How to give an intramuscular injection to a dog's paw. How to properly give an injection to a dog. Consequences of unsuccessful injections

Any dog owner should pay special attention to the health of their pet, because the animal can get sick at any time. Diseases are caused by eating spoiled food, ticks, and contact with sick animals. Accordingly, every owner should be able to give injections to their pet, since in some situations there is no time to wait for a veterinarian.

When are injections needed?

If you suspect any disease in your dog, you must first contact a specialist. Experienced the doctor will carefully examine the animal and prescribe appropriate treatment. In particular, injections are indicated that need to be done several times a day or week. Naturally, taking a sick dog to the hospital every day is quite difficult, so you need to learn how to give injections yourself. To do this, you should get a doctor’s recommendations and also study the instructions for the medicine.

need for urgent medical attention;
availability of the drug only in the form of a solution in an ampoule;
inability to give the animal the drug orally;
the need for long-term treatment using a specific dosage of a particular drug.

What you need to know about injections?

Before starting manipulations, you need to make sure that the dog is calm. If it jerks, the needle may break, and it will be very difficult to pull it out.

If the animal is very afraid of injections, you need to have one person carefully hold the dog while the other gives the injection. Best for this lay the pet on its side, and immediately after the injection give him a treat.

wash your hands thoroughly;
wipe the ampoule with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. After this, you need to carefully file the top part, although in most modern preparations the ampoules are sold already filed;
The drug should be heated by holding the ampoule in your hands for 10-30 seconds. This will make the injection less painful;
The medicine should be carefully drawn into the syringe, and then the air should be removed. The piston is pressed until a drop of medicine appears at the end of the needle.

Syringe selection

It is necessary to understand that not all syringes are suitable for injections in dogs. If we are talking about intramuscular injection, then the size of the pet should be taken into account. For miniature breeds and dogs that weigh less than 10 kg, insulin syringes are suitable. Naturally, this applies only to those cases when the animal requires the administration of no more than 1 ml of medication. In this situation It is not necessary to monitor the insertion depth, because the needle is quite short. Of course, this does not apply to injections given to puppies.

Larger dog breeds will require syringes that hold 2 ml or more. They have a fairly long needle, which allows them to reach the muscles. To avoid injury, you can take the needle from another syringe.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that the above insulin syringe will not work for intramuscular administration of the drug, since its needle is too short. In this case, the drug will get under the skin, which will lead to tissue irritation and necrosis.

When choosing a syringe, you should pay attention to the fluidity of the drug, that is, its viscosity. Thus, some medications have an oil base, which makes their administration through insulin syringes quite complicated, because the drug will clog the needle.

Almost any syringes are used for subcutaneous injections.

When choosing a product, you need to consider the following factors:

needle length and diameter;
required volume of medication;
viscosity of the drug.

If possible, you should choose a smaller needle, as this will make the injection less painful.

Subcutaneous injections

The area near the knee or withers is best suited for performing such an injection, because here the skin is less sensitive. However, it is quite dense, so the needle must be inserted very slowly so as not to break it.

You need to remember the following:

the injection site should not be disinfected, since animals have an antibacterial layer on their skin;
to avoid infection, do not touch the needle with your hands;
There is no need to be afraid to give a subcutaneous injection, because there are no important vessels or nerves on the withers.

Giving an injection is very simple. So, you need to carefully pull back the fold between the shoulder blades, remove the hair and insert the needle at an angle of 45º. After this, it is carefully pulled out, holding the fold.

Intramuscular injections

In some cases, it is necessary to give an injection into the muscle. This method of administration is used for antibiotics and drugs that are absorbed rather slowly. It is better to inject in the thigh area or area near the shoulder.

The following factors need to be taken into account:

The dog's muscle should be completely relaxed. For this you need to talk kindly to the animal, stroke it and massage the area where the injection will be performed. The paw should be gently bent;
There is no need to treat the skin with alcohol;
The temperature of the medicine should be approximately 37º C.

