Yikes! Has anyone ever done this?

[felinefuture]

Good morning all!

Just a note about renal failure, but first, I have to say that this is such a great group of cat-lovers I'm very impressed with all the concern and support!

In future, for the health of your cats, renal failure is avoidable IF you feed correctly, and this means NO KIBBLE - a dry diet is normally the cause of renal failure (unless it is age-related). The problem is that the diet does not include enough fluid, and the cat is chronically de-hydrated. The kidneys can't function for years on end when the body is not getting enough water to keep it healthy. You can never get enough water into a cat when it eats a dry diet, as cats are not natural water-drinkers. I never see our cats at the water bowl (which is out mainly for our four dogs). They are fed a raw meat diet, and everyone I am in touch with - which is thousands of customers across the country - do not run into this problem because they feed a biologically correct diet.

Renal failure is diet-related, and it is caused by feeding a dry diet. If you want to keep your cats in the prime of health, and not run into this problem any longer, feed raw, fresh, human grade meat!

Gayle

[QueenScoopalot]

I order many items from this company, and many are shipped free. Lactated Ringers Solution is heavy shipping weight, but ordered by the case (12 bags) it actually is very cheap compared to what the vets charge per bag! Here's the link...http://www.kvvet.com/KVVet/product_f...EF80549F4DEC5E I have my vet write up scrips for supplies that I like to keep on hand here. So many rescues in and out the ever revolving door.
Sounds like you're getting to be a pro at administering 'juice' to your girl now!

[Medusa]

See, this is what I love about PT. I learn so much! Thanx for this link. I'll be sure to look into it. When Tubby and Peanuts Mom wrote that SQ fluids kept her Tubby w/her for another 3 1/2 years, I was encouraged and I also realized that it was probably going to be an investment on my part, so I had better look into other options. And here it is! I'm not sure if I'm a pro at administering the juice now or if Puddy is. But either way, it's over in about 90 seconds, as long as I can catch her quickly beforehand. That takes 30 minutes sometimes!

Blessings,
M

[Beauty17]

To the person who is caring for sick Puddy: you are to be congratulated, with a warm heart, for going to such lengths to care for your lovely friend. I tried to do that with my beloved Myrtille when she was sick, but she insisted that she wanted to go her own way - and she did - without treatment, which meant that she could not take fluids at all, but that was her choice, which we honored. We held her and loved her and helped her through all of her daily routines to the end, when she walked across to the other side of Being while in my husband's arms. So I know how complex it can be to try to give care to a little one, and I think you deserve nothing but praise for your efforts. No one is perfect, and a tiny bit of blood in the fluid is probably nothing to worry about - just, as others have suggested, you happened to hit a capillary or something. I used to use insulin, and occasionally that happens even with a sub-q injection of insulin. (We gave insulin to one of our cats, too - and she seemed to understand that it helped her, because we never had to call her when it was time - she just appeared in the kitchen. And it wasn't because we gave her a treat, either, because we didn't. I think she was just sensitive enough to know that her shots made her feel better.) I am rambling. Sorry. I just wanted to say I think you are doing a wonderful job.

[Medusa]

Wow! Thanx for that! Puddy was doing so well that she was getting the juice every 5 days but in the last day or so, she backslid a little, so now she's on every other day again. She lost some weight and was looking scruffy, so I knew something was up. But I think I caught it in time. If not, off to Dr. Lee we go! But I just gave her the SQ fluids a few min. ago and she was as quiet as a church mouse and as still as can be. She already seems to have more energy. She just now jumped up onto my chair as I'm typing this and now she's walking around on my desk, surveying, making sure I'm caught up on all my work.

Thanx again for your kind words. It means so much to Pud and me.

Blessings,
Mary

[Ingrid's dad]

As long as they are willing to tolerate it, whatever a cat needs is what they get. I don't think anybody likes needles, but if the cat says okay and it helps them feel better, that's the way to go.

