How to Give Insulin to Aggressive Dogs

If your dog has diabetes, your veterinarian may prescribe daily or twice daily shots of insulin, to be administered at home. Some dogs will be fine, but other dogs will react badly to the discomfort of the injection and may become resistant or even aggressive when you attempt to administer the shot. It is essential that diabetic dogs receive their insulin so, according to the Sacramento SPCA, the dog owner must learn to mitigate any aggressive behavior in order to manage the disease.

Things You'll Need

  • Doggy treat
  • Syringe
  • Insulin
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Instructions

  1. Instructions

    • 1

      Familiarize the dog with the syringe. Leave the protective cap on the syringe and hold it in your hand. Allow the dog to sniff the item, so that it can become used to seeing it. If the dog becomes agitated, aggressive or distressed, remove the syringe from the environment and ignore the dog. You need to help your dog build a relationship with the syringe. If the dog only sees the syringe directly before receiving the shot, the only associations it can make with the item are negative. Dispose of all syringes once you have used them for this purpose.

    • 2

      Give the dog praise and even a food reward for any period of time in which the syringe is present and the dog is well behaved. Your dog may already have some bad associations with syringes after visiting the vet. Praise and rewards will help reinforce positive associations with the syringe.

    • 3

      Reward your dog for demonstrating calmness. Take a few minutes out of every day to calm your dog. Do this by removing all distractions and simply sitting with the dog. When the dog becomes relaxed, issue praise and give a reward.

    • 4

      Restrain the dog for brief periods to get it used to the sensation of you being in physical control. Have a friend or family member do the same, while you mimic the act of giving the insulin shot. This familiarizes the dog with the entire process.

    • 5

      Distract the dog with food. Before giving the insulin shot, place a doggy treat before the dog. While the dog is focused on the food, begin to restrain the dog.

    • 6

      Give the shot. Have a friend or family member hold onto the dog's head to prevent biting. When giving the shot, pinch a fold of the dog's skin and push the needle in at a 45-degree angle. One you've depressed the syringe plunger fully, slowly retract it before gently removing the syringe.

    • 7

      Praise the dog immediately after you've given the shot. It is essential to add as many positive associations with the shot as possible, so that the dog begins to accept that the shot has positive consequences that outweigh the discomfort.