Insulin Injection

[EVLLADY]

My cat is diabetic. He does not have a lot of back fat now due to muscle wasting. I'm having a hard time getting enough skin to grab and tent for his injection. Any tips/tricks?
We have a follow-up in a week, so I'll go over with the Vet again then, but could use some help until then.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

You might want to try the "wrist roll" method instead of tenting.

You grab some fur between your thumb and forefinger and then "roll" your wrist to gently pull up until the fur breaks. Aim for the "break" at a 45 degree angle and shoot.

It's kind of hard to describe, but maybe this picture will help

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Here's another picture that's easier

 

[whiskysmom]

Welcome to the forum!

I have this problem sometimes too. My husband can do the tent, but I can't seem to grab enough that way and I feel like I'm shooting more blindly since the syringe ends up buried in the fur tent. So I tend to just grab whatever I can and roll my wrist or lift it enough that I can't shoot into his muscle. At our last vet visit I checked with him about it and he said it was totally fine. And it gives me a much better visual that way so I know I haven't hit a blood vessel.

I find if you can get kitty to lay down it can really help. I can't grab enough when my guy is sitting up because his skin tightens. I'm super lucky that my guy now jumps up on the bed for his shot and lays down. He didn't at first, but after a few days he figured out the routine and now he lays down and waits for his shot and treat!

The other thing I've noticed is that depending how kitty is laying, one side is often easier to grab than the other. If he lays straight on (meatloaf position, like my profile photo) then either side is the same, but if he's leaning a little more on one side, the bottom side can be a little easier to grab as the skin has a bit more slack. We try to alternate sides with each shot, but sometimes we just have to adjust based on how he decides he's going to lay down for it.

Wishing you and your kitty all the best!

 

[April & Quincy]

My cat gets into a super low position to eat so I'm able to grab the skin for a tent. Then again, he's a chubber so he has plenty of skin for me to grab. One thing I started to notice is that when I think I'm getting the needle in, it's really not going but pushing the skin down so indeed, the tent need to be tight! I have to make sure I feel it pierce through and sometimes it even "wiggles" in the tent before I finally actually give the injection, if that makes sense.

I have never done the roll before but I'm sure that will help you! You got this and good luck!

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

I was taught to inject at the nape of the neck but that never worked for me.
What did work with two diabetic cats was having them lay on their side, nine cats all had their own basket so that was easy, and doing exactly what Chris describes in posts 2 and 3. I did it below what's called the flank in the pic below, kind of hard to describe in words but it worked well even with long hairs. In their declining years they both lost weight but it always worked. Good luck.
In Windows you can right click and save any image you see here so you won't have to log on if this is any help.