Giving Our Baby Greta Subcutaneous Fluids - It's Scary

[homoki2002]

Our 12 or 13 yr. old. little Greta was diagnosed with just minor kidney issues and the vet suggested we give her subcutaneous fluids at home twice a week. They showed us how to do it; it looks doable but really scares me. We go back next week for another lesson and then will do it at home. We'll do anything for our little girl, including this, but it's sure scary. Anyone got any tips for this? She also seems to sit under the footrest of the couch a lot instead of roaming around. I don't know if it's because she's afraid every time we go near her she's going to the vet or her arthritis. - Signed Worried Cat Mom

 

[LTS3]

Here is general info on treating kidney disease, including how to give fluids: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

Additional info on giving fluids can be found in this web site: Subcutaneous Fluids – IBDKitties

Members who have given fluids to their cat's before will be along with tips. @artiemom

 

[Stinky15]

Our 12 or 13 yr. old. little Greta was diagnosed with just minor kidney issues and the vet suggested we give her subcutaneous fluids at home twice a week. They showed us how to do it; it looks doable but really scares me. We go back next week for another lesson and then will do it at home. We'll do anything for our little girl, including this, but it's sure scary. Anyone got any tips for this? She also seems to sit under the footrest of the couch a lot instead of roaming around. I don't know if it's because she's afraid every time we go near her she's going to the vet or her arthritis. - Signed Worried Cat Mom

I was supposed to give subq fluids to my cat every day. I managed to do it one day and after that he was too freaked out about it. My advice is:
1. Do it some place you don't mind if she avoids it. It may become a place she wants to avoid because of the experience.
2. I gave up after trying the 2nd. dose because I didn't know about wrapping in a towel (burrito) or I would have tried that.
Of course my cat was already pretty leary of anything because of all the pills I was giving him that made him feel bad. My cat is just now after 3-4 mos. feeling comfortable in my lap in the recliner which is the place I tried to give him the Sub Q fluids. There are lots of youtube videos. Best of luck! Yhe only training I got was watching the Vet assistant once!

 

[kittypa]

We give our old girl (16) fluids most every night. I'll echo what Stinky15 says about doing it in a place that is not a regular comfort place. Or kitty started missing her usual lap time because we were treating her where we all like to hang out. As a result she quit hanging out with us there. We started doing it in the bedroom instead and now she hangs out with us in the evening again.

A problem for me turned out to be needle size. They started me out with size 18 needles which are kind of big. The poor girl cried every time I poked her and she started fighting it. I blamed myself for not being very good at it. I hated hurting her. I finally asked if there were smaller needles we could try so they gave me some size 21 which are a lot smaller. They go in a lot easier and don't hurt her nearly as much. A 20 is good too. The smaller needle does take longer to deliver the treatment, but she is much more comfortable.

EDIT: From one of the above links.
• The smaller the gauge of the needle, the more comfortable it is for your cat especially at insertion. Most vets use Monoject 18g needles to administer subq fluids because the process, even with 100-200 mls of fluids, goes quickly. However, for administering subq fluids at home, it is much better to go with a smaller gauge needle like 20-21g. It will take slightly longer but will be more comfortable for the cat and if fluids are going to be given long term, will result in less scar tissue accumulating.

I wish you and your kitty the best. This is something you have to do so give it your best shot.

 

[homoki2002]

I was supposed to give subq fluids to my cat every day. I managed to do it one day and after that he was too freaked out about it. My advice is:
1. Do it some place you don't mind if she avoids it. It may become a place she wants to avoid because of the experience.
2. I gave up after trying the 2nd. dose because I didn't know about wrapping in a towel (burrito) or I would have tried that.
Of course my cat was already pretty leary of anything because of all the pills I was giving him that made him feel bad. My cat is just now after 3-4 mos. feeling comfortable in my lap in the recliner which is the place I tried to give him the Sub Q fluids. There are lots of youtube videos. Best of luck! Yhe only training I got was watching the Vet assistant once!

I wondered about that. That she would have bad feelings about the place we did it. The vet has the big metal table of course. I have a plastic table I'm thinking of using just for that. Putting a soft blanket down on it and giving some treats while we're doing it. Thanks so much for info!

