Nobody

Have you tried spraying Rennicks (spelling??) Bitter Apple on his feet? They don't like the taste of it and it usually stops them chewing themselves. Otherwise, put socks on him so he can't get at his feet. Edited to say - yes - take him to the vet to determine what is causing him to chew in the first place.

Hi Deanne Thanks for the pics. He is such a lovely boy! I don't know whether anyone has mentioned to you, but oranges are really good to practice on. Practice holding the needle in the correct position and sticking it in to the orange, drawing back, etc. Best oranges to use a juicy ones so you can pinch them a bit... Yes, I know it sounds slightly nuts, but that's how I learnt. The biggest problem I have is that I've got small hands and trying to hold the needle in one hand, draw back and then push forward when your injecting 70ml in to your dog is not easy. At least he usually stands still. Wishing Baxter all the very best. ;)

Hi Deanne I’m adding my comments as someone who has been an insulin dependent diabetic for over 40 years and someone whose elderly cat was diagnosed with diabetes last year. I also have a dog who has allergies and is on fortnightly desensitising injections. Hence, I’ve had a lot of practice sticking needles in. From personal experience, most times it actually doesn’t hurt when the needle goes in. It only hurts if I hit a small blood capillary or if I hit a nerve. (I’d imagine it would be a bit the same for the dogs.) You mentioned that Baxter has felt the insulin going in on one or two occasions. The insulin from the fridge is at a much lower temperature than his body, so, believe me, it stings like all heck! What I do is once I have drawn the insulin in to the syringe I hold the syringe in my hand for a couple of minutes. This actually brings the insulin up to my body temperature and it doesn’t sting when I inject. I did the same for my cat (who passed away at Christmas as his kidneys finally went) and also for my boy on his desensitising injections. Actually I didn’t hold his long enough to warm it properly on Monday and he flinched for the first time. The more often you give Baxter the injections the more confident you’ll become. Believe me, I have no problem sticking a needle in to me, but I hate having to do it to my fur-kids. Just keep following your vet’s advice and checking that Baxter’s sugar levels don’t get too high, nor get too low. At times low sugar levels can be more dangerous than high. Diabetes and a lowered immune system generally go hand in hand, so Baxlse is right, you are more susceptible to infections and are slow to heal. The main thing is to try and keep Baxter’s overall health good. Hoping everything works out well with him – and we’d love a pic!

I have a fur-kid with food alergies, so I regularly include Homebrand sardines and tuna in his BARF-type diet. However, I give him sardines and tuna in springwater, not oil. Which does everyone think is better - springwater or oil - and why? All advice appreciated.