Insulin Injections for Your Diabetic Dog
86Giving Insulin Injections
Your vet has just told you that your beloved dog is diabetic and that he/she now requires insulin injections to live. What now?
When my little Maltese Ozzie was diagnosed with diabetes at age 7, I was lucky: I have juvenile (Type 1) diabetes and years before had taken the insulin he was going to be taking. Caring for for my dog simply extended the knowledge about diabetic care that I had developed over 20 years. The information here is based on my experience with Ozzie, who is a happy, playful, 12-year-old today.
Once diagnosed, your pet will likely need to stay with the vet for a couple of days to stabilize, and your vet should show you how to administer insulin injections before you take your dog home. But if you are not yet comfortable with the injection process, here are some hints to help you perfect your technique and gain confidence:
1. Practice on an orange. Canine and human skin are much stronger than you think, and much more resistant. Skin and orange peel show approximately the same resistance to puncturing, so practice on an orange to gain confidence. And remember: confidence and ease are imperative when giving shots. Your dog will sense whatever fear or trepidation you feel. If you're tense, your pup will be tense, and you don't want the process to be a fearful one for her. After all, she is going to have two shots a day from now on. By practicing on an inanimate object, you'll lose much of your fear.
2. Load the syringe with water. Don't waste insulin you can save for your pup. To practice, use water instead. You'll need a syringe and a small cup of water to do this. If you want to make it easier to see how much liquid you'll be pulling into the syringe, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the cup of water.
Remove the colored cap from the syringe, and pull the syringe plunger back to the number on the barrel indicating the dosage your vet has prescribed. (For instance, if your dog is to have 5 units of insulin twice a day, pull the plunger back to 5 on the barrel.) Now hold the needle tip under the water in the cup, and push the plunger down, releasing air into the water. Don't skip this step! When you do a real injection, you'll inject air into the insulin bottle before withdrawing the insulin, which makes it easier to pull insulin into the syringe.
Once you've injected air into the cup of water, and with the needle still in the water, pull back on the plunger, withdrawing an amount of water equal to the dosage of insulin you'll be injecting. You will now see (colored) water in your syringe. Hold the syringe towards a light source and check for air bubbles. If you see a small bubble, "flick" the barrel of the syringe to force it out. Now you're ready to administer a practice injection.
3. Give the practice injection. Hold the syringe in your dominant hand and an orange in the other. Keeping the syringe at a slight angle, insert the needle into the fruit. (You'll have to use quite a bit of pressure to puncture the peel.) Now use your thumb and press down the plunger, releasing the liquid into the fruit. When the plunger stops, you will have injected all the (colored) liquid into the orange.
I suggest you practice until you can "feel" the correct amount of pressure to apply to the syringe plunger for it to enter the orange peel. Remember: your dog's skin is tough. It will resist the needle.
4. Gather the injection supplies. Now it's time to get ready for your dog's insulin injection.
IMPORTANT: I advise giving injections after your dog eats a meal. If you give insulin before a meal and he subsequently has no appetite, the insulin can cause a dangerous - even fatal - drop in blood sugar level, and you'll be making an expensive trip to the emergency clinic for the vet to administer intravenous glucose.
Before you feed your dog, gather his insulin and a syringe. This way, you can prepare the shot while he is eating - and unaware. Also, if you prep the shot while your pet is eating, you can warm the insulin in the syringe by holding it in your hand. Don't give a shot of cold insulin, which is painful to your pup.
Prep the insulin by gently shaking the bottle: rotate the bottle several times in your hand to mix it. Never shake insulin vigorously! This causes it to break down. To load the syringe you'll do much the same as you did when practicing with the orange. First, pull back the plunger to the number equal to your dog's insulin dosage (5, for example). Insert the needle into the insulin bottle and push in the plunger, injecting air into the bottle.Do not skip this step! Doing so will create a vacuum in the bottle and make it difficult to withdraw insulin.
Now, withdraw the prescribed number of units from the bottle. Check for air bubbles, flicking the barrel of the syringe to remove them if necessary. Replace the cap over the needle, and hold the syringe in your hand for a few moments to warm the insulin. You're now ready to give your pup a shot.
5. Consider giving a treat. When you're ready to administer the injection, you may want to get a small treat or a few pieces of dry food to use as a reward. I give my Maltese one of his two daily treats after each injection. Knowing he will receive a treat after his shot gives him a reason to look forward to injection time and helps make it a positive experience. It forces him to focus not on the injection, but on the treat to come!
