Sub-Qs by yourself?

So far we've given Jack about 10 sub-qs, and its always taken 2 of us, but I travel for work and eventually my wife will need to give Jack sub-qs by herself. How likely is this?

How successful have any/all of you been at giving sub-qs by yourself?

I have not done it myself yet.
I always have the vet do it.

I have always done my sub-Q's myself, as there's no one here to help me. It helps that Cleo is a very mellow and laid-back kind of cat. It was more difficult when I had to do sub-Q's on my parent's cat, Samson. He was evil incarnate. I wore leather gloves and long sleeve shirts when I did his....even during the hottest days of summer! Did you get a chance to view the link about sub-Q's? I'll post it again, just in case you didn't...
http://www.weirdstuffwemake.com/weir.../catjuice.html

Here's me, giving Cleo her fluids by myself. She actually loves getting her fluids. I warm them, and she purrs and kneads through out the process.


I always make sure to give her a treat (usually shredded boiled chicken breast) when we're done.

The Vet tried to teach me how when Missy was so ill and dying. It is not really hard, technically, but I just don't have the courage to do it. Missy would cry, then I would cry too. so now I always take them to the vet.

I should have worded the question a little differently.

We are fine with giving him sub-qs at home, but it does take 2 of us for the most part. Part of that is we are trying to do it without forcefully holding him in place which most cats will inherently resist regardless of sub-q or not.

I did get 60 ml in him today by myself without too much "holding him in place". I think he'll get better over time, I'm just wondering if it gets easier with time for most all cats or if there are some that are just stubborn and are always a handful.

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Did you get a chance to view the link about sub-Q's? I'll post it again, just in case you didn't...
http://www.weirdstuffwemake.com/weir.../catjuice.html

Click to expand...

Good link for sure, we are following that pretty close.

Typically I let him lounge on my lap for 5-10 minutes before starting the subq, then give him a treat after the sub-q.

I actually just gave him the last 40 ml and he stayed on my lap for a minute or so after I was done.

I've done it before myself. It's not always easy, but it depends on the cat.

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum but not so new to SubQs. I have a 3 1/2 year old headstrong stubborn domestic tailless that was diagnosed with CRF. I am not an expert by any stretch but have come up with a few tips I can share. Currently we have a 'skin button' (a fairly new technology) but did the regular subqs prior to having that installed. Since he tends to be active I use food as a tool. My husband leaves for work at 2:30 and I get home at 5:30. My husband picks up the food so by the time I get home Snow is ready to eat. I get all set up and give him the food just b4 I start the fluids. Generally speaking, he's busy eating and I can usually get most of the fluids in b4 he gets restless. I use a floor wreath stand to hang the bag and put it on the coffee table to give it height. We are very lucky, even though Snow's numbers were absolutley horrible when he was diagnosed, we have managed (to our's and the vet's surprise) to bring his numbers back to almost normal. We are also very lucky that we have a phenomenal vet. If anyone has any questions I'll do my best to answer them.

Since my last post Coco has been on sub q's and I am doing them myself.
I do everthing myself except my hsband holds the bag.
I need to find a place to hang it from.

I used to give kismet subQ's by myself all the time. She was very good and I had no trouble..... however I have luckily never had to give cello subQ's, I don' think he would be as complacent