Hi Janet,

Yes!  I have experience with sub-q fluids.  My 12 year old cat had them last
year.  First of all, hang in there.  It seems overwhelming in the
beginning - I know.  After a while, you will be a pro - your cat will be a
pro - and it won't seem like much of a deal at all.  I also had to do the
special kidney food, and with 5 cats ranging in age from 8 weeks to 12
years, yep - what a task!

What I did was feed my older cat in the bathroom.  For some reason the
kittens liked the kidney food, which was bad b/c they need more protein than
what is in there.  So I just separated them from the older girl when she
ate.  I think she appreciated it too, because there was no one to bug her.

The method of injecting the fluid takes some practice.  I did it all - put
the needle right through (so the fluid came out the other side), ended up
making her bleed (which I felt soooo bad for) - you name it I experienced
it.  I had the vet show me on several different occasions how to best inject
the fluid, how to hold the skin like a "tent".  I was assured over and over
that these fluids would keep my cat comfortable and the hydration would give
her energy, rather than wait til she was totally depleted of energy to
hydrate her.

Don't hesitate to ask your vet for help if you need it - have one of the
techs show you how they do it ON YOUR CAT in the office.  I found that my
biggest hurdle was mental - how can I stick my poor cat with a needle on a
regular basis.  Just remind yourself that it is for his health.  It is best.
Sometimes I would give my cat some food while I did the "treatment", and she
ate while getting her fluids.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot.  If you have any questions just let me know
or email me privately at (remove the REMOVE) meghan112REMOVE@earthlink.net.

Meghan

circa Mon, 9 Feb 2004 09:21:00 -0800, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
rinn (rinn@u.washington.edu) said,

My sixteen-year-old was diagnosed over two years ago, when he was in
early stage CRF. We started him on K/D at that time, and he only
recently started getting sub-q fluids. Jacob gets 100ml per day
because the veterinarian who is now treating him (we moved in the
summer) has had better success with cats who get fluids daily rather
than every few days. They tend to *stay* hydrated rather than going
through a hydration-dehydration-rehydration cycle. Jacob loves
getting his "juice" every night, is eating well, and is still doing
well overall. He'll be having his every-four-months bloodwork soon
and we'll see where he's at then. So far, however, he has been doing
well.

During the early stages of Jacob's CRF, all I really did was get
regular bloodwork, keep up with the K/D, and give him lots of water.
Now I do the fluids, and his food has become quite a concoction of
stuff (metamucil or pumpkin to help prevent constipation; Pepcid
dissolved in water and/or slippery elm bark powder for indigestion;
chondroitin for creaky joints; K/D and water all mixed together), but
he's still doing well. Jacob has never had a "crash", and I believe
that a huge reason for that is the careful monitoring and the
proactive starting of fluid therapy with him.

There are lots of good CRF sites out there, as well as a mailing list
on Yahoo. I'd recommend taking a look at these:

http://www.felinecrf.org
http://www.felinecrf.com

Feel free to post any questions.

Laura

circa Mon, 9 Feb 2004 09:21:00 -0800, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
rinn (rinn@u.washington.edu) said,

P.S.
This is just a copy and paste from part of the six or eight pages of
instructions that I leave for my catsitter (yeah, I'm a little anal
retentive), but if you're new to fluids, there might be something of
use in here (note that the referenced radiator is enclosed and tile-
topped <G>):

Jacob's Fluids

Lactated Ringer's bags are on white shelves next to refrigerator in
kitchen
Drip lines are on white shelves next to refrigerator in kitchen
Needles are in small baggies on white shelves next to refrigerator in
kitchen
Take five needles at a time from bag and put in small container in
freezer. Each day, use a fresh needle out of the freezer (frozen
needles hurt less). When the container runs out, put another five
needles in. (Leaving needles in freezer for longer than five days may
potentially warp them.)

Fluid bag hangs from window above radiator in living room. Before
giving fluids to Jacob, put bag on radiator and let it warm a bit.
You may leave it on the radiator if that is easier, and hang it just
when administering fluids.

