Injection Tips and Techniques for Reptiles
by Helena Brusic
(with thanks to Dr. David Vella, North Shore Veterinary Specialist Centre, Sydney)
In the never ending drama of Alex the coastal carpet python, we both learnt the value of proper sheds - and that means right to the very tips of his tail..... You miss the tip, and an infection can occur. This happened to Alex.
With all the stories of people saying that coastal carpets can handle cooler temperatures, I soon got to learn the truth of the matter, and that is the importance of HEAT and HUMIDITY, and how lack of these can cause bad shedding problems.
Alex is now an amputee, with loads of stitches. He will get over it, his tail will look relatively normal in a few years, but I can't help but look in the mirror at who is responsible for putting him in so much pain. Oh, he's a good snake, he's forgiven me for it, he even refuses to leave my neck, and still gives me lots of kisses, but...it was a close one.
As part of his ongoing treatment, and my penance, I have to inject Alex every 3 days for a while, and I thought I would pass on the instructions given to me by Dr David Vella an exotics vet from North Shore Veterinary Specialist Centre Sydney.
Pre-Injection Preparation:
1. Frozen medication should be warmed in your hand before injecting.
2. Make sure the needle is firmly attached to the syringe before injecting.
3 Hold the syringe vertically with the needle uppermost, and flick the barrel to dispel any air in the syringe.
General Injection Technique:
1. Swab the injection site with an alcohol swab.
2. Restrain the animal firmly but gently for the injection process.
3. Hold the needle at the syringe "spade" side up (the flat side with the groove)
4. Needles only need to be inserted a few millimetres.
5. Once the needle has to inserted into the animal, pull the plunger slightly backwards to ensure that NO blood is drawn up (you don't want to hit a vein here).
6. Slowly push the plunger of the syringe to inject the medication.
7. Gently massage the injection site to help disperse the medication.
8. Repeatedly injecting the same site (Batril is particularly prone to aggravating this problem) can cause abscesses at the injection site, so vary sides and sites.
Injection sites:
SNAKES / LIZARDS
-Use the front half of the body.
-Choose an injection site halfway between the spine/middle back and the side.
-Aim the needle between the scales, rather than through them (needle tip should be inserted under the scale)
-Aim the needle towards the head of the animal once the skin has been penetrated.
TURTLES
-The loose skin near the shell margins or the fore or hind limbs and the skin overlying the front part of the plastron can be used.
Notes:
1. You may see a little bit of blood on the skin after the injection - this is OK. Apply pressure.
2. Swap needles if medication gets stuck, and make sure the medication has been warmed in your hands.
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for reptiles"
Find out how to build these cages as well as arboreal cages. Full color pictures,
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http://www.reptile-cage-plans.com