Where to give insulin shots

[rbrumbaugh82]

Hey guys, what is the best areas to give effective insulin shots? I read somewhere about not giving in the neck because of poor blood flow there and the shots won't be as effective. However, I have been giving his shots in his shoulder blade area. A few times I have given on his side near his rib cage area. So where do you guys give shots at? Also, I just received a phone call from my lady about 130pm saying that she took Pooper's glucose and brace yourselves but he was at 192! That is the first time he has been under 200 in almost a month! He has been on the antibiotic since Friday so hopefully it may be working on him now and taking away any infection he may have and that is allowing his glucose to start dropping. I know he was like 386 this morning so it has come down almost 200 points in 5 hours. Praying for this to continue and by the end of this month he will be staying in the good numbers!

 

[dirtybirdsoaps]

When Hidey was on insulin, I would inject in different areas up and down the lower neck-middle back area (to the side of the spine). I remember reading that it was good to alternate injection sites....although I dont remember the reason behind it. I never injected in legs or shoulders because I worried about injecting into muscle, which can be painful.

Hopefully the lower number means your on the right track, and that the teeth are the problem. Fingers crossed, his cleaning is in a week correct?

 

[rbrumbaugh82]

Yep he goes in on the 12th to get a few teeth pulled in upper back mouth and teeth cleaned. Hoping that is the answer to get him into healthy numbers all the time and on right track.

 

[manxcat419]

Sounds like the teeth might have been a lot of the problem - that's actually a good thing compared to there being another long-term underlying condition because once they're fixed, he should be a lot more stable.

I give the shots wherever I can get to - if Rosa's already laying down, I'll go with whatever the nearest bit of loose enough skin is. So it varies - scruff, between her shoulder blades, further down her back, or just in front of one of her hind legs. I haven't noticed any site make an appreciable difference to her numbers.

The reason for varying the injection site for any kind of long-term injections is to stop scar tissue building up in one area - that can make it difficult to give the shots and I think scar tissue can affect absorption of the insulin.

 

[Liesha]

Site rotation is important so that the skin doesn't become calloused in the one place, and it gives them a chance to heal. I injected my boy in the flanks as recommended by Dr Audrey Harvey in this Glossary. He was lying down on his side when I did it and he didn’t even flinch! I don’t think he felt a thing

Sadly my boy crossed the rainbow bridge some years back, but I am still passionate about helping people with diabetic cats. I hope this little tidbit helps