Samson: Additional issues to diabetes

[samson]

I goofed today. When I gave Samson his injection he jumped and I am not sure if the insulin went in or if I missed completly. We were outside so no help finding something wet on the grass. Nothing wet on his fur. Samson is a 5 lb Yorkie and gets 2 units twice daily. Should I try another dose (or half dose) or just wait till the next dose? He was diagnosed 2 weeks ago so we are still new at this.

He is getting harder to give his injections.

Thanks for the help

[eileen]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

As a rule we never want to guess and give a second insulin injection should the first be a 'fur shot', better to go without than to give too much insulin.

[Donb]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

+++1 ^^^^^^ Exactly as Eileen mentioned

[Judi]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

Welcome to the forum! What size needle are you using? We use the smallest one you can get, it holds 30 units max.

It is 3/10 ml cc, 5/16 ", 31 Gauge, Walmart carries them the cheapest.

My vet initially gave me longer ones and I knew those would not work. These make a huge difference!

Judi

[samson]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

We are using 3/10. 30 units max. 29 guage, 1/2 inch. Maybe we will give the 5/16 a try

[Judi]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

We are using 3/10. 30 units max. 29 guage, 1/2 inch. Maybe we will give the 5/16 a try

I bet it makes a difference. Jenny doesn't even notice her injections.

2 other tips normally mentioned here:

1. do you warm the insulin up? I put the dose in the syringe, put the cap back on, and let it warm up. I gave Jenny cold insulin once and it hurt her.

2. the other thing is to twirl the syringe till you can see that the bevel (the slanty side) is face up. this seems to make a difference too.

and treats seem to help a lot of dogs adjust/be distracted too. I give Jenny her shot while she is still scarfing down her food.

Judi

[eileen]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

We are using 3/10. 30 units max. 29 guage, 1/2 inch. Maybe we will give the 5/16 a try

It would be the gauge that would make a difference.

The higher the number, the thinner the needle, 29g is quite thick compared to a 30 or 31g.

It is not recommended to give a dog that is not happy with the injection the shot while they are eating...some can associate that injection with a meal and can begin refusing to eat.

Better to give a special treat with the injection so to keep eating and the injection separate.

[SandyL]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

Definately agree....For a tiny 5 lb yorkie, the needle your using is way too big . You really need to get the 5/16 inch 31guage. It will make a world of difference! And the treats are alway a good idea for bribery!

Sandy

[samson]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

OK. Back on track with the injections. Not easy. We do warm the insulin and I do try to keep the bevel up. We will get the 31 guage and 5/16 syringes today. Thanks again for the advice.

Samson also has cataracts and can't see. But he seems to be a good canditate for surgery and is scheduled for the procedure on Nov. 8th. Poor fellow has been tortured the last week. Went to the opthamologist last week (Monday) and they suggested a teeth cleaning before surgery (last Thursday) So he is getting drops in his eyes, antibiotic and his shots all twice a day. He is to go to the vet tomorrow for a curve. At least he is eating well.

[eileen]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

I'm so excited for you and Samson to be able to have cataract surgery so he can regain his sight!

Mildred went blind in what seemed like over night and had to remain without her eyesight for about 10 months due to gall bladder issues, but then had the surgery.

It was by far one of the most amazing experiences to watch as she rediscovered her world.

I wish Samson lots of luck that his experience can be just as wonderful!

[CraigM]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

OK. Back on track with the injections. Not easy. We do warm the insulin and I do try to keep the bevel up. We will get the 31 guage and 5/16 syringes today. Thanks again for the advice.

Samson also has cataracts and can't see. But he seems to be a good canditate for surgery and is scheduled for the procedure on Nov. 8th. Poor fellow has been tortured the last week. Went to the opthamologist last week (Monday) and they suggested a teeth cleaning before surgery (last Thursday) So he is getting drops in his eyes, antibiotic and his shots all twice a day. He is to go to the vet tomorrow for a curve. At least he is eating well.