 

[homoki2002]

We give our old girl (16) fluids most every night. I'll echo what Stinky15 says about doing it in a place that is not a regular comfort place. Or kitty started missing her usual lap time because we were treating her where we all like to hang out. As a result she quit hanging out with us there. We started doing it in the bedroom instead and now she hangs out with us in the evening again.

A problem for me turned out to be needle size. They started me out with size 18 needles which are kind of big. The poor girl cried every time I poked her and she started fighting it. I blamed myself for not being very good at it. I hated hurting her. I finally asked if there were smaller needles we could try so they gave me some size 21 which are a lot smaller. They go in a lot easier and don't hurt her nearly as much. A 20 is good too. The smaller needle does take longer to deliver the treatment, but she is much more comfortable.

EDIT: From one of the above links.
• The smaller the gauge of the needle, the more comfortable it is for your cat especially at insertion. Most vets use Monoject 18g needles to administer subq fluids because the process, even with 100-200 mls of fluids, goes quickly. However, for administering subq fluids at home, it is much better to go with a smaller gauge needle like 20-21g. It will take slightly longer but will be more comfortable for the cat and if fluids are going to be given long term, will result in less scar tissue accumulating.

I wish you and your kitty the best. This is something you have to do so give it your best shot.

Really appreciate info about needle size. I think our vet said she uses an 18. I'll be sure to ask for a couple smaller ones. They told us the smaller needles would go slower but I like your advice that maybe for home that would work better. Will let you know!

 

[Jem]

I've been giving my CKD cat fluids for over a year now, I'm not sure if this will help you but I'll just tell you what I do.
First, if you have someone who can help you, it will be much better. Someone to lightly hold and pet your cat as distraction, really helps keep them still and calm. If your cat is the affectionate type that is.
One thing my vet mentioned to me is the harder you try to hold them the more they try to escape, so I sit on the floor, with a pillow in front of me and we put Toby on the pillow. He always has to be touching us so we let him place his front paws over my leg, with the rest of his body on the pillow. We pet and calm him a bit first.
I then grab his skin and pull up as much slack as I can. I then crate a "dent" or "pocket" in the middle of the scruff. So eventually the way my hand is holding the skin is, thumb and middle fingers are holding skin up, with my index keeping the dent in place.
That is where either myself (if I'm alone) or my husband (helper) quickly and firmly (try not to hesitate) put the needle. My Toby is very thin and has a lot of loose skin, so sometimes, (and the vet even said that is does happen) the needle can go "thru" and come out the other side. When you turn on the flow, you'll see the the fluid streaming out. Just close it off and try again. One thing I have taken to doing to prevent this from happening, is once I've inserted the needle, I gently pull back and flatten the skin away from the needle point, without moving the needle, just to be sure there is no "fold" where the needle came out the other side.
Then turn on the flow of fluid, I find that chin scratching was the best method of keeping Toby calm.
Try to make sure that the fluid is slightly above room temperature. If the fluid is too cold, it is very uncomfortable. You can place the bag of fluid in warm water for a few minutes, or place a WET warmed towel, that you warmed in the microwave over the bag also.
To help free up hands and aide in the flow of the fluid, we hang ours on a coat rack, like how an IV bag in hospital looks. And it's still portable.
I've also made him bleed a few times along the way, usually if the needle sort of scraped him a bit before going in. That is why a firm quick smooth movement is important, and the dent or pocket is really helpful for proper aim. He also bled once because my husband tripped and yanked it out during the process. It bled quite a bit that time, and it was almost like a cartoon out of control fire hose, saline was spraying all over!!! So a smooth, quick and even removal of the needle is important also. And make sure it's off too!!

One more thing, if you find the flow is very slow or not moving, just pull back the needle (do not remove it) and shift it ever so slightly, it could be that the needle is simply pressed up against some tissue, blocking proper flow.

I hope this helps you, and eases you mind a bit. I find it best to know what can go wrong, and KNOW that you are not a horrible care giver if these little mishaps happen.
Feel free to ask me anything, I may have forgotten some tips in this reply that I've learned along the way.

