My kitty just diagnosed w/ CRF - need advice & prayers

**kb2yjx** · 01-21-2010, 11:17 AM

You will be a pro in no time giving sub q, especially if Blackie is a good as you say!!!!!!!!

**Medusa** · 01-21-2010, 03:14 PM

Yes, you'll handle it just fine, no worries. It'll be so much better for Blackie and thus for you. AND for your finances.

**Ladybug70** · 01-22-2010, 11:10 PM

Well, I did it! I was able to successfully administer sub-Qs today for the first time. The vet assistant at the clinic was amazing (the whole staff has been so great to us over the last 3 weeks). They let me set everything up from start to finish, and talked me through it all. I thought I would hesitate when pushing in the needle but I felt so calm and confident with their help. Everything went perfectly. Blackie was just amazing. He just sat there and purred. My fiancee, David, helped me hold him and memorized all the steps in the procedure (thank goodness cuz I was only focused on THE NEEDLE part).

10 minutes and 200 CCs later...yay! Blackie was so calm and was in a great mood when we got home. It was David's first time watching sub-Qs and he was amazed by how simple/fast the whole procedure was and feels confident he can do it too.

The vet sent us home with 2 weeks' worth of fluid, IV lines and needles. Only cost me $45 (including today's supervised lesson)...compared to $60 PER VISIT. Wow - should only be a $100/monthly cost. Even if we have to go to daily sub-Qs at some point, ~$200/month... totally manageable... and worth it for our fur-baby. I'll just stop by every 2 weeks (they're 2 blocks from my house - so convenient!) to get a new supply and drop off the used needles. We're going to set up everything on a table in our guest bedroom and make it comfortable/cozy for Blackie. Our first solo sub-Q will be Sunday night or Monday morning. Wish us luck!

Thanks again for all your encouragement! If it wasn't for you all, I'm not sure I would have had the confidence to even try this option. Thank you for helping Blackie.

Purrs,
Lisa

**Medusa** · 01-23-2010, 06:52 AM

We all knew you could do it!

**kb2yjx** · 01-23-2010, 09:41 AM

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!! I am just concerned about giving 200 cc's. That happened with Boo, the fluids flushed out all the " good " bugs in her bladder, and she developed a UTI. How often are you giving 200cc's?

**Ladybug70** · 01-23-2010, 10:29 AM

We've been doing 200 CCs every 2-3 days for the past 2 1/2 weeks. He's a bigger boy... ~14 pounds.

**Ladybug70** · 01-27-2010, 12:09 AM

So, I knew I spoke too soon! The true test is being able to administer the sub-Qs at home (as you all warned). We've failed twice. Try #2 was tonight and it was worse than Sunday. Ironically, I have no problem putting the needle in, but Blackie just doesn't want to sit still. He's so well-behaved at the vet, but at home he's more rambunctious. We even tried putting some of his favorite food on a little plate in front of him to distract him. That helped for about 30 seconds and then he bolted... with a needle spraying fluids everywhere.

Any suggestions on how to keep the cat calm... or at least sitting still? We have everything set up in the guest room. Door is shut (so his brother won't come in). It's quiet and we have a nice table with lots of soft blankets that he likes. But he's just not having it.

I'm pretty frustrated. I'm panicked that if we don't get the fluids in very soon, I'll have to make a last-minute (and costly) trip to the vet tomorrow morning to have the fluids injected for us.

Any suggestions/tricks that have worked for you? Thanks so much!

Purrs,
Lisa

**krazyaboutkatz** · 01-27-2010, 01:33 AM

I'm sorry to hear this.

I've been following this thread but haven't replied until now. When I've done this in the past and I was always by myself, I wrapped my cat in a towel and I put them in my small bathroom so they couldn't run away. I hung the IV bag over the bathroom door and I would then position my cat between my legs. Since I was by myself this was my only option. Hopefully you'll be able to work something out so that your cat will stay still long enough to have his fluids. Good luck.

Another option might be to buy a cat sack that you can zip the cat in and then you could just unzip the top part of the way to give him the fluids. I know that Drs. Fosters & Smith sells klaw kontrol bags which can be used to help medicate or trim a cats nails. I have a few of these. Some vet offices may even sell something similar. Here's a link: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=3159. Here's another link to the cat sack: http://www.fourflags.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.3950/.f.

**Medusa** · 01-27-2010, 06:28 AM

I had to give my Boo subQ's for a while and he just refused to sit down. It's tough even inserting the needle when he's standing but I managed. When Pidgie would fight me, I gently took her front legs and stretched them out and I pushed down on her back so that she could see how I wanted her to sit that usually did the trick. All the while I was softly talking to her and telling her that it was ok. Puddy put up a real fight in the beginning but I guess when she saw that I wasn't giving up, she relented and after a while, she just accepted it. Hope this helps.

