How To Properly Inject Your Diabetic Dog
On Tuesday, we discussed syringes and how to “decode” the outside of the box. We have also covered Insulin and Syringes in a prior post. Now we are going to discuss how to use them. I don’t know about any of you, but I never imagined that giving injections would ever be a part of my world. Honestly, it was the cause of my greatest angst when my Max was diagnosed. Let’s get started…
As we have discussed, make SURE that you are using the proper syringe for the insulin that you use. If you are using Novolin N, you will need a U-100 syringe. If you are using Vetsulin/Caninsulin, you will use a U-40 syringe. See the blog post on Insulin/Syringes for further explanation. Here’s just a quick note on drawing your correct dose. Make sure that you buy syringes with half unit markings as it will lead to more consistency throughout your journey with this disease. It’s not hard to find U-100 syringes with half unit markings, finding U-40 syringes with half unit markings has been a challenge… Until NOW!
On my first vial of insulin, several days into the vial, I was finding that I was fighting with the syringe and being able to pull the plunger back. If I wasn’t holding it firmly, the plunger would keep going back to the needle end of the barrel and emptying the syringe of insulin. Why? Because when they showed me at the vet’s office how to inject my dog, I wasn’t shown the proper technique to draw a dose from the vial.
Before you get your insulin out of the fridge or out of the cupboard, check your syringe to make sure that the first unit marking is ALL THE WAY at the end of the barrel. In a box of 100 syringes, you can have 10-20% that the markings are not precise. This can result in an extra ¼ - ½ unit of insulin and for small dogs, this is a big deal. Always, always check! Moving on…
Once you have mixed your insulin (Novolin is a gentle roll to mix, side to side and then end over end. Vetsulin/Caninsulin you must shake to mix.), pull the plunger of the syringe back to the line for the number of units that you are going to draw out, so if you draw 5 units of insulin for your dose, fill the barrel of the syringe with 5 units of air. Next, you will insert the needle into the insulin vial and inject the air into the vial of insulin. Turn the vial upside down with the syringe still inside and pull the plunger past your dose by a unit or two. So if your dose is 5 units, draw 7 or so units into the barrel of the syringe. Check for air bubbles, if you see bubbles; flick the syringe with your fingers to let the bubbles go to the top of the barrel. Now, you’ll push the plunger to the 5 unit mark (or whatever your dose is) and the bubbles should have gone back into the vial of insulin. The reason that I was fighting with my syringe was that I had created a vacuum inside the insulin bottle because I wasn’t injecting air back into the vial. It’s the little things that no one tells you that can make such a difference with this disease!
Now that you’ve drawn your dose into the syringe and returned your insulin to the fridge or cupboard, you’ll want to warm the syringe because cold insulin stings! Yikes! Many will put the syringe (cap on) sideways in their mouth (like a pencil) to warm it, some put it under their arm while they feed their pup. Keep in mind that if your pup doesn’t like their shots, the fact that the insulin is too cold may be a factor. The little cutie in today's thumbnail image is showing you how to warm it in your mouth. LOL
Now it’s time to inject. You will want to check and make sure that the insulin in the syringe hasn’t separated, if it has, just roll the syringe in between your hands to remix it. I always gave a treat right before and right after every test and injection, so be sure that you have your treats ready! To inject, you’ll pull the skin up forming a tent. Now that you have the tent, you will insert the needle at a 45 degree downward angle and push the plunger of the syringe to the end of the barrel.
All done, wasn’t that easy?! Remember not to massage the injection site as it can interfere with absorption. Now you give a treat, lots of love and maybe do a happy dance (whatever works).
Tips and Tricks for pups that aren’t fans of their injections:
- Try putting a smear of peanut butter
(NO xylitol) or fat free cream cheese on the floor or refrigerator door or
counter (depending on where you are when you inject), this will distract your
pup and give you a bit of time to inject properly.
- Make sure that your insulin isn’t cold.
- Make sure that the bevel of the needle of the syringe is facing up.
- Never reuse your syringes or lancets, here’s why OUCH!
If you have any thoughts or ideas for topics that you’d like to see covered here, please feel free to comment below or send me an email at NancyForPetTest@pharmasupply.com. As always, please “like” this blog post or any of the others that have helped you or just refreshed your memory. Look for new posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
Until next time…