How to give an injection to a cat at the withers: intramuscularly and at home

Choosing a syringe for injection

Instruments for pets are purchased at a regular pharmacy for people. There are three types of injections: intramuscular, subcutaneous, intravenous. Each option requires different syringes and needles.

For intramuscular

In this case, the injection is carried out into the muscle of the cat's back or front leg. Syringe volumes are allowed: 1, 2, 5, 10 ml. If you need to administer a dose of more than 1 ml, you need to choose three-component syringes. In addition to the needle and piston, the design includes a plunger that allows the needle to move gently. The black seal is located at the end of the piston where the needle is inserted.

After choosing the correct volume, you should decide on the needle. For a cat and especially a kitten, it is better to choose thin needles. When choosing a syringe with a capacity of 2.5 ml or more, take a 30x0.6 mm needle or from an “insulin syringe”.

“Insulin syringes” work well with doses less than 1 ml. They got their name from the frequent administration of insulin to diabetic patients. The tool has two positive characteristics. First, it has a plunger for gentle movement. Secondly, the needle is short. Beginners should not worry about the depth of the needle.

Important! The needle must be very sharp. If she was getting medicine through the rubber stopper, the needle should be replaced.

For subcutaneous

In this case, the injection is made into the withers of the animal. Since the skin here is soft, not so stretched, it has few nerve endings. The cat feels less and, therefore, tolerates even painful injections well.

The volume of the syringe can be different, but the needle should be chosen 30x0.6 ml. This is the case if the medicine is not oil-based.

Often subcutaneous injections are accompanied by medications with an oily structure. To prevent the drug from clogging the passages in the needle, you need to choose needles of a larger diameter, since the oily and viscous structure of the drug hardens quickly. For example, if the syringe has a volume of 3 ml, then the needle should be selected 40x0.7 mm, etc.

Intravenous injection is carried out only by specialists.

Ideal place for manipulation

First, let's figure out where the withers are located at the mustaches. Remember how a cat carries its cubs. She takes them with her teeth at the junction of the neck and spine - exactly between the shoulder blades. This place is called the scruff, scruff or withers.

It is interesting that kittens transported in this way do not break out, do not squeak, but meekly freeze, like lambs. A cat covered with a male also behaves amazingly. Once he takes his obstinate partner by the withers with his teeth, she becomes a good girl.

Neuroscientists have provided an explanation for such miracles. The experiments carried out proved:

• touching the scapular area awakens the cat's instinct of submission;
• The skin on a cat's scruff is particularly thick, dense, elastic and low in sensitivity.

This can be easily checked by squeezing the cat's skin at the scruff of the neck into a fist. The animal will remain calm and calm. It is no coincidence that cats expose this part of the body to the enemy during a fight. Veterinarians say that if you correctly inject a cat into the withers, she will practically not feel it.

Stroke your meowing companions in the neck area - they will be delighted. But don’t carry adult cats like that, they won’t like it.

Basic rules and recommendations

When self-administering the drug, be sure to follow the rules of personal hygiene:

• before the procedure, wash your hands with soapy water and wipe with alcohol;
• use a disposable syringe, always sterile;
• do not touch the needle with your hand;
• a new sterile needle is required for each injection;
• do not use open ampoules.

Sometimes expensive drugs are intended for several injections. Don't start with a different bottle each time. It is enough to draw the recommended doses into various syringes and close them with plastic caps. Medicines should be kept in the refrigerator; shelf life should be indicated in the instructions for the medicine.

Although it is not always possible to use this method. For example, powdered medications are diluted immediately before the procedure , as they tend to create a sediment. Before use, the ampoules are warmed in your hands. The temperature of the medicine should be slightly higher than the ambient temperature.

Important! You cannot use a clean ampoule whose name has been erased. Check the expiration date of the drug, throw out expired copies.

In open boxes, check the name of the medicine. Since, quite possibly, during cleaning they put a single ampoule in an empty space in the box.

Read the instructions before use; you may need to shake the drug before use.

Prepare a special file for opening the ampoule. Wrap it with cotton wool and press in the opposite direction. Some copies have a mark. Then, insert the needle. For convenience, lift the ampoule upside down and draw the solution. After filling the container, squeeze out the excess air from the syringe with a piston.

Do not try to combine two medications into one device. A negative reaction and sedimentation may occur.

Decide on the type of injection. Not all drugs can be administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously. For example, calcium chloride is administered only intravenously, and diphenhydramine is suitable only for two types of injections: intravenously, intramuscularly. Any discrepancies can lead to tissue death and worsen the situation.

