How to Administer Insulin

HOW TO ADMINISTER INSULIN

Improper handling or administration of insulin is one of the most common reasons why some dogs seem difficult to regulate. Below is a list of helpful hints.

Keep insulin refrigerated except when in use. The vial should be stored in a cooler with an ice pack when traveling, even for just a few hours.
Use syringes which match the concentration of insulin used.
To mix insulin, gently roll the vial between the palms of your hands until well mixed. DO NOT SHAKE OR ROUGHLY AGITATE THE VIAL under any circumstances; this breaks apart the insulin molecules and may render the insulin ineffective or at best unpredictable in its activity.
Insert the needle into the rubber port of the insulin vial while the mixed vial is held inverted. Withdraw gently, applying constant, even suction until a volume greater than the actual dose required is aspirated into the syringe. Still maintaining the vial in its inverted position, depress plunger of syringe to expel any bubbles or excess insulin back into the vial until the proper dose remains in the syringe.
If large bubbles are present in the syringe, depress the plunger and evacuate the contents gently back into the vial and re-initiate withdrawal as above, but being more gentle and aspirating more than previously.
DO NOT RIGOROUSLY AGITATE OR CONCUSS THE SYRINGE IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE BUBBLES RISE TO THE TOP TO EVACUATE. Instead, a very gentle tap may be sufficient. If not, depress the contents of the syringe back into the vial and begin again. It is not essential to evacuate every tiny bubble, particularly if the dose is greater than 10 units.
The volume of insulin drawn up should be measured from where the rubber part of the plunger contacts the insulin, not the other side where the rubber is attached to the rest of the plunger.
When treating the newly diagnosed diabetic pet, it is helpful to ask your veterinarian to shave several small spots over the back so that you can actually see the needle enter the skin, although it is really not necessary. It is also helpful to lift, or the skin up and inject at an angle almost parallel to the backbone into the small triangle formed by the tent. It is not unusual to penetrate one side of the tented skin and go right through and out the other side of the skin, causing an intra-fur injection that will obviously not control blood sugar levels. Penetrating the skin more toward the base will help to insure that the tip of the needle is in under, and not through the skin on the other side.