My dog's Caninsulin breaks when dropped. Is there a better way?

Do not shake the vial but roll it between your palms to mix the contents gently. As for too much insulin, it takes a lot of adjustment in the beginning to get the right amount of insulin to control your dog's diabetes. Trust your vet. He knows what he is doing.

The problem with insulin is that it cannot handle temperature variations. There is a small chance that it may still be ok, however it would be better to replace it with a new bottle to make sure Buddy is getting his proper working dose. If you are measuring blood glucose yourself at home, then you can measure his blood glucose before giving him his shot and then 6 hrs after giving him his shot. If the insulin is not working any more due to having been out of the fridge, then he will have a blood glucose value the same or higher than the first measurement. If his Blood glucose is lower and close to his usual low glucose level then the insulin is still good. However, I would recommend replacing the bottle with new insulin.

I know giving injections is daunting but I bet you are already doing a wonderful job. I like to use the skin behind the neck or between the shoulder blades. Pinch it up to make a "tent". Stick the needle in the center of that tent and parallel with the body. If you are using an insulin needle, you could be able to go all the way to the hub. Afterwards, the fur shouldn't be wet in that area. If it is then you may be putting it in the hair and not the skin. If you are unsure, you could always schedule an appointment at your vet clinic for someone to WATCH you do it so they can give you any helpful hints on what to do differently. If they don't have a time available for when the actual insulin is due to be given, just ask them to put some saline in the syringe and you can inject that for the demostration. I hope this helps!

Diabetes is a disease that needs to be treated with insulin in dogs - there are no appropriate holistic or herbal treatments that could replace insulin injections. Most dogs tolerate injections well - the needle is very small and the injection is over quickly. I recommend distracting dogs with a tasty treat that takes awhile to eat - some canned dog food smeared into a thin layer on a plate works well - so that they don't notice the injection as much. A well regulated diabetic dog can have a normal life span with a good quality of life.

As long as it wasn't over 86 F for and extended period of time, it should still be fine. Certain types of insulin can be kept at room temperature for up to 6 weeks. If you are concerned in any way, discard the bottle and get a new one from your veterinarian or local pharmacy.

Just keep him on his normal feeding and exercise routine. His blood sugar will be elevated without the insulin but a couple days should not be that huge of a problem. What you may notice is a temporary recurrence of signs (such as excess thirst and urination), but is not life threatening. If you see him acting ill though you should take him to an ER clinic immediately.

Most dogs with uncomplicated DM do not require any more than 1 u per kg. Actually when I start having to increase to much over 0.5 u per kg I start to worry about occult infections I might be missing such as UTI or dental infections. Also, Cushings disease is common in small dogs and that can also make DM difficult to control. So I would visit with your veterinarian about the upper limit of their comfort level in your insulin increases. That way if you approach that level you should go in for an exam and possibly other lab work. That is probably how I would handle it, but of course all veterinarians are different and yours may have a different (and possibly better) recommendation! Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.