Many pet owners treat their pets like family members and are very worried if they get sick. They are ready to buy expensive medicines and pay for the services of the best specialists in order to cure their pet. Veterinarians often give cats and dogs subcutaneous or intramuscular injections. Most often, this is a course of injections, and carrying a cat to the veterinary clinic every day can be problematic. Therefore, pet owners may find it useful to know how to inject a cat on their own.
Instructions
Preparation for the injection
One of the most important points is preparing the animal for the procedure. The cat must be placed on a comfortable surface, and next to it, put its favorite treat. The syringe with the medicine should be prepared in advance. Try to always give the injection at the same time and give the animal something tasty before the procedure so that the time of the injection will be associated with pleasant. Talk to your pet in a flat, calm voice, and praise the cat.
How to inject a cat subcutaneously
As soon as you see that the animal is calm, take a fold on the withers of the cat and pull it back. With your free hand, you need to take the syringe, then insert the needle under the skin. Be sure to make sure that the needle is in the subcutaneous space and not exited on the other side of the skin fold. If all is well, all of the medicine must be injected under the skin. Movements should be confident, but not abrupt. Now you can take out the needle and say something affectionate to your pet. If you follow these guidelines, you will be able to inject your cat correctly.
Note!
- When choosing a site for subcutaneous injection, look for one where the skin can be easily gathered into a fold. This is the area of the shoulder blades or the lower back of the animal.
- It is recommended to fold the skin with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand and hold the syringe with the right hand.
- The needle should be injected into the base of the skin fold by 1-2 cm (the depth depends on the thickness of the animal's skin).
- Disposable syringes should be used and discarded immediately after injection.
- To make it easier to dose the medicine, it is necessary to choose a syringe with a capacity that approximately corresponds to the volume of the vaccine.
How to give intramuscular injections to a cat
To give an intramuscular injection to an animal, you need to find the muscles that are located behind the thigh bone. The needle should be inserted into the thickness of the muscles to a depth of 1.5–2 cm. The angle to the skin surface should be slightly less than a straight line.
You need to fix the animal: put the cat on its right side, press its hind legs to the floor with your right hand, and the front part with your left. Hold the cat firmly so that it does not twitch at the most crucial moment. The injection must be done in the thickest, fleshy part of the thigh.