[just me]

Just want to HIGH FIVE, Medusa.
Your baby is very lucky to have you.
Its a learning experience, I wish I knew of Pet Talk back when I had to
do this for my Patience, I got a 5 minuet show from our vet and was sent
home to basically learn by myself. Pet Talk would have helped so much.
Long story short We did it together. We were able to share 32 precious days
together at home before she passed. She never complained even when I had to jab her more then once.
Best wishes to you, and your baby.

[TopCat3]

Well done Mary! This time next month you'll be giving lessons and support to others!
Good luck and good health to you both.
TC3

[furrykidsmother]

So glad it went well this time. I am sure that Puddy know you are helping her. Keep up the good work.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Great job, Mary! Tubby lived for 3 1/2 years after he was first diagnosed as being in renal failure, so I know you have many many years left with Puddy.

[Medusa]

Oh wow! That's encouraging! Thanx so much for that. As long as she continues w/quality of life, I'm gonna keep on doing it. Right now she's doing grrrrreat! And I'm holding a positive thought. As Dr. Lee said "Puddy, I knew you were tough. I just didn't realize you were that tough." (It's Mom who needs to toughen up. And here I thought I was the strong one when it's been my furkids all along. )

Blessings,
M

[Ingrid's dad]

Here's what I learned about administering the juice:

1. It worked best when I was calm & quiet, without the television or visitors or other distractions.

2. After a couple of times, the needles begin to dull--so you have to keep a fresh supply.

3. The little "tent" of skin & fur you pinch before you put the needle in has to feel just right--so that the needle lies flat, parallel to the spine, and not poking down into more sensitive tissue, definitely not going all the way through & through.

4. Sometimes it can feel shocking if the fluids are room-temperature. So if you let the bag rest against you skin (maybe inside your shirt) for a bit or let some warm water flow over it, that can make it more comfortable. Not hot, by any means--just warm.

5. Talk to the kitty & tell her/him how good they are.

6. I found that with the valve wide-open, I could get about 100ml saline in within 60-90 seconds. I hung the bag on a photo tripod and lay right on the floor with my kitty. She actually purred as the juice flowed.

7. When I withdrew the needle, I didn't see any blood, but some juice might dribble out. Best thing for that was massaging the area, keeping the point where the needle had gone in elevated.

8. The cat will probably tolerate this better if their back is to the bag & tube & all. Too clear a view of what's happening can be upsetting.

9. The volume of fluid may create a bulge before it is absorbed. It's a good idea to pet the cat & hold 'em & sort of help the fluid to spread around inside.

[Medusa]

Hi there,
Thanx so much for the pointers. I really appreciate it! I'll tell ya, I make sure that phones are turned off, no music, TV, nothing. Puddy's back is always to the bag and I have a good supply of needles. I think I was just waaaaay too nervous in the beginning, given that it's Puddy and not one of my calmer cats. Plus she has a way of acting like a slinky or pulling her head in like a turtle and that makes it more difficult. But I've calmed down and so has she, although she knows when I'm going to administer the "juice", as you say. I have to outsmart her every time and it's becoming more and more difficult. (That's rather sad, huh? My cat is smarter than I.) Anyhow, I will definitely take your advice to heart.

Thanx again!

Blessings,
Mary

[Ingrid's dad]

I don't like needles much, but this was a routine that worked much better in practice than it sounds. I mean, the thought of it was a lot worse than the reality.

My cat was NOT pillable. But injections & SQ fluids were basically no problem for her.

[Sus]

I'm sorry that your kitty is not OK. I think you are very brave to administer SQ fluids yourself, and I'm sure what happened was just an accident that could have happened to anybody.

However, I stumbled over this statement as I read the thread...

Originally posted by TopCat3
Lots of people would have put it all in the too-hard-basket, got someone else to do it, paid the vet to do it, or abandoned the cat. (No-one on this forum, of course).

- and I didn't particularly like it. Where I come from, it is rather - if not totally - unheard of that one should administer SQ fluid as a layman. So there's a cultural difference there that has nothing to do with being scared, lazy or careless.

There are many different people on PT!

Good luck, anyway!

Love,
Sus and Bella