Having trouble giving a shot...help!!

So much in giving a dog meds is "how" -- you can't let the dog be "in control" as in struggling or saying 'no'.  You have to be gentle but very firm and consistent.  No, I'm listening to you -- but so often people approach something like this with discussion, and trepidation -- one thing happens bad and they dread it and the dog actually 'smells' their dread and intent and it all goes bad from there.
 
There is also a guess on my part that a disciplined approach probably isnt' your parent's way with the dog -- and that's going to ... ahem ... 'bite them' here.  Because the dog is probably pretty used to saying 'no' when it wants to and your folks give up.
 
The tough part of this is they will need to use treats and you'll ahve to be careful WHAT treats since this is  diabetic dog.  But it's going to need to be something truly awesome -- like I'm thinking liver treats home made (not hard at all) or even slices of hot dog (not my preference because of the chemicals in them but whatever works here).
 
Now at MY house, 'biting the human' is just plain not EVER EVER EVER done.  You just plain don't and you don't even try it and get away with it.  That's cardinal rule #1 here. 
 
I'd approach in a really no-nonsense fashion -- no apology, no moaning or 'aww baby I'm so sorry but we gotta do the nasty shot".  NO.  No 'poor poor baby' stuff at all.  That will totally work against you and it warns the dog.  No begging the dog to come to you.  LEASH the dog - it signals "human in control" and it also gives you the ultimate 'control'  - then it is simply a matter of maneuvering into position.
 
IF you have to chase the dog to put the leash on?  LEAVE IT ON 24/7 for a while -- if this dog is THIS out of control, I've a feeling the dog may need a good dose of "Nothing In Life Is Free" in any event.
 
"Poochie, sit."  (and treat). 
"Time for your shot - this is gonna help you feel better."
 
If it were ME, I'd be on the floor with the dog between my legs or laying down with one of my legs over the dog's back (depending on size).  You can get a lot of leverage with your leg over the dog's back (no matter the size). 
 
probably one - either your Dad or Mom - needs to deal with the head.  And if the dog is prone to biting, even a piece of gauze can make an effective muzzle.  That would actually hold the mouth shut - with a regular muzzle the dog can bark and be pretty defiant.  My first choice would be simply holding the mouth *firmly* shut either with my thumb under the chin and my fingers over the top of the muzzle/nose or depending on how strong the dog is, maybe my fingers underneath and my thumb hooked over the top of the nose.  Remember - they have to open their jaw DOWN -- so do whatever works best leverage wise. 
 
But simply get a good hard grip and do NOT let go.  Most people will underestimate a dog's strengh -- and they relax marginally and a dog, being a dog, senses that change in muscular pressure and jerks. 
 
Another effective way to hold the dog is to put the dog up on a table and have one person lean over and put their arm around the dog's neck pulling the head to your shoulder in a hug.  Lean on your elbow and then simply lock your heel of your hand under your own chin -- literally hold the neck in the crook of your elbow, and LEAN your chin HARD on your own palm, trapping the  neck in the crook of your arm.  If you lean HARD your arm will effectively collar the dog and the dog can't get loose to bite.  With your other arm you can HELP hold the body
 
You could do this on the floor as well. 
 
But bottom line you can NOT be afraid -- you can't be weak here or "afraid to hurt her".  The thing that WILL hurt is her struggling so you have to just get a major grip on her and make it happen. 
 
If this were my dog, I'd be doing NILIF right along with this.  I'd be practicing stay, sti and all manner of things all the time -- it's critical that shots are not the only time there is discipline or treats. 
 
But they can't just give up or get up set or scream or yell at each other (that always happens with we humans) -- and if it were my dog I'd be having a big strong heart to heart before hand --"Now look -- you are sick.  In fact, if you don't get with the program here and LET us give these shots you are going to die very very young.  These are going to help you.  I'm not the enemy, I'm your mother and the quicker we get this over with the quicker YOU get a treat."
 
I'm not talking down to them -- but lots of times people just aren't used to making sure the dog does what it should EVERY time.  So then they get confronted with something like this that is both scarey and unpleasant and oh boy -- it gets tough real fast. 
 
Talking to her in a normal positive tone should help.
 
And honestly -- you may find that they will have to give her something like valerian tincture before just to calm her down enough to accomplish this.  Probably the alcohol one -- and you can actually set the bottle, open, in a pan of boiling water (water below the level of the liquid in the bottle) - turn off the heat and just let the alcohol evaporate - makes it more palatable.  yes, it's one more thing to give but it would likely make giving the shot much easier.  And you can mix valerian in with some tahini (which doesn't have sugar in it) and it should be pretty yummy. 

Thank you sooo much! I will be forwarding this on to my mom. And as for the discipline with her, my dad was strict, but my mom always babied her every since we brought her home. See, Moe and Abby are both babied by my mom, luckily Moe knows not to bite humans, Abby on the other hand, well it got messed up somewhere along the line. She's very sweet, but you can't take something off of her that she wants.

Gee, Abbey sounds like one of my neices.  When they adopted her as a baby they started right in on doing what she wanted. When she was almost 3 they were donw visiting and she was kicking my irish setter and they would so 'No, no, XXXXXX, it's not nice to kick the doggie" and she would stand there, look at them and kick him again.  Made hubby so made he told her 'You kick my dog one more time and i am going to pick you up and bust your butt."  That upset my my SIL so bad she didn't come back for 7 year, but after a few years my brother and the kids would come.  That girl grew into a monster and she got her way or else andit is still like that.
 
Goes to show you have to get a handle on kids (and dogs) rright way, but isn't it easy to over baby and pamper them.  Who can resist giving one more treat when they beg, etc. But i guess because I grew up with hunting dogs where the people had to be in control at all times, I spoil mine, but don't let them have their way.

I don't know if this will help at all, but I'll try.  I just started giving Winnie some shots, and they have to be done when the Vet's office is open in case of a reaction, which means DH is at work, so I'm on my own. She won't bite, but she will try to run away.   Win is very food motivated, so I smeared a small amount of peanut butter all over a saucer and let her work at that.  She never knew what hit her!  I'm not saying to use peanut butter for a diabetic dog, but whatever she can have...yogurt, liver?  I think the key is to do it quickly and confidently...not always an easy mindset when you are new to this.

I think the vet should be able to help. 
 
There are several little tricks to giving a dog a shot all down to how you hold the syringe.
 
My only real suggestion (all the others where so good) is that when they do the shot they want to do it in one clean go.  I am not sure where they give the shots for diabetics now (it has been 12 years since our old dog princess who also had diabetes passed away), but you want to do it in one clean shot. 
 
The only part that really hurts the dog is going through the skin, once the needle is in you are fine, but if you keep getting thrown around and the needle keeps coming out, it means you are going to have to go through the skin again and once again hurt the dog. 
 
I just learned how to do intermuscular, SQ's (under the skin) and blood draws in the last two weeks and it is very intimdating at first.  I was working on a 48 pound dog, who is normally very friendly but was being a complete terror when it came to giving him IM's.  My teacher said this is the worst crew of dogs the program has gotten in for a long time.  They are all very friendly normally, but some of them are just horrible about certain things, but they are all shelter dogs and who knows what their past is.  Luckly for the blood draws she sedated them for us
 
Good  luck!
 
Sherri