# Giving injections



## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

Hello everyone, I'm wondering if anyone has any good advice on giving injections? I have an anti-inflammatory/pain as well as antibiotic that my tort is currently getting and I want to make sure I'm getting into her system properly so she can reap the benefits and it's not all a waste. I've never given anything injections before in my life and my fear is that I will get it just under the skin and it won't get where it needs to go. Any advice would be greatly greatly appreciated!


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## wellington (Jun 21, 2017)

Your vet should have showed you how to give it. That's really the best way to learn is to have them show you.
Otherwise @Yvonne G or @deadheadvet might be able to help


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## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

I asked her too and I don't know if she misunderstood me or what but she ended up giving her first doses in the back and then just verbally explaining it to me but she was vague and did a poor job


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## deadheadvet (Jun 21, 2017)

How bout you give a little more information. What medications you are giving, where did the vet say to give, where are you located. You asked for advice from Yvonne, she obviously gave some and then be critical of the information she shared with you. Why are you not contacting the vet that you paid for treatment instead of asking for help here first rather than second.


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## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

I don't know what you're talking about and I don't feel I've done anything to deserve you being rude to me take your bad day out on someone else


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## MPRC (Jun 21, 2017)

I don't think @deadheadvet is being rude. These are important questions that are necessary to provide the best information. Some drugs are given subcutaneously, some intramuscular. Some drugs can only be administered to the front limbs, others are safe in the rear. Some drugs that vets commonly give to tortoises aren't safe at all. 

You paid a vet for the visit, if they want your tortoise to thrive they should be willing to show you how to do it at no charge. If your tortoise has already been dosed by them they can still show you HOW to give an injection with saline. Don't leave until you feel okay with the task at hand.


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## deadheadvet (Jun 21, 2017)

The better word would have been curt not rude. You offered no information as to what medications you are asking advice on how to give. You did not say how often they should be given, Yvonne tried to offer advice, but did a poor job of explaining it to you (according to you) You still have not provided any additional information that was requested. I am not having a bad day. We will make sure a client knows how to give injections before they leave. Where to give, how often, etc. Sounds like you either were not paying attention to the vet, or the vet did a poor job of explaining. Whether you take anyone's advice here is up to you. Most of the time the info is very helpful. Your job is to furnish as much information possible. When you leave out all the ingredients in making a cake, how is a baker supposed to help you if he/she has no idea what kind of cake you are making?


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## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

The vet did a very poor job of explaining that's what I already stated...I'm not sure who Yvonne is??? It wasn't just poor explanation I did ask her to show me but I'm not sure if she misunderstood me or pretended not to hear me because she did it in the back and only showed me how to load the syringe which I didn't really need a demo on that part. I can't give exact names until I get home from work. She told me to administer in the front legs but not where exactly in the leg? How far to go in with the needle, angle? Etc etc. She had some sort of speech struggle and spoke very quickly which made it very hard to understand her. I asked many questions, most more than once. And retained as much information as I could from her. I guess I thought maybe I could get more or clearer advise here. I thought no harm in asking but maybe I was wrong


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## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

The pain killer she gets .04 milligrams I think it is every day and the antibiotic every 3 days .07


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## deadheadvet (Jun 21, 2017)

When you get home, look up what meds you are supposed to give.Why is the vet prescribing an antiinflammatory? again, how bout letting us know why you took the tortoise to the vet? This is what I like to read so all questions are laid out in an orderly format:
1. My tortoise (what species) has been doing xyz for xyz number of days.
2. I keep him/her separate from others or alone or I keep multiple animals together
3. This is the temp. I keep the tortoise
4. I soak (how often)
5. I went to the vet and he/she sent me home w/ (list all meds)
6. Tortoise is better worse.
7. Tortoise is eating/not eating.


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## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

.04 ml once a day of mtacam/meloxicam .07 ml once every 3 days of ceftazidime


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## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

I moved recently and this was my first time with this vet. I had taken her to the vet where I used to live several times and according to this new vet, the previous one gave me some not great advise. I did not know her powersun bulb needed changed ever 3-6 months so she had not been getting proper uv, previous vet also told me to stop calcium powder because she'd get plenty from her food and didn't want to over do it. So now she has some softness going on including around her mouth and she had stopped eating which is what urged me to take her in. The pain killer/anti-inflammatory is for the pain around her mouth and the antibiotic is for a small infection she has under her shell that the vet drained fluid from. She's also got me giving her liquid calcium every day by mouth as well as palm oil. And a blue "dermachlor" solution to soak her in everyday to keep the spot the went into clean while it heals


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## RaphsMama (Jun 21, 2017)

The spot seems to be healing nicely, I went and bought her new light set up (zilla T8 and a new base with zoomed 100w basking spot bulb hanging on a stand) she has eating a little better each day and today she actually ate all of her food, and she is much more active


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## ZEROPILOT (Jun 22, 2017)

Remember that in administering antibiotics, you must continue and complete the full treatment.
Stopping short might make for treatment resistant bacteria.
I injected antibiotics into the area between the neck and forelimbs.


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## mark1 (Jun 22, 2017)

you can give both of those subcutaneously ....... i'd just stick it under the loose soft skin in his shoulder , google some videos ...... as far as sticking it in the back legs , i understan now it's ok , but i remember when it wasn't and the reason it wasn't ......... i commend you on taking him to the vet most folks wouldn't ........


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## mark1 (Jun 22, 2017)

this is a very small tortoise ?


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## RaphsMama (Jun 22, 2017)

She is 6" from head of her shell to tail of her shell yeah she's pretty small


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## Yvonne G (Jun 22, 2017)

deadheadvet said:


> How bout you give a little more information. What medications you are giving, where did the vet say to give, where are you located. You asked for advice from Yvonne, she obviously gave some and then be critical of the information she shared with you. Why are you not contacting the vet that you paid for treatment instead of asking for help here first rather than second.



I think the "she/her" in this case is the vet. I haven' t offered any advice.


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## mark1 (Jun 22, 2017)

to me 6 inches would be a pretty big turtle , i haven't done the math on dosing a turtle in a long time , and the stuff does come in different concentrations , but .07 ml seems like a pretty small dose ........


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## RaphsMama (Jun 22, 2017)

Oh I thought that was on the smaller side for them. I will post a pic later today to show. She is the only tort I have or ever had but from photos I've seen I thought she was pretty small lol


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## mark1 (Jun 22, 2017)

i just meant small as far as treating her , she is small for a tortoise ....... small in my thinking is 1 1/4"- 2 " is small to treat , although my vet told me a hatchling i brought in one time was a behemoth , at 24 grams , compared to the gecko he had seen earlier ......


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