Inject into the muscle?

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amyo

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My cat Picasso was just diagnosed with diabetes yesterday. We're thinking it's due to the steroid he was on for IBD. He also has a UTI. What a mess for the poor guy! The upside is that he's a good patient :-D

I have a question about giving the insulin injections. The vet tech instructed me to inject the insulin directly into his thigh muscle. Everything I've read says to give it subcutaneously. Has anyone else been told this technique? I'll call my vet tomorrow to verify but was interested in other feedback.
 
Never heard of injecting into a muscle. I think that will hurt. I always made a tent at the scruff of the neck. More will chime in..

Welcome to the best site on the planet.

jeanne
 
No.....insulin goes sub-Q, just under the skin. Injecting into the muscle is never needed and would hurt IMHO. We all tent either the scruff or along the sides.
 
That's what I thought. I'll give the next one Sub-Q.

My vet is cat only so I thought I was getting quality care. Now I'm not so sure and I'm wondering if I need a new one...
 
That advice does make one a little nervous. What else has he said? Type of insulin/dose? Have you been shown how to hometest? What kind of food is being recommended? If you have read on this site, you know we have a very successful protocol using Lantus, Levemir or PZI for insulin, starting at low doses, hometesting and feeding wet, lo carb food.

We would be happy to help you on this journey. Diabetes is very treatable.
 
Sue and Oliver said:
That advice does make one a little nervous. What else has he said? Type of insulin/dose? Have you been shown how to hometest? What kind of food is being recommended? If you have read on this site, you know we have a very successful protocol using Lantus, Levemir or PZI for insulin, starting at low doses, hometesting and feeding wet, lo carb food.

1 unit of Novolin N has been prescribed for now (we started this Tuesday), so the amount seems right. I was also shown how to home test but they aren't concerned with me starting that yet. There's a good chance the diabetes is the result of a steroid for IBD and therefore will resolve once the steroid is discontinuted. Starting tomorrow, he will be boarded for a week because I'm out of town and the vet should do the monitoring while he's there. I asked about diet, but the vet tech said not to bother with special diets because "the kitty will still be diabetic". True, but with the IBD, I'm thinking some sort of diet changes need to happen for him. She also said I could use each syringe twice, which I'm not to sure about either.

I think the actual vet is reasonable. It's the vet tech that I'm really starting to question. The vet will be getting a call from me today. Picasso is very afraid of men, and this vet practice is all women, which is good in that regard. I'm still going to look into other options though. However, I'm out of town on business next week, so I'm stuck for now :?

I tried out the skin tent method in the side this morning with little issue. The videos are quite helpful, but it's also not a big deal.
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You won't get the proper absorption of the insulin and thus the appropriate efficacy with a muscle shot.
 
I would still question this clinic bc the vet tech works for the vet, and insulin is not shot I'm and diet plays a huge role in treatment. Added to that that the use of humulin and novolin N is very old school.

Before leaving please have a very frank discussion about dosing. The problem with boarding is that stress might cause blood glucose levels to rise and if the vet reacts you could have an overdosed cat when you come home

Jen
 
It makes me very nervous that your kitty will be boarded while the vet starts with N for insulin. Here is a primer on N with info on how it works: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=303 It is a harsh, fast acting insulin and usually does not last long in cats. I am not aware of anyone here who still uses it, as there are much better, milder, longer lasting insulins available like Lantus, Levemir and PZI.

Will there be someone at your vet's office 24 hours a day to monitor? Leaving a cat overnight on a harsh insulin is a scary proposition.

I know it is hard to hear advice that conflicts with your vet. And you are leaving town, and need to find a situation for your cat. If I were you, I would be reading everything I could get my hands on, and I would be researching other options for my cat to be boarded. The comment that food doesn't matter does not show much experience with feline diabetes. There have been a number of cats here who have gone into remission (off insulin) using diet only. Read this site by a vet who explains why wet food is best for all cats, but especially diabetics: http://www.catinfo.org Having said that, it is probably better if your cat continues on dry food at the vet if he is boarded. The carbs from the dry food may help keep his bg levels higher with the harsher insulin and less likely to hypo.

Steroids do cause short term diabetes in some cats, so treating them can be especially touchy with great need for monitoring. When the steroid use discontinues, their insulin needs may drastically reduce.

This is a difficult situation for you as you are going away and want to do the best for your cat. I would not be leaving my cat at a vet who was going to give N insulin unless he would be monitored 24 hours a day. And when I got home, I would be changing diet, insulin and learning to hometest the first day.
 
Injecting into the muscle will cause the insulin to be absorbed too quickly. The one time my vet asked me to inject into muscle was with my heart cat Sadie(GA). We needed to bring her BG down fast and we had two options, muscle injections in the thigh or using a booster insulin with our regular insulin. I chose the booster with regular insulin rather than cause Sadie(GA) any pain.

My vet did one leg muscle injection with her and I could see her grimmace from the pain.
 
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