lot more skin to choose from when Boo is hunched over his food and he doesn't bat an eyelid.
You're doing a great job, don't stress
 
Thank you all so much!!

I might see how that different technique feels. You're not worried the needle might go too far straight down?

I laughed at myself too Eliz!! The other night i was bent over Dweezy and my partner walked by into the kitchen and i was like, "What're you doing!? I need to be alone!" Lol. I sometimes wonder if SHE wonders what we're actually doing in there, me and Dwee. Lol
 
My vet shaved a little ring of spots around Emmy's neck and that improved my visibility and shooting 100%. She's a tortie and it's hard to see when her scruff is properly tented. I have the same problem doing sticks with one highly colored ear.
 
BJM said:
Maybe try practicing on a stuffed animal.
Click to expand...
BJ, I'm not exactly sure why but that completely cracked me up!!! :smuggrin:
(And actually I'm really grateful because I can't remember the last time I laughed twice in one day!)

Maybe the humour is caused by cultural difference: Are stuffed animals a US thing, I wonder.?
 
JAAshwell said:
She's a tortie and it's hard to see when her scruff is properly tented. I have the same problem doing sticks with one highly colored ear.
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Hiya,

Regarding tests, have you tried a teensy weensy smidge of vaseline on the outer edge of the ear? It helps the blood to 'bead up' and, thankfully, also enables it to be seen more clearly.

Sending you 'happy testing and injecting' vibes,

Eliz
 
Er .. they are toys which resemble animals, are fuzzy, and generally difficult to wash.
I was just trying to figure out ways for you to get a literal feel for it.
Injecting marinade in a roast might be similar.
 
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Although a stuffed chicken breast, before cooking might do a good impression for tenting or rolling the skin, LOl.
 
Elizabeth and Bertie said:
Hiya,

Regarding tests, have you tried a teensy weensy smidge of vaseline on the outer edge of the ear? It helps the blood to 'bead up' and, thankfully, also enables it to be seen more clearly.

Sending you 'happy testing and injecting' vibes,

Eliz
Click to expand...

Thank you! I will give it a try tonight!
 
Hi All, as this is my second week of doing injections my Smartie is fine at the moment, because he has lost so much weight there is plenty of loose skin, I just hold a bit of skin and do the injection near my finger. I know the hole of the needle is near the front, I don't put the whole needle in him . I must admit I had a spasm and shot the lot into his fur. So he had to miss that one I couldn't risk giving another just in case he got a little bit of the dose. I have yet to give him a glucose test, I've looked at his little pink ears and am not fully sure of myself doing that. I've watched the video, I'll have to give it a try at some point, because he seems to suffer when they carry him off to do it at the PDSA. I just hope Smartie takes the glucose test as well as he takes the injection.
 
I just wish Dweezilena wouldn't constantly move when I try to get his skin! He will be still and good, but then abruptly he'll jerk away. It's a BIT hard to make sure the needle is (a) going in properly and fully, and (b) not slicing across his skin if he happens to jolt when the needle is already in!! That is always a fear of mine.

HEHEH, stuffed animals. Yes indeed. I have a heap of toy sheep. Their skin is a LOT tougher than Dweezy's though.

A roast chicken might be easier.........now I'm hungry. ;)
 
Another thing I thought of that I do is I use my finger and gently apply pressure directly to the area where I'm going to shoot him before replacing my finger with the needle tip. This not only helps prepare/desensitize him for the ensuing poke (kinda like playing with the ears and testing) but also helps guide my shot more accurately.
 
I was thinking you could practice on a raw piece of chicken with skin. The skin will have a similar resistance to the needle ... and won't jump.
 
It might jump! lol

Hmm. With Dweezil, I used to try and touch the area where the needle would go in, and also his ear area before trying to test, and this made him MORE skittish as I tend to only have a few short seconds of him being still before he gets sick of it and moves. So the touching or the ears or neck would use up my seconds!
 
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