? Do you wipe the rubber membrane with alcohol wipe?

We've had a couple of rough nighttime injections but I think I realized why...after a fur shot that was just not all the way in the skin I thought pointing the bevel down when piercing the skin would ensure the insulin stay in (I hadn't paid attention to which way the bevel was going prior to that shot)...so that's how I've been doing it and it looks like that is more painful from what I just read. I will do bevel up tonight but that leads to another question on technique. Do you pull back a bit on the plunger to make sure you haven't hit a vein? I've seen videos that show they do and videos that show they don't and it would be such a quicker, less stressful experience if I can skip that step.

 

I never pulled back on the plunger. The likelihood that you've hit a vein is very small. You might nick a capillary but even that is unlikely.

 

I hope it's gone easier for you since learning to keep the beveled end up. When I inject my sugar babies, I don't "tent" the usual way. I first separate the fur with my fingers so I can see skin. Then I pinch at the area where skin shows and I pull up the fur. It sort of tents on its own but not always. Then I inject under my fingers and under his skin, keeping the beveled end up and holding the needle horizontal (not injecting muscle). I use short, thin needles (31 gauge, 6mm(15/64") length), and that helps to make it easier. Good luck!

 

I am now doing this - just very quickly pulling up a bit of fur - at root only- then injecting at 45 degrees max, usually less/more horizontal, into the skin that I can see , I could never tent properly.

 

I'm basically doing the same thing but with the original syringes they gave me. I am looking forward to trying the 6mm 31g syringes when they come in this week, however last night and this morning were no drama on the injections so I think that's what triggered her.

 

So the injections went well? That's great news! You'll notice a huge difference with the shorter, thinner needles.

 

Me either!

 

I don't have enough hands to do it really...I need 4 hands to properly test BG and inject because unlike the model cats in the videos, mine moves

 

I hunted down all types of U40 syringes - thinnest could get in uk were 30g, 8mm I think. He still squealed a bit with them so I think it was my technique. I had to switch to vetpen for accuracy anyway and they are 29g, 12mm , but he seems more relaxed about the shots generally now.
It WILL get easier

 

An extra set of hands would be nice. When I first started testing Jack, he would just get up and walk away, over and over again. But he got used to it. He's very food motivated, so freeze dried shrimp won him over.

 

One more question....do you wipe the top of the insulin bottle (rubber membrane) with an alcohol pad? I did it once based on a recommendation I read, but others never mentioned it and my hunch is that constant wiping of the membrane with alcohol may age the membrane. I'm curious what the standard is here.

 

My husband is the one who taught me how to inject, and he said it's important to alcohol the top every time. He has a lab/chemistry background with experience with needles, but isn't a vet of course.
Just my experience, curious to see what others say.

 

Nope, no one has never told me that (I’ve read it though ) but I wouldn’t know where to get alcohol pads and would worry that it would get in needle and sting.
I’m pretty fastidious with the hand washing etc prior though .

 

Oh alcohol pads are easy to get, drugstore, grocery store, or I get huge boxes at Costco. Well yeah, you let it dry first of course. It's alcohol, evaporates within minutes.

 

Cool! I have a lab/chemistry background but not with needles (used to work in QC and water quality lab)

 

Hah, cool indeed. And that's why you're asking all the right questions Very similar here, my husband and you could probably talk PPM and specific gravity for hours.

 

Am in uk - never seen them here..

 

Oh, cool. They are called sachets or wipes or swabs where you are? Here we would call a wipe a bigger piece of material, similar to the size of a Kleenex or facial tissue.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=alcohol swabs&ref=nb_sb_noss_2