6. Administer the injection. If you're nervous, compose yourself. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that by giving your dog injections, you're saving her life. And remember that insulin needles are very, very thin. They cause little or no pain, so there's no reason for you to feel guilty. (I know this for a fact; I take multiple insulin injections every day.)
Because your dog has just eaten, she will likely be in a good mood, so take advantage of it. Call her to you, keeping an upbeat, inviting tone in your voice. (I call Ozzie by saying, "Ready for your medicine?" and showing him the treat he's going to get afterwards.) If your dog is small, you can sit on the floor (with her in front of you), on the sofa, or in a chair (with her on your lap). If your dog is larger, you can sit beside her, or put her in front of your chair or sofa, where you can easily reach her.
Your vet should have told you where to administer the injection, usually along the back. Pull up the skin at the injection site a bit: you should be able to feel fat under the skin where you'll give the shot. (Insulin must be injected into fat.) Holding the needle at a slight angle (remember the orange), quickly push the needle into your dog's skin, and push down on the plunger. releasing the insulin under the skin. Once you can feel the plunger stop, remove the needle. Pet and praise your dog, giving her the promised treat.
You'll soon find that you and your dog establish a routine for food and injections, and your dog will learn to anticipate shots and subsequent treats. Remember that with every insulin dose, you're extending your pup's life, keeping him in good health, and making it possible for you to continue to enjoy your special relationship. Good luck!
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
This site is so helpful. Our 9 yr. old sweet chihuahua was diagnosed
with diabetes a few weeks ago and we're still nervous giving her
twice daily injections. Thanks for the advice.
Can you prepare the syringes ahead of time or does it lose its effect-my vet says i should only prepare the needed when i get it ready to inject-is there a reason why
Kathy,
Your vet probably tells you to prepared the syringe immediately before you're ready to give your pet its injection because the insulin loses its effectiveness when it is exposed to air temperatures. Most insulins must be refrigerated, and when they're not cooled, they won't work. (I don't know the science behind this.) You might be able to prepare a syringe (i.e. draw the insulin into the syringe) ahead of time; however, you would still need to keep the loaded syringe in the refrigerator. Additionally, you would need to 1) shake the syringe to mix the contents before the injection, and 2) let the syringe warm to air temperature before giving your dog its shot (because injecting cold insulin hurts).
As you can see, it takes just as many steps to prep an insulin shot beforehand. But as long as you keep the insulin syringes in the frig, shake them to mix the insulin, and then let them warm to room temperature before you inject your pet, you probably can prepare them ahead of time. Good luck!
Shelley
hi shelley,
I would like to know more about the diet dogs should be given before the insulin. Our vet asked us to give our dog no food till 10 hours after the insulin.
If i could kindly know more about it.
Hi, Kritika.
Was your dog just diagnosed with diabetes? This is the only reason I can think of for your vet to tell you not to feed your dog for 10 hours after his/her insulin injection. If your dog was just diagnosed, your doctor would probably want to delay any food in order to bring blood sugar down to an acceptable level. This could be the case if you caught the diabetes before blood sugar levels became critical. Also in this case, your vet would want to adjust the timing of food intake once your dog's sugars are under control, because most dogs take 2 shots a day of an insulin which "peaks" about 6 hours after injection. Not feeding a dog with well controlled diabetes until 10 hours after an injection with this type of insulin could be dangerous.
Did the vet give you any other instructions? For instance, did the vet say to delay food for 10 hours after the shot for 2 or 3 days, and then to change food timing? Because I'm not a vet, I can't second guess your vet's instructions, but maybe if you give me some more information I can help a bit more.
1)How long since your pet's diagnosis?
2)What type of insulin is your dog on?
3)How many shots a day is he/she supposed to take?
Knowing this would make it easier to understand your situation, but remember that if you truly don't understand your vet's instructions , if you are worried about your pet, or if you're just confused, contact your vet again and ask questions until you do understand and feel comfortable. In the meantime, if you can send more information, maybe I can be more helpful.
Can you please tell me where to inject the needle in my dog the vet said on top of her neck she hates that she actlikes she is going to bite me Help!!!!!
Hi, Misty.
