Subcutaneous Injection

No matter what disease, even just the most ordinary cold, if an injection is needed, it is impossible to be cured by just one injection. Many owners also cannot take their dogs for injections on time due to work reasons, causing previous treatments to fail. Therefore, mastering common injection methods is a good choice for owners. Common injection methods include subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, and intravenous injection, each with different precautions.

I. Subcutaneous Injection

The subcutaneous injection site usually selects areas where the skin is thinner, the subcutaneous tissue is loose, and there are fewer blood vessels, typically on the neck or upper back. Drugs that are easy to dissolve, non-irritating medications, as well as bacteria vaccines and vaccines, can be injected subcutaneously. During injection, one person should hold the dog steady, then select the site and disinfect the injection area with alcohol. Use the thumb and middle finger to pinch the dog's skin, press the middle with the index finger to form a fold, then insert the needle into the fold. The needle should not be too deep or too shallow. Pull back slightly to check for air in the needle; if present, it means it is not under the skin. After insertion, push the medication; the speed should not be too slow or too fast.

II. Intramuscular Injection

Generally, slightly irritating drugs and those hard to absorb can be given by intramuscular injection, but strongly irritating drugs, such as calcium chloride and hypertonic saline, should not be injected intramuscularly. For intramuscular injection, choose a muscle with good volume and no large blood vessels, usually the hind leg of the dog. One person holds the dog steady and disinfects the site. The injector uses the thumb and index finger of the left hand to stretch the skin, holds the syringe with the right hand, inserts the needle at a 60-degree angle rapidly, controls the depth properly, pulls back the plunger to check no blood flows back, then pushes the medication into the muscle. After injection, disinfect the area again.

Do not push medication too quickly during intravenous injection

III. Intravenous Injection

Intravenous injections produce the fastest drug effect. Drugs with larger doses and irritating drugs (such as calcium chloride, hypertonic glucose solution, hypertonic saline, etc.) should be injected intravenously. Injection sites can be the neck veins (inside the jugular groove at the junction of the upper third and middle third of the neck, this vein is superficial and easy to find), veins on the inner side above the wrist joint or the palm side below the wrist joint, veins outside or above the tarsal joint, and veins on the inner thigh. During injection, tie the venous side centripetal to the injection site with a rubber band to make the vein distended, shave and disinfect the local area, then insert the needle along the vein's longitudinal axis parallel to the vein. If inserted correctly, blood will immediately flow back. Then release the rubber band, insert the needle a bit further into the vein, fix the needle, slowly push the medication. After injection, press the injection site with an alcohol cotton ball, then remove the needle and disinfect to prevent blood from flowing into the subcutaneous tissue and forming a hematoma. The following precautions should be noted when performing intravenous injections:

1. The syringe must be matched, all parts tightly connected, and the syringe and needle must be unobstructed and strictly sterilized.

2. Ensure the drug is not expired and check for compatibility contraindications.

3. Remove all air bubbles from the syringe before injection, and prevent leakage of medication outside the vessel. Do not push the medication too quickly.

4. If irritating drugs leak into the subcutaneous tissue, saline or distilled water can generally be injected into the surrounding tissue to dilute the drug and facilitate absorption.