Becoming difficult to give insulin shot.. what is up with that?

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FurBabiesMama

FurBabiesMama

Member Since 2017
Hi, everyone. It is becoming difficult to give Mia her insulin shot. She is not being cooperative at all. I used to be able to practically 'sneak' it in on her while she was eating, but not lately. She pulls away, looks at me like she is going to attack/bite me if I dare try. She has even started hissing at me. I never thought this would be the case, but currently, testing is easier than giving the insulin.

I have no idea what is going on. Has anyone ever had this issue? Could it maybe be hurting at this point, maybe she is sore? I try to do it in different spots, but it is still within a limited area since that is the only zone where I can lift the skin appropriately.

Help.
 
Check to see that your needles are nice and sharp. There have been reports of folks finding needles that were somewhat dull which obviously would lead to discomfort with injections.

There is also the possibility that if you are using the same small area to inject, there could be a build up of "scar" tissue which is tougher and harder to penetrate but that said, you've only been at this for a very short period of time so I seriously doubt that's the problem.

The quicker you insert the needle the less she will feel it so make sure you aren't perhaps pricking her first before completely inserting the needle.
 
Is she pulling away after the needle is inserted, as you insert it or when you grab and tent the skin? You need to closely observe exactly when in the process she reacts. I had to switch insulins because my girl started having issues when her dose got high because the insulin I was using is acidic.
You are using ProZinc and I'm not aware of any issues of stinging with it but then I have limited experience with it. You might want to post over on the ProZinc forum just to see if anyone there has had a similar issue.
 
If you're "tenting" first, you might try a different method

You can just grab some fur between your thumb and forefinger and then "roll" your wrist a little to the side....shoot where the fur "break" is.....it's kind of hard to describe, but here's a picture that might help

China skin roll with circle.png
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Is she pulling away after the needle is inserted, as you insert it or when you grab and tent the skin?
Click to expand...
She starts acting up as soon as I touch her back about to tent the skin. Really, she starts looking at me sideways as soon as I come in with the needle.

Maybe I need to change the routine a little so I can catch her off guard.
 
Chris & China said:
If you're "tenting" first, you might try a different method
You can just grab some fur between your thumb and forefinger and then "roll" your wrist a little to the side....shoot where the fur "break" is
Click to expand...
So, you are lifting the skin a bit by pulling up the fur then just looking for a 'clearing' of skin to shoot into?

Do you all pull back on the plunger before you inject? I have seen videos where they did and videos where they did not.
 
No need to pull back. That's an old technique. You are not likely to hit any blood vessels and if you do it will be a tiny capillary.
 
FurBabiesMama said:
So, you are lifting the skin a bit by pulling up the fur then just looking for a 'clearing' of skin to shoot into?
Click to expand...
Exactly and you can use this technique along the sides too. My girl doesn't have loose skin to tent around her sides and flanks but that's where I usually inject her using the same method as Chris.
 
What size needles are you using? I found that once I switched to a smaller gauge and length needle, my cat was way more cooperative with the shots. I currently use BD ultrafine which are 31G and I think 6 or 8mm.
 
I would try a smaller needle then. 29G is a pretty fat needle, and if you are using an off brand, they might also be not as sharp as they could be. If you are in a state that doesn't require a script for syringes, you can order the BD ones from https://www.adwdiabetes.com/ They have the best prices. About half what I paid at the local pharmacy. I believe there are some other brands that make small gauge needles as well, as some people don't like the makings on the BD syringes.
 
Just so you are aware, Prozinc is a U-40 insulin which requires a U-40 syringe. U-40 syringes only come in 29G, you can't get them any smaller. So the only option if you want a smaller gauged needle is to use the U-100 needle with the conversion chart here. You don't want to get mixed up between the the syringes as the doses are very different so I'd hide the U-40 if you do decide to switch. I use Prozinc too and personally don't have an issue with the needle size.
 
I do not think needle size is the issue, so I do not plan to change syringes. I am thinking that she is just tired of all of the things being done to her and is showing a little attitude. I have started giving her a few kibbles of Young Again Mature Zero at shot time. She LOVES dry food so much that it keeps her completely distracted. For a couple of days now, that is the only dry food I have let her have, so it is extra special to her.

I am still working on finding different spots and ways to do it that involve less tenting of the skin. When I pull up on her hair, it does not really separate and show skin. She has a really dense undercoat, and the texture of her hair is crappy right now with the diabetes, sort of cottony and grabby. I am trying to use a technique somewhere between this and tenting.

Thanks to everyone for their input!
 
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