Newbies need help!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jess & Cassie

Jess & Cassie

Member Since 2020
Hi :)

On Saturday, Cassie was diagnosed with diabetes and we're not having the best time adjusting to the insulin injections. In fact, the whole experience so far has been pretty stressful and I just feel like she hates me and I'm the worst cat mum!

We've got a caninsulin pen which when I can catch her off guard is great but we're on day 3 and she's got wise to my attempts of trickery.... I can get as far as getting her to lie down but she wriggles as soon as I go for the scruff of her neck so I find it difficult to get the needle into her and when I do, she pulls away so fast I don't know if the full insulin shot is being administered.

My other problem is that I live on my own so have no choice but to do it on my own. The vets are great and have said i can go to them for help if i need it but Cassie gets more distressed at the prospect of going to the vets and i don't want to make it an even worse experience for her. She's only 11 so I would hope she has a good few years in her yet and I need to find a less stressful solution for us both!

Does anyone have any advice that could help or do we just need to persevere with it in the hope it will get easier with practice?

Thank you!

Jess & Cassie
 
Welcome Jess and Cassie! :)

Before I start, just want to clarify - you have a Caninsulin pen or vial? I haven't heard of a Caninsulin pen.

When you are giving insulin, are you just trying to catch her and inject? It's going to be easiest if you are feeding her so she is distracted. If you are administering correctly, she should not feel anything, and frankly not notice that you are administering it either. Perhaps there is an easier area to give insulin - my personal favorite spot was between the shoulder blades, there was a lot of extra skin there. You can give insulin anywhere on the body, usually just pick a spot with the most extra skin.

Since you are using Caninsulin, I want to point out a few things, in case your vet has not already informed you.

  • Feed, wait 20-30 minutes, THEN give insulin. Food must already be on board when using Caninsulin.
  • Do not give insulin if blood glucose is below 200 (we are big fans of home-testing here, you can easily end up in the ER otherwise and we want to avoid that!)
  • Make sure food is available for at least the first 1-4 hours after injection. Caninsulin hits hard and fast and the most activity will happen in the first few hours before it peters out. Give little snacks of Cassie's regular food to keep her BG from dropping too low. This also applies to the evening cycle/shot-time!

Where are you located? Caninsulin is called Vetsulin in the US so I know you're not there. Caninsulin was designed for dogs and is not meant for feline use. An excellent insulin would be Lantus or Prozinc.
 
Hi Jess and Cassie. Welcome to FDMB.

Cassie is probably picking up on your stress about giving shots. So when you are anxious, she becomes the same way. If you can project a calm confident attitude, that will help her become more comfortable with you giving injections and home testing. One recommendation is to sing a silly song while you are giving her insulin and testing. Sounds silly, right? :p But that is the purpose. If you are doing something fun or silly, it is hard for you to be stressed.
 
WELCOME TO FDMB Jess and sweet sweet Cassie we are glad you found us. First off I have to echo what Lisa says. Kitty cats are very sensitive to our feelings. If you fear shooting insulin into her, shes going to pick up that fear . Almost like it travels down your arm and hands. It goes right into Cassie she shes confused and that creates fear. YOU CAN DO THIS Jess you can. Tke a few minuets to clam yourself sing a little song to her. I use to sing (well hum) You are my Sunshine to Trouble. Any silly song that makes you smile. that smile will travel down your arm and she will relax.
We have all kinds of tips and trick to help make this a trust building exercise and not a stressful event.
But first lets start here:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
This way you will get more acquainted with how this board works.
Dont worry we will help you. Thats what we are here for.

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY:bighug:
jeanne
 
Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and recommendations! They are very much appreciated and you're all so kind :cat:

We're in the UK so that must be why our pen is unheard of! The kitty on the Caninsulin website's demonstration video is super calm and makes it seem so easy too!

Our routine at the moment is
- put food out around 7am. I prepare the pen while she eats
- I'll potter around for a bit while she settles after food then go to do the shot around 7.30am
- I'll sit with her, giving fuss and cuddles and talking to her making sure she's lying down
- go for the spot of skin by her shoulder blades, this is when she starts wriggling. When she stops, I'll give her the shot. At this point she always pulls away but I am quite stressed from her wriggling and the build up of knowing it's not going to be easy.
- Cassie gets a couple of treats and lots of fuss
- repeat around 7pm

My worry was that she could sense my anxiety, your comments have made me realise this is probably the case. I'll try the singing thing, I'm tone deaf so it'll probably be a good distraction for us both :)

I'm going to try and transition Cassie onto a raw diet as well. I've read a lot that suggests this will help too!

How do you guys do the home testing? Is it urine tests or blood tests?

Jess & Cassie
 
Jess & Cassie said:
Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and recommendations! They are very much appreciated and you're all so kind :cat:

We're in the UK so that must be why our pen is unheard of! The kitty on the Caninsulin website's demonstration video is super calm and makes it seem so easy too!

Our routine at the moment is
- put food out around 7am. I prepare the pen while she eats
- I'll potter around for a bit while she settles after food then go to do the shot around 7.30am
- I'll sit with her, giving fuss and cuddles and talking to her making sure she's lying down
- go for the spot of skin by her shoulder blades, this is when she starts wriggling. When she stops, I'll give her the shot. At this point she always pulls away but I am quite stressed from her wriggling and the build up of knowing it's not going to be easy.
- Cassie gets a couple of treats and lots of fuss
- repeat around 7pm

My worry was that she could sense my anxiety, your comments have made me realise this is probably the case. I'll try the singing thing, I'm tone deaf so it'll probably be a good distraction for us both :)

I'm going to try and transition Cassie onto a raw diet as well. I've read a lot that suggests this will help too!

How do you guys do the home testing? Is it urine tests or blood tests?

Jess & Cassie
Click to expand...
Testing is a tiny prick on the ear. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.
 
I would offer her some food when you are trying to give the shot. Distraction is key. She doesn't need to be laying down, just in a state where she's not going to jerk suddenly and run away with a needle stuck in her back. :woot:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top