Help/advice needed on injecting on the side of belly

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Kady

Member Since 2017
Hi i'm kady. Im new to this forum and my cat (aged 13) is recently dignosed with diabetes about a week plus. I got a lot of tips and information from here and appreciate if anyone could advice on my worries...

I am been injecting insulin to my cat on average once a day using glargine lantus and BD 0.3ml 31 gauge insulin syringe. She losing her patience with me day by day starting from grumbling to hissing and today biting my hand twice when i pinch a tent on the shaved area (i have yet to poke her). I am thinking if she is sensitive or irritated my actions or that im making her skin painful ... I would like to ask would it be okay if i dont tent her skin and inject directly to the targeted area (her side belly) while stroking her fur? Or is it a must to tent her skin?

Sorry if anyone has posted similar question and i had missed out on it...
 
Hi Kady, welcome. It's important to inject insulin under the skin, so I would think tenting is a must. Have you tried injecting in the scruff? It's less sensitive and may be a good place to start. Also Lantus should be given twice a day. Is there a reason you're only giving it once/day?
 
Sharon14 said:
Hi Kady, welcome. It's important to inject insulin under the skin, so I would think tenting is a must. Have you tried injecting in the scruff? It's less sensitive and may be a good place to start. Also Lantus should be given twice a day. Is there a reason you're only giving it once/day?
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Hi Sharon,
Thanks. Currently i have only been injecting on the side of the belly (switching side whenever needed for injection) as the clinic assistant had shaved the area, probably easier for me to recognise where to inject. Have not tried on the scruff yet. I have been doing gulcose test every day and night and only give injection when needed as recommended by my vet.
 
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Is she food motivated? I mix a about a half ounce of wet food with a little bit of water and inject while my cat is eating. He doesn't even notice.
 
Sharon14 said:
Glad you're home testing! Would you be interested in using our spreadsheet to record your numbers? It would help you and your vet see how well the Lantus is working over time. My vet was very impressed with it. Here are the instructions
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
If you need help, just ask and someone will do it for you.
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Thanks sharon for introducing the spreedsheet! Seems to be abit complicated, but i'll take time to digest them and work on it.
 
Mom2Maverick said:
Is she food motivated? I mix a about a half ounce of wet food with a little bit of water and inject while my cat is eating. He doesn't even notice.
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Hi Mom2Maverick, she is! Thanks for suggesting.. im thinking if the problem persist, i will try this method.
 
Welcome Kady and her kitty!
I'm a little confused, are you giving insulin twice a day / 12 hours apart? You said on average once a day? How do you determine whether to give or not? From my understanding Lantus desires high consistency, with time and dose. Injecting insulin on the side of the belly can be absorbed faster than other areas (i.e. like the scruff or flank).
Also, tenting the scruff can help keep her still better when getting ready to shoot, and your hand out of her mouth's reach :). There is a "rolling" method but the tent is easier.
 
On another front: I suggest you post on the Lantus forum to get some good advice about how to get the best from this insulin. It works best given twice a day 12 hours apart and doses held constant for a period of time.
 
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