How can I give my old dog fluids without daily needle insertions?

SQ fluids must be given with a needle under the skin and although it might look brutal to you it is actually much easier on the cat than try to force her this quantity of water orally, which is virtually impossible.

I'm very sorry to hear about this situation. Sadly, even if Kody would tolerate fluid therapy at home, it would not reverse the renal failure. When we are giving subcutaneous fluids at home, we are trying to keep our pets comfortable and give them more time. In patients that do tolerate it well, it still only helps for a while. Making the decision to euthanize is never easy. What I never want to see is a patient that ends up resenting the care their family is trying to provide, and making their last days miserable for everyone involved. If you absolutely wanted to keep going and keep trying, you could hospitalize with IV fluids, or take him to the veterinarian for daily subcutaneous fluids, but if he hates the treatment, I'm not sure that is what most people would want their pet's last days to be like. I can only access how Kody is doing based on the information provided, but it sounds like you are at a point when it would not be wrong to consider euthanasia. Even knowing it is the right thing does not make it easy. I wish I had better answers for you.

IV fluids are definitely recommended for a young puppy who is vomiting and is having diarrhea because it's the best way to keep them from getting dehydrated. Getting an IV catheter put in is not very painful at all, and once the needle is in the vein, giving the fluids is painless. This is the best option for keeping dehydration at bay. Dora could be subcutaneous fluids (fluids infected under the skin), but that involves a needle as well and it does not rehydrate the dog as quickly as IV fluids. I highly recommend letting the vet give her IV fluids.

Talk to your vet about doing pulse therapy antibiotics. That is where oral antibiotics are given daily for one week each month. What you are already doing is fine but the antibiotics are what will keep the infection down. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I would not recommend re-using it. Once the ampule is broken, the contents are no longer considered sterile, so using them in an infection the next day, with an unsealed container, increases risk for an abscess (bacterial infection ) at the injection site). If the injections aren't helping much, talk to your vet about whether or not its worth it to continue doing them. Your vet may recommend rechecking bloodwork to see where those kidney values are at; there may be improvement that you can't appreciate on the outside, but the values may be better which would indicate that continuing the injections is wise. You can feed the royal canin indefinitely. It is safe long term. However it is ok to give some other food occasionally as well, especially if he's not wanting to eat the renal diet. Some cats prefer canned food so you may try the canned version if you haven't tried that yet. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm not sure what fluid you are draining but I recommend just putting the needle under the skin into the pocket and gently pulling back to remove the discharge. It won't cause much discomfort. You should have someone hold him steady when you do this. Personally I recommend you take your cat back to the veterinary office to see if one of the technicians can watch you and help you do this so you can become confident. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your cat.

It is perfectly fine to do 50ml's twice daily. That should be easiest. As long as the fluids are given within a 24 hr period, it is considered ideal. Best wishes getting Beau to cooperate for his fluid therapy with the new routine. : ) Take care.