Pen-g injection advice needed

[DanaNM]

So, I gave Moose his first Pen-g injection at home today, and it didn’t go so well. 

I’m not sure if I pushed the needle too far, or not far enough, but at least some of the medication came back out (or came out the other side???

I cleaned it up the best I could, but now I’m worried I didn’t do it well enough….. and Bertha is grooming him…. And I don’t know if I should try another, or wait till tomorrow? The full dose was 0.45 ml, and it didn’t look like that much was on his fur, but then again his fur is super thick so maybe it just absorbed?? I wiped it of with a damp cloth and a dry towel, but I’m not sure, and now I’m nervous.

For those who have done these, how did you clean up the medicine when you made mistakes? And should I try again today or just wait till tomorrow? 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Wick & Fable]

Below is a post I wrote a while ago about my technique. I’ll follow up with another response as well:

Wick is a runt Netherland dwarf, also at 3 months, so he is very small. I use my left-hand (dominant) for the needle, and right-hand to grasp the ideal “skin tent”. I recommend not having the needle in your hand until you establish a good stick location. To identify the location, with my right-hand (non-dominant), I place 2 middle fingers at the under belly and my thumb near his spine. I pull my middle fingers up towards my thumb, while pressing my thumb towards the middle fingers a bit as well. When I pull up with this motion (like a pinch & pull), I get a small skin tent. With Wick being skinny, my fingers are usually always pulling fur, which consequently pulls up his skin (it doesn’t seem to hurt him though; very small pull). Rabbits are furry, so their skin is difficult to see (are you sticking skin or fur?). I brush the fur in the opposite direction at the potential sticking site so I can see where the skin begins. I also use a finger to poke at the tent I’ve pulled up. Wick’s stick sites are usually a bit closer to his spine than the ground, but it definitely hovers the half-way point.

Once I have the tent established and I have a good idea of where the skin actually is, I stick the needle through the tent’s entrance (not at the ground of the tent or at the very top, but right in the center of the tent’s entrance). My vet specifically stated to stick parallel to the muscle, meaning my needle is usually parallel to the floor. Large angles of entry (sticking perpendicular or at any angle) is only required if you’re trying to target something deep in the skin. Since the shot is as superficial as it can be, the angle of entry should be as close to 0degrees, as compared to the muscle, as possible. It makes it a bit less nerve-wracking, because if I know I’m 1) parallel to the back muscles and 2) sticking above the back muscles, there’s no way my needle will collide.

This is where I’m not sure the anatomy of rabbit skin vs. human skin, but with humans, the longer you linger on the top layers of the skin, the longer it hurts and more likely to bruise/sore. Once I’m ready to stick, press the needle in— once you know it’s in, don’t hesitate and push the plunger to expel the penicillin. Again, only the skin needs to be penetrated, so I don’t need to stick too far. Once I’m done, I withdraw the needle (same angle as I entered; angle of entry/exit should match), have one finger ready to push down slightly on where the needle exits, and while I’m putting the needle down somewhere safe, I use my non-dominant hand to gently massage/rub the area around the injection.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Wick & Fable]

… in terms of medication coming out with the needle, this technically shouldn’t happen. This sometimes happens because when you pull the needle out, some medicine flows out as well, which is not preventable in some aspects, but to help prevent this, make sure the plunger is down, give it half a second, then gentle pull out the needle.

For cleaning it on the fur, a damp cloth will do, or using a water spray bottle on a cloth, then wiping it. You don’t want to drench the fur directly. You may not get all of it, so dry it and revisit it later in the day.

If while you’re pressing the plunger, medicine is coming out immediately, that’s an issue. Most likely, you didn’t make it through the double skin layer of rabbits. When you go to stick, you’ll feel significant resistance than expected from just human skin because there are two layers close together. Only piercing one or being to close may cause it to gush out. You may also feel resistance as your plunging, which is also a flag for bad positioning. I recommend stopping your injection, pull out, cap and dispose the needle and try again somewhere else with a fresh dose and needle.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[DanaNM]

Thank you!!!

I ended up panicking and called someone from my local rescue, and she gave me similar advice! I think on my first try I went too far and the needle stuck out the other side. Since that was the case, figured it was not likely that very much, if any, medication made it into him. So, tried again and was successful! Whew.

I ended up cleaning most of the medicine from his fur with a damp cloth, and then getting the rest (I hope) out with cornstarch and a comb, which worked really well (I think!).

He was NOT happy with me while I was cleaning him up, but was barely phased by the injection.

Gave him and Bertha some bene-bac just to be safe… hopefully they didn’t swallow very much… ugh, so nerve-wracking!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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