How to give an intramuscular and subcutaneous injection to a cat yourself

07/04/2018 Intramuscular injection is a simple and popular method of introducing medications into the human body. However, if this procedure is carried out carelessly, complications may arise, which can be avoided if you master the correct technique for performing it.

Knowledge of the intramuscular injection procedure algorithm is needed not only by doctors. In the life of every person, a situation may arise when it is necessary to undergo a course of injections on your own. Before practicing intramuscular injections in practice, you need to carefully study the theory regarding this manipulation. Compliance with all standards will avoid complications.

In what places can the injection be given?

For both people and animals, injections are placed under the skin, into a vein, muscle, joint, or intra-abdominal space.
Intravenous, intra-articular, intra-abdominal injections can only be done by a specialist (in extreme circumstances, you can see how this is done in a clinic, ask about the features of the technique and try it yourself under the supervision of a doctor). And any owner can master the technique of injecting medication intramuscularly and subcutaneously. The cat should be given an injection only in areas whose anatomical features make it possible to achieve the greatest therapeutic effect. For intramuscular injections: the back of the shoulder and thigh muscles, subcutaneous - the fold between the shoulder blades at the withers, the fold between the torso and the front of the thigh. Which method to choose and where to administer the medicine depends on the chosen drug.

How is the injection done?

The cost of intravenous injection at home is adapted for patients with different incomes. At the same time, specialists strictly follow the recommended medical regulations and make sure to carry out all the necessary preparatory work. The procedure is performed in several stages:

First, the doctor selects the vein into which the injection will be made.
A solution for injection is prepared. If necessary, the drugs are mixed together in appropriate proportions.
The area where the injection will be given is treated with antiseptic agents.
The game and medicine are injected into a vein. This should be done slowly so as not to provoke unpleasant consequences.

If everything is done correctly, the procedure will be painless for the person, and the discomfort for him will be minimal.

How to choose the right syringe

The syringe is also selected depending on the drug - its volume and injection site. For injection into the muscle, instruments with a volume of 1-10 ml are suitable. If the amount of medicine is large enough, for smooth administration you should purchase a syringe with a piston equipped with a special seal. For a small volume of injection solution (up to 1 ml), an insulin syringe with convenient graduation is used.

It is advisable that the needle used to administer the drug intramuscularly is not too long. The femoral and brachial muscles of cats (especially kittens) are small, which increases the risk of damage to the sciatic nerve or bone. An insulin syringe equipped with a thin and short needle will also help out here. An injection into muscle tissue is more painful than under the skin, and a thin, sharp needle will slightly reduce pain.

Subcutaneous injections are tolerated more easily by animals - there are not too many nerve receptors in the withers. Needles can be longer and thicker, and syringes of different sizes, depending on the indications. Typically, the amount of medication injected into the subcutaneous space is greater than into the muscle.

When selecting an instrument for giving injections to a cat, take into account the consistency of the drug. Oil solutions are distinguished by viscosity, ductility and require larger diameter needles.

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.

Preparing for the injection

Before you give your cat an injection, you need to prepare everything you need.

Determine the location where the procedure will be performed. It should be smooth, not slippery, preferably at the level of a regular table.
Before taking the medicine, you should make sure that the drug is not expired. It will not be superfluous to re-read the instructions for the medicine, as well as the veterinarian’s prescription for time and dosage.
The cold preparation must be warmed up to body temperature (it is enough to hold it in your hand for a while).
To draw the medicine from the ampoule, its upper narrow part is broken, first wrapped with a piece of cotton wool.
The powder form of the product must be diluted with saline, novocaine or a special solution included in the kit (check with your veterinarian for details on dosage). First, the solution is drawn into the syringe, then it is injected into a vial of powder, the medicine is dissolved with light circular movements (without shaking), and then drawn back into the syringe. After this, it is advisable to change the needle.
When the medicine is drawn up, you should get rid of air bubbles - lift the syringe with the needle up, lightly tap the cylinder, ensuring that the bubbles accumulate under the medicine outlet, press slightly on the piston until the air comes out and drops of the drug appear.

