Toro looking rather grumpy after his oral meds yesterday afternoonI made sure I came home early to give him his meds - his Azodyl, kidney activator capsule, Apo-K. I tried to put him on my lap but he continued to squirm to get away. He was not the perfect patient the nurses at the hospital were led to believe :) So I decided to bundle him up in a towel so I can get a firmer grip and gave him his oral meds using the pill popper. To mu surprise he took them all well and was indeed 'very good with his orals', like the hosipital nurse said. Once he was finished, he got away as fast as his short legs could carry him and would only eat the treat that I offered once he was sure I was not about to catch him again.
He fell asleep in his basket after the ordeal...
Here, you could see the bald patch (and it was a very big patch) that he got as a result of his ultra-sound. Grandma was rather disturbed by the patch and asked me to explain why they had to shave her Totoro that way. I told her that I had already made an appointment with his groomer on to cut his fur close next Tuesday so he would not look so strange.
Toro relaxing in bed...
He very readily sprawled on his pillow-blanket as usual. before he went to the hospital, he would not sleep on the bed but rather hide away in the bathroom, near his litter. He actually slept right in the middle of the bed which meant a little space for me and not much place for Tanaka.
zzz on Wednesday night...His SubQ was not so successul so he would go to the vet today until Sunday for his SubQ training sessions. At the hospital, he had a catheter and so he wa son 24-hr drip but now he had to be restrained to sit for at least 10 minutes max for the SubQ. He squirmed his way throughout the whole process and managed to escape after 100ml of fluid! AIYAH! The hospital nurse taught me to put the needle at his scruff as she said it was the space with the most loose skin. I think I was not used to giving SubQs at the scruff so that added to the fiasco. He escaped and hid under the bed for a long period. He would only get out after Cousin R left and I was able to give him his Alutab and antibiotic then.
This morning, I made sure I had his Alutab and Apo-K close at hand and when he came up to wake me up, I held him gently and wrapped him up with towel and then gave him his 1/4 Alutab for the morning. The doc said I should make sure he gets 1/4 twice a day before or after his food. So THAT is one done already. The doc would give the SubQ, the Azodyl, the kidney activator and Apo-K later and I would just have to give him his 1/4 Alutab and antibiotic later at night.
Megat's SubQ went without a hitch :) I just have to see how to give 2 cats meds everyday and when FatBoy comes back, the schedule would have to change again. I wonder how other people do this!
This morning, I made sure I had his Alutab and Apo-K close at hand and when he came up to wake me up, I held him gently and wrapped him up with towel and then gave him his 1/4 Alutab for the morning. The doc said I should make sure he gets 1/4 twice a day before or after his food. So THAT is one done already. The doc would give the SubQ, the Azodyl, the kidney activator and Apo-K later and I would just have to give him his 1/4 Alutab and antibiotic later at night.
Megat's SubQ went without a hitch :) I just have to see how to give 2 cats meds everyday and when FatBoy comes back, the schedule would have to change again. I wonder how other people do this!
San,
ReplyDeleteIt is better to have 2 people doing the sub-q, one to insert the needle under his skin and hold on so that he doesn't escape; and the other to hold the bag of solution. It would also help is the person holding the bag of solution can also squeeze on the bag so that the solution can drain out faster.
Here's a link (http://www.felinecrf.org/giving_sub-qs_giving_set.htm), with pictures on how to sub-q Toro. There is even instructions on how to sub-q if you're the only on available, using clothes peg! I personally have not tried this method!!
Hope this helps.
ck
ck's right. 4 hands better than 2 hands for subQ.
ReplyDeleteAnother way to speed up the process is to get bigger needles. My vet uses 18G. I bought some at the Guardian at Mt E as well (can't find it at TTSH). 200ml takes less than 5 min to administer. Don't even need to squeeze the bag. The water will just drip in. The person holding Toro just need to help massage away the solution from the injection site to the rest of the body.
We are so glad that Toro-Chan is home and clearly a lot more comfortable. Yuu-Chan sympathises with the bald pitch. He has a big one on his neck and some on his leg where he got blood drawn and IV put in.
ReplyDeletePlease don't hesitate to let #1 know if you would like us to send you some Ipakitine.
Sub-Q gets better w time. Cats know what to expect & most get trained to be still for Sub-Q. Once Toro settles down, you will be expert Sub-Q giver !!
ReplyDeleteToro must be very glad to be back at his home sweet home. He is indeed a sweet boy.
ReplyDeleteThat floral bed spread looks familiar. :)
i insert a plastic hook to bag and hang it so that my hands are free to hold the cat and insert the needle. This means that I will be occupied for at last 15-20 minutes holding the cat.
ReplyDelete