How to give an intramuscular injection to a dog?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Does your four-legged pet get sick or injured and unable to get him to the veterinary clinic?

Given the likelihood of such a situation, it is necessary to learn how to provide first aid to your friend. Treating a wound, putting on a splint, and even injecting medication are necessary steps to save your pet's life. You should know how to give a dog an intramuscular injection.

What is it for?

Of course, one can understand that if you have never encountered medicine in practice in your life, then at first glance this manipulation will seem complicated. In fact, there is nothing to worry about, we will tell you everything in detail so that you can give an intramuscular injection to the dog yourself.

This skill will allow you to avoid wasting time and money to visit the clinic in order to recover your pet. And having gained experience - the opportunity to earn money by providing the same services to other pet owners.

Basic rules

First you need to familiarize yourself with the procedure for preparing andcarrying out this procedure. One of the first rules is the complete sterility of the needle and hands. Secondly, strict adherence to the prescribed dose of the drug is required. And thirdly, you need to find the right place on the body of the animal. Following these points, you will be able to properly inject the dog intramuscularly.

For this procedure, it is considered optimal time after a walk, when the animal is relaxed and wants to rest. Also pay attention to whether these manipulations should be carried out before or after meals (according to the doctor's prescriptions and the instructions for the medicine).

Syringe selection

Now let's pay special attention to the choice of syringe for injection. Firstly, it must be sterile and properly selected. The main selection criterion is compliance with the size of the patient.

An intramuscular injection for a small breed dog (from two to ten kilograms) is recommended to be done with an insulin syringe, but it will only work if the volume of the drug does not exceed one milliliter (you can’t get more into it). It has just the right size and length needle. Therefore, using it, you do not have to control the depth of insertion into soft tissue.

For large animals (more than 10 kilograms), syringes from two cubes or more are suitable, because they have muscle mass, skin thickness and fat layer will be larger, so the needle can be used, respectively, longer.

Medication preparation

There is also an order here. Therefore, for starters, you should make sure that the name of the medication is fully consistent with the one prescribed by the veterinarian. Be sure to check the expiration date on the package and read the instructions for use (some preparations must be shaken before use).

Many injectable medicines are stored in the refrigerator, therefore, before injecting a dog intramuscularly, the drug must be heated to 36-38 degrees. Do not store open medicine and certainly do not reuse it! If there is a need for multiple use of the medication from the vial, then it should be drawn into syringes of the required dosage and stored in the refrigerator, but not more than three days.

It is also necessary to remember that you can not mix different drugs without the recommendation of the attending physician, this can lead to disastrous consequences. It is not necessary to carry out the disinfection procedure on the dog's body before the injection, this is due to the presence of a strong antibacterial layer on the skin of animals.

After getting acquainted with the procedure for the injection, we open the ampoule with liquid, draw it into the syringe. After that, it is necessary to expel the air, and also check the accuracy of the dialed volume. Never touch the needle with your hands!

Suitable injection site

Having de alt with the choice of a syringe and the preparation of medications, it is worth talking about how to give a dog an injection intramuscularly. To begin with, it is advisable to understand the meaning of this word. It involves the introduction of drugs into the softfabrics. A very good place on the dog's body are the hip and shoulder areas (more often doctors advise using the first one).

First you need to find the right place so as not to harm the he alth of the animal. Gently feel the muscles on the dog's hind leg between the tibia and hip bones with your fingers, evaluate the proximity of their location and the thickness of the skin.

It is between them that the muscle is located - the most successful place for manipulation. An injection made in this place will bring less pain and discomfort to the patient. During the procedure, it is very important that the paws are relaxed, not tense. This will greatly facilitate the injection process. By the same principle, a site for an injection is selected on the front paw. We find a muscle, evaluate a suitable place.

For small breeds of dogs (no more than 10 kilograms), the needle is inserted into soft tissues no more than 0.6-1.5 centimeters, for large breeds - from 1.2 to 3.5. Such limits are set with the aim of safety and exclude the possibility of a complete puncture of the musculature of the animal.

If the volume of the syringe does not allow you to draw the required amount of the drug, then you can replace it with a larger one, but at the same time leaving a suitable needle. Whatever place on the body of your pet you choose, you need to inject very carefully so as not to hurt the nerve endings.

Step by step instructions

So, to give an intramuscular injection to a dog, first you need to thoroughly wash your hands. Prepare a suitable syringe, fill it with medicine, which do not forget to warm up to the desiredtemperature. Then check the absence of air by lifting the syringe with the needle up and pressing down on the plunger until drops come out of the needle.

Now, in order for the procedure to be painless and bring more benefits, your pet needs to relax. Sit next to him, stroke, caress, scratch in your favorite place. The purpose of all this is to relax the muscle chosen for the injection.

Then it remains to stick the needle in one confident movement and carefully inject, pressing the plunger, the drug. In this case, the syringe must immediately be taken correctly so that it is convenient to give an injection.

Precautions

Dogs, like people, are different, some endure medical manipulations in silence, others express their dissatisfaction. Therefore, it is worth playing it safe and inviting someone to help. If a pet behaves restlessly, runs away and completely refuses to administer the medicine, then it is worth using a little perseverance and strength, laying the animal on its side and fixing the muzzle and front paws on the floor. At this time, the second person present gives an intramuscular injection to the dog.

Large breed pets should be muzzled because some drugs cause severe pain, and it is not known what the patient's reaction will be. Therefore, it is better to protect yourself and the assistant.

Decision made

After reading the information on how to inject a dog intramuscularly, you can decide for yourself whether to spend your money and time on a visitdaily manipulations or independently carry them out. The main thing is to remember that you are worried about your pet, you want to help him get well soon.