Doing your own IV injections?

[BigMama1]

Is this common practice and do you feel comfortable doing it? When I used to ride 20+ years ago it was a big no-no, full of horror stories about how easy it is to kill your horse LOL.

So now I have a horse who needs to be HEAVILY sedated for the farrier due to shivers symptoms. IM and oral meds just don’t do the trick - has to be IV so for the past year I’ve been paying almost $100 for the vet to come so he can have a $50 barefoot trim. :no:

My vet has been encouraging me for a while to just get the meds from him and do the injections myself. He has shown me how several times and I have practiced drawing blood out, though haven’t yet injected anything in. It seems easy as pie so far and no big deal, but I guess I’m just looking for reassurance that other non-vets have done this and not killed their ponies :lol:

[keysfins]

I will do IV on my own horses. I think it is a good skill to have; I’ve worked with several different species for blood samples and for injecting meds.

There ARE horror stories, and that is always a risk to consider seriously. “Bad things” can happen if you pass the jugular vein and put the needle/drug into the carotid artery—straight to the brain. Also not good to inject the substance outside the vessel if you pass through the vein in error.

Your vet can assure you that your horse has normal anatomy, too. (I have one horse who had a jugular thrombosis, so we avoid using that side.)

If your vet is encouraging you, perhaps you can have some more training with him/her, with plain saline? Is your horse good for the injections? Easy blood vessels to find? Stands well for the needle, even if you might need to adjust the position or redirect?

Although it is a slightly different technique, and might feel awkward, ask your vet about inserting the needle DOWN the neck towards the body, instead of up toward the head (so the syringe is closest to the head, needle pointing to body). I’ve been told this method has less risk of hitting the carotid and “bad things” happening.

COTH CYA: I am not a vet. There are vets here and I hope they will post. I will be more than happy to edit my post if anything is incorrect or not advised!

[BigMama1]

My horse stands like a rock and his jugular is the size of a garden hose. Easy to find and easy to inject

Vet showed me how to keep the needle parallel to the vein to ensure it can’t go through to the carotid.

As long as the blood flows easily into the syringe when I draw back, that means everything is fine and I can go ahead and inject?

[newhorsemommy]

^ I’d ask your vet that Maybe your vet can walk you through it again (with you actually doing it) while someone else films it for you That way you can review the video before you try it alone

I’m OK with IM injections, but IV would freak me out. Although it would be an excellent skill to have.

[keysfins]

[QUOTE=BigMama1;8780621]
My horse stands like a rock and his jugular is the size of a garden hose. Easy to find and easy to inject

Vet showed me how to keep the needle parallel to the vein to ensure it can’t go through to the carotid.

As long as the blood flows easily into the syringe when I draw back, that means everything is fine and I can go ahead and inject?[/QUOTE]

Yes, generally. Ask your vet because sometimes you pause part way and draw back again to be sure you see the dark-ish blood from the vein coming back into the syringe, then continue injecting the rest of the dose. I know some people who do the “blood check” at the end of the dose, as well. Overall, it slows the delivery of the dose so you can be sure it is going just where you want it to go.

Again, I am not a vet, so have your vet coach you through it. A video is great, especially if you and vet can talk through the procedure.

You may also want to list out some “what if” questions so you can at least be prepared for what you might see if something isn’t quite right. (There’s nothing like fear of the unknown!)

[luvmyhackney]

I do IV injections and IM on my ponies/horses. I would not do it for anyone else’s horse though, too much risk. My vet was kind enough to spend an hour teaching me how to do it correctly and leave detailed written instructions. Love him. I rarely have to practice my skill, thankfully.

[2DogsFarm]

Have you considered sublingual sedative?
Here’s info on using dormosedan via that route:

https://www.drugs.com/vet/dormosedan-gel.html

[BigMama1]

Thanks at 2DogsFarm Great idea but he is very difficult with oral meds to begin with so getting a dose SL would be tricky I think. And for us the problem with the oral Dormosedan was that he needed such a large dose, the cost was almost no different than having the vet come out for an IV

[Laurierace]

I have done thousands of IV injections over the years. What complicates your question a little bit is the medication you are going to be giving your horse for sedation is insanely dangerous to you. As in a needle stick could cause you to go into respiratory arrest. You need to be insanely competent at giving IV injections before you mess with dormosedan.

[khall]

I’ve been giving IV injections for years, but I worked as a equine and small animal vet tech. I do not like giving IV meds to other peoples horses though I have and will if needed (I board horses). Worst is having to give IV injections by yourself with no one holding for you=hard to do! but something that crops up for me because I tend to be here by myself when the sh*t hits the fan.

