Newbie to dog insulin

[Mario]

Hi, everyone. I am new to this forum and signed up because I am seeking for encouragement, advise, and tips on how to mentally get past the fact that I will be injecting insulin to my 12 year old Chihuahua for the rest of his life according to his internal doctor. I found out this past Christmas Eve that Chato, my pet will need injections twice daily. I was taught how to administer them, but my dog is now getting aggressive and aware of the needle. He is moving around when I stick him and I have been sticking myself a few times in the process. He is yelping and moving around so I have been forced to skip a couple of shots. This is stressing me out big time when it is time to give him a shot. Has anyone experienced this feeling of being unable to continue doing this. It is affecting me mentally.

[jesse girl]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

hi and welcome

my daughters dog is half chihuahua and half JRT he is not diabetic but my beagle jesse is. he gets jealous i give her shots and none for him so i give him fake shots which makes him very happy

if you have another animal dog or cat maybe give a fake shot to them and your pup will feel left out and may accept the shot better . its possible the fake shot may work with a humane as you know the breed desires to be the center of attention

everyone on the forum has eventually found a way to give shots with not to much hassle even the more aggressive ones . some have had to do a muzzle but for most that was temporary .

[Charlie's mom]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

Hi Mario and welcome!

I think we all struggled in the early days but it really does get easier. For us, we give Charlie his shot after his first couple of bites of food. He ignores me but does give my husband the look. Don't be afraid to muzzle if necessary, we didn't have to for shots but did for the first months of eye drops.

Make sure the numbers on the syringe are facing up as the needles are beveled and hold the filled syringe in you hand for a few seconds to ensure the insulin isn't too cold. Some people sing to distract the dog (and themselves?)

You CAN do this!

Laura

[tari]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

I am newish to this myself but the shot thing I have down. Did anyone show you how to do it? To lift and make a "tent" around the shoulder blades? I was so nervous about giving my dog the shots but she honesly doesn't feel a think and shouldn't. If no one has showed you , I am sure your vet tech will. We went in for a half hour before we started and by the time we left I had
the confidence to do the shot. Good Luck!

[Judi]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

A woman who's dog was diagnosed around the same time as my Jenny was as nervous as you. I'm drawing a blank as to her name but she was a widow and had a nice vet tech stop by to give the shots for a little while.

She eventually got him to accept her giving the shots and it went pretty well. Hang in there.

We've had people put them in the sink, put a towel over their head, we use special injection bribes.

Also what size syringe are you using? sometimes the vet doesn't give you the smallest one. And some dogs are more sensitive in certain areas or sides of their body. Keep posting with what happens. People here are so supportive and helpful. We can help you work through this.

[Cara Sandler]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

hi and welcome

my daughters dog is half chihuahua and half JRT he is not diabetic but my beagle jesse is. he gets jealous i give her shots and none for him so i give him fake shots which makes him very happy

if you have another animal dog or cat maybe give a fake shot to them and your pup will feel left out and may accept the shot better . its possible the fake shot may work with a humane as you know the breed desires to be the center of attention

everyone on the forum has eventually found a way to give shots with not to much hassle even the more aggressive ones . some have had to do a muzzle but for most that was temporary .

Completely cracks me up that you give fake shots. That is hilarious - and brilliant!

[jesse girl]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

i even do a fake blood sugar test on his lip . hes not the type of dog normally you would get away with that but as long as hes getting what everyone else is getting he is happy

yes its very funny to watch cracks me up to

[amydunn19]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

You just have to tell yourself and him that you have to do it, without insulin, he will not live. You could try giving a treat after or during the shot.

Diabetes does hit you like a ton of bricks - no way to prepare yourself for the diagnosis. Some vets don't give you tons of info in the beginning. It is really not that painful although some dogs would try to guilt you into thinking that.

You can do this ! I gave myself a shot once trying to do the tenting - long story but I never tried to tent again, ever. I have screwed up everything in this process along the way so just forgive yourself, take a deep breath and keep trying. It is worth it.

