penicillin injections! help!

If the injections are in pre-drawn up syringes then you need to put a new needle on before you inject. The needle already on will have gotten bunged up.
Also, taking the injection out of the fridge and allowing it to reach room temperature will make it less gloopy.

biscandmatt1 said:

i've just given my two their penicillin injections and i didn't do very well i don't think. half went in matt but then the other half squirted backwards from the syringe at me. we also found it really hard to grab enough skin round his shoulders and he is really fluffy and it was really difficult.
i did better with bisc but still only 3/4 of the liquid went in.
am i being too slow and that's why it's drying in the syringe and squirting back at me? i don't think i could be any quicker though.
also, some went on the buns and i wiped it off with a damp cloth but now i'm petrified when they wash themselves that they're eating some as i know it can kill them if in the mouth.
can someone give me some advice please as to what i might be doing wrong? i'm thinking maybe i don't put the needle far enough into the skin?
i just burst into tears after because i feel awful.
i just left it after because i'm not sure exactly how much went in so i'll leave it until the day after tomorrow. they're on it every second day.
i did better than the vets though and he has seen me practice it and said it was ok so don't worry, i'm not attempting it without knowing what to do, i just think i'm panicky with it.

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If you wiped it off with a damp cloth i'm sure it'll be fine, don't worry!
Penicillin is a for blocking the needle. it's a good idea to put a fresh needle after drawing up the penicillin, before injecting, then give a little press to check it's not blocked.
Lift a good piece of skin on the scruff with thumb and two fingers and inject into the `tent', parallel to the body. If there is resistance, the needle could be blocked or you might not be through the skin.
Even the best of us sometimes have `misses' with injections so you're in good company

Hey!..

I'm following this thread too.. I know exactly how you feel!.. don't panic, and try not to beat yourself up.. ( I was the other day because I was struggling too getting the needle in) I felt sooo *****.. it seemed easy at the vets but back home it was a different story.. and it takes me a couple of hours to psyche myself up for it and I still felt **** at it...still do.. I have read that everyone experiences this though, and that it does get easier and your doing absoloutly great.. also, your not alone..

and as you know, the folk here are awesome.. Well done for even attempting it too, many almost myself included would usually run a mile when needles are concerned, and especially having to give one to our buns..

((((((So some...Vibes)))))


M

ps, I know what you mean about hard to grab the scruff too, at the vets our bun had lost a lot of weight and mostly skin, but now hes filled out again it's much more difficult to grab a handful..

biscandmatt1 said:

i was told not to keep it in the fridge, just in the cupboard so it's already at room temperature.
it's empty syringes i have and i have to put the needle part on, then syringe the penicillin out of the jar and then some of the water they gave me and then inject.
maybe it's one of those things that takes practice. i did better than at the vets and did better with bisc after i did matt.

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i'm doing the same as you currently, and Bella had her first one yesterday, I managed to cover myself in it rather than injecting any into the bunny coz i was so scared i was gonna push the needle in too far. my boyfriend ended up doing it instead.

just keep shaking the syringe until you use it to stop it settling then it shouldn't get blocked up.

good luck for next time! i'm already starting to psych myself up for tomorrow!

i think i read somewhere that we use the same vet - how exciting!!!:lol:

You should really keep Depocillin (this is what I assume you are using) in the fridge, especially if you have been given more than a few days supply of pre-drawn syringes. I take mine out half an hour before and put a new needle in right before injecting. I also found blue's easier than greens (despite them being smaller) for some reason.

Another tip I was given was to hold the needle tip onto the syringe when depressing the plunger and to use steady, even pressure.

Don't panic though, it takes practice

Jack's-Jane said:

If the injections are in pre-drawn up syringes then you need to put a new needle on before you inject. The needle already on will have gotten bunged up.
Also, taking the injection out of the fridge and allowing it to reach room temperature will make it less gloopy.

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Not quite. I had the same problem in the past. The real problem is the gauge of the needle that c/w Pen G. is too small. I don't understand why they gave the smaller gauge needle. There is no way to get the liquid thru via the needle gauge that it c/w.

In fact, my vet said the same thing to me before I buy it.

The only solution that I easily manage to fix is to remove the smaller gauge green needle head (it's green in my vet clinic) with bigger gauge needle.

Of course, part of the problem is that the density of the liquid is quite high, so the nature of the liquid stuck at the smaller gauge needle.

I've had this problem too. However, the drug seems to come in a 'good' batch or a 'bad' batch. I've had one batch which was gloopy and blocked every single time I tried to inject it but the last batch, which I had to inject for 8 weeks (gawd!) was absolutely fine. I must have made a face when my vet told me what I'd got to inject but he assured me he'd had no problems with the latest batch. He was right! I always keep it at room temp and give it a really good shake as well. I've never tried drawing it up in one needle and then changing to a new needle before injecting. Could well be worth a try and I'll bear this in mind if I ever need to do it again.