Sorry your dog is reacting the way she is. She is probably scared with her new routine. Rather than trying to inject your dog's insulin directly on the back of her neck, you can give her injections between her shoulder blades, along the top of her back. That way she won't be able to see your hand as you give the shot, and her turning her neck won't inadvertently cause you to lose control over the syringe (and perhaps have it pull out). Also, if you try the shots along her back, you'll have more "room" for future shots, as you really should try not to give shots in the same spot over and over. (This causes fat deposits to form in the spot.) You can basically inject insulin along her back, moving a little further down each injection; then when you reach the point about the middle of her back, move over an inch, and start moving back up. You'll be making a parallel pattern along the top of her body and between the shoulders.
Since your dog is reacting like she is, you might try to distract her while she's having her shot. Is she small enough to put on your lap? If so, put her on her lap, give her a treat to crunch on, then while she's focused on the treat, give the injection. Something else that might work is to give the injection while she's eating (toward the end of her meal). Most dogs are so happy to be eating their breakfast or dinner that they won't let anything to pull them away from their food. If you have another person in your home who is willing to help you, you can have that person sit or kneel in front of your dog and give her her treat while you are administering the shot. The other person is one more distraction for the dog to focus on rather than the shot.
One final comment...since your dog is going to be having insulin injections for the rest of her life, it will help if she learns a phrase to associate with her treat before her shot. My little Maltese Ozzie learned the meaning of "Ready for your medicine?", which I said every time I was ready to give his shot. After a few weeks, he would willingly come to me when he heard those words, because he knew they meant he was going to get a treat. He began to associate those words with a positive experience because I used a positive tone of voice, trying to sound like something good was coming.
It may take a while for your dog to become completely comfortable with her shots, but keep at it until you find something that works to distract her from the little sting. (The shots really don't hurt! I've been taking them several times daily for nearly 30 years and can speak from personal experience.) It's more likely that she's simply reacting to the newness of the situation and perhaps to your own nervousness. (If you're nervous, she assumes that the shot is bad.) Calm yourself before you prep the syringe, tell yourself that you can do it, take and deep breath, and call her to you with a good, positive, fun tone in your voice. That will help her calm down so that you can establish your routine. And is someone else helps out, make sure they, too, are positive. When your dog anticipates the positive, she'll calm down and everyone will be happier.
Please let me know how things go with your dog, and good luck!
Shelley
Will it hurt our dog to skip a morning insulin injection if she doesn't eat anything? I'm going to be gone overnight and can give her a late afternoon injection and again the next day late afternoon. Will it be better if she eats a little something or how can I handle being away?
Hi,Karen.
It's important for any diabetic dog to have its insulin on a regular schedule, so if you're going to be away, you'll need to have a plan in place. Because your little dog's pancreas produces no insulin (which means that her body has no way to metabolize glucose), she needs her shots to help her body use the glucose from food or released in her body through natural processes. Without her insulin, her sugar levels will rise, which probably wouldn't result in anything serious over a 24-hour period, but which could also cause a problem. If you're going to be gone, you need to talk to your vet to develop a plan of action. Even if your dog skips a meal, she still needs to have some insulin to cover the glucose that her body naturally produces. (There's glucose in the body even if we don't eat.)
I think you need to speak to your vet to see what she recommends. If your dog usually takes 2 injections per day - one in the morning and one in the late afternoon - missing the a.m. shot will result in a rise in her blood sugar levels. Over 24 hours, the rise shouldn't become very dangerous, but your vet may recommend extra insulin be given on your return to compensate for the rise in blood glucose while you are away. Still, I'm not a vet and each dog's requirements are different.
At any rate, please either see your vet or call her before you leave. Most vets are very happy to speak to a parent with a diabetic doggie, as they want your pup to stay healthy and avoid dangerous sugar levels. Ask your vet how to handle the missed meal and then ask her how much insulin to administer on your return. (Your vet can make exact calculations based on your dog's age, weight, activity level.) Please let me know how your pup does while you're away!
Patients with type 1 diabetes require an external source of insulin to control blood glucose levels. Insulin may also be given to patients with type 2 diabetes.
Types of insulin include:
* rapid-acting: lispro
* short-acting: regular
* intermediate-acting: NPH
* long-acting: Ultralente.
I have been giving my Italian Greyhound shots for 3 months, and on occasion, she cries. What am I doing wrong? I have followed the instructions given by the vet, and the ones as stated above, but I must still be doing something wrong. Does anyone else have this experiece. Thank you. Great info!