Performing an intramuscular injection can be difficult:

if you feel something hard under the needle, you need to pull it back;
If a drop of blood appears on the surface of the skin, this indicates a puncture of the vessel. In this case you need to carefully remove the needle, wipe the blood with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol and choose another place for injection;
if you accidentally hit a nerve, the dog will limp slightly.

It should be understood that an intramuscular injection in dogs always leads to minor muscle injury. This is especially true in cases where infusion of a large amount of medication is indicated. Therefore, you need to take into account the speed of its infusion. Typically, 0.5 ml of solution requires 1 second. Do not inject too slowly, as the dog may feel afraid. As a result, she will begin to get nervous and twitch.

Consequences of the injection

Even if you do the injection correctly, some problems may occur. Thus, the dog may feel discomfort, causing it to become restless. It should be understood that some medications have an irritating effect, so they are pre-mixed with an anesthetic drug. The compatibility of medications must be checked in the instructions.

It is important to remember that an injection represents a kind of tissue injury, therefore possible appearance of blood due to disruption of the integrity of blood vessels. A small amount of blood is wiped off with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. If there is a lot of blood, you can apply a cold compress. If there is excessive bleeding, urgent veterinary assistance is required.

In some cases, the animal may press its paw after the injection, which is considered a normal reaction. If the pet pulls its paw, this indicates that it is getting into a bundle of nerves. To eliminate such complications, novocaine blockade is used.

To give your dog an injection yourself, you need to be patient. You cannot shout at the animal or suppress its resistance. It is enough to pet your pet, thanks to which he will calm down and stop being nervous. Only after this can you begin to perform the injection.

It is not always possible to take your pet to a clinic for procedures or invite a veterinary specialist to your home. Some procedures - for example, a subcutaneous or intramuscular injection - can easily be done by the owner himself. It is enough to know a few subtleties of the procedure, literally see and try once, to learn how to prick your pet yourself.

Choosing a syringe for injection

To give an injection, it is important to choose the right syringe to minimize discomfort and pain, but at the same time administer the medicine correctly and smoothly.

Dogs have a very large variation in size, so the size of the selected syringes is also variable. Puppies of all breeds, decorative breeds and other individuals up to 8-10 kg use insulin syringes for injections. They have a very thin and short needle - you can not control the depth of insertion, doing it over the entire length. Do not use this type of injection instrument if the volume of the injected drug exceeds 1 ml, has an oily consistency or produces a sediment when dissolved - the needle easily becomes clogged and cannot be used for its intended purpose.

When administering drugs in quantities up to 3 ml, use syringes of the appropriate volume - 2 (3) m 3. There are also thin needles, which make it possible to pierce the skin with the least amount of trauma. These needles can be exchanged for larger syringes, because... The package contains 5, 10 or 20 ml needles of a decent volume, which are approved for use on large dogs. For decorative breeds, such needles will be excessively traumatic.

When introducing regular-sized needles, it is important to control the depth of the puncture of the muscle or skin fold - 1-2 cm, depending on the size of the pet.

We fix the pet before the injection

No matter how calm the dog may look at first glance, he must be muzzled! The exception is pocket breeds of dogs, when the muzzle can simply be gently pressed directly into the palm.

If there is no muzzle, a loop of ordinary bandage is placed over the jaw - tied one turn at the top, bottom, and then the free ends are tied behind the dog's ears.

For small dogs, it is convenient to use special fixation bags or wrap them in a blanket (towel), leaving only the injection site free. Also, small dogs can simply be held by an assistant.

Very large dogs do not always agree to lie on their sides. To secure large specimens, you need to tie the dog by the collar to any stable vertical surface, pressing the neck tightly against it. The assistant then pinches the dog between his legs, facing his hindquarters, restraining any attempts at movement.

Intramuscular injection

This type of injection is suitable for irritating solutions. In this way, medications are administered that must slowly enter the bloodstream after absorption (for example, antibiotics or vitamin preparations).

