Angelcare Animal Hospital
262-886-3337
The following are instructions for administering fluids to your pet. Please read this page carefully. Please fee free to ask any questions that you may have.
Administer ______cc's of fluid each time. Give fluids every ______.
Recheck in _________ days.
Part 1: Preparing the Venoset
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Step 1: Ensure that the wheel of the venoset valve is turned completely down (closed). Step 2: Examine your bag of fluids. Gently squeeze the bag to check for pinhole leaks. See if the fluids are cloudy. If you find either of these things discard the bag as it may be contaminated. If your bag is good, proceed by removing the plastic tab from the port of the bag by grasping and pulling it straight off.
Step 3: Remove the protective cap from the piercing end of the venoset by pulling it straight off. To preserve sterility, do not touch the exposed tip. Step 4: Grasp the drip chamber so that the thumb and index fingers are resting against the tabs. Center the piercing end of the venoset in the port and push it in using a slight twisting motion. Continue pushing until the piercing end is completely inside the bag.
Step 5: Using the plastic loop on the bag, hang the bag. Step 6: Fill the drip chamber with fluid by squeezing the chamber. Repeatedly squeeze until the chamber is half full. If you overfill the chamber, invert the bag and squeeze fluid back into the bag. Step 7: Remove the protective cap from the needle end of the venoset. Do not touch the exposed end. Open the valve by pushing the wheel up. Let fluid run through the tubing until all air is removed. Turn valve off. Step 8: Pick up a new needle and remove the protective covering from the hub by twisting. Do not touch the exposed hub.
Step 9: Attach the hub of the needle to the needle end of the venoset by gently twisting it on. The venoset is now ready for you to give fluids to your pet. |
Part II: Administering the Fluids to your Pet
NOTE: Warm fluids first by immersing the bag only (make sure the port stays above the water) in a pan or pitcher of hot water for 5-10 minutes. Fluids should be lukewarm. Test the fluids on your forearm as you would for a baby before administering them to your pet.
Step
1: Hang fluid bag over a door, door knob or shower rod. Suggestion:
use an "S" hook fashioned out of a wire coat hanger and hook over a door. Place
pet on counter or sit on floor with pet in you lap. A variation is to have one
person hold (and later squeeze to make the deliver of fluids faster) the bag while
the other controls the pet and needle. (With practice and a patient pet this can
be done solo.)
Step 2: Make sure your pet is comfortable. Make this a pleasurable experience by giving extra attention or favorite treats.
Step 3: Remove the cap from the needle by grasping the hub in one hand, the cap in the other and pulling your hands straight apart. Caution: as you pull, keep your hands separated to avoid stabbing yourself with the exposed needle. This would not only be painful-it would also contaminate the needle! Set the cap aside.
Step 4: With your free hand, lift the skin between the shoulder blades, forming a tent. With a free finger of the needle holding hand, say the ring or middle finger, push in on the skin near the shoulders to form a pocket. This is where the needle will be inserted.
Step 5: Insert the needle with a quick, steady movement, keeping the bevel of the needle up. Open the valve (wheel up). Release the skin between the shoulders. You may have to adjust the position of the needle to get a steady flow of fluids. Make sure the needle did not poke out the other side of the skin tent when you were inserting it, and fluids are leaking on the floor.
Step 6: While administering fluids you may find it necessary to redirect to the point of the needle a few times to make several "lumps" of fluid under the skin -- e.g. deliver half the fluids over the right shoulder and half over the left. You do not have to take the needle out of the skin to redirect it. In pets that have lost significant weight or pets that have been receiving subcutaneous fluids for some time, this may not be necessary.
Step 7: When the required amount of fluids has been administered, turn the valve off and pull the needle out in a quick, smooth movement. Recap the needle. Some fluid, perhaps pink-tinged, may leak out of the injection site. This is normal. Pinch the area where the needle was between your thumb and index finger for a few seconds to close the site.
Step 8: Your pet may now resume her daily routine. The fluids will be slowly absorbed over the course of several hours. The bolus of fluids might slide down your pet's shoulders into her legs or under her chest. While this looks odd, it is not abnormal.
Check the venoset regularly and replace it every month. The liquid should always appear clear. If there is any cloudiness it may mean the fluids are contaminated. Change the venoset immediately and throw out the contaminated fluids. Your pet has a weakened immune system because of her health problems, and contaminated fluids will only make the condition worse.