Hi, Jollena.
I know from personal experience (since I've been taking insulin shots myself for nearly 30 years!) that once in a while, you simply hit a spot that is near a nerve or very sensitive for whatever reason. Still, there are a few things you can do to try to prevent minimize discomfort during shots.
1) Give the shot in a different place each time. This prevents a site already irritated by the previous shot from developing more sensitivity and also prevents fat deposits from forming under the skin. When giving injections, try to envision your dog's upper back (below the neck and between the shoulders) as a 'grid.' Each time you give a shot, move down the grid (toward the tail)a bit (maybe 1/2 inch). Then move over and start back up the grid. Remember to stay in the area your vet showed you for insulin injections.
2) If your pet is on the thin side, use two fingers to slightly raise your dog's skin at the injection site in order to inject the insulin into the fat under the skin and to avoid injecting into muscle.
3) Make very sure to warm the syringe after drawing insulin into it. Injecting cold insulin is quite painful - as I can again tell you from personal experience. Load the syringe and then gently roll it between the palms of your hands until it feels warm. It should then be ready for your dog's shot.
Review these suggestions to see if there's anything you aren't doing or aren't doing properly. I hope this helps!
Shelley
2)
This site was very helpful. My 8 year old Miniature Schnauzer was diagnosed with diabetes 3 weeks ago and has to have insulin shots twice a day.
I just have one question. I cannot give insulin shots on her right side because of a fatty tissue growth (the vet says it is nothing to worry about), so I worry about her left side becoming too sensitive. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi, Lindsey.
I don't think I would worry about the tissue on her right side becoming sensitive to her insulin injections as long as you make sure to 'rotate' the injection site each time. (See my posting to Jollena above about this.) You need to avoid repeatedly giving a shot in the same spot over a short period of time, and can avoid it by moving up, down, and across your dog's right side by envisioning it as a 'grid,' giving each shot in a different 'square' of the grid. Your dog is smaller, so you can move up or down his/her back about an inch or so each shot. Your vet can give you more info on this if needed. By moving the site of the insulin injection each time, you allow the previous site to rest. I know in my particular case, my little Maltese Ozzie never had a problem with sensitivity to his insulin shots, although he lived with twice-daily injections for more than 6 years! Remember always to ask your vet, though, if you still have questions. My information comes from long experience caring for myself and my diabetic dog. Good luck!
Shelley
One of my miniature pinschers was just diagnosed with diabetes (6.5 years old). The first time I tried giving him the injection, he sounded like I was trying to kill him. The second time, I gave him a treat and then gave him the shot. He let out a yelp but it worked. The next time I tried doing the same and he refused to eat the treat.
I went back to the vet so they could watch me do it...and they said that I was giving the injection correctly.
My issue is that I don't have someone at home to help distract/hold him so he doesn't squirm....because he's a squirmer and a fighter. Any recommendations as to how to hold/position him so he can't squirm is appreciated.
Thanks,
David
Hi, David.
When my Maltese became diabetic, I had the same problems. He would squeal and fight until I finally had my sister help me give him several injections. That couldn't continue, so I finally decided to sit on the floor in a sort of lotus position (the bottoms of my feet together) and put him in that space to "cage" him with my body. It seemed to calm him a bit that I was on his level. Since I had some of his favorite food in the world (turkey deli meat) in the frig, I put the meat on a little saucer in front of him while he was actually standing on the floor (in the circle my legs had created). And then I gave him his shot. He started a little, I remember, but this worked and I kept it up for about a week. We eventually graduated to his sitting on my lap, and once the shots before meals had become routine, he would come when I said, "Ready for your shot?"
You might try putting him on the floor as I suggest here, so that he can't escape. If that doesn't work, could you sit on the floor with him between your knees? That would give you more control if he absolutely refuses to cooperate. Or you might even try a different method, which is to let him start eating his meal while you kneel or stand just over his shoulder, then reach down and give the shot while he's in the middle of eating. (My sister used to do that with my dog, but my eyesight wasn't such that I could manage it.) If he's the type of dog who just inhales his meals, this might work, since he'll be so intent on the contents of his food dish that he'll be distracted. Let me know if any of these ideas work, and good luck with your pup.
Shelley
Serena Steventon says:
11 months ago
Hiya Shelley, stopping in to visit. Great site! And advice! Tried to call you, you are not answering! Give me a holler ;)
Hugs
Serena