? SubQ fluids for kidney issues - warm or not? Additional ?s

squeem3

squeem3

Member Since 2009
Do you warm the bag of fluids before administering or is room temperature ok? I've been giving fluids at room temperature. Leroy is only getting 100 ml-ish once a day. He takes the fluids ok but maybe seems a big nauseous the next morning? He eats most of breakfast. I'm waiting for the vet or his secretary to call back and let me know.
 
Warm. At room temperature, a cat has to burn energy that it may not have in order to bring fluids up to internal body temperature.
I had never given fluids before. Watched a didn't care vet give room temp fluids to my sick cat who shivered for an hour despite cranking the heat and lying down with her belly to belly.
On hot summer days, not as much of a problem.
 
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squeem3 said:
Do you warm the bag of fluids before administering or is room temperature ok? I've been giving fluids at room temperature. Leroy is only getting 100 ml-ish once a day. He takes the fluids ok but maybe seems a big nauseous the next morning? He eats most of breakfast. I'm waiting for the vet or his secretary to call back and let me know.
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I always warm mine. A cat’s body temp is ~99-101 fahrenheit or so and room temp is much lower than that. I do it to make the fluids more comfortable for my girl.
 
The vet said it wasn't necessary to warm the fluids. Leroy doesn't seem to care about room temperature fluids. But he does get a bit nauseaous and won't eat all his breakfast (I give fluids at night). Half an odansetron makes him feel better. It won't hurt to warm the fluids a bit and also give odansetron.

How do you get a cat to hold still for fluids? Leroy has a 2 second attention span unless he's eating. I've been giving his snacks during fluid time and that keeps him occupied for maybe 2 minutes before he starts wandering. I give fluids in the tiny bathroom with the door closed so he can't go very far but the fluid line is only so long with the bag hung up. I have to keep one hand on the needle to hold it in place otherwise it pops out or shifts and fluid goes everywhere. I looked into that EZIV harness thing but I'm not sure how well it will work. Are fluids lines available in a longer length?? Knowing Leroy, he'll try to move as far away as the bag as possible and stretch out the line 🫣

Not sure how long the vet will want Leroy on fluids so I don't want to invest in stuff I may not need. BUN was super high when it was checked a few days ago and the last blood work done two weeks before showed only slightly elevated levels.
 
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I have a helper (daughter) who holds my kitty for fluids because she’s a little cranky about it. My boy, Marcus, who died on March 12 was so good that he would just sit there and munch away on his food during the fluids. But he was good for everything. Sigh. Grace lets us know that she doesn’t like it — she isn’t mean about it, but she would walk away if we didn’t keep her there.

It IS a lot to do with just one person— you would be better off with at least one extra arm. Let’s see… one arm to hold the cat (or two in some cases) one arm to hold where the needle is inserted, one to run the little wheel on the line to stop the flow (I don’t have luck with the little clip on the line with one hand)…. that’s three hands… all while you are keeping an eye on the cat and the fluid level and drip rate at the same time!

I would try the EZ IVHarness thing for Leroy. I have considered getting one for years now…to see if I can do it without an assistant. We’ve had quite a few cats who have needed fluids over the years, and one day I won’t have my resident veterinary assistant 😊 so I suppose I could draft my husband for the job.
 
Thanks Suzanne! I live alone and don't have anyone to help with daily fluids. I might be able to get a friend to occasionally help out. The harness might work after the sling for Leroy's bandaged leg comes off and if he still needs fluids.

I just fully open the wheel and let it run until 100mls gets in. Is that too fast?
 
squeem3 said:
but the fluid line is only so long with the bag hung u
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Braun makes a line that is 111 inches.
Hang the fluid from a shower curtain hook. Make sure the roller clamp is low down as possible. If using a shorter line, add a clip-on slide clamp just before the needle. Wedge the cat in a corner of the bathroom (or bath/shower and wall) nose first. Kneel on the bathroom floor, one knee on each side of the cat.
Not escape proof but this is what worked best for me.
I wondered if placing a folded beach towel over the cat's body then placing my knees on the towel overhang would work better but decided that these extra manoeuvres were just more chances for the cat to attempt more manoeuvres of their own.
 

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Red & Rover (GA) said:
Braun makes a line that is 111 inches.
Hang the fluid from a shower curtain hook. Make sure the roller clamp is low down as possible. If using a shorter line, add a clip-on slide clamp just before the needle. Wedge the cat in a corner of the bathroom (or bath/shower and wall) nose first. Kneel on the bathroom floor, one knee on each side of the cat.
Not escape proof but this is what worked best for me.
I wondered if placing a folded beach towel over the cat's body then placing my knees on the towel overhang would work better but decided that these extra manoeuvres were just more chances for the cat to attempt more manoeuvres of their own.
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Wow. You’ve been through the fluid wars, Red! :bighug:;)
 
He has chronic wound issues on his hocks. It's similar to Human diabetics and the skin wounds and issues they have. I guess diabetes affects the skin integrity and blood flow. Leroy's had surgery last year on his left hock which resolved that issue. Then his right hock started with the same issue even though Leroy wears his snazzy boots and it got infected and then the bone was exposed so he had surgery to fix that.

I've searched FDMB as far back as the current version goes (2014) but didn't find anyone who had a similar chronic wound issue with their diabetic. Maybe Leroy is the only one 🤪

I warmed the fluids last night. I erred on the side out caution and used barely lukewarm water for a couple minutes. Slightly warm is better than too warm. I'm not sure if it made a difference but Leroy didn't move around too much after he ate his snack.
 
My vet had me warm the fluids. Gabby wasn't too squirmy. I did the fluids in the kitchen. I hung the bag on a hanger and looped the hanger over an upper cabinet handle or the hinge on the refrigerator. I kept one hand on the harpoon and the cat. I was Gabby's sole caretaker so having only two hands could make things challenging but she acclimated pretty well.
 
squeem3 said:
He has chronic wound issues on his hocks. It's similar to Human diabetics and the skin wounds and issues they have. I guess diabetes affects the skin integrity and blood flow. Leroy's had surgery last year on his left hock which resolved that issue. Then his right hock started with the same issue even though Leroy wears his snazzy boots and it got infected and then the bone was exposed so he had surgery to fix that.

I've searched FDMB as far back as the current version goes (2014) but didn't find anyone who had a similar chronic wound issue with their diabetic. Maybe Leroy is the only one 🤪

I warmed the fluids last night. I erred on the side out caution and used barely lukewarm water for a couple minutes. Slightly warm is better than too warm. I'm not sure if it made a difference but Leroy didn't move around too much after he ate his snack.
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I always get them warm and check the temperature on the inside of my wrist. Some people use a sous vide machine to warm to a precise temperature.
 
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