A hard lump on my cats skin after trying Sub-Q fluids

[kitteh_]

Hello, my 12 year old furrbaby was recently diagnosed with kidney disease ( I have previously posted about it ) and the vet told me to give her subcutaneous fluid everyday 50ml/day for 2 months to see if the values go down, however yesterday I have noticed there is a hard lump on her back (about 1 - 2 cm/ 0.6 inches) with a little wound on her skin, she has gotten some injections at the vet like 2 weeks ago also I have tried to do subQs alone so I don't know what has caused it and I read online that it could be feline injection site sarcoma?? Can that happen with subcutaneous fluid administration?? Anyone have any experience about this? It's really scaring me

 

[fionasmom]

This may or may not be what is happening ;however, it did to me on numerous occasions with subQ fluids. The fluids themselves will sometimes form a big lump and just stay at the site of entry until the animal's body has absorbed it. There should not be anything else visible at the site, just a big skin lump. The wound could possibly be from the needle, but if you think that does not make sense or that it seems like a real injury or growth, contact your vet. Maybe you can send a picture to them.

 

[kitteh_]

This may or may not be what is happening ;however, it did to me on numerous occasions with subQ fluids. The fluids themselves will sometimes form a big lump and just stay at the site of entry until the animal's body has absorbed it. There should not be anything else visible at the site, just a big skin lump. The wound could possibly be from the needle, but if you think that does not make sense or that it seems like a real injury or growth, contact your vet. Maybe you can send a picture to them.

The vet is on vacation she's returning this weekend I will take my cat for sure after the vet comes but trying to find answers before, the lump is not connected beneath its just on the skin, and hard... the wound is healed since yesterday but the lump seems a bit bigger or maybe I am paranoiac I don't know

 

[fionasmom]

Try to relax and call your vet. No matter what the lump is from, they do not progress in a matter of days. The sub Q lump I described is definitely under the skin, very smooth to the touch.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Did you get to the Vet today? Just curious as to what that lump is.

 

[Mslady]

I've given a lot of subq fluids and in my experience this can happen if you make a mistake and inject the fluids into tissue instead of in the air pocket under the skin. It will normally go down on it's own in a day or so and shouldn't cause any problems. (That's not to say that injecting fluids into muscle or other tissue can't cause problems.)
When you stick the needle in don't do it too close to the kitty's back to avoid injecting into tissue. I wiggle the needle around a bit to make sure there is only air around it. Make sure you move the injection site every time to avoid wounds or infection. Also use a new needle every time and use a spot where there is a lot of lose skin, not where the skin is tight. You may already know all this but it doesn't hurt mentioning just in case.

 

[kitteh_]

Did you get to the Vet today? Just curious as to what that lump is.

I've given a lot of subq fluids and in my experience this can happen if you make a mistake and inject the fluids into tissue instead of in the air pocket under the skin. It will normally go down on it's own in a day or so and shouldn't cause any problems. (That's not to say that injecting fluids into muscle or other tissue can't cause problems.)
When you stick the needle in don't do it too close to the kitty's back to avoid injecting into tissue. I wiggle the needle around a bit to make sure there is only air around it. Make sure you move the injection site every time to avoid wounds or infection. Also use a new needle every time and use a spot where there is a lot of lose skin, not where the skin is tight. You may already know all this but it doesn't hurt mentioning just in case.

Yes, I went to the vet on friday and they said the lump is an infection and gave me some antibiotic cream to apply.. they said her skin is very sensitive in general (by the way she had basal cell carcinoma before but got removed with clear margins and clean from it now) and her back skin got thick so that's why she's reacting a lot to the needles (I couldn't give her SubQs the night before the vet {thursday} since it hurt her and she screamed and jumped, didn't sit still at all) so they told me to open an IV catheter but on first try she ripped it off after a few minutes her arm got bruised and wounded so then they put another one on her other arm to stay for a few days until her back skin gets better but when I woke up the morning after, her arm was really HUGEEE and she was in pain, I legitly was about to faint when I saw her arm (it was bruised too) so I took it out myself immediately and I called them they told me to take her again to put another IV catheter but her arms are bruised and wounded really badly, I asked if they can do it from her back legs they said it's hard and they can't so they will put again from the same places in her arms I didn't want to risk that as they were already bruised and wounded tho I don't know what else I could do since I couldn't give her subqs as well.. I don't know if I did the right decision by not allowing them to open IV catheters again but I couldn't give subqs for 2 days straight but I will try to do again tonight.. (her skin rested for 3 days)
We retested her urine and the UTI is still there and Bobo has to take antiobiotics for another week.. one quarter of enrofloxacin (baytril) for another week...and my vet is going on a vacation again until the 10th of September I am beginning to lose hope in my vet and thinking to take Bobo to a new place, I am really in so much stress I don't know what to do

 

[fionasmom]

Others may have advice about the catheters, but I would have done what you did and not allowed another one, at least not right now. It is not as if Bobo was going to improve her outlook about the catheters as she ripped them out and re-injured herself. If you feel that another vet is in order, it might be a good decision.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Wow! I also wouldn't have allowed them to mess with her arms again.

BTW, I think I mentioned it here, but may have been another thread. My Darko had a UTI that was not resolved with Batril. I requested a urine culture (not cheap!) but didn't want to have to keep "experimenting" with antibiotics and putting him through having to take pills, etc, and when the culture came back the Baytril would never have worked! So he went through another 14 days of a different antibiotic and just finished last night. He will go in for another urine test in a week to see if that fixed the problem. I hope so because there are only two other antibiotics that work for his particular bacteria, and neither are ones my Vet likes to use because of issues they cause

 

[amandag1]

Please consider another vet....this doesnt sound okay at all. Sorry.