[Mario]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

Thank you so much for your warm welcome to this forum. I am glad to have found all of you who have experienced what I am going through. I do know that I must overcome this mental fear of hurting him because in reality he is depending on me to come through for him. Will take all of your recommendations and keep you posted. The sink method sounds interesting. Not quite sure what type of needle i am using will keep all of you informed. Thank you once again .

[chucksmom]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

Welcome Mario to you and Chato! This is a wonderful site full of helpful and knowledgeable folks.

I was lucky that my dog didn't give me any trouble with testing or injections. But the suggestions you've received should help. I've heard of people putting just a tiny dab of peanut butter on the upper lip or top of nose, so the dog is busy trying to eat the peanut butter while they give the injection. Or a small treat on a plate in front of Chato while you give the injection.
I know before too long this will become second nature for you and Chato. I use a small needle, 31 gauge, 5/16" long. The higher the gauge the smaller the needle. Vet first gave us a 29 gauge, 1/2" , compared to the one I use now, it was huge, lol.
Hang in there you'll get it and Chato will reap the benefit!

[CraigM]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

Laura already mentioned this, but I think this really helps. I talk, hum or sing as I give the insulin. This prevents me from holding my breath that I believe would telegraph to Annie that "something" was about to happen! Try to make the injection, and blood test, FUN. As soon as I give the shot I toss her squeaky ball a few times (she lives to play ball). Now, whenever I say either: "dinner or test time" she runs off to find her ball and brings it to me knowing we will play ball as soon as we finish the injection or blood test.

Others will have more thoughts / tips.

Craig

[CraigM]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

What brand of insulin are you using, and what size (gauge, needle length and max capacity) syringe are you using. You can probably find the syringe info on the package.

Craig

[Eddie]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

It is hard at first especially if you are a bit sqeamish like me!

I reminded myself at each injection time that in effect we are saving his life, one injection at a time - and that's quite a thing to be able to do! Also you just have to approach it on the basis that it is utterly non-negotiable - it just has to happen twice per day come what may. You can think that it is so important that even if it did hurt a little bit (which it shouldn't really) then it still has to happen.

If there is anyone else who can share doing the injections that might help. For quite a time we organised it so that I did his morning injection and my husband did his evening one - so that it became pretty routine for both of us.

We inject while he is eating (he loves his food). You can only do that safely if you are confident that your dog will eat all the food - otherwise you can get a mis-match between the insulin dose and the food and you can't retrieve the insulin once it is injected. With our dog he usually doesn't even notice the injection - sometimes he pauses in his chewing but that is about it.

Keep at it - it really does get easier as you go along.
Antonia

PS Some people are told by their vet that they have to pull the syringe plunger back before injecting. I don't think anyone on here actually does that and it doesn't seem to be necessary. I just mention it in case you are doing that and perhaps making it more of a process than it needs to be.

[Monsters Momma]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

i even do a fake blood sugar test on his lip . hes not the type of dog normally you would get away with that but as long as hes getting what everyone else is getting he is happy

yes its very funny to watch cracks me up to

Oh my goodness! The fake shot and testing cracked me up...I'd have never thought of that!

Mario, I just wanted to add my Welcome! Vinny has never been a problem child, but my first thought when they said we had to give him shots was "Yea, he's going to let us do that!" It seems the smaller dogs give the most attitude!

Like Amy said, you have to tell yourself you are saving his life, one shot at a time. Vinny is very food oriented, so giving a treat has always worked for us...and definitely not letting him know when I've felt nervous. You have to fake that at first, but soon you won't be faking.

Hang in there, you will get this!
Mel and Vinny

[farrwf]

Re: Newbie to dog insulin

• I use a small needle, 31 gauge, 5/16" long. The higher the gauge the smaller the needle.
  
• Vet first gave us a 29 gauge, 1/2" , compared to the one I use now, it was huge, lol.

Same situation here. Started with the 29 gauge needle, now using 31 gauge. The smaller circumference needle makes a huge difference in how it feels for the patient.

The real trick to successful canine insulin injections is to divert the patient's attention to something else while you slip in quickly and give the shot. Part of our meal / injection routine has been a small "treat plate" which the patient "Hoovers up" while I give the shot. Works like a charm. Once these things become part of a routine, you'll forget "how much of a struggle" it used to be, ... honest!