[StormyDay]

I have done many IV injections, I was told to do it as close to the lower neck/shoulder as possible in order to be as far away from the artery as possible. Not sure if this is true but it works for me.
Edit: just looked this up. This is a bunch of bull. Don’t listen to me :lol:

[Dune]

Yes, my vet showed me years ago and it has certainly come in handy. One I’m rehabbing now and, in the beginning, he needed a tranquilizer when first starting the trot work (not so much now). I’ve also had to pull blood in the field for different panels, so that’s saved me a lot of $$. I don’t take it for granted, but it doesn’t bother me and I’m by myself every time. I won’t do it on horses on I don’t own, however.

[tazycat]

I have done IV injections don’t like doing it but if the need arises i can,won’t do IV on anyone else’s horse.

Doing IV for tranqing does work lots better then oral of IM route. Just get your vet to walk you through it again. My vet walked me through it many,many times till i could do it,and feel fairly comfortable.

[Pennywell_Bay]

Thousands and thousands of IV injections.

If you are that worried, it may be worth it to pay the vet. Eh, perhaps he thinks it is not a big deal but to some people it is. I certainly have never had a vet encourage someone to give an IV shot who is not comfortable. Most I have worked with would rather assume the responsibility then hand it over.

I’d encourage that before I’d encourage some to just go ahead and try. No- IV injection is not rocket science. But if something goes wrong it is a big, immediate, emergency deal. It can go wrong for someone who is competent.

[yellowbritches]

Certainly do. I learned how/got over my phobia years ago when I had a horse in my care with a nasty infection who needed IV injection s of antibiotics multiple times a day. I HAD to do it. I’m a pretty got shot now, as my own horse is a PITA, as he hates injections and has hard little pony veins. Thankfully, he rarely needs an IV injection, but I can do it if I have to. My old barn owner actually loved having me because I could give banamine in a crisis (she was afraid to, and my vet approved of my skills). The fact that I’m able to get banamine on board quickly is a huge reason why I like having the skill.

[Beam_Me_Up]

My vet taught me. I was not comfortable at all at first. She did drop by to watch me for the first “real” injection after the practice session.

I think a lot of it is how much practice you get. I have 1 horse that needs a shot every other week, which initially didn’t feel like enough practice to get comfortable. If you are only doing it for trims it might be the same for you for a while.

[Ghazzu]

[QUOTE=keysfins;8780555]
I will do IV on my own horses. I think it is a good skill to have; I’ve worked with several different species for blood samples and for injecting meds.

There ARE horror stories, and that is always a risk to consider seriously. “Bad things” can happen if you pass the jugular vein and put the needle/drug into the carotid artery—straight to the brain. Also not good to inject the substance outside the vessel if you pass through the vein in error.

Your vet can assure you that your horse has normal anatomy, too. (I have one horse who had a jugular thrombosis, so we avoid using that side.)

If your vet is encouraging you, perhaps you can have some more training with him/her, with plain saline? Is your horse good for the injections? Easy blood vessels to find? Stands well for the needle, even if you might need to adjust the position or redirect?

Although it is a slightly different technique, and might feel awkward, ask your vet about inserting the needle DOWN the neck towards the body, instead of up toward the head (so the syringe is closest to the head, needle pointing to body). I’ve been told this method has less risk of hitting the carotid and “bad things” happening.

COTH CYA: I am not a vet. There are vets here and I hope they will post. I will be more than happy to edit my post if anything is incorrect or not advised![/QUOTE]

I was going to suggest this technique. It is safer, and might make the OP a bit less worried about things going wrong.

[tabula_rashah]

Like others, I have done thousands of IV injections with different jobs that I’ve had. Although I think if you are truly worried about it and really don’t want to do it, call the vet out instead.

[AKB]

I have done lots of blood draws and IV injections on my horses. I am a nurse, so it wasn’t as hard for me to learn. I like to use a 21g butterfly infusion needle (KVVet has them), as I think it is easier to stay in the vein if the horse moves. I’m not very coordinated, so I need to make the process as easy as possible.

If you decide to do this, have the vet come out as usual. Then, you should do the injection with the vet standing there. After you do this for 6 visits, you will know if you are comfortable doing it alone.

[chism]

YOU can do it! It’s really not hard, it’s just important to do it right, so pay close attention when your vet shows you and ask any and all questions you have.
I’m quite comfortable with my own horses, and have done it on client horses, antibiotics and joint supplements, but I will not give penicillin, no way…no how. I’m not comfortable enough with my skills for that kind of risk. I didn’t know about the risks of Dormosedan…(thanks Laurierace), so that goes on the list as well. I hear the gel works quite well and all you have to do is get it on the gums, so if you’re nervous about it… that might be a good thing to try… have a little on your finger tip (wear gloves) , give a treat, quick swipe… done.