It is best to stab when the animal is fixed in a position lying on its side, rarely on its stomach. It is inconvenient to enter while sitting and is not recommended, because... the thigh muscle will be overly tense.
It is enough to press a small dog at the withers on the table in such an arrangement that the hind legs are closer to the hand that will stab.
It is imperative to have a muzzle or a special loop on the large jaws to protect yourself from a potential bite.
The needle should be inserted approximately into the middle of the back surface of the thigh to a depth of 1-1.5 cm away from the bone (it must first be felt). This will be the meatiest part of the thigh muscle. In large breeds, an insertion depth of up to 3 cm is allowed (see figure).
Sometimes it is inserted into the scapula - the needle is inserted along the back edge of the scapula into the very thickness of the muscles, perpendicular to the head. But this place is used in very rare cases and more often in very large breeds of dogs, when the probability of missing or running into a bone is minimal (see figure).
A tense muscle must be massaged and relaxed before the injection.
The syringe is removed, the injection site of the medicine is slightly massaged.
The technique of inserting the needle does not matter; the main thing is that it is convenient to immediately administer the medicine without changing the position of the hands and fingers.
Check to see if there is any bleeding at the needle injection point, and then only release the animal.

How to inject a dog intramuscularly (technique on video):

Injecting solutions into the withers

In fact, you can inject the medicine under the skin in absolutely any part of the body. But the most convenient and relatively safe place to inject a dog at the withers is considered to be approximately the area where the two shoulder blades meet. Sometimes it is done in a fold on the forelimb (see figure)
Using three fingers, part of the skin in the area of the withers is pulled upward. A pyramid-shaped pocket is formed. The syringe is immediately held with the other hand.
The needle is inserted under the thumb at the base of the “pyramid” until you feel a certain “fall into the void” after puncturing the skin strictly parallel to the spine. Typically, the depth of insertion of the needle into the skin fold does not exceed 1-2 cm, based on the size of the animal. For small breeds, using an insulin syringe, the needle is inserted until it stops. Large breeds are better off using larger syringes.
After a noticeable “failure into emptiness”, the medicine can be administered.
The needle is removed and the fold is smoothed out with light massaging.
Be sure to make sure that the injection site is not bleeding, and then just release the animal.

Subcutaneous injection to a dog (on video):

Intravenous infusions

The introduction of any solutions into a vein is allowed only to veterinary specialists! Such injections are prohibited without appropriate education or practical skills. If the dog has had a venous catheter installed, in special cases the veterinarian may allow owners to administer solutions through it, making sure to show the owner how this is done.

Question answer

Question:
Where to give an injection to a dog?

There are medicinal solutions that are administered in any of three possible ways - intravenously, subcutaneously or into the thigh muscle. But there are some that must be introduced exclusively in one way, with a categorical ban on the rest. The drugs have a special irritant effect and can cause necrosis of surrounding tissues if administered incorrectly (death, rotting). The location is determined strictly according to the instructions for the drug!

Question:
The dog won't let himself get an injection

If the pet is active, restless or aggressive and is not suitable for the procedure, it will have to be restrained. You will definitely need to put on a muzzle or put a loop around the mouth; you may have to tie the paws and fix the pet in a lying position. Small breeds can be placed in special restraint bags. The essence of restraining a dog is not only to protect yourself from bites and injuries, but also to temporarily immobilize the animal, because Some breeds are quite large and weigh a lot.

Question:
If the withers begin to get wet when the medicine is administered

Most likely, the skin fold was pierced through and the solution is simply pouring past (out). It is necessary to remove the needle and repeat the puncture again, making sure that the needle gets exactly under the skin.

Question:
After the injection, did your dog begin to pull or press its paw?

If immediately after an injection in the paw the limb begins to pull towards the body and there is no support for it, then the pet is in pain. The reason is an excessively irritating reaction of the medicinal solution. Usually the condition returns to normal on its own within 1-2 days.

If there is no support on your leg and it drags as if relaxed, the needle may have touched a nerve node. You need to seek treatment from a veterinarian who will conduct a course of novocaine blockades, and the condition will return to normal. The symptom will not go away on its own, and without appropriate therapy, irreversible paresis (paralysis) of the limb may occur.

Question:
Blood appeared at the point where the needle was inserted

If it is just a drop of blood, just moisten a cotton swab with any antiseptic solution or 3% hydrogen peroxide and apply it for just a few minutes - the blood will stop flowing. It hit a small blood vessel.