Just a heads up comment. Don't be surprised if the upcoming curve isn't the best (hope it is, but...). Some eye drops, antibiotics and infections can really mess with the blood glucose (BG) readings.

It seemed Annie's eye vet was changing her drops/meds every month or two and it was very difficult to get her regulated. Thankfully, about a year ago we were able to get her eye drops/meds under control and she has been fairly easy to manage since then.

Seems with Annie, just about anything that entered her body (mouth, eyes, ears) could give BG concerns.

[CarolW]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

Just to confirm - if you miss with a shot, wait till the next shot-time before giving more insulin.

About injections (making them painless) - I don't know about you, but I can find it difficult to see the bevel on the needle, to get it facing up when I inject. So I MARK the syringes, ahead of time! Here's an illustration of the marks:

http://www.coherentdog.org/vek/bevelup.php

And about warming the insulin IN THE SYRINGE, not in the vial! - it works best if the insulin is close to dog's body temperature, so some people do as I do (tuck the syringe into my armpit (capped, of course), or some hold the syringe crosswise in the mouth.

Oh; here's a detailed description of Kumbi's syringes. These are BD syringes, but Walmart carries syringes with the same features - ReliOn syringes - LOTS cheaper.

http://www.coherentdog.org/vek/syringes1.php

Sounds as though you're doing really well by Samson! He's a lucky dog to have you! Keep up the good work!
Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:48:07 (PDT)

[Cebe]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

I had a "did I leave the iron on" moment with zoe the other night. I've been so distracted with work issues and a new feeding routine for my cat that I keep forgetting to give Zoe her shot right when I feed her. Generally, I like to make sure she's eaten everything as we lately had a few incidences when she refused food. But, the other night, I fed her, she ate, I fed the cat, I did this and that, then thought, Oh CRAP! Forgot to give Zoe her shot - or did I? My memory of giving her a shot started to blend with the 500 other shots I've given her so that I was only about 60% sure she'd not had her evening shot, and my usually wonderful diabetes log was no help, as I've gotten bad about making sure I log each shot right when I give it. As I was mostly sure, I went ahead and gave her the shot, and I tested her 2 hours later (288), so I made the right call, but man I was pretty nervous I was about to OD my dog on insulin.

In retrospect, if I run into this problem again, I might only give her a 1/2 dose.

[Abby's Mom]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

I had a "did I leave the iron on" moment with zoe the other night. I've been so distracted with work issues and a new feeding routine for my cat that I keep forgetting to give Zoe her shot right when I feed her. Generally, I like to make sure she's eaten everything as we lately had a few incidences when she refused food. But, the other night, I fed her, she ate, I fed the cat, I did this and that, then thought, Oh CRAP! Forgot to give Zoe her shot - or did I? My memory of giving her a shot started to blend with the 500 other shots I've given her so that I was only about 60% sure she'd not had her evening shot, and my usually wonderful diabetes log was no help, as I've gotten bad about making sure I log each shot right when I give it. As I was mostly sure, I went ahead and gave her the shot, and I tested her 2 hours later (288), so I made the right call, but man I was pretty nervous I was about to OD my dog on insulin.

In retrospect, if I run into this problem again, I might only give her a 1/2 dose.

I did not have one of these moments, but I did find the insulin in the drawer with the needles, and forgot to refrigerate it for 12 hrs.. The sad thing was that I just opened up the bottle. So off to Walmart I go at 8:00 at night, and got two bottles.

[eileen]

Re: Missed dose or double dose. Which is best?

I did not have one of these moments, but I did find the insulin in the drawer with the needles, and forgot to refrigerate it for 12 hrs.. The sad thing was that I just opened up the bottle. So off to Walmart I go at 8:00 at night, and got two bottles.

Barb,

NPH does not have to be kept in the fridge once it has been opened, altho most of us like to do so.

As long as the temp did not go over 86 degrees your vial from the drawer should have been just fine to use.

See your package insert for more information.

or;

http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/l...nsulin&id=2502