 

[homoki2002]

I've been giving my CKD cat fluids for over a year now, I'm not sure if this will help you but I'll just tell you what I do.
First, if you have someone who can help you, it will be much better. Someone to lightly hold and pet your cat as distraction, really helps keep them still and calm. If your cat is the affectionate type that is.
One thing my vet mentioned to me is the harder you try to hold them the more they try to escape, so I sit on the floor, with a pillow in front of me and we put Toby on the pillow. He always has to be touching us so we let him place his front paws over my leg, with the rest of his body on the pillow. We pet and calm him a bit first.
I then grab his skin and pull up as much slack as I can. I then crate a "dent" or "pocket" in the middle of the scruff. So eventually the way my hand is holding the skin is, thumb and middle fingers are holding skin up, with my index keeping the dent in place.
That is where either myself (if I'm alone) or my husband (helper) quickly and firmly (try not to hesitate) put the needle. My Toby is very thin and has a lot of loose skin, so sometimes, (and the vet even said that is does happen) the needle can go "thru" and come out the other side. When you turn on the flow, you'll see the the fluid streaming out. Just close it off and try again. One thing I have taken to doing to prevent this from happening, is once I've inserted the needle, I gently pull back and flatten the skin away from the needle point, without moving the needle, just to be sure there is no "fold" where the needle came out the other side.
Then turn on the flow of fluid, I find that chin scratching was the best method of keeping Toby calm.
Try to make sure that the fluid is slightly above room temperature. If the fluid is too cold, it is very uncomfortable. You can place the bag of fluid in warm water for a few minutes, or place a WET warmed towel, that you warmed in the microwave over the bag also.
To help free up hands and aide in the flow of the fluid, we hang ours on a coat rack, like how an IV bag in hospital looks. And it's still portable.
I've also made him bleed a few times along the way, usually if the needle sort of scraped him a bit before going in. That is why a firm quick smooth movement is important, and the dent or pocket is really helpful for proper aim. He also bled once because my husband tripped and yanked it out during the process. It bled quite a bit that time, and it was almost like a cartoon out of control fire hose, saline was spraying all over!!! So a smooth, quick and even removal of the needle is important also. And make sure it's off too!!

One more thing, if you find the flow is very slow or not moving, just pull back the needle (do not remove it) and shift it ever so slightly, it could be that the needle is simply pressed up against some tissue, blocking proper flow.

I hope this helps you, and eases you mind a bit. I find it best to know what can go wrong, and KNOW that you are not a horrible care giver if these little mishaps happen.
Feel free to ask me anything, I may have forgotten some tips in this reply that I've learned along the way.

I really really appreciate the info! Makes me feel more positive about being able to do this and knowing there might be a few bumps in the road.d We go to the vet tomorrow for another lesson; I'm going to do the actual needle but with the vet giving instructions. The things you mention are the kinds of things the don't mention at the vet! So I really appreciate your help. Cross your fingers for us tomorrow.

 

[kittypa]

Like Jem mentioned above, I always have my wife holding Checkers when we do the treatment. I don’t know what I would do if I had to do it myself.

I also did that needle in and out the other side thing once.

 

[Jem]

I'm sure you'll do fine, but because you asked....

 

[homoki2002]

I'm sure you'll do fine, but because you asked....

Thanks so much for the vote of confidence. Reading about all the other folks who have done this really helps!

 

[homoki2002]

I'm sure you'll do fine, but because you asked....

Thanks to all the encouragement I got from various posts I was able to do the subq with the vet standing next to me to be sure I was doing it right! Now comes the big, test - doing it at home alone for the first time in a couple days. Having this site to go to for help made a big wonderful difference! Thanks and more thanks!

 

[homoki2002]

Thanks to all the encouragement I got from various posts I was able to do the subq with the vet standing next to me to be sure I was doing it right! Now comes the big, test - doing it at home alone for the first time in a couple days. Having this site to go to for help made a big wonderful difference! Thanks and more thanks!

Did my first subq at home and I did it without freaking out! We put Greta on a little stand by the window and put some food on a plate. I think she figured she was headed for the vet so wasn't too happy but settled down after we got going and was fine when we were done! Couldn't have done it without the advice from the folks on the Catsite!

 

[Jem]