If the blood flows more actively, you need to apply any cold in the injection area for 15-20 minutes. If the cold does not have an effect, you need to show the dog to the veterinarian.

Question:
Give a Yorkie an injection

Yorkshire Terriers are characterized by increased emotionality and allergic activity to various drugs. During the injection process, not only can your Yorkie develop an allergy, but the animal can also pass out unconscious from fear and excitement. Therefore, small breeds of dogs require increased attention after any injection has been given in order to provide first aid if necessary. It is better if injections for these breeds are carried out by a veterinary specialist.

Question:
If, during an intramuscular injection in the hind leg, the needle reached the bone?

It's OK! It is enough to pull the needle towards you a little so that its tip is back in the thickness of the muscles and inject the medicine.

Question:
Is there swelling or bruising at the injection site?

The vessel was damaged, a hematoma or abscess (purulent inflammation) formed. You can apply magnesium lotions or make an iodine mesh gently over the skin, but not generously (iodine can cause skin irritation in dogs). If after 1.5-2 days the lump does not begin to resolve, you need to visit a veterinarian.

Every dog breeder may have a situation when it is necessary to give their pet an injection themselves. In any case, this is a useful skill that is worth learning so that in case of emergency care you do not make the animal suffer while waiting for the veterinarian. And in less acute situations, this skill will save money and time. Detailed instructions for owners, ✅ how to properly give an injection to a dog intramuscularly and subcutaneously on its own.

Where and how to give an injection to a dog? How to do it right?

Before starting the injection, you need to do a number of manipulations:

Wash your hands thoroughly;
Shake the ampoule so that the medicine is at the bottom;
Break the ampoule in the thinnest place, holding it with a cotton swab so as not to get hurt;
Draw the medicine into the syringe and carefully remove any air bubbles until a drop appears at the tip of the needle.

How to give a dog a subcutaneous injection at the withers?

The withers are where the dog's neck meets the back. It is in the place where the two shoulder blades of the forelimbs meet that the injection should be given. Such an injection is safer for the animal, since in this place the nerves and blood vessels are only peripheral and it is difficult to injure the dog when giving an injection.

In addition, it is recommended to prick at the withers in cases where treatment can be lengthy and intramuscular injections can lead to abscess formation. But when injected into the withers, medications are absorbed more slowly, so it is better to give injections at room temperature.

Now let's start the injection. With your left hand we pull back the fold of skin at the withers. Treat the injection site with alcohol. Then we take the syringe in our right hand. The needle is inserted into this skin fold at its base up to half the needle of a five-gram syringe. Then we hold our right hand with the syringe needle inserted at the dog’s withers, and with our left hand we inject the medicine under the skin, pressing the piston. Then you need to remove the needle, holding the skin with your left hand.

How to give an intramuscular injection to a dog?

As a rule, the muscle contains antibiotics and other drugs that are absorbed very slowly or can cause irritation with another type of injection.

An intramuscular injection should be given into the femoral muscle of the hind leg. The needle must be inserted strictly perpendicular to the skin, approximately two-thirds of its length. Before the injection, wipe the skin with alcohol.

If the dog is restless, afraid of injections and tries to run away, it is better to inject together. The dog should be placed on its side with its lower paws firmly pressed and its head pressed to the floor. The assistant fixes the dog with his weight and vigorously strokes it in the upper shoulder area to distract it from the injection. After the injection is done, please the animal with your loved ones.

You should not give injections in her place, it is better in the neutral zone, and even better outside the house: with neighbors, for example. If the needle hits something hard when inserting, you may have inserted it too deeply and need to pull it back a little. If blood flows into the syringe during an intramuscular injection, it means you have punctured a vessel. You should remove the needle and press the bleeding area with a cotton swab in alcohol, and after a couple of minutes inject it into another area.

Sometimes after the injection the dog may limp, which means you hit his nerve. If a hematoma has formed at the injection site, you can make an iodine mesh or apply magnesium for 20 minutes.

