Can I give my cat human subcutaneous fluids for liver disease?

I don't recommend giving them water via oral syringe because they can choke on it. Cats don't like having anything syringed in their mouth! You can give added water to food, but it's not enough. Sub Q fluids are recommended for any cat with CKD. As their kidney function falters, the kidneys must produce more urine in order to eliminate the waste products. Cats with kidney disease cannot consume adequate water to meet the needs of their compromised kidneys. The waste products begin to build up in the bloodstream, which ultimately cause affected cats to feel sick. These fluids produce extra urine, thus helping flush out the waste products. The extra fluid intake helps with the kidney disease.

SQ fluids must be given with a needle under the skin and although it might look brutal to you it is actually much easier on the cat than try to force her this quantity of water orally, which is virtually impossible.

A small amount of bloody water is normal if you hit a small capillary vessel with your needle. A couple drops that stops with some pressure is totally normal and not concerning at all. Fluid therapy is frequently very helpful for extended both life quantity and quality in cats, so it's probably necessary but you can talk to your vet if you want to clarify that.

Hello. I am so sorry that your pet is so unwell. Depending on the cause of the liver disease ( lipidosis, inflammation, infection, or cancer ), prognosis is extremely varied. If he is showing neurologic issues, this could be an indication that you have developed a form of hepatic encephalitis as the result to toxin buildup in the blood stream. The liver's job is to remove toxins, such as ammonia, but if the liver function is depressed enough, a buildup will occur. In general, subcutaneous fluids should not cause overhydration, but with organ failure, this too is a possibility & now the problem becomes how to manage dehydration without doing more damage. This sounds like a very difficult & complex case, so hopefully you have a very good team of doctors working on the problem. The questions you have asked are all very good ones, but difficult to respond to without having your cat's complete history. Tomorrow, ask to have a consult, or sitdown with the attending veterinarian. Write down all your questions & thoughts and keep asking until you are satisfied with their answers. Hopefully they will be able to at least give you some guidance as to what the next steps are to help your kitty back to health. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

0.9% sodium chloride can be given IV. I am wondering if you mean that you are giving the fluids subcutaneously since this is a procedure that is often performed at home. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian before giving any fluids - there are some blood chemistry changes that might make a veterinarian choose one fluid over another so while sodium chloride can technically be given subcutaneously or intravenously it might not be ideal for Symba.

This isn't really something we monitor to be honest, so I don't have a good number for you. If he's not drinking much water or eating very wet food, he likely is getting slowly dehydrated if he's getting 200ml water subcutaneous and urinating that 200ml out, since he will lose water through his feces, breathing, skin, etc. I'd recommend letting his vet know what you're seeing, checking in on his kidney values, and consider increasing his fluid levels slightly. However, I wouldn't do this without guidance from his vet, because there are other issues he could have at the same time that would require taking a more moderated approach to the fluid amounts.

If she has kidney disease and needs extra fluids than the best way is to give her subcutaenous fluids. Your vet should be able to teach you how to give SQ fluids at home. If she is drinking than you could add some pedialyte to her water in equal parts.