Saturday, January 29, 2011

Giving Subcutaneous Fluids to a Feline


A coat rack makes a good IV (or subQ) stand.  

Jay is home!  He is not quite himself, but much better than he was.  I think the vet released him a little earlier because he knew I couldn't afford a huge bill.  He sent him home with liquid pain meds, some muscle relaxant capsules, and a bag of fluid.  I've given him meds before, and had no trouble with the oral prescriptions - just scruff the cat and quickly put it down his throat.  Give him a treat after and he'll even come running when you call, "Time for your medicine!" 

The subcutaneous fluids were a bit of a challenge.  I got a towel for my lap and enlisted my daughter to keep him occupied with treats.  I grabbed the loose skin around his shoulder area like the pet nurse showed me and inserted the needle.  To my surprise, he barely seemed to notice.  When we turned on the drip he freaked out.  He leaped out of my lap and darted across the room. When I located the end of the tube I saw fluid streaming, not dripping, so he must not have liked the sensation of it gushing into him.  The office is closed tomorrow, so I can't ask how to slow it down.  I'll re-read the literature they gave me and / or Google.  I do know that some of the fluid ended up in the right place because my daughter saw a bubble on his shoulder.  Hooray!  I did it right!  We'll try again tomorrow.                

6 comments:

Brian Miller said...

good lord...i think my cat might kill me...

Tempo said...

My friend has a cat..it took three of us to give it one simple worming tab and all three of us got nasty bites and scratches...
Ive always wanted a pet nurse...
There should be a little tap thing or a little clamp thing that squishes the drip line. (like fish tanks have)

Kelly said...

Oh my goodness!! I can't imagine trying to do this!! I hope it works better for you the next time.

Amanda said...

I'm so glad he's doing better!! And yeah, I've tried the cheap cat food before. It was ugly :(

dave said...

Sounds as if you deserve a smile and a "job well done!"

Jen said...

Cats are like babies...they sense if you are nervous and it frightens them. If you acti like it's no big deal they are more likely to cooperate.

Maybe I'll try to make a video of how to medicate a cat.

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