Some people are afraid to give injections to their pet. But this skill is very necessary for any owner, because all sorts of situations happen. For example, you are very far from civilization, and especially from a doctor, and your dog needs help urgently. For example, she was bitten by an insect or she ate something wrong, which caused an allergic reaction. In this case, your pet will have to give the injection yourself. And in general, anything can happen, so let’s put aside fear and... master the theory. What about practice? God grant that your dog does not have to get an injection and is always healthy.

Basic Rules

A dog, like a person, needs to be given the injection correctly, and the main thing is sterility.

Both the syringe and your hands must be absolutely clean and sterile!
Do not touch the sterile needle with your hands;
each new injection must be done with a sterile needle and nothing else;
It is prohibited to use medicines from ampoules that were previously opened;
Make sure you are giving your dog the correct medication by reading the name on the ampoule. There is nothing funny about this rule, because you could mix up the ampoules in the box if you needed to give two injections at once. And if it’s not only you who has to give injections to your dog, then someone from the family could also transfer the ampoules;
You cannot mix two or more drugs in one syringe. More precisely, if the doctor recommends it, then it is possible. But chemically incompatible medications in one syringe can harm the dog;
Before you give the injection, make sure that the expiration date is also correct.

Advice: if you want to save an expensive drug and not throw it away after opening it, you can put the drug into different syringes and keep it in the refrigerator for a maximum of three days. Before giving the injection, do not forget to warm up the syringe in your hand.

A little about syringes and ampoules

There are many varieties of them, so in order to give an intramuscular injection, you need to proceed from the size of the dog. If you have to give a subcutaneous injection, that is, at the withers, you only need to pay attention to the physical properties of the medicine and its volume. Still, it is better to inject with the smallest possible needle. If the medicine has an oily consistency, it is better to perform the injection with a syringe needle of 2-3 ml or more.

As for the ampoules, many of them can be opened without even filing. The place where a break can be made is usually indicated by a dot or a belt. And yet, sometimes a cut is still needed. It can be made as a special disk, which is often placed in the packaging of ampoules. You can also use a nail file, an angle of a whetstone, a file...

When glass breaks, it is better to protect your hands and fingers with the syringe packaging or with a piece of cotton wool: after all, the ampoule often bursts when we rush to open it.

Advice: before administering the medicine intravenously, the dog’s skin can be treated with alcohol and not treated. There is already a fairly thick antibacterial layer here. But in any case, the skin should be undamaged and healthy.

How to inject medicine into the withers

First of all, to introduce any drug into the withers, you need your confidence and speed of execution: the dog perfectly senses your confusion.

So, under the dog’s skin the tissue is quite loose and there are a lot of blood vessels here, so the drug will dissolve slowly but well. And yet, the temperature of the medicine should be approximately the same as the dog’s body temperature. The maximum amount of medicine you can inject is half a liter. By the way, the withers, if someone doesn’t know, is the place where the back meets the neck. Injections are not given in the neck, because a collar is worn there, and its contact with microtrauma can lead to inflammation and irritation. Remember that some medications cannot be injected under the skin (as they can cause necrosis), and some cannot be injected into a vein. Therefore, re-read the instructions again.

The injection itself at the withers is performed as follows:

We lift the skin with our left hand and make a fold;
We quickly insert the syringe into its base, quickly inject the medicine;
take out the syringe! All!

Complications

They are always possible, but their consequences can be successfully eliminated.

If the dog is limping and tucks its paw. You've probably touched a nerve with her. Usually everything goes away, but you need to inject novocaine;
if the pet does not give in and resists. First of all, he should feel your confidence, so just realize that you are making your pet healthier. It is best to place a large dog on its side, and a small dog to fix it sideways to the person giving the injection. But you cannot use brute force, this will only make an already nervous animal even more aggressive. You shouldn’t jerk the dog, and if you have an understanding with it, just petting it is enough;
there is blood in the syringe. It's not particularly scary either. You just pierced the dog's blood vessel. Simply remove the needle and apply cotton wool to the injury site. After some time, we inject with another needle in a different place;
for hematomas, it is enough to put magnesium on this place for 20 minutes or paint it with an iodide mesh;
if you injected the wrong medicine or injected it in the wrong place. Unfortunately, this happens. In this case, the injection site should be injected with Ringer's solution or novocaine. If you “dilute” an unnecessary product, then there will be less harm from it.
remember that an injection, even if done expertly, is painful and stressful. Therefore, after your pet you definitely need to praise it and treat it with your favorite treat.

