Sq Injection (antibiotics) At Home Advice

[solomonar]

I must give a Sub-cutaneous injection to my cat at home. Got vet advise and watched youtube.

Question is whether incidents may occur and how to deal with them.

Any advise/tip highly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[abyeb]

What do you mean by incidents?

Some cat owners find giving sub-q injections easier than giving pills. It’s easiest to give when your cat is distracted, such as when eating.

 

[white shadow]

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Hi solomonar !

There is a most reliable website that covers every aspect of sub-q fluid administration that's known to 'man' : Tanya's Comprehensive...(oracle) - Subcutaneous Fluids Tips

Keep us posted !
.

 

[solomonar]

abyeb

I am thinking to risks such as: perforating fat layer, blood vessels damage, chemical shocks or alike.

 

[solomonar]

white shadow

That web-site is to study. Really. Thank you a lot!

For the time being I gave a pill to my cat instead of injection. But I would be very happy to inject him instead of making him swallowing chemicals of doubtful impact on digestive system.

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There is an urinary tract infection, I am already in the 12th day of treatment. My vet took few days off and during WE is difficult to find someone to inject a cat.

I have been told that the legislation bans the vet to indicate which antibiotic he/she uses. I doubt, because I could not find the legal provision of this interdiction.

 

[abyeb]

abyeb

I am thinking to risks such as: perforating fat layer, blood vessels damage, chemical shocks or alike.

The website that White Shadow linked you toward is a great resource. As long as you follow the instructions from your vet and that guide, everything should go smoothly. Of course, if you have any concerns, you should call and check with a vet.

 

[silkenpaw]

The most common problem I have experienced is going through the skin and out again so the fluid squirts all over the cat instead of SQ. It can really freak you out but it’s harmless. Just pull out, change needles and try again.

I always use the largest needle I can get my hands on, 16 or 14 gauge. The fluid will go in faster and your cat doesn’t need to be restrained for so long. I leave the fluid at room temperature. Fluid from the fridge feels unpleasant going in.

I’ve never worried about blood vessel damage, they tend to roll out of your way, but if you are worried, then place the needle using a syringe and pull back on the plunger to make sure you are not in a vein. (Arteries are really hard to hit, I wouldn’t worry about that). If you get blood back, just reposition the needle by pulling back a few mm and going back in at a different angle. There are no large vessels in the subcutaneous fat layer, so you don’t need to worry about a lot of bleeding.

The fluids you are giving are isotonic so there is no need to worry about chemical burns. Just make sure the bag says NS (normal saline) or LR (lactated Ringer’s). Those are the most commonly given fluids. Don’t add anything to the bag, please.

I try to be as sterile as possible. I leave the old needle on the bag after I give the fluids and change to a sterile needle just before I give them again. I clean any part of the IV setup I’ve touched with 70% rubbing alcohol. I don’t clean the cat’s skin, I think that’s impossible to get clean unless you shave it, and alcohol stings if any is left on the skin when you pierce it with the needle.

If you have any concerns I haven’t covered here, let me know. Good luck with giving your cat fluids, it will make him feel a lot better.

 

[solomonar]

silkenpaw
Thank you for the comprehensive risks-list and suggested precautions!
I got the antibiotics already mixed with saline solution, in a syringe, being advised to keep it at the room temperature. Since this is for 4 days, I worry a bit about chemical transformation.

In humans the antibiotic is mixed with saline solution right before the injection and antibiotics injection is normally intramuscular.

 

[Stinky15]

I only manged to give my cat Sub-Q fluids once and it was a real struggle getting him to be still. Next time I tried he wasn't going to have anything to do with it. It traumatized him severely. My advice is to do it in an area of the house he doesn't normally go or you don't want him in just in case it is traumatic. It's taken almost a month for him to get back to where he will stay in the house some.

 

[solomonar]

Stinky15

Where in the cat's body did you give it?

 

[silkenpaw]

I think the antibiotics that need to be given IM (intramuscular) are given that way because the rate of absorption is slower, so they last longer. For other antibiotics I guess it doesn't matter. Some antibiotics are stable at room temperature, others are not. Some cannot be put in the refrigerator.

What is the name of the antibiotic you are giving your cat? What is it for?

Oh, and I always give fluids in the back of the neck. Injections, I try to distribute in different places of the body where there is a good fat layer, mostly on the flank.

 

[solomonar]

According to an (unknown) law, vets are not allowed here to tell the name of the antibiotic. Mine is in blank syringes.

 

[Stinky15]

Stinky15

Where in the cat's body did you give it?

Above the shoulders on the nape pf the neck. It was just one step to far for him what with getting liquid antibiotics and appetite stimulator. I was as traumatized as he was. I still think it would be a good idea to do any medicating in an unused area.

 

[silkenpaw]

vets are not allowed here to tell the name of the antibiotic.

How strange! What is the infection it's for?

 

[solomonar]

silkenpaw
Low tract urinary infection.