Unneeded cotton wool, ampoules and other items should be disposed of, and the prepared syringe can be briefly placed on a clean surface (plate, container), covering the needle with a cap.

Risks

Understanding the possible negative consequences of injections, you can protect your pet from painful sensations and yourself from unnecessary worries:

Tissue destruction. Penetrating into thin, long muscles, the medicine can cause tissue delamination and severe discomfort when the drug is administered. The volume of the medicine should not exceed 1 ml, provided that the cat weighs more than 4 kg. With such a weight, the animal has enough muscle tissue so that the owner can properly fix the muscle and make a puncture.
The occurrence of air or fat embolism. This is a pathological condition when particles circulate in the blood or lymph that should not normally be there. The result is blockage of blood vessels. If particles (emboli) enter the lungs, the animal may die. This happens if the needle does not enter the muscle or under the skin, but into the lumen of the vessel; if air enters when the medicine is administered through a catheter or when hydrogen peroxide used in treating the skin gets into the blood.
Abscesses. Painful inflammatory processes occur when hygiene rules are not followed and the medicine gets into loose tissue. Abscesses are accompanied by an increase in the animal's temperature and refusal to eat. The condition can be alleviated with local physiotherapy and novocaine blockade.
Tissue necrosis. The animal may develop an ulcer at the injection site. A common cause is that the medication gets into the thickness of the skin or loose connective tissue.
An allergic reaction can occur with any method of administering the drug, so before injecting your cat into the thigh intramuscularly, you should ask your doctor to conduct an allergy test.
Post-injection sarcoma. Malignant formation can be provoked by the introduction of cold oily solutions and suspensions, as well as the penetration of irritant solutions into connective tissues. Prevention consists of thoroughly warming the medicine before injection and avoiding subcutaneous administration of drugs with irritating effects.

Now that you know how to give a cat an intramuscular injection yourself, you can safely give your pet injections. The presence of a loving owner, his confidence and affection will help the animal overcome stress and quickly get on the path to recovery. And if something remains unclear, you can watch a video with detailed instructions on how to correctly inject a cat intramuscularly:

How to give an injection in the thigh

An intramuscular injection into a cat is given into the thickness of the femoral or brachial muscle. Before making an injection, it is necessary to palpate the muscle, determine the injection site, and make sure that the animal is calm and the muscle tissue is relaxed. For relaxation, you can pre-massage the limb.

The angle of insertion of the needle into the thigh should be approximately 90˚, the penetration depth should be no more than a centimeter. It is necessary to ensure that the needle does not completely enter the muscle - there should be a gap between the surface of the body and the plastic.

As soon as the needle is in the muscle tissue, you need to calmly press the plunger and slowly inject the medicine. You cannot move, turn, or deepen the syringe while giving an injection. Remove it in the opposite direction, with a quick movement.

Features of intramuscular injections

When performing an intramuscular injection, the drug is delivered directly into the muscle tissue.

Any medical procedure has certain disadvantages and advantages.

The obvious advantages include the following:

An intramuscular injection can be given independently by anyone who does not have special medical or veterinary skills.
The slow, gradual supply of the drug makes it possible to dose the drug into the bloodstream and maintain a stable concentration of drugs in the animal’s body.

Disadvantages include pain when a large number of drugs that have an irritating effect are injected into the muscle. The muscle tissues are quite well innervated due to the developed circulatory system, so the injection can be quite painful for the pet.

