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Subq question

Hope4gem

Hope4gem

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Hi all! I know I've been quiet for a while. So sorry about that. Life has been crazy. Hoping I can ask some advice. My Sandy pandy is hanging in there but on daily subq fluids these days. I just did her injection but the fluid "bubble" didn't form. Thinking I maybe injected too deep? Vet is closed for the day. I know we can't give vet advice here but does anyone have experience with this happening?
 
Sorry I have absolutely no experience in this, but just wanted to wish you luck and let you know what an amazing piggy owner you are for doing this for your piggy ❤️
 
No experience here, but I think you're probably right as it must have gone somewhere.
Why does Sandy need daily fluids? And how many ml?
I ask because my 6 y.o. boar has had bladder issues and of course the first impulse was to up his fluids but whatever is happening inside him also seems to make him very thirsty and he drinks water from a little 1ml syringe. He'll usually have 10-15ml each evening when he has his pellet food. So yes, I do have to sit there for 15 minutes or so while he has his dinner! He does also drink from a bottle as much as the other two - both of whom are interested in the syringe but can't understand his enthusiasm at all! It's been quite a strange development. If Sandy has similar issues I wonder if you've tried something like this rather than subq?
 
Free Ranger said:
No experience here, but I think you're probably right as it must have gone somewhere.
Why does Sandy need daily fluids? And how many ml?
I ask because my 6 y.o. boar has had bladder issues and of course the first impulse was to up his fluids but whatever is happening inside him also seems to make him very thirsty and he drinks water from a little 1ml syringe. He'll usually have 10-15ml each evening when he has his pellet food. So yes, I do have to sit there for 15 minutes or so while he has his dinner! He does also drink from a bottle as much as the other two - both of whom are interested in the syringe but can't understand his enthusiasm at all! It's been quite a strange development. If Sandy has similar issues I wonder if you've tried something like this rather than subq?
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing. Sandy won't drink water except on the rare occasion and she already has calcium build up along with other health issues so the vet prescribed fluids. She doesn't like water from a syringe either but I appreciate the suggestion. (She is also on a low calcium diet, distilled water, and a bunch of meds). As much as I hate that she has to go through that her quality of life is good enough that I think treatment continues to make sense at this time. She is currently at 20 ccs daily of subq. The vet has been monitoring and increasing as needed. Thank you again for sharing. It would be great if she would drink from a bottle or syringe, but she hardly ever does anymore. (She will take critical care so sometimes I can sneak a bit extra water in there and she'll still take that from a syringe but it's not enough unfortunately).
 
Only a vet would be able to check whether something has gone awry. Best thing I can recommend if you can't consult a vet would be to watch for any change in behavior or unusual appearance, particularly near the site of the injection, until you can reach out to a vet.
I don't know where guinea pig subcutaneous injections are given, but generally with a subcutaneous injection (not specific to guinea pigs), if the needle were placed incorrectly and the fluid didn't go into the subcutaneous layer, it would be going into a muscle ... if you're using a syringe, that should feel different as you press the plunger.
Also, while I don't have experience with guinea pig subcutaneous injection, I do have some experience with human subcutaneous injections ... different species and all, but it's the closest I can offer ... When I've had subcutaneous injections, there isn't always a bubble visible ... sometimes there is; sometimes there isn't - in cases where there wasn't a distinct bump from the injection, generally I could feel the fluid moving further to the side(s), where as if it stays more localised, there's more of a visible/tangible bubble ... both subcutaneous, just how much the fluid was able to spread within the layer. Not sure if that's helpful.

Hopefully you can reach out to your vet when they open and they'll be able to give a better assessment and recommend course of action.
You're a great piggy owner for going through this for Sandy. I wish you and her the best with this.
 
Princess Dustmop said:
Only a vet would be able to check whether something has gone awry. Best thing I can recommend if you can't consult a vet would be to watch for any change in behavior or unusual appearance, particularly near the site of the injection, until you can reach out to a vet.
I don't know where guinea pig subcutaneous injections are given, but generally with a subcutaneous injection (not specific to guinea pigs), if the needle were placed incorrectly and the fluid didn't go into the subcutaneous layer, it would be going into a muscle ... if you're using a syringe, that should feel different as you press the plunger.
Also, while I don't have experience with guinea pig subcutaneous injection, I do have some experience with human subcutaneous injections ... different species and all, but it's the closest I can offer ... When I've had subcutaneous injections, there isn't always a bubble visible ... sometimes there is; sometimes there isn't - in cases where there wasn't a distinct bump from the injection, generally I could feel the fluid moving further to the side(s), where as if it stays more localised, there's more of a visible/tangible bubble ... both subcutaneous, just how much the fluid was able to spread within the layer. Not sure if that's helpful.

Hopefully you can reach out to your vet when they open and they'll be able to give a better assessment and recommend course of action.
You're a great piggy owner for going through this for Sandy. I wish you and her the best with this.
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it. ❤️
 
So sorry you are having health issues with Sandy, but it’s lovely to hear from you, take care x
 
I spoke to the vet office today and they gave me some tips on giving Sandy fluids moving forward so hopefully I won't have that problem again. Now, I just need to continue to evaluate her quality of life and make sure we're making decisions that are in her best interests.
 
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