Subq Fluids - Questions

Cat Grrl

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Hello all you lovely cat lovers. I am feeling depressed since my vet told me my 16 yo girl is in early kidney disease. I have managed (with husband’s help) to inject 60 ml of subq fluids every 3 days. This has really helped with her constipation. She now deficates with larger stools and does not have much trouble doing it. This kitty will not eat wet food and has never eaten it, since she was 2 months old. I adopted her from a shelter. The vet said this is part of her problem. She does not get enough moisture and her kidneys are more inefficient. With the subq fluids, she is playing again and exploring the house, plus bossing us around, as usual.

I have been injecting the needle in 3 different places - centre scruff and loose skin to the right and left of the scruff. Am I correct in thinking I should not inject in the same place every 3 days?

How do I know when to get new 60 ml syringes and the line from the subq bag to the syringes (i.e. when do they get dirty)?

My vets’ office told me they will not take used needles back, even though they provided them. I called one other vet’s office and they would accept used needles, even though I am not a customer!! How do you guys deal with this? We have safe needle disposal sites in parks and in other areas of downtown, should I use those?

My depression comes when I hear her cry when I inject her, though she is as good as gold. We give her mega amounts of treats after and lots of loving. I feel like I have a ”broken” kitty. I am a senior myself and do understand health issues. It is difficult for me to do this, though I am not as nervous as I was at the beginning.

You guys do so much for your cats. I feel you understand and have wisdom. She is the love of our lives and means so much to us.

Hope you have some insight. Thanks so much
 

Kieka

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Give it time and it will get more comfortable. Needles and injections are never fun but there is a point where it's less of a cringe. I would take the needles to a safe disposal site at a doctor, hospital or park in your area. Wherever it is that you typically see them.
 

artiemom

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When I was giving Artie daily sub-q’s;
I would pull up the scruff, insert needle parallel to his body in the scruff. Occasionally, I would vary—off to the side, just a tiny bit.

Warming the bag helped a ton. I got a 4 quart pot, put the bag in it, filled it with hot tap water— soaking for about 5 minutes.

I made sure the port and line were not getting wet.

Before injecting the fluids, I ran the cold line lactated ringers out, into the sink. Think of getting cold fluids in an — brrr. My guy seemed to notice the difference.

Re: needles. I changed them daily. Expensive, but needles do get dull— fast. Dull needles seem to hurt. And are harder to insert due to the fullness.

Also, I worked in a hospital, so I was concerned about sterility.

The line I threw out with each bag. A new bag, a new line.

What gauge needles are you using? The vets usually supply 18 gauge needles. I called these things, “harpoons “. The fluids go in faster, but the initial jab hurts more. Think of getting your blood drawn.

I ordered ultra thin needles. I think I used 20 gauge. The higher the number the thinner the diameter.

Sorry, I forgot which website I ordered from.

The best were Terumo, but they stopped manufacturing them.

These are all things I had to find out in my own.

I hope they helP you. At least a bit.

I also waited until he was relaxed to do the. While he was running himself on his cat tree, on his quilt, on my bed.

I put up the Scotch pull off hooks, in all his favorite spots. I also used a wire coat hanger to
Hang the bag, off the curtain rod and when not in use. I had hooks everywhere.

I had to give 50cc of fluids daily. The bag would last a week or so. I was ordering LR by the case.

Sensuous ((()Hugs)))))

:vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:

Good luck.
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Oh. Forgot to add , that I disposed of the needles at the Police Station. I put them in a Clorox wipes container.
 
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Cat Grrl

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Hi: Thanks for your great advice and understanding. I am using 20 guage needles. The vet tech showed me a little bit different way to administer fluids. I have a 60 ml syringe that I fill from a large 1000 ml bag of fluidsI then attach the line to the syringe and plunge the filled syringe down forcing the saline through the line into her skin. It takes about 2-3 minutes so you don’t have any squirming. I will investigate safe disposal sites for the needles.
 

kittenmittens84

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You can purchase a sharps container at a drugstore like CVS or Walgreens for $3-4, or if you don’t want to do that you can use a thick plastic container like a Tide detergent bottle. Milk jugs aren’t good, the plastic is too thin. As for how to get rid of them, I’d suggest googling “sharps disposal [your city/town/county]”, a lot of local governments will have info about how to dispose of needles. Some places might have drop boxes at firehouses or clinics, where I live the city also allows you to fill the container with a bleach solution, leave it for a few days, write “biohazard - do not recycle” on the outside, duct tape the lid shut, and throw it out with the regular trash.
 

fionasmom

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I have had to do sub Q often, dogs and cats, and want to commend you on being there for your girl, and for her cooperation. It can help a great deal with the overall prognosis. I did absolutely everything the same way that artiemom artiemom did, so I won't repeat it as you read it once. My vet took needles back, but others have told you how to dispose of them.
 

angels mommy

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I had to give my first kitty, Angel fluids when he has cystitis a couple of times, to help flush out the bladder. All of the advice the ladies here has given is great. Especially artimom. They also gave me 18 gauge, & wish I had known back then to ask for smaller. My poor guy, I hated doing that to him, but he was a good boy.
A friend of mine who worked at a vet hospital for 15 yrs, goes & gives fluids to a cat twice a wk for kidney failure as well. He's been doing it for over a year now, so its really helped too. I wish you all the best, & you have definitely found the right place for advice & support. I have been on this site for 8 yrs now this month, & am always referring people, especially new kitty parents to it. I've learned so much here, & gained friends too! :)
 
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