How to give a subcutaneous injection

It is easier to inject a cat under the skin than in the thigh. Firstly, the withers are considered less sensitive to mechanical influences (it’s not for nothing that cats drag their cubs by the withers), so this place is ideal for administering painful solutions. Secondly, much larger volumes of medicinal solutions (up to 70-90 ml) can be injected subcutaneously than into the femoral part. Thirdly, there is no risk of the needle getting into a bone, joint or nerve, as happens with intramuscular injection. The only point that needs to be paid special attention to is that the skin here is thicker than the thigh, so you need to apply force to pierce it.

The injection technique under the skin is as follows:

With one hand, the skin in the withers area needs to be gathered into a fold;
with the other hand, under the skin pulled upward closer to the body, with some effort, insert the needle at an angle of 45˚ relative to the surface of the body;
administer a medicinal product;
remove the syringe;
release the skin.

It is advisable that someone from the side during the procedure slightly press down the head and back of the pet’s spine.

Important! If you have no experience in administering medication subcutaneously to your cat, there is a risk of piercing the skin through. This probability is due precisely to the thickness of the skin and its resistance during piercing with a needle. Therefore, during the injection process, you need to pay attention to the opposite side of the fold - if droplets appear on it, you need to pull the needle a little towards yourself, and then continue the procedure.

Where is a cat given an intramuscular injection?

Next, we’ll take a closer look at how and where to inject a cat intramuscularly.

Drugs can be administered into strictly defined parts of the animal’s body.

Large thigh and shoulder muscles are suitable for intramuscular injections. It is not recommended to use the shoulder area for independent intramuscular injections, since there are a lot of nerve endings concentrated there, and the muscles are not large enough. It is recommended to administer the drugs yourself only in the withers area - for subcutaneous injections, in the thigh muscles - for intramuscular injections.

What complications may there be?

The introduction of medicinal solutions, regardless of the location, injures the surrounding tissues. Complications can arise not only when the procedure is carried out ineptly, but also from an experienced specialist. The most common negative consequences of injections are:

hematomas – formed due to damage to a blood vessel by a needle and penetration of blood into neighboring tissues; they do not require special treatment and go away on their own;
blood protruding after removing the needle - just as in the previous case, serves as a sign of damage to the blood vessel; to stop the bleeding, it is enough to apply cold to the wound;
bump, compaction, swelling at the injection site - can have several reasons, for example: too rapid administration of the medicine, infection entering the wound, individual tissue reaction, and others; if the bump does not go away for a long time, and the cat’s well-being worsens, you need to show your pet to a specialist;
lameness - can be a consequence of the injection itself, as damage to soft tissues, for example, with severe pain from the solution, or as a result of the needle getting into the sciatic nerve; in the latter case (if the damage persists for longer than 2-3 days and the paw remains motionless), you need to visit a veterinarian;
deviations in behavior are a normal reaction of an animal that goes away on its own over time; the cat may panic, avoid touching, flinch, and so on;
an increase in body temperature - more often occurs as a reaction to the injected solution, a manifestation of an allergy, and also if sterility was not maintained during the procedure and an infection got into the wound.

Additional symptoms that you need to pay attention to and consult a doctor: pus from the skin puncture site, painful lumps, refusal to eat, loss of activity, apathy for more than 3 days after the injection.

Advantages of treatment in a private clinic

Patients and their relatives prefer to seek help from our private medical center, since in this case they will be guaranteed :

Anonymous and confidential medical assistance at all stages of therapy.
The clinic has a high rating based on a significant number of positive reviews from clients.
Doctors are available 24 hours a day to the patient’s address.
In their work, specialists use only sterile instruments and are ready to provide a full range of medical services on an outpatient basis - injections, dressings, examination of the patient.
Good results can be achieved regularly, thanks to an integrated approach. Doctors determine the causes of the disease, work to eliminate them, and do not fight only the consequences.
When prescribing medications, preliminary diagnostic data must be used to take into account the physical and psychological characteristics of each patient who seeks help.