It is useful for every dog owner to learn how to give it injections on their own, because situations are different - it may happen that the animal urgently needs help, the timeliness of which will depend on its life. In addition, it is not always possible to take your pet to a veterinary clinic for procedures, and not all animals can easily tolerate transportation and being in an unfamiliar place, which is very stressful for them. To avoid all this, it is enough to know how to give an injection to a dog in need of treatment with your own hands.

Subcutaneously

The most common injection is subcutaneous. It is done in the withers area - this place on the dog’s body is the least sensitive. The injection is performed as follows: with the fingers of the left hand they take the skin above the shoulder blades, make a fold out of it, and with the right hand they hold the syringe and insert the needle under it. It is advisable that someone hold the animal at this time, as it may twitch and you will have to do everything all over again.

Intramuscularly

An intramuscular injection is given to dogs in the shoulder area or the back of the thigh. An intravenous injection should only be performed by a veterinarian, or, in extreme cases, the owner of the animal, but also exclusively under the supervision of a doctor. The procedure can be facilitated by a catheter, but in this case, you first need to inject 5 ml of saline into it, and then use the medicine from a syringe or put in an IV.

In addition to these standard places, the injection is also given in such parts of the dog’s body as:

Trachea. To do this, large animals are fixed in a standing position, small animals are placed on their sides on the table. Then they lift their head, find the place where the trachea protrudes the most, and insert a needle there.
Thoracic cavity. To give the injection, the dogs are left in a standing position, then the ribs are probed and the place where the 8th and 9th ribs meet is located. They retreat 2 cm from the articulation of these ribs with the thoracic vertebra, and then insert a needle there at an angle of 40° to a depth of 2–2.5 cm.
Lungs. The medicine is injected into this organ at the anterior edge of the 6-8th rib, retreating 8-10 cm above the shoulder joint.
Heart. Drugs are administered into it only in particularly critical cases, when it is stopped. Naturally, such an injection can only be performed if you know exactly how to do it correctly. To carry out the injection, the animal is placed on its right side, a syringe with a long (at least 6–7 cm) needle is taken and carefully inserted into the space between the 5th and 6th ribs. The needle should go straight into the left ventricle of the heart.
At the root of the tongue. To carry out this injection, the dog's head is lifted up, and then the intermaxillary space is pierced with a needle and inserted into the tongue muscle. It is also possible to inject directly into the tongue, for which one pulls it out with one hand and holds it tightly so that it does not slip out, and with the other an injection is made into its lower part. If the animal is small, you need to be careful not to pierce the tongue through.

Naturally, without the necessary knowledge and practical experience, carrying out all types of injections, except subcutaneous and intramuscular, is very risky. It is better, if possible, to refuse to perform them yourself and entrust this matter to a doctor.

Which method of drug administration will be chosen depends on the disease and the urgency of providing first aid to the dog. One way or another, this must be determined by a veterinarian in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.

How to choose an injection syringe?

It is advisable to give injections to a dog with disposable sterile plastic syringes, which can be purchased at a regular pharmacy. They differ in volume, length and diameter of the needle. The choice of a particular syringe is influenced by factors such as:

size and weight of the animal;
thickness of the skin and subcutaneous fat layer;
type and location of injection;
viscosity (oilyness) of the drug.

For small animals weighing up to 10 kg, as well as for large breed puppies, you can use a 1 ml insulin syringe with a thin short needle (for example, 0.3 mm x 8 mm, 0.33 x 13 mm or 0.4 mm x 10 mm). Of course, this is only permissible in cases where it is necessary to administer no more than 1 ml of medication at a time. Large dogs will need larger syringes with a capacity of 2 ml or more. Accordingly, their needles will also be thicker and longer. If you need to inject an oily drug, it is better to take a needle a size thicker and longer than recommended, since the viscous liquid will simply clog the thin cavity and the medicine will not be injected.

