in article , afr at
wrote on 11/23/03 2:05 PM:

Thanks Laura. Maybe I can use one of my micro-wavable heating pads to put
under the towel. I'm trying to find some place in the Twin Cities where I
can volunteer for a day and give fluids to several cats. I think that
would help.

(HTH=Here's to health?),

ava

HTH (hope that helps)

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003, Laura R. wrote:

circa Sun, 23 Nov 2003 08:52:14 -0800, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
afr ) said,

Ninetten days ago, my 8 1/2 year old cat george was howling. I took him
into the ER and he was blocked. They unblocked him, and my vet kept him
for a few days and sent him home. (ER vet saw calcium oxylate crystals
and vet may have seen a struvite. He's on a Ph neutral food now that the
University vet school where I went for a consult, put him on.)

What seems to have brought him around is administering fluids every other
day. This past week, I've been able to back off to every third day. My
problem is that I live alone and so have been having vet techs come to the
house to administer the fluids. I cannot get my cat to sit still for the
approx. 7-8 minuts it takes to get the 150 ml of fluids in him.

We had a followup urinalysis taken yesterday. Specific gravity looks good
and no crystals seen. Tomorrow I will know the results of some other
things they are looking for..


My problem is I am tapped out financially...spent about $2,000 on this,
didn't even pay this month's bills yet. I don't know how much I'll get
back from the insurance company. I live on a tight budget. I am
considering the "E" word, if I have to continue with fluids several times a
wee
k indefinitely.(He was reshopitalized twice before I took him to the
university vet school who advised me about the at-home fluid therapy.)

I know that all of these cases look different. Has anyone had a case like
the one I'm describing--that took fluids over several weeks to stabilize?
What was the pattern after that?


You've been given some sage advice regarding cost and the "E" word,
but I thought I'd toss in on the fluids issue. You *can* get a cat to
accept, even relish, fluid administration. Hit http://www.crf.org,
http://www.crf.com, and do a google search for "tips feline
subcutaneous fluid". I have a cat with CRF who actually bugs me for
his fluids every night and purrs throughout the procedure. It helps
that I do a lot of things to make the fluid administration a pleasant
experience. Here's what I do/have/set up:

1. I have a large radiator in my living room with a ceramic-tile top
on it that never gets hot, but does get warm. The cats love sleeping
on it. So, I've put a large, folded beach towel on top of it and I
leave it there except when I swap it out for another and wash it.
Jacob loves to sleep on it, so he associates it with comfort.

2. I take his fluids and put them on top of the same radiator about
ten minutes before I administer them. They get to a temperature just
a bit warmer than room temp (not hot!), which makes it much more
comfortable for him.

3. I keep five days' supply of needles in the freezer. Frozen needles
go in easier and are less painful (for humans as well as pets). I
don't leave all the needles in the freezer because I don't want to
damage them with the temperature fluctuations that come with opening
and closing the freezer.

4. When it's time to give the fluids, I hang the fluid bag on a hook
at the top of the window. It's one of those over-the-door clothing
hooks, and I just slipped it over the top of the window, then closed
the window (they open from both top and bottom).

5. I act as though getting fluids is a *treat* instead of a task for
Jacob. If I'm afraid of sticking him, he's afraid of me doing it. If
I act like this is something that is just part of our daily
interaction and behave very comfortably with it, he doesn't freak
out.

6. I get the needle from the freezer just before I get ready to
inject him. I put him on the towel if he's not already there waiting
(which he usually is), then quickly attach the needle to the tubing
and run out a bit of fluid so that he's not getting the chillier
fluid that's in the tube. (I run it right out the window, actually.)

7. I get out a bag of Pounce tartar control treats because Jacob
loves them. I put them on the radiator and he immediately starts
sniffing at them. I put a few on the towel in front of him, let him
start eating one, then pick up a tent of skin above his shoulder
blades, feel the "tent" with my finger to make sure I have a pocket
to inject, and quickly, but not in a stabbing motion, slide the
needle in. I open the stopcock on the fluid tube and make sure
there's no crimp in the tube, then give him a few more treats. This
is mainly so that he doesn't think we're done and jump down with a
needle still under his skin.

8. I pet him under the chin while he's up there and act like I don't
even notice that there's a needle under his skin, unless I lift the
tent a bit to make sure the flow is unimpeded. If I ignore the
needle, so does he. Cats have the fewest nerve endings in the skin
above their shoulders, so that's where I stick. You can technically
do it anywhere that they have loose skin, but they'll feel it more
elsewhere.

9. It takes approximately two minutes to get 100ml of fluid into him-
I use 18 gauge needles and open the flow valve fully so that it's a
pure stream running from the bag instead of droplets. I lift the tent
of skin periodically as I said, so that the skin doesn't block the
flow of the fluids.

The first couple of times I gave Jacob fluids, it was *not* this
pleasant an experience. I think the keys are to make the experience
as comfortable for the cat as possible and to make sure that your
*own* discomfort with sticking your cat isn't visible. Your cat will
read more from you than from anything else, so you have to be
comfortable with what you're doing to him.

Last, since Jacob *feels* better after the fluids, he has come to
associate them as something pleasant. Dehydration is what causes
hangovers, so if you've ever had a nasty hangover, you know how a
dehydrated cat feels. Fluid administration gives them an almost
instantaneous "anti-hangover" burst, so it doesn't take long for them
to understand that that one little stick and the weird feeling of
wetness on their shoulders brings them a good feeling.

HTH,

Laura
--
When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you've got plenty
to watch.