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Hello everyone!
First let me say what a tremendous help you all have been since Molly's diagnosis a few weeks ago. I've read a lot of tips that you have shared and mostly I feel really encouraged that I'm not the only one struggling here.
I rescued Molly a years ago, she is now 8 years old. Her last check up we got a surprise - yup, you guessed it, Diabetes!
Her stats:
She was fine for the first few weeks. I'd feed her and then half an hour later take her to her blanket area and give her some Old Dog Diabetic crackers and give her the shot while she was crunching. NO PROBLEM! I thought hey this isn't so bad sure she moves when eating but I can get it in the tent and then it's done (We stared at 8 Units).
After 2 weeks she started standing up and trying to take the treats to a different area. Hum. That's odd. So we tried something different, using a bowl with a small portion of oatmeal that she would take longer on. Ok, that worked fine for a week then she started fighting me again, getting up wiggling around, kept pulling the needle out before the full dose. Sometimes I'd have to poke her 3-4 times! Ugh. By this time I'm trying to get 10 Units in her.
After the last blood curve, we are up to the 12 Units. So then I enlisted help from the roommate because she started nipping at the needle. Fabulous right!
I had my roomie hold a spoon with some peanut butter just smeared on it so it would take her some time to lick it off. Hey, that was great, she didn't even flinch! Cool, we got it, easy again. Um. No. We had no problems exactly 4 times and then she started moving her neck back, turning around, and generally avoiding the shot. I'd just get the needle into the tent, start pushing the insulin in, and she'd move and the needle would come out.
So now this morning we tried with a muzzle and having the peanut butter on the spoon as an "after the shot reward" (trying to discourage the nipping), she sat and my roommate held her top area while I straddled the bottom half while she was sitting. I'm trying not to go at this too forcefully because I really want to find something long term that is not combative but we wanted to see if she would eventually comply. NOPE. Wiggled and wiggled and wiggled. I stuck her 3 times again and only could get 3 units in.
I don't want to go down the restrain too much method because I want to be able to have anyone in our family be able to know how to give Molly her shots and I don't want to increase her fear and anxiety as I know she is carry issues.
And I also know she is STUBBORN! So I think we do have a power struggle/training issue here but I'm stuck for how to proceed.
I've made sure the insulin is room temp (I set it out an hour before and then roll it in my palms like the vet showed).
I inject bevel side up.
I make a pretty tent and just go under the skin with just enough stick to get it. When I start this she starts wiggling up a storm and bending her neck back to get at it.
Finally, whew, I know right, here are some questions:
Again, thanks for sharing your tips with me through these forums, I've been coming on here in the middle of the day, the middle of the night, you name it, just to try and find ways to get this insulin process to work for my Molly girl. She is such a lovable sweet girl and I just want to do everything I can to make her healthy.
First let me say what a tremendous help you all have been since Molly's diagnosis a few weeks ago. I've read a lot of tips that you have shared and mostly I feel really encouraged that I'm not the only one struggling here.
I rescued Molly a years ago, she is now 8 years old. Her last check up we got a surprise - yup, you guessed it, Diabetes!
Her stats:
- Corgi mix (I think the other half is border collie from the copious amount of fur)
- 47 lbs
- Very mellow but has some issues with fireworks, storms, squeaks, alarms as they make her pretty jumpy and anxious. But in general she lays around all day. Does not play with toys or anything, just chills out in my office (I work from home)
- I have been able to train her to bark on command and go outside even when it's storming but it took along time
- We are not regulated yet, two blood curves, 2 increases - currently at 12 Units Vetsulin in the U-40 syringes
- We were show to inject her in her scruff and to rotate that general area.
She was fine for the first few weeks. I'd feed her and then half an hour later take her to her blanket area and give her some Old Dog Diabetic crackers and give her the shot while she was crunching. NO PROBLEM! I thought hey this isn't so bad sure she moves when eating but I can get it in the tent and then it's done (We stared at 8 Units).
After 2 weeks she started standing up and trying to take the treats to a different area. Hum. That's odd. So we tried something different, using a bowl with a small portion of oatmeal that she would take longer on. Ok, that worked fine for a week then she started fighting me again, getting up wiggling around, kept pulling the needle out before the full dose. Sometimes I'd have to poke her 3-4 times! Ugh. By this time I'm trying to get 10 Units in her.
After the last blood curve, we are up to the 12 Units. So then I enlisted help from the roommate because she started nipping at the needle. Fabulous right!
I had my roomie hold a spoon with some peanut butter just smeared on it so it would take her some time to lick it off. Hey, that was great, she didn't even flinch! Cool, we got it, easy again. Um. No. We had no problems exactly 4 times and then she started moving her neck back, turning around, and generally avoiding the shot. I'd just get the needle into the tent, start pushing the insulin in, and she'd move and the needle would come out.
So now this morning we tried with a muzzle and having the peanut butter on the spoon as an "after the shot reward" (trying to discourage the nipping), she sat and my roommate held her top area while I straddled the bottom half while she was sitting. I'm trying not to go at this too forcefully because I really want to find something long term that is not combative but we wanted to see if she would eventually comply. NOPE. Wiggled and wiggled and wiggled. I stuck her 3 times again and only could get 3 units in.
I don't want to go down the restrain too much method because I want to be able to have anyone in our family be able to know how to give Molly her shots and I don't want to increase her fear and anxiety as I know she is carry issues.
And I also know she is STUBBORN! So I think we do have a power struggle/training issue here but I'm stuck for how to proceed.
I've made sure the insulin is room temp (I set it out an hour before and then roll it in my palms like the vet showed).
I inject bevel side up.
I make a pretty tent and just go under the skin with just enough stick to get it. When I start this she starts wiggling up a storm and bending her neck back to get at it.
Finally, whew, I know right, here are some questions:
- Would moving to the BD U-100's 31 gauge even make a difference or does this sound purely like a power struggle? I ask because we are so far along with the Vetsulin and the Vet is willing to switch me but we have to start over on dosing and curves. Don't even get me started on how much fun her blood testing has been.
- Is her scruff area getting sore? I have looked around at her skin in that area and I don't see any bruising or anything like that.
- If I switch insulins, should I go ahead and switch locations? Her hip and flank are not as skin foldy as her scruff, her scruff is really foldy but maybe she is getting sensitive? Do I just move lower? I don't want to hit her muscles around her front legs...
- How fast can I push in the insulin? She seems to react when I push it in even though I feel it's room temperature. Is this still the same power struggle?
- How many times can I stick her with the same needle trying to get the insulin in? She gets pissier and more nippy the more I keep trying and I move the area I'm trying to get it in but lately I've just had to abort the whole blasted thing.
- How far in do I go with the needle? I'm not going in very far, I just poke it a bit at the bottom of the tent. I go about 45 degrees in the bottom of the tent. Do I need to adjust anything here?
Again, thanks for sharing your tips with me through these forums, I've been coming on here in the middle of the day, the middle of the night, you name it, just to try and find ways to get this insulin process to work for my Molly girl. She is such a lovable sweet girl and I just want to do everything I can to make her healthy.
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