Lea

Don't panic I'm sure you are doing fine and will get the hang of it or sort out a different strategy with needles etc. Phone Ashleigh if you are concerned. They will be able to advise I'm sure. I got Grace's swab results today and Aidan phoned to give me the news that she needs a 3 month course of antibiotics which I need to inject twice a day. She will be like a pin cushion and I will be getting up even earlier than my current 6am to chase the little minx before breakfast. Can't wait for it to be over but am resisting the temptation to cross each day off the calendar when I have done it. Hope it works and she gets better. The meds. are in the post, with detailed instructions, and should arrive tomorrow so tonight she had the Marbocyl injection which is what she has been on while waiting for the results. This was day 7 for me and I messed it up, 1 - 6 had been fine although I had been shaking at first . I did a Trude Mostue and didn't realise the needle had gone in then out again until I got a puddle on the floor of the pet carrier! It happens to us all including the professionals (Trude I mean not me)! Hope things get better. PM me if you need support, I'm sure I'll need plenty myself.
Pam

biscandmatt1 said:

thanks for the advice. i'll try what everyone has suggested.
pam - did your buns test results show anything? i haven't got mine back yet because nothing is showing on them yet and obviously might not at all. i really hope it shows something so we know how to treat it best but it could take weeks aidan said.
anyway, i'm really happy today (must be ill! :lol because bisc and matt are really happy! they've definitely been better since they started on metacam and the penicillin injections. matt doesn't have any pus round his nose at all now which is great. they both have clear discharge though but nowhere near as much. also, bisc used to have sneezing fits a few times a day and he had one this morning and that has been one of only two since he started treatment. matt doesn't hardly sneeze at all now. it's great and they seem so happy.
matt worried me when he wouldn't eat etc...but you wouldn't even know anything had happened looking at him now!
it's injections tomorrow for them. i don't feel nervous now. i was just stressed last time because they stopped eating their metacam off some veg so i had to pick them up and syringe feed it them and they were ok with that part, just got a bit stressed when i put them in the cage to pick them up. they're good though, they forgive me straight away and after the meds they put their paws up on me and we have cuddles.
just realised i'm going on.... but i'm just so happy that buns are happy!

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Sounds as though you are doing a great job caring for them.
Well done

Grace has a bacteria called pseudomosis which Aidan said is naturally resistant to most antibiotics - just her luck! He said that the pus/infection is in her sinuses rather than nasal passages so will be much more tricky to treat. This is the same result as the swab taken by my vet last Autumn but the report they sent to Aidan when he asked for her history said responds well to most antibiotics! I think they got it wrong. Anyway Gracie is on this stuff called Fortum. I have tiny insulin needles and the antibiotic is really, really liquid. I'm not sure if I missed completely tonight as some came back out. Just as I had become confident with the other med. and syringes etc now I feel worried again. Anyway, don't laugh, but later, having spent two hours worrying about whether or not I had botched it, I decided to have a practice on an apple (that's all I had in the fruit bowl) using water in the syringe I had used tonight. Made me feel more confident that I had got under the skin but when I took the needle out of the apple a bit of water did come back out. Rodneyvet if you are there is it possible that when I gave Grace her injection I pushed the antibiotic in to quickly so that when I removed the needle some came back out because it hadn't fully dispersed or something? Or is this theory a load of rubbish? Should I push more slowly given that this antibiotic is so liquid? Hopefully I didn't miss altogether. More practice at 6.30 in the morning before work! Lots of support needed as it is going to be a long three months for me & Grace.

biscandmatt1 said:

just done the buns injections and i'm really worried i hurt matt.he jumped when i pushed the needle in and now i'm worried i've pushed it in too far. my bf said he just happened to stand up as i did it and i think it's because he's hurt whereas he thinks it's because matt wanted to get down and got bored. (two needles blocked before i finally injected him, and i was practising lifting the skin up on matt.)
how easy is it to puncture the muscle? and would it be really obvious if you did?
my bf said i was nowhere near the muscle but now i'm panicking that i was.
biscs injection went fine, first time worked and about 90% went in.
just worried about matt.

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If you follow the instruction I gave you on page 1, then use the same trick as if you are injecting NaCl, then it will work. So the 1st thing to do is to get a higher gauge needle.

Make sure you do not overdose the medication, if you miss it, and don't know how much you inject inside, leave it, wait for the next 12 hr. cycle

And your bun is not suppose to stand up, you are suppose to hold him down

Here's the instruction again with the diagram:

with Pen G, I notice the needle they pre-measure and gave me is not big enough, so I ask them to swap me the ones with bigger gauge. Because with smaller gauge, whether apply to human or animal, the white liquid is so thick that it jams at the hole, in the end, it's useless. With the needle hole bigger, the liquid goes in nicely.

Also, another trick is if you are giving Pen G which is from the fridge, make sure you let it warm up for 15 min. before inject inside her skin. One of the tech. taught me this trick as it's too cold to go inside the skin, the bun doesn't feel comfy.

Note: Pen G CANNOT BE GIVEN THRU THE MONTH, THE RABBIT WILL DIE IF GIVEN ORALLY, IT MUST BE GIVEN UNDER THE SKIN

The absolute best spot is the loose skin just behind the neck. See diagram



it's a very simple task:

1) You hold down the bun
2) lift the loose fur 2 inch from the back of his neck, now you form that empty air "pocket" from the diagram I show you
3) push the needle in, if it's a small bun, push in approx. just over 0.5 inch
4) Push the top of the needle and let the white liquid (Pen g) goes in, pull the needle out when done

Feeling depondent as Gracie is a nightmare to catch and won't come anywhere near me. I am dreading the next injection tomorrow morning and the thought of doing this twice a day for three months is horrendous. She is good once I catch her and the vets suggested wetting her hair and parting it so I can see her skin and be sure the needle has gone in so I feel more confident that I am getting the AB into her but I am filled with dread about trying to catch her. I am starting to worry that I am not doing the right thing by her and may have made a mistake, particularly as the chance of clearing up the pseudomonas infection is probably quite low. Should I just leave her be and let her live the life she has monitoring her progress closely and trying my best to assess how she seems in herself?