Can insulin leak out?

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MiloMistyMax

Member Since 2012
My cat Milo has been on insulin for a month now. Lantus 3 units twice a day. I was doing great the first 3 weeks but now it seems almost every time after I inject him I feel wetness at the spot. I figured at first I was just messing up and doing fur shots but I have been really careful and I know it is going in his skin. I also thought maybe I am going all the way back out the other side of his skin but sometimes I only feel a little bit of wet versus other times where it feels like a lot.

I read somewhere about insulin leaking out of the injection site. Is this common? And how can I stop it from happening? I am starting to feel like a complete failure because am I failing at checking his blood but now I can't even get the insulin in him. I feel so terrible because a week ago he was down to 95 but now he is consistently above 400. Not positive about that because I can't home test him but he is drinking a ton of water.
 
yes, it is entirely possible for some to leak out. i'm not around too much these days so don't know if anyone has had this problem lately but i remember it coming up quite a bit back in my early days here on the board. i'll see if i can find any of the old threads on it and see what advice was given about if there is a way to avoid it.

when you say you can't test are you just having trouble getting blood or is kitty too feisty? if it's trouble getting blood maybe someone is close enough to help you hands on figure out a way to do it. i've gone out many times here in california and helped people learn and having that hands on experience often is the turning point for people so don't be afraid to ask for help k
 
My problem is that I can't get enough blood. I have been using a rice sock to warm his ear and I put some vasoline on the area. I can't do the outer part of the ear because I just can't see the blood on his hair so I have to do inside. His ears tend to be really cold so I wonder if maybe I need to warm it more. He starts to get really antsy if I mess with it for too long. My vet tried to show me but we were there almost half an hour and he couldn't get enough blood out. I tried a couple of times with just the lancet but he really doesn't like that. I think maybe I am not hitting the right spot. It's really frustrating :sad:
 
If the cat is dehydrated, the hole may not close up as quickly. Slightly pinching the area helps it close up.

It is also possible to shoot all the way through and come out the other side of the tented skin - been there and done that myself.

Since you are having difficulty with blood tests, please take a look at my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for additional ways to assess your cat's status. In particular, I would suggest doing urine ketone &/or glucose testing, plus water consumption.
 
Also, if you really must get blood, you may aim directly at the vein. Be prepared to blot with some tissue or a cotton ball, as when you puncture the vein, it is likely to bleed profusely. Direct pressure will help it stop and reduce scabbing.
 
When i learned to shoot i was told to hold the plunger in and wait for at least 10 seconds before removing the needle.

Testing will get better. Remember to give a treat every time you test even if the test isn't successful. Milo will start to associate the whole process w/ treats and look forward to it. Also, calm yourself before hand, if you are nervous he will sense it and he will get nervous too.
 
What city & state are you in? Maybe someone is near enough to come and help you learn.

The 3 units twice a day sounds high - are you feeding low carb canned/raw? How was the dose determined?
 
I live in Kalamazoo Michigan. I am not sure how he would be with a stranger though. He is a really timid cat. I just bought the AlphaTrak but I haven't tried it out yet.

When he was first diagnosed the vet had me feed him the Purina DM dry food and the DM canned food. I know it says here not to give him that dry food but Milo is a dry food kind of cat. My vet would prefer him to eat only the canned so I am trying to push it more and more. He is eating much more canned then he used to, maybe around half a can a day. We tried that for 2 weeks to see how far it brought his number down. The first week it went from 504 to around 360 but the second week it went back into the 400s.
So they did the glucose curve and he told me to give him 3 units twice a day. After one week on the insulin he was in the 300s. Then after 2 more weeks he was at 95. My vet told me to continue giving him the 3 units which terrified me. Especially since I hadn't been able to test him myself. That night I didn't give him any insulin because I had gotten some blood and the meter said 103.
The next morning I was unable to get any blood, I was so scared I didn't give him any insulin again. I tested him later, didn't fill the strip all the way but it said 489. So I started giving 2 units, twice a day.

The next test at the vet he was at 435 and he told me to continue at 3 units. I keep missing so I feel like he really needs the 3 units right now. Plus he is drinking a lot so I know it isn't too low. I am going to keep trying at testing his blood. I feel like I am getting better each time. I don't see how regulating him is possible without it so I need to keep trying.

Does weight have anything to do with the dose? He started out at 23 pounds and is staying steady at 17.10 right now.
 
Another way you wind up with high levels is when the insulin drop is fast &/or to a lower point than the body is comfortable.
The liver compensates by releasing a form of stored glucose to raise the level back up.

At the vet's office many cats are stressed. This can raise the glucose level 100 points easily.
 
Isn't this board wonderful with their advice? :)

They did forgot to mention a couple things about bloodtastic testing.
1. Once you get the hang of it and find the sweet spot, you will be WAY too proud of your accomplishment...
2. The best part about taking blood is forgetting to have a paper towel ready, your cat flicking his ear. Sit back and watch those blood speckles fly!
3. Occasionally poking through the ear into your own finger. You and kitty can bond because you can both get tested! Blood brothers!

All fun! And you will get it eventually...it took me quite a few frustrating attempts before I got the hang of it. Now I'm a blood testing machine.
 
BJM said:
Also, if you really must get blood, you may aim directly at the vein. Be prepared to blot with some tissue or a cotton ball, as when you puncture the vein, it is likely to bleed profusely. Direct pressure will help it stop and reduce scabbing.
Click to expand...

Is it not good to hit the vein frequently? I know AlphaTrak and Relion use the same amount of blood but I just can't get enough on the Relion strips. I don't have any problems with the AlphaTrak other then the price of strips :evil:
 
When you absolutely must get blood and have missed twice already, a small vein prick may succeed. Putting pressure on it immediately afterwards reduces bruising and scabbing.

I would take Spitzer into a half bath, set up the lancet, tissue to back his ear and blot, and finally, put the test strip most of the way in the meter.
Next, I'd sit on the toilet lid, put Spitzer on my lap, push the strip into the meter, snag the folded tissue, support his ear with a finger covered by the tissue, position the lancet, then sort of roll my wrist to prick the ear. When starting, sometimes I had to aim for the vein. It got easier to get blood from the edges over time.
 
When we first got bailey he was all skin and bones. I would give him his shot and it would be dry and no smell. But then about an hour later you could smell it on him. Even though i would out the syringe and hold it for ten seconds before removing it.I think it was soaking through his skin because there was no fat layer.... He was getting some though as gradually he put some weight on and the issue stopped.
 
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