Finding A Great Veterinarian

Most pet owners are accustomed to seeing their cats get shots at the veterinarian's office. It may be alarming to consider delivering shots on your own without veterinary supervision. However, if your vet has prescribed pet meds like subcutaneous injections of B vitamins, rest assured that this is a task most pet owners can accomplish on their own. Here are two ways to give your cat B vitamin injections.

Injecting Directly

B vitamins are always given subcutaneously, which means under the skin. They're not injected directly into the bloodstream, so you don't have to worry about trying to find a vein or making your cat bleed. Instead, you'll be injecting the syringe under your cat's scruff.

To do this, gently grab your cat's scruff and slowly pull it upward. The skin at the base of their neck and shoulders should form a sort of tent. This area is where you will be injecting the vitamin solution.

To inject your cat, maintain the scruff tent, and slowly insert the needle parallel to the body at the base of the tent. There may be some resistance at first as the needle penetrates, but once it's in, you can easily inject the fluids. Pull the needle out and release the scruff, and you're done injecting the vitamins.

With IV Fluids

Another way of injecting B vitamins into your cat is to inject it along with a cat's IV subcutaneous fluids. If your cat is already receiving subcutaneous fluids, you already know how to give a subcutaneous injection. If not, it follows the same principle as the injection directions seen above; you just insert an IV needle instead, and hold it in place while your cat's IV fluids slowly drain into their scruff tent.

To inject B vitamins with your cat's subcutaneous fluids, simply set up the IV fluids and then insert the B vitamin needle into a port on the line. It's a good idea to allow some IV fluids to drain into your cat before the B vitamin is injected, as well as allowing more to follow it. This will help to dilute the B vitamins and make them easier to absorb into the body.

Speeding Up the Absorption

Whether you're giving your cat B vitamins directly or with IV solution, B vitamins can sting a bit for your cat. Therefore, speeding up the absorption as much as possible is a good idea. One way you can do this is by gently massaging your cat's scruff after the solution is injected. This will help to spread the fluid out under your cat's skin so it can be absorbed more quickly into your cat's tissues.

Injecting your cat with anything can be nerve-wracking at first, but you'll quickly grow accustomed to the process with these tips. If you're still struggling, ask your veterinarian for advice on how to make the process easier for you and your cat.