How to set up a fluid bag with a fluid administration set and needle

How to give subcutaneous fluids

Tips from Dr. Sip:

• Having your pet in a top-opening carrier or deep plastic storage tub makes it easier to give fluids, especially if you’re by yourself.

• Your fluid administration set (aka drip set or line) may not have a slide clamp.

• When putting fluid in the fill chamber, don’t fill it all the way, or you won't be able to see whether the fluids are flowing/dripping. About half-filled is ideal. If you have too much fluid in the chamber, you can flip the chamber and bag upside down, squeeze the chamber, and fluid will go back into the bag.

• It’s important to warm the bag of fluids before administering, to avoid dropping the body temperature of an already sick pet.

  Ways to warm a bag of fluids:

  • put the bag in a pot or large bowl with hot tap water, being careful to keep the opening of the bag where the administration set is inserted out of the bath

  • wrap the bag in a heating pad

  • fill 2 clean socks with uncooked rice and tie a knot at the top of each one, then heat the socks in the microwave for 1-2 minutes each. Put the hot rice socks on top of the bag of fluids

    You can squirt some fluid on the inside of your wrist before administering, to check that it isn’t too hot.

• After giving fluids to your pet, put a fresh needle on your line before storing.

• Dispose of the bag of fluids and line 30 days after the bag is punctured. You can write the puncture date on a piece of tape and stick it to the bag. You can cut open the bag and pour fluids down the drain, and put the bag and line in the regular trash.

• Used needles always need to be safely stored in a sharps container (or other hard-sided container, like a coffee can or peanut butter jar), and disposed of at a sharps disposal location. Dr. Sip isn’t able to take needles used at home for disposal - here are free Bay Area sharps (needle) disposal locations.