When it comes to giving subQ fluids I’ve come to the point where I prefer the syringe method of giving over the drip method. I feel that way because:
- I know exactly how much fluid I am giving or if the session went badly I know how much I wasn’t able to give
- It’s more portable than the bag method because I don’t need to rely on hooks or IV poles to hang the bag
- Living in an old house with plaster walls and no accessible framing studs partially made that decision for me
- I can push the fluids more quickly than they would drip from the bag, which is great for impatient kitties
- I can also push the fluids really slowly if my cat prefers that
- Or, if my cat likes them to start very slow and then speed up once some of the fluid is in I can do that too
- Starting/stopping fluids is 100% in my control, and I don’t have to struggle to find the roller wheel on the line to turn the fluids on or off
- It’s really easy to add other medicines to the fluids when needed and I don’t have to bother with trying to attach another syringe to a line like I would with the drip method
The biggest downside to using the syringe method is that the supplies work out to being a tiny bit more expensive than doing the drip method.
With the drip method you need 1 bag, 1 line, and then enough needles to use up the bag. With the syringe method you need at least 1 syringe (I use 2), an extension line, and the needles. I normally search for sales and stock up on supplies, so I pay the same price for my syringes and extension lines as what I would pay for a single drip line, but not everyone has the ability to buy in bulk and wait for sales like I do.
The other thing I do is I splurge on butterfly needles. For me those work the best, but they work out to about 60 cents per needle instead of about 7 cents per needle. The reason I do this is because I really like a 3/4 inch needle, and I want to also use Terumo Ultra Thin Wall needles. The Terumo Sureflow Winged Infusion Set is the only way I can get both things in a single needle in the gauge I want. Otherwise I’d be stuck with a 1 inch needle, which I just don’t like as much.
If you’re interested you can look at the products I use for direct links to purchase them yourself.
Feline Disease Management 