Precautionary measures

1. The syringe must be sterile, hands clean, the skin at the injection site healthy, the ampoule just opened.
2. If the volume of the drug is designed for several doses, they are immediately drawn into different syringes, the needles are capped and stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 3 days. To act in this way, you need to get the green light from your veterinarian. Before use, the ampoules must be warmed in the palms of your hands.
3. Make sure that the label on the ampoule matches the name of the medication you want to administer. If the name is almost erased or is not visible at all, it is better to stop using this medicine and buy a new one.
4. Make sure that the expiration date indicated on the ampoule has not yet expired. Otherwise, the drug may be toxic.
5. Follow the rules for storing pharmaceuticals, so they will not lose their effectiveness and will not have side effects.
6. Do not mix several medications: they may be chemically incompatible, which can lead to severe intoxication.

Administration technique

The speed of drug administration plays a role with intramuscular injection. The more medicine, the slower it must be administered. For example, a volume of 1 ml should be stretched over 2-3 seconds, and 0.5 ml should be injected in one second.

Injections separate the muscles and thereby cause microtrauma to the body. Therefore, a certain calculation is used to administer the required amount of medicine for cats of different weights. For an average cat weighing 4 kg, one place should contain 1 ml of the drug. If you need to inject a larger amount, then you need to inject in several places.

With a subcutaneous injection, the speed of drug administration is not significant. The amount of liquid per 1 kg is limited to 70 ml.

Intramuscular injection

In order for the medicine to work quickly, an intramuscular injection is usually given. The best place for injection is considered to be the middle of the thigh.

Algorithm of actions

Preparation:

1. The procedure will be quick and successful if you carry out the preparatory work. We put cotton wool, a syringe, medicine, a file, and alcohol on the table in advance.
2. Read the instructions carefully. Let's say you notice a discrepancy with your veterinarian's prescription. Call your doctor and find out before you get the injection.
3. Wash your hands with soap and wipe with alcohol.
4. Before filing the ampoule, make sure the medicine is at the bottom. If the medicine gets into the narrow part of the bottle, tap the sides with your finger and distribute it correctly.
5. Point the needle into the cut neck and turn the ampoule over. This will make it more convenient to collect liquid.
6. Once the solution is drawn into the syringe, turn the syringe upside down with the needle so that the air droplets rise up. Press the plunger until the needle is filled with medicine and the air is expelled.
7. Don't worry before the procedure, otherwise your cat will sense it and become agitated and tense. You need to calm the cat with caressing movements to relax the muscles.
8. There is no need to lubricate the injection site with anything, as this can only damage the antibacterial layer of the skin.

Injection:

1. If you have a partner, let him put the cat on its side and hold it by the paws. For independent actions, you can use a bag with a fixative for injections. Also use a large clothespin. Fasten it behind the withers. The cat will think that someone is holding it and will sit quietly. The owner has the opportunity to work with both hands.
2. Use your fingers to feel the bone in advance so as not to hit it with a needle.
3. There is no need to pinch the injection site in the muscle.
4. Some medications should not enter the blood vessels. Therefore, during the injection, pull back the plunger and make sure that no blood enters the syringe and calmly inject the solution. If there is blood, remove the needle and make a new puncture.
5. Insert the needle into the middle of the thigh 10 mm at an angle of 45 degrees.
6. The rate of administration depends on the amount of solution. Each ml of medicine must be administered for at least 2-3 seconds, each subsequent ml is administered more slowly.
7. After injecting the liquid, pull out the needle at the same angle that was inserted before. There is no need to wipe the injection site.

Video instructions on how to give an intramuscular injection to a cat:

Subcutaneous injection

Injections under the skin are recommended by the instructions, if there is a large amount of medication and it causes pain. This is the method used to administer Nobivak injections, which are well known to cat owners.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Carry out preparatory work: get medicine, alcohol, file, cotton wool.
2. Clean your hands with alcohol.
3. Read the instructions.
4. Take medicine.
5. Position the cat comfortably, open the withers for procedures. Pull it up and make a fold with your fingers.
6. Place the needle parallel to the back and insert it into the fold. If you use an “insulin syringe”, then deepen the needle completely, with a syringe of another type - 0.5 cm. If after a puncture the needle falls in, this is a signal that the needle has successfully punctured. We administer the medicine.
7. After the injection, pull out the syringe along the same projection.

Injections and droppers - how to properly carry out therapeutic procedures on cats at home

Like any living creature, cats get sick from time to time, requiring timely, qualified help. When prescribing treatment for an animal, the veterinarian will definitely tell the owner what medications and in what quantities the cat needs to receive for recovery. Often it is at this point that the doctor tries to find out whether the owner knows how to give injections on his own. Here you need to understand that giving an injection is one thing, but doing it correctly and without risks for your beloved cat is completely different.