Squirt diagnosed for a little over 2 weeks

[Ann Balaban]

I kind of figured Squirt was going to receive a diagnosis of diabetes--he was so darn fat!! The only one of my 5 cats. I am doing fine giving the shots but Squirt hates them and hides wherever he can. He takes 4 cc of Vetsulin. He acts like it hurts when it goes in--not the needle part. Got any suggestions for getting him to accept these shots? He's hesitant about coming to eat because he knows he's getting a shot afterwards. It's amazing how quickly he figured that out!

Squirt was rescued from a sHELter where he would have died that night, from his illnesses, when he was 8 weeks old. He spent his first two weeks in a nebulizer in the vet's office. He had ringworm so bad he had absolutely no hair. He just turned 13 and has always been very, very affectionate with me. I have babied him his whole life. After the shots are over for the day he still comes out for affection.

I'd appreciate any suggestions you all can give me for any and all tricks. Thanks.

 

[BJM]

Welcome to FDMB.
One trick is to give him a low carb treat whenever he gets his shot - PureBites freeze-dried chicken, poached or baked chicken bits, etc.

Just a note: The dose you are giving should be indicated in units, not cc (cubic centimeters). Vetsulin is a U-40 insulin, which means it has 40 units of insulin in each milliliter (ml, also sometimes written as cc). If you were giving 4 cc, you'd be giving 160 units of insulin, which I think is unlikely.

We have a user guide for using Vetsulin/Caninsulin here, which you may find helpful.

For your cat's safety, we strongly recommend you pick up an inexpensive human glucometer, matching test strips, and lancets marked for alternate site testing (26-28 gauge). The Target Up and Up, or WalMart ReliOn Confirm work well and the reference values in my signature link Glucometer Notes will give you some idea of how the numbers look. Vetsulin can hit rather harshly and drop the glucose considerably by about +4 hours after the shot. As long as he remains above 50 mg/dL on a human glucometer, he is safe from hypoglycemia.

.

 

[phlika29]

Hi and welcome to the forum

I found it better if there were two people about when I gave the shot. By distracting him with lots of cuddles and kisses he didn't notice the insulin being given.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

He takes 4 cc of Vetsulin. He acts like it hurts when it goes in--not the needle part.

Hi Ann and Squirt, and welcome to FDMB,

If Squirt is OK with the needle but not happy when the insulin is actually being injected then maybe it's because the insulin is still very cold..? You should be able to take the chill off it by just rolling the barrel of the filled syringe between your finger tips for a few seconds before injecting.

Edited to add ~
You may also be interested to see the following Q&A from the FDMB FAQ's. The links have some very helpful info and tips:

Q3.8. My cat hates getting his shot. Now what?
A3.8. Make sure you're using the thinnest possible needle -- 31 gauge is the thinnest, and 30 gauge is usually acceptable, but many people report success with 29 gauge. You also need to make sure you aren't hitting a muscle; the insulin is supposed to be deposited under the skin. To brush up on your injection techniques, and learn new techniques, check out Feline Diabetes, Pet Diabetes .

Eliz

 

[Vyktors Mum]

I was thinking it might be the coldness of the insulin too. I always drew the dose before testing and starting the feed so it warmed up a little. Cold insulin can sting.