To make it easier to select a syringe, a special color marking for the cannula, the plastic base of the needle, has been developed and used. By the color of the plastic you can immediately determine the diameter and length of the needle. For example, it would look like this:

0.3 x 13 mm - yellow;
0.4 x 13 and 19 mm - gray;
0.45 mm x 10, 13 and 16 mm - brown;
0.5 mm x 16 and 25 mm - orange;
0.6 x 25 and 30 mm - blue;
0.7 mm x 25, 30, 40 and 50 mm - black;
0.8 mm x 16, 25, 40 and 50 mm - green;
0.9 x 25 and 40 mm - yellow;
1.1 x 25, 40 and 50 mm - cream;
1.25 x 40 and 50 mm - pink;
1.6 x 40 mm - white.

Of these, the first 4 types of needles are suitable mainly for subcutaneous administration of drugs, the next 3 for intramuscular injection and the rest for intravenous and other types of injections. But it is advisable to choose a smaller needle, as this will make the injection less painful, or simply move a small-diameter needle to a syringe of suitable volume.

How to calculate the dosage correctly?

When determining the dose of the drug, you need to pay attention to the active substance, which is indicated in the instructions for use of each medicine. It is this that should be used as a guide when calculating how much medicinal liquid needs to be injected into the animal.

The dosage of drugs is measured in ml/kg or mg/kg. This means that for each kg of the dog’s weight you will need to take a certain amount of medication. For example, if the instructions say: 1 mg or ml/kg, then this number should be multiplied by the number of kilograms that make up the total weight of the animal. When calculating, you must remember that 1 g is 1000 mg, 0.1 g is 100 mg.

How to draw medicine into a syringe?

To maintain sterility and give the injection correctly, you need to follow the following sequence of actions:

First, wash your hands with warm water and soap.
Then take the ampoule with the drug and hold it in your hands for 1 minute so that it warms up.
File the top of it with a special file or simply break it off.
Remove the syringe from the package and put the needle on it, touching only its plastic part.
Insert it into the ampoule or pierce the rubber cap of the bottle.
Draw the required amount of medicine into the syringe - hold it by the body with one hand, and slowly pull the plunger with the other, and then remove the needle from the container.
To ensure that there are no air bubbles left inside the syringe, you need to turn it upside down, hit the body a couple of times with your finger and press slightly on the piston until a thin stream of liquid sprays out of the needle.

After this, the drug is ready for use.

If only part of the medicine in the ampoule is used up at one time, then you need to draw it into another syringe, close the needle with a protective cap and put it in the refrigerator. You can store the medicine in it for up to 3 days. Do not keep the ampoule with the drug open.

Injecting the medication subcutaneously into the withers

Before you start injecting your dog, you need to take your mind off all thoughts and be as tuned in to performing the procedure as possible. The state should be as calm as possible, since dogs sense the owner’s tension and anxiety very well, which is transmitted to them. It would be useful to pet the animal and distract it with your voice.

When the dog calms down, you can begin the injection:

Prepare a syringe and draw the medicine into it.
Force the pet to take the required position.
It is not necessary to disinfect the injection site with alcohol.
Take the fold of skin at the withers with one hand, and the syringe with the other, and, spreading the fur, carefully pierce the skin, inserting the needle at an angle of 30–45°.
Slightly press the piston with your finger and slowly inject the liquid.
Remove the needle from under the skin and release the fold of skin.

Any subcutaneous injections required for dogs are performed in this manner.

Intramuscular injection into the thigh

For this type of injection, it is better to choose a syringe with a needle that is thicker and longer than for a subcutaneous injection, because in this case it is necessary to pierce not only the skin layer, but also to reach the muscles. If this fails, the medicine will remain under the skin and will not have the effect it should have.

In this case, the syringe should be inserted at a right angle in one sharp and precise movement. The injection rate of the medicine is 2–3 seconds per 1 ml. After completing the procedure, you need to remove the needle and lightly massage the injection site so that the product begins to act faster.

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