How to Give Insulin Injections

Veterinary Technician Jen shows us how to administer insulin injections at home.
Music: www.bensound.com/royalty-free...

[@dezzy151]

Thank u. Tonight will b my 12yr old cat first dose...im a bit nervous! U make it look sooo easy!

[@anaguerrero3466]

You made that look so easy! My dog twitches and gets so nervous when it’s time to give her the shot. It’s such a struggle... any tips?

[@malcolmjackson3351]

Thanks so very much! I'm always a bit cautious and didn't want to get it wrong. Thanks!

[@andreaguy4070]

so helpful thanks bunches

[@teghanhimelfarb9159]

what about drawing the plunger back before injecting to see if there’s any blood in the syringe? i have seen that on other demonstrations.

[@EthosVeterinaryHealth]

Because this is a Sub Q type of injection you will not be going into a vein and so there should be no blood. It is possible to hit a small skin vessel, but there would not be a rush of blood to the syringe. You can pull back on the plunger to ensure no air is pulled in- this would mean your needle went in and out of your pet’s skin (with an insulin needle, though, this would be rare as these needles are typically quite small.)

[@teghanhimelfarb9159]

thanks. so does that mean that some insulin injections are not Sub Q? i’ve watched so many of these videos on insulin injection and most don’t include drawing the syringe back looking for blood but some do, but i can’t tell any difference that makes it clear whether you need to worry about hitting a blood vessel or not. thanks so much for your help!

[@margechandler2577]

@@teghanhimelfarb9159 In the vet clinic with very sick diabetic pets we sometimes intentionally give insulin into the muscle or into a vein using intravenous fluids (i.e the pet is on a constant drip of low amounts). You would never do this at home. At home you giving it Sub Q. I don't pull back on the syringe when I give it SubQ. (I am a vet and also have a diabetic cat. )

[@mrsmucha]

@@margechandler2577 Thank you!

[@aerodicus]

I’ve had four of seven shots do very little to change glucose levels and the other three dropped rapidly, trying to be consistent but meter says different. I’ve managed to get an average of around 325.

[@j.a.henson8997]

5 units is a heck of a lot of insulin for a cat.