Steps for administration:

1.    After fluid has warmed to slightly above room temperature, hang
bag from hook on window.
2.    Make sure that bag is not punctured and that fluids are not
cloudy.
3.    Fluid level at top of drip line should be approximately half-
full in the drip chamber. If it is too full, turn the bag upside down
and squeeze a little fluid back into the bag. If the chamber is too
full, it's difficult to see if the fluid is actually flowing. If the
fluid in the chamber is not approximately half full, squeeze a little
fluid from bag into chamber.
4.    Check drip line for excessive air bubbles. Because this is not
IV treatment, they won't kill Jacob, but they can make it less
comfortable for him. If there are lots of bubbles, open the stopcock
and let a little fluid run through.
5.    Remove blue plastic cap from drip line with a twisting motion
and set aside while administering fluids.
6.    Remove green cap from needle with a twisting motion, then twist
the needle onto the end of the drip line (the end of the drip line is
threaded so that you don't have to push or pull, just twist the
needle on and off).
7.    Leave cap on needle until ready to administer fluids.
8.    Put a small pile of dry food on plate on cat mat on top of
radiator.
9.    Put Jacob on cat mat on top of radiator. He probably won't
start eating the food at this point.
10.    Very gently, lift the fur on Jacob's shoulderblades just enough
for him to feel it. He will immediately lie down on his belly as he
knows that this means he's going to get his fluids.
11.    Grasp a small amount of fur between his shoulderblades between
finger and thumb and lift it up a little. A small "tent" will form.
With other hand, poke the tent to make sure that you've pulled up the
skin a bit and that there is a "pocket" formed by the tent. When
you're sure that you have what is essentially a pyramid shape formed,
insert the needle horizontally into the pocket formed by lifting the
tent. The beveled edge of the needle should face up so as not to tear
Jacob's skin. Move the needle forward until you feel a small "pop" as
it breaks the skin- Jacob will make a small flinching motion as the
needle breaks the skin- it isn't particularly painful, but he does
feel it. Make sure not to push the needle back out of the other side
of the "tent". When the needle is in, give the tent a little bit of a
wiggle to make sure that the needle isn't caught on the side or poked
out the other side, then release the tent. Jacob will lie quietly
while you do this, and will probably purr.
12.    Open the stopcock on the drip line by rolling the wheel all the
way up to the top of its track. Once you've rolled the wheel up,
slide the entire track up or down the line a few inches and pinch the
tube to remove the crimp formed when the wheel was closed.
13.    Fluid should be flowing at the drip chamber in a steady stream.
If it is dripping instead, check the line for crimps and lift the
tent of skin a bit at Jacob's shoulderblades to make sure that the
skin hasn't blocked the needle's flow.
14.    Watch the bag and close the stopcock when 100mls of fluid have
been administered. A lump will form under Jacob's skin and will
probably slide down his leg or to his ribcage. This is completely
normal. The fluid will be absorbed within a few hours. If there is
still a lump the next day when you're getting ready to give fluids
again, call me.
15.    After you've closed the stopcock by rolling the wheel all the
way to the bottom, slide the needle out of Jacob's skin. If you don't
roll the stopcock wheel all the way down, the tubing will leak. A
whole bag of fluid can leak out in a day if the stopcock isn't
tightly closed.
16.    After sliding the needle out, gently pinch the skin together
for a few seconds to help keep the fluids from leaking out of Jacob.
At this point, he will probably have started eating the kibble.
17.    Put the cap back on the needle and remove it from the drip tube
by twisting it off, then put the green cap back on the needle and
throw the entire needle into the Pine-Sol bottle by the radiator.
18.    Put the blue cap back on the drip tube and hang the tubing on
the window latch.

The key to doing this successfully is to not be afraid of the
process. Jacob likes getting his fluids, and is extremely cooperative
as long as you follow his "routine" by following the steps above. If
he senses you're afraid, or if you try to rush anything, he'll become
fearful and will be less cooperative. He may also drink right after
getting fluids, and this is not cause for worry. He likes to drink
from the bowl by the radiator.

Laura