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  • Injection Tips

    It is so difficult to explain injections!! Makes me wish I'd done a video of how we did Chris' shots.

    Some helpful images and tutorials follow.

    Where to Inject



    From BD Diabetes for Dogs website: http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/main.aspx?cat=1&id=384

    From the site's tutorial on giving injections, here's one way of making a tent:



    They suggest a 45 degree angle on the syringe:



    This is a pinch on the flank:



    I'd say this flank picture looks pretty much like how I injected Chris along the ribs.

    Last edited by We Hope; 06-19-2009, 09:49 PM. Reason: fixing photo links

  • #2
    Re: Injection tips and images

    AlphaTrak's video (second part where injection is given): http://www.cat-dog-diabetes.com/vide..._the_dog_2.mpg

    From: http://www.cat-dog-diabetes.com/dogs...in-therapy.asp



    As he's pushing the plunger in, you get a somewhat better view of the syringe and the tent.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Injection tips and images

      From the following site for humans: http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/1999/02/01/1409.html (no longer available)

      If you've ever hit muscle with a needle, you know the pain. If you've ever injected the right dose of insulin and still found your blood sugar sky high, you might have injected too shallowly and hit skin.

      Insulin injections that are too deep or too shallow can really foul up glucose levels. For most injections, the goal is to hit the layer of fat between the skin and the muscle.

      Hitting this target involves knowing the thicknesses of your own body layers, whether to pinch up or not, and which needle length to use. The medical community is finding that injection techniques play a significant role in blood sugar control.
      Hitting the Fat
      What's beneath the surface of your skin? The areas a needle can hit are as follows (also see Figure 1):
      • skin
      • subdermal layer (just underneath the skin)
      • fat
      • epimuscular space (just underneath the fat, on top of the muscle)
      • muscle
      Very important note about where you're trying to get the insulin:

      Among all people with diabetes, however, the goal is to hit the fat layer.

      Comment


      • #4
        Injection Tips

        Hi Ida,

        When dx Niki got her injections in her scruff anywhere from the middle to the sides of the scruff area, she usually never flinched, I picked up her scruff area, made the tent and injected at a slight downward angle at top of tent, never thru the tent, I could feel the needle as it went thru the skin with no resistance and then injected. I think Baby would flinch if you hit a muscle as they do at times when they get a rabies shot or she may have flinched if needle went into skin area, let me find some pics or if I remember tonight I will get my mum to take the picture of my injection. Ok was able to save the picture from the BD link.
        Its done the same way at top of scruff area, see how the needle is going in at an angle.

        Hope this helps,
        Dolly


        Dolly & Niki passed 2010, 45 lb Border Collie Mix 8 yrs as diabetic, 13yrs old. Blind N 10.5 U 2 X * Dog is God spelled backwards*If there are no dogs in Heaven then when I die I want to go where they went. Niki's food Orijen & Turkey & Gr. Beans, See you at the bridge my beloved & cherished Niki, I miss you everyday

        Comment


        • #5
          Injection Tips

          Ida,

          One thing for sure is you didn't hit a muscle. When insulin is injected into a muscle, it works much faster than it does when you inject it under the skin:

          http://diabetesindogs.wikia.com/wiki/IM

          "Intramuscular insulin injection is a technique used for both pets and people in an effort to hasten onset, compared to the usual technique of injecting subcutaneously. It's often referred to medically by the abbreviation IM.

          "Because it carries with it a substantial risk of hypoglycemia, giving insulin intramuscularly should only be done with guidance from a medical professional."

          http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.a...t=7001&id=7395


          There are other areas you can inject besides the scruff:

          "Some veterinarians feel that the scruff is not the best place to inject because this area is prone to the formation of lumps under the skin, and because it is easier for the owner to mistakenly inject into muscle or skin. Any of these would interfere with proper insulin absorption. Other veterinarians feel that the scruff is acceptable as an injection site if the owner uses proper injection technique.

          "Whichever injection sites you use, the key is to use proper pinch-up technique so that the needle goes into the fat layer below the skin - not into skin or muscle, and not through the pinch and out the other side, which just squirts insulin onto the pet's fur instead of into the pet.

          "It is important to rotate injection sites, because constant use of the same spot will cause scarring, which will affect how well the insulin is absorbed."

          Another reason some don't prefer using the scruff is because of the absorption from the area:

          http://web.archive.org/web/200702081..._diabetes.html

          Dr. Greco:

          "Is the client rotating sites?

          "Is the client injecting in the proper place? (Armpit or flank instead of in the scruff; the scruff is a poorly vascularized area with slow absorption.)"

          When we went to Caninsulin/Vetsulin, I switched over to the Intervet suggested areas for shots:

          http://www.vetsulin.com/vet/DosingOverview.aspx

          "Using a U-40 insulin syringe, administer the injection subcutaneously, 2 to 5 cm (3/4 to 2 in) from the dorsal midline [spine], varying from behind the scapulae [shoulder blades] to the mid-lumbar [back] region and alternating sides."

          In the morning, I would give Lucky's shot on one side, and in the evening on the other. I'd also vary the injection site by working my way up and down the areas above. This made sure I wasn't giving the shots in the same place all the time.

          Because Lucky wouldn't let me either do a pinch or tent on his skin, my answer about whether I could see the needle would be different.



          Correct way to give an injection when "tenting" the skin. This makes sure the insulin is injected into the skin flap created by "tenting" it. When the skin "tent" is released, the injected insulin is under it, or subcutaneous.

          Does this picture help?

          The next picture is the wrong way to give a shot:



          Wrong way to give a shot: The needle has totally passed through the "tented skin". The insulin, or any other injected drug, will be injected into the air. Note that in this graphic, the injection point is much closer to the "pinch" area holding the "tent" up. In the correct graphic, the injection point is closer to the body.

          HTH!

          Kathy
          Last edited by We Hope; 09-20-2009, 09:44 AM. Reason: relinking to canine diabetes wiki

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Injection Tips

            http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.a...=7001&id=7433#

            BD Diabetes Slide Show--How To Inject A Dog With Insulin

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: New user, just diagnosed. Greetings.

              Here's a pic of where I use on Ali's side



              You can really use the area from behind the shoulder to the edge of the rib cage.

              Patty
              Patty and Ali 13.5yrs 47lbs diagnosed May '08 Ali earned her wings October 27, 2012, 4 months after diagnosis of a meningioma ~ Time is precious ~

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: New user, just diagnosed. Greetings.

                Andy,
                Here's a good picture of the layers and angle you want to use for a subcutaneous injection. Injecting into muscle can potentially cause a much faster absorption of the insulin.

                Patty
                Patty and Ali 13.5yrs 47lbs diagnosed May '08 Ali earned her wings October 27, 2012, 4 months after diagnosis of a meningioma ~ Time is precious ~

                Comment

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