Sub-q Fluids / Ckd ... Please Help Me

[sjoh197]

I have been giving my cat sub-q fluids for almost 2 weeks now. Twice this week, I have caused him to bleed. The first time he actually bled what I consider a lot. Tonight he began to bleed, but I caught it right away. I feel terrible and don't understand what im doing wrong.

Im already really squeamish with this process and am having a hard time getting the needle in to begin with because his skin is so droopy. Thinking that I'm hurting him just gives me way more anxiety and makes it even harder to get the needle in.

Both times that he bled he made more of a fuss than usual and nipped at me a bit.

If you have any helpful suggestions or advice, please let me know. I wasnt sure if I should bother my vet about It, but I need to call them anyways since it seems like basil might be at the end of going blind

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't have direct experience but wanted to send you all my best wishes and love.
maybe the post in this thread will help;
Sub-q Question

 

[Jem]

Hi, sjoh197 , this was a post I put up in another thread, so I thought you might like to take a peek at it. If you need clarification on anything I wrote please do not hesitate to ask.

Please don't be afraid of hurting him. For the most part, cats aren't bothered by needles. Don't worry either, you're not alone, I was so terrified, I almost thew up and shook really bad at first. It's awful to think you need to jab your kitty with a needle. I get it.
Some things to keep in mind though, that might make him squirm that has nothing to do with your technique...
Choose a place where he is comfortable and will want to lay down quietly. I was told that the more you try to hold them down the more they stress and try to get away. Do you have someone who can help you? A second set of hands can be very helpful in keeping kitty distracted. Wait until he is comfy, pet him a bit, before you put the needle in.
Was the fluid too cold? Make sure the fluid is slightly above room temperature. You can place the bag in some warm water for a few minutes before hand, or place a warm wet towel (wet towel, and put in microwave for 10 second increments until nice and warm) then place it over or put the bag on, it to warm the fluids a bit. The closer to body temperature the fluids, the less the shock to your cat.

When I go to insert the needle, I make sure to pull up as much slack as I can. I then make a dent in the skin I pulled up. Eventually, my thumb and middle finger are keeping the slack up while my index finger is keeping the dent in place. Right under my index, in the center of the dent, is where I quickly, and firmly (try not to hesitate) stick the needle. Having the dent there really helps with my aim, to go in straight.
Sometimes, if you go too slow, they will feel it more. And if you don't have a quick straight aim, you could potentially scrape the skin (cut them) before it goes in. (and YES, I've done it!)
As soon as the needle in in place, turn on the flow and start loving on your cat. Ours stays the most distracted if I vigorously scratch his chin, it's his favorite.
Not sure where your cat is health wise, but CKD cats tend to loos a lot of weight, as mine has. So he has a lot of excess skin. Because of this it can happen that the needle will actually "go thru". You'll know if this happens if you see the fluid streaming down. If this happens, just stop the flow and pull back the skin away from the needle point area, while holding the needle in place so it does not move. I've started doing this before I even turn on the fluid just to be on the safe side. (Because YES, I've done that too!) So I just make sure the skin is flat and there are no folds in it.
Sometimes you may also notice the the flow is not moving well or at all. It is usually because the needle point is pressed up against some tissue, stopping the flow. Simply pull back the needle a bit (don't pull it out) and slightly angle it over one way or the other. Better to do this than have to re-insert it again IMO.