Giving Fluids

[trishc59]

Has anyone had to give their cats fluids at home. My girl Patina will be 16 this May, just had her in for a wellness check everything looked fine except her kidney numbers were a little on the low side. My Vet is going show me how to give her fluids as home to help bring her numbers back up. I am so nervous about having the give her a needle and administer fluids, I don't want to hurt her or have her be scared of me, I love her so much. Aside from this for her age she is doing really well she still loves to play and is jumping around to wherever she wants to be in the house.
I was just curious if anyone else has had this experience with their fur babies. I just want to be sure she has the best quality of life.

 

[Mr. Meow]

I did while my boy Pinky had cancer. Giving fluids is one of those things, in my opinion, that you can't really prepare for. You're going to have those questions, those doubts, those worries. But trust me, you'll both be just fine. Once you've done it a few times, all your worries will go away and it'll be a pretty easy task.
The important things to remember when giving fluids are to insert the needle at the correct angle (to the left or right too much and you'll just go in the skin and right out the other side, too deep of an angle and you could hit important parts of the body). I still find the "tent" method the easiest. You just lift the skin on the back of the scruff and insert the needle in the little tent it makes.
Also make sure you have the bag up high enough and that you keep her nice and calm during this. Bring treats or snacks to help her stay still, or try to wear her out before giving her fluids.

 

[trishc59]

I did while my boy Pinky had cancer. Giving fluids is one of those things, in my opinion, that you can't really prepare for. You're going to have those questions, those doubts, those worries. But trust me, you'll both be just fine. Once you've done it a few times, all your worries will go away and it'll be a pretty easy task.
The important things to remember when giving fluids are to insert the needle at the correct angle (to the left or right too much and you'll just go in the skin and right out the other side, too deep of an angle and you could hit important parts of the body). I still find the "tent" method the easiest. You just lift the skin on the back of the scruff and insert the needle in the little tent it makes.
Also make sure you have the bag up high enough and that you keep her nice and calm during this. Bring treats or snacks to help her stay still, or try to wear her out before giving her fluids.

Thank you so much, yes I am completely freaked out about this right now, hopping once I do it a couple of times I will get calmer about it. Thankfully my Patina is a sweetie so I hope she will work with me on this. Thank you again.

 

[Mr. Meow]

Thank you so much, yes I am completely freaked out about this right now, hopping once I do it a couple of times I will get calmer about it. Thankfully my Patina is a sweetie so I hope she will work with me on this. Thank you again.

Keep us posted and let us know if you have any other questions

 

[kittenmittens84]

I haven’t had to give fluids, but I did have to give my cat subcutaneous injections daily for 2 months. Before the first one I was similarly terrified - that’s a normal reaction, it’s scary to poke your cat with a needle!
My top tip would be to just remember you will get much better at it after you’ve done it once or twice, and you’ll be a lot more confident too. It doesn’t require a lot of technical skills, it’s mostly scary because you can’t really practice until you do it for real on your cat. Your cat will also be able to feel when you’re stressed out about it, so if she’s freaked out the first time she’ll probably be calmer once you feel calmer.
Seconding the suggestion for the “tent” method, there are some good YouTube videos on it. If you put the needle in parallel to the cat’s body through what would be the door in the “tent”, it’s easy to get it in the right place. Giving her a treat that takes a bit to eat is a good distraction while you’re giving the fluids. My cat likes churu squeeze treats, sometimes for his shots I’d spread the treat goo on a plate or a placemat so that he had to spend some time licking it all up.

 

[fionasmom]

I have given fluids to a lot of animals and am currently doing so for my GSD. There are good videos on YouTube that can give you visuals about what to do. Mr. Meow is correct about making the "tent" and hanging the bag up high. I have placed those 3M removeable hangers all over the house where the dog lays down so that I can just go to where he is comfortable and administer them.

Watch the vet very carefully and ask questions about any part that you are not comfortable with. It is not hard but can be unnerving at first. Prepare yourself for the needle is going to be large but if it is inserted correctly which is under the skin and not into the muscle, it appears to be painless.

In my experience, my dogs have all tolerated it very well at home but a couple of cats, I'm looking at you Jamie, had to go to the vet for the fluids which is usually an option and a quite inexpensive one. If your cat is not upset by going to the vet, meaning the carrier and car ride, this is a popular choice.

If you end up with a lump under the skin when you are done, it means that the solution is pooled there, but it will be reabsorbed by the body.

 

[LTS3]

There are subq fluid tips here:

Subcutaneous Fluids – IBDKitties

www.ibdkitties.net

Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Fluid Therapy

Insert the needle bevel side up into the skin. It'll go in easier that way. Ignore the vein in the image below.

 

[trishc59]

Thank you so much for you responses, my Patina is a good patient she sits stills even though I know she isn't very happy with this process I just want to do whatever I can to give her the best quality of life. Patina is turning 16 and looks good she talkative, and moves around very good, I am so thankful for her and and sweetness. I am going to look online to see if I can purchase the supplies the IV Fluids, the line and needles as getting them from the vet is becoming very costly. I am just want to take a moment to say how wonderful this site is to be able to come here and share concerns and have you answer is such a help. Sometimes just to know you are not the only one going through different things on our fur babies journey. thank you again. I pray for healthy and happy kitty's and their owners.