Call the center numbers listed in the advertisements, make an appointment to call specialists in Rostov-on-Don and the region, find out how much an intravenous injection at home costs. Before the procedure, no prior preparation is required, but you must inform the nurse if the patient has allergic reactions, intolerance to certain components of the medications, or other contraindications. The specialist also needs to provide a prescription from the attending physician, which will indicate a list of medications, recommended dosages, number of procedures and options for administering the active substance.

You can find out how much it costs to get
an intravenous injection at home from the operators of our private clinic, who are ready to promptly provide the most up-to-date information over the phone. Specialists guarantee fast medical assistance to clients and provision of services of any kind. Teams of doctors are on duty seven days a week and on holidays.

Useful tips

To inject your cat yourself and avoid complications, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:

for injections, you should use only a sterile syringe, which must be disposed of after the procedure;
the needle must not be touched with hands, otherwise it must be replaced;
Before carrying out the procedure, it is better to fix the pet in a motionless state, leaving only the injection site of the syringe open (you can use a harness, blanket, sheet and other accessories) or invite someone from the side to hold the cat;
as a rule, injections are made into an intact area of the skin, so if the animal has any skin disease, you must first clarify this issue with a veterinarian;
there is no need to disinfect the injection site of the syringe, but the owner must first wash his hands with soap and treat them with an antiseptic;
if the doctor has prescribed injections every day or several a day, it is best to give injections to the paw alternately - right and left or front and back, in order to avoid severe trauma to the cat’s tissues and allow them to heal;
oil-based medicine should not be allowed to enter the bloodstream; You can make sure that the needle has not entered a blood vessel by slightly pulling the plunger towards you after inserting the syringe - the absence of blood in the solution indicates that the vessels are not affected, and you can continue the procedure;
You cannot administer more than one drug at the same time in one syringe, unless authorized by a specialist.

To support a mustachioed pet during the procedure, as well as before and after it, you need to talk to it as gently as possible, stroke it, and calm it down. At the end of the manipulations, you should give the cat something tasty.

Every owner can give a cat an injection on their own, the main thing is desire. It’s good if the skill isn’t useful, but mastering it won’t hurt at all.

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:

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.
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.
Wash your hands with soap and wipe with alcohol.
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.
Point the needle into the cut neck and turn the ampoule over. This will make it more convenient to collect liquid.
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.
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.
There is no need to lubricate the injection site with anything, as this can only damage the antibacterial layer of the skin.

Injection:

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.
Use your fingers to feel the bone in advance so as not to hit it with a needle.
There is no need to pinch the injection site in the muscle.
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.
Insert the needle into the middle of the thigh 10 mm at an angle of 45 degrees.
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.
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.

Special problem cases

It is advisable to examine several specific problems in more detail.
When the kitten resists

Cats are very sensitive to a person’s mood, so nervousness and anxiety are transmitted to them instantly. So the first piece of advice is to deal with the animal’s resistance calmly, without aggression or irritation. A small kitten will not bite you much, but if the animal is large (Maine Coon breed), then you can wrap it in a towel.

The cat is afraid of an injection

For the same reasons, you should not worry or worry if the cat shows anxiety before the injection. Perhaps your mistake is that after the injection you do not give the kitten a treat, do not pamper it, or you yell at it so that it does not move.

However, the kitten’s increased anxiety may not be related to your actions, but may be the result of the animal’s mental properties.

Blood appears after injection

It is normal if a couple of drops of blood remain on the skin after the injection. It can be wiped with cotton wool; there is no need to disinfect the stake site. But if there is heavy bleeding, you need to consult a doctor, since the kitten’s blood does not clot. You must first apply ice to the injection site.

Soreness and lameness

Soreness at the injection site is normal and occurs frequently. However, it goes away quite quickly. So if after a couple of hours the animal is still limping or crying, then you need to massage the paw and apply ice to the injection site. The pain goes away on its own in most cases, but if discomfort continues, you should consult a doctor. Perhaps a bone, a large vessel was touched, or an allergic reaction began.