Quote Originally Posted by Medusa View Post
I've chosen to use a heavy gauge needle. Yes, the initial prick hurts a little but the treatment itself lasts only 5 minutes or so as opposed to much longer if you use a very fine needle. I use a fresh needle each time, to make sure that it's really sharp and Puddy now takes her treatments like a champ. It would be much more stressful on her to have the treatments take up to possibly 30 minutes as opposed to 5 minutes.
In thinking back (this was 12 years ago), I believe you are right--the larger needle was best because it didn't take as long. But it did have to be sharp. I had forgotten that I started using a fresh one every day.
It is important that the needle be changed each time for comfort and for bacteria that can grow in the needle inbetween treatments.

The needle I used to use was a 20 gauged one I think and it was a pink colour. It didn't take that much longer for me to get 100 mls into her, maybe about 10 minute total. In the end, it was a better choice for both of us because I had a harder time pushing the larger needle in and then she in turn had a harder time. We did the treatments for years and the 10 minutes sessions turned into her massage time as well. I would hang on to her so she wouldn't take off and would massage her in different parts of her body to distract her from the fluids going in. She seemed to put up with it very well and after the 'bulge' of water disappeared in a few hours, LOOK OUT!! She was full of beans and would race up and down the stairs like a crazy cat. It was so great to see her feeling good at those times.