**Ladybug70** · 01-27-2010, 09:19 AM

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to take Blackie into the vet this morning to get fluids... gives us all a break from the "trauma" and hopefully he'll be ready to cooperate on Friday at home. He's not angry or violent - just strong, wriggly, and uncooperative.... my little ADHD cat. I will try your suggestions but want the kitty "straightjacket" to be the last resort... I fear he may get hostile with it on. Looking on the bright side, at least he's got lots of energy and spunk to break free! He must be feeling better.

Thanks again. Any other tips welcomed.

Purrs,
Lisa

**kb2yjx** · 01-27-2010, 11:21 AM

Do not be discouraged!!! Spunky was my fighter!!!! Be sure to warm up the fluids, so it is not such a shock to Blackie when it goes in. Quiet music, Mozart or Bach. Boo would sit up, too, whenI gave her fluids, like Mary said, it is a bit more difficult to get the needle in, but if that is the way the cat wants it, OK. When I had to get the needle in Spunky, a WONDERFUL therapy cat/ horrible sub q cat, I would give him warmed chicken baby food with some cut up cheese. As soon as he was eating the mix, in with the needle, and wide open the IV control. Maybe you could give 100cc's instead of 200. It would go in much faster, and maybe Blackie would do better with that....GOOD LUCK!!! HANG IN THERE, all the sub q people have had problems, too! You will be able to do it!!! Sandra

**Killer Kitten** · 01-27-2010, 04:36 PM

You can also try using a cat bag. You can purchase them online, for your cat I'd recommend the large size. Just fasten the velcro around his neck, then tuck him into the bag and zip it up. Then just unzip at the spot you want to pop the fluids in. Generally even the most uncooperative cats give up once they're in the bag, they know they're good and caught. Lots of petting and praise while he's in the bag and offer his favorite treat.

If you can't find a proper cat bag you can improvise with a pillow case. And switch to 18g needles if you're not already using them, the fluids fly in much faster. Good luck with him.

Kimm

**Ladybug70** · 01-27-2010, 11:42 PM

Thanks again for the additional responses and encouragement. Good stuff! We are warming up the fluids beforehand. Also using 18-gauge needles. Thought we might need 20-gauge (to make it easier for us to push in)... but aren't having any problems with the 18-gauge and Blackie doesn't even flinch when needle is inserted. He just doesn't want to sit still long enough. Blackie loves the chicken baby food too. A friend of mine at work suggested using a soft cat carrier (with zipper top) as a "friendlier" version of the cat bag. Gives him some confinement without binding his legs.... but the cat bag may just do the trick for our feisty Blackie. As I'm sitting her typing this, he's going NUTS with the laser toy... and tackling his brother. Yep, he's definitely feeling better.

Thanks again.

Purrs,
Lisa

**kb2yjx** · 01-28-2010, 12:01 PM

Blackie wants you to work it out and figure out what will be best for HIM!!! Keep the faith, you will be just fine!!! The 18 gauge needle has a larger bore, and the fluid will go in faster. At one time, I had a very petite girl, Molly Meu. The vet gave me 23 gauge needles and it took FOREVER for the 100cc's to go in. Molly, who had a great deal of patience, got impatient with the fluids that session. Next day, we were back to the 18 gauge needle!!
This is a photo of our Molly. She left for the Bridge 2/18/08. Her kidney disease was doing well, liver cancer was why she died....she ADORED my husband and was rescued from the VA hospital where I worked in 1994....such a special little girl....

**Ladybug70** · 01-30-2010, 11:08 AM

What a precious picture of Molly!

Well, David and I tried the sub-Qs at home again yesterday. We actually role-played first (without the cat) so we knew exactly what each of us was going to do. We also tried a slightly different set-up with the table, etc. Blackie could still sense something was up (it's hard to fake out a cat when you're stressed)... but we managed to do much better than last Tuesday's fiasco. We got him on the table but he just wouldn't lie down. He was sitting still, so I inserted the needle anyway but it meant the drip was slower than normal. We only got through 100 cc's before Blackie was D-O-N-E. Lots of growling and struggling, but David did a great job holding him down and "trying" to keep him calm. I think if the drip was running at normal rate, we would have gotten the 200 cc's in during the 3-4 minutes we had Blackie. I'm hopeful that next time we'll get him in a better position and can get the full dose in. WHEW - small victory... but we'll take it!