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Subcutaneous injection

C

cherryredcutie

Young Bun
Hiya,

I have to give my rabbit antibiotics via injections every three days. It's been going okay so far but today I had trouble grabbing his skin and getting the needle into it, he seemed very tense. I can't give him the injection in the neck area at the moment has he has developed some antibiotic burns there, we now dillute the antibiotics with sterile water and that has helped with the burns. Someone posted a picture of how to give subcutaneous injections on here but I can't find the thread anymore. Has anyone any tips what I could do better or could describe their techniques?

Thank you!
Anne
 
Are you using the same needle that the antibiotic has been drawn up with? It may be worth asking for some more needles so that you can put a fresh needle on each time. Not only will this reduce the risk of 'clogging' but the needle won't have been slightly blunted by the drawing up of the antibiotic and so will be sharper and easier to insert. You may also find it helpful to try a smaller gauge needle than the one the vet usually uses - I certainly do.

In my experience, antibiotic burns seem to happen on those occasions where I haven't got a good contact first time, and I think some of the antibiotic gets in the dermal layer instead of being fully injected - and I have certainly managed to reduce the frequency of this by using fresh and smaller needles.

If I'm on my own, I also find it easier to do the injection in the loose skin over the thigh rather than in the neck. That way I can cradle the rabbit with its head under my arm, while the same hand being used to cradle the bun can then be used to pull up the fold of skin over the thigh.
 
Hi Santa,

thank you very much for your advice! I use 21 Gauge Needles with 5/8 length, what size are the needles you usually use? I have used the same needle to draw and inject but I have a box with 100 needles so I can easily use a new one each time.

Thanks,
Anne
 
I used a fresh one each time, and they were 23g needles (blue hub) which did go in easier than 21g definitely.

I have read that male rabbits skin can become inpenetrable if an injection is sighted in the same place, the skin toughens and makes it much harder to insert the needle. Why male rabbits I don't know. I will look into this and post it on, quite interesting!

Could you try a different site for the injection?
 
Thanks for your reply. Okay, I think it might be worth getting thinner needles. We are currently injecting above his tights, switching sites every 3 days. I can't inject into his neck area at the moment coz of his burns so the vet showed us that we could inject on his tight area, it's just quite hard to grab his skin when he is tense coz he knows what's coming. Let us know about the toughening of the skin, I would be interested in more info :). Thanks!
 
I found this in the rabbit book I downloaded, by Lucile C Moore & Kathy Smith. The link was on here previously but the download function was removed from the site advertising the book. I think the Male rabbit thing was an extract from one of Frances Harcourt-Browns write ups.. I have googled and can't find it now :roll: I will have another search in a bit :wave:

Another problem that can develop from frequent injections is that the skin may become resistant from the small adhesions that develop where the needle is stuck in, making it increasingly difficult to insert the needle. The area may also vascularize, or develop more tiny blood vessels, making
it more difficult for you to give fluids without hitting a capillary. Giving the injections in different spots can help prevent these problems, although they may not entirely prevent their occurrence.

Jodi McLaughlin, certified in animal and human massage, offers the following hint for needle sensitivity:
One thing you can do to help with adhesions and sensitivity from regular needle sticks is skin rolling. Rabbits usually love this massage technique and it can be done directly down the spine, the only massage technique that is
safe on top of the spinous processes. I skin roll across the shoulders, lower neck, and loosened skin on the hips too. Roll bunny’s loose skin between your
thumb and index and middle fingers, just like rolling a cigarette, only continue to move over new areas. This technique is also considered a TTouch® or Myofascial Release technique.
It will free the tiny adhesions caused from needles as well as stagnant circulation. It feels very good and is easy to do. Try to do skin rolling
after sub-Q fluids.
 
Very interesting, thank you :wave: I keep this in my records..

I'm admirative for those of you who do the injections themselves, I just couldn't, too afraid of dammaging the skin as the dammages she has at the moment ...
 
linzi1loveanimals said:
I used a fresh one each time, and they were 23g needles (blue hub) which did go in easier than 21g definitely.
Click to expand...

Yes I tend to use the 23g or even the 25g needles for Santa, but she is only about 1kg so it's fine to use the smaller needle for her. It also depends on what you are injecting as some antibiotics tend to be more viscuous and need a bigger gauge needle to inject easily.
 
Hi Santa,

thanks for letting me know. I have ordered some 25G needles and see how we get on with them, should arrive tomorrow just in time for Nosey's next injection. He is 1.5kg so not that heavy either.
 
cherryredcutie said:
Hiya,
Someone posted a picture of how to give subcutaneous injections on here but I can't find the thread anymore.
Click to expand...

that would be me. :wave:

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

needle9sq.jpg


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 above
3) push the needle in, if it's a small bun, push in approx. just over 0.5 inch
 
I remember seeing someone being injected in their arm on TV which helped me with my method. I make sure that I rest the needle flat on the skin first, gently press down and then push forwards. If you just try to push forwards towards the skin it seems harder to penetrate. Hope you understand what i mean! :?
 
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