How I Give Forest Subcutaneous Fluids
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 เม.ย. 2023
- Since learning that Forest is showing some signs of reduced kidney function a few months ago, I've been giving her fluids a few times a week. It's surprisingly easy to do, thanks to cats' loose skin. If you saw our recent video on pilling a cat, you'll know that Forest isn't the kind of cat to lie back and accept anything, so her calmness in receiving fluids says a lot about how noninvasive and comfortable this can be.
Learn more about how to give a cat subcutaneous fluids here:
cats.com/how-to-give-subcutan...
Watch my full video on Forest's kidney disease diagnosis here: • How I Found Out Forest...
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Due to apparent kidney issues, Forest gets fluids under her skin 2-3 times a week to help her stay hydrated and feeling her best. Not every cat needs additional fluids, but for those dealing with dehydration, this is a surprisingly easy way to help them feel better at home. Here's how we do it.
One thing I wanted to mention, because it was partially involved with the death of my cat. If your cat is at all suspected of having heart issues (e.g. heart murmurs), you may want to get an electrocardiogram before considering fluid therapy. My cat had undiagnosed heart disease, and wound up essentially drowning in fluids that seeped into his lungs because his heart wasn't strong enough to pump the water out of his system. And that wasn't the worst of it; the water significantly raised his blood pressure and caused a retinal detachment, which wound up blinding him. The emergency vets also wound up overshooting the blood pressure dose, which led to an embolism that paralyzed his legs. Subcutaneous fluids may sound innocuous and safe, but they can actually be dangerous in conjunction with other physical problems. Be as vigilant as you can if your cat is on them. If you notice your cat facing a wall, or bumping into things, it may be a sign that they've lost their vision due to high blood pressure, and you will have limited time to get them diagnosed in time to potentially save their vision/life. I hope this helps someone avoid the heartbreak that we experienced.
:( I'm really sorry that happened to you, and thank you for sharing this warning.
Wow I am so sorry... but thank you very much for sharing this information with us
How many ml was the cat given?
I've gotta give you huge props here Mallory. My 18 year old cat always managed to kick her way out while I tried doing this, haha. She was always very strong :) By the looks of it, you could probably do this one handed!
I've tried this many times with cats and dogs and u make it look so easy.
My sweet Sandwich kitty was diagnosed with stage 4 last week. I’ve been giving him subq’s. Your stuff is so helpful, thank you. The only thing I want to mention is do you check the line for air bubbles? I was told it’s important to first run the fluid through the needle for a minute and make sure any air bubbles get flushed out before inserting into kitty. There are usually smaller air bubbles that don’t move but the big ones can cause an embolism.
good life and fortune to You and Your precious Feline
Pro tip for warming. Use a Tupperware-style spaghetti storage container. Put in the bag and hot water. It covers the entire bag .
I might have to do this to my "spicy" cat, so im trying antibiotics first...
thanks a lot!
Doesn't the tent need to be behind the shoulder blades? Please let people know where to inject!
Just between the shoulder blades, roughly, but the main point is not so much the proximity to the shoulder blades or any other body part; the idea is to get a spot that has a lot of loose skin. I know some people inject by the hips instead. This isn't really meant to be a complete instructional guide, just a quick demonstration of how I, personally, do this. For more information, you can read a vet-written guide here: cats.com/how-to-give-subcutaneous-fluids-to-a-cat
@Cats Thank you. I always learn SO MUCH from your channel. We all need you and all the kitties need you ❤️
Our vet showed us four places to tent the skin in addition to between the shoulder blades. Recommended rotating.
How do you prevent the needle from poking though the other side?
Carefully making a tent with very loose skin will usually create enough space that the needle can go in and under the skin without coming out the other side.
So me and my partner tried this with our baby at home for the first time and just noticed the liquid wasnt flowing down the line a lot of the time. It took us way longer than it probably shouldve due to this, but we managed to get her the prescribed 100 today.
Do you have advice for when the liquid isnt moving down the line?
Are you sure that the line was totally open? There are multiple clips and squeeze points, and they all need to be open. You need to make sure that the bag is a few feet above you and the line is not crimped at any point. I find that squeezing the bag a little can help at times as well.
^ this, or sometimes the needle can get clogged within the skin. Usually rotating (twisting) the needle a bit can help it flow again
Generally, what can happen to cats that makes this necessary?
Kidney issues where toxins aren't flushed from the system so the fluids help. Also bowel issues and diarrhea leading to dehydration
My cat never drinks water. I have to give it to him in his bowl in every feeding. Will this result in dehydration when he's older? He won't even drink water after a rough playing
UPDATE: he drinks from a bowl. He does not like the fountain so we change his water every feeding. He also doesnt mind that it's near his food bowl
Do you have a cat water fountain ? All of ours cat will drink water from a fountain. They wont touch still water from a bowl .
@@Sox-wp9lo I had two. One was near his bowl to make it seem more his, but he didn't touch it. The other cat did, but not him
Of note... cats don't like to drink water if it's beside their food... so try moving the water bowl to another spot.
This doesn't even explain how to release the fluids.