Abscess but no curved tip syringes in the area
I live in a medium sized town and I've called everywhere in the area for a curved tip syringe. Including the vet who prescribed the antibiotic for the abscess and other vets in the area. No one carries one around here. I'm having one shipped from Amazon that should be here by Saturday. In the mean time what can I use to flush it out properly. The whole isn't big enough to use even my smallest tipped oral syringe which is from Walmart. There are syringes with needles available but I'm terribly afraid of accidentally poking him (he's very well behaved and doesn't squirm overly much. Everytime my vets seen him she's commented on how easy to handle he is for exams. It's just that I'm don't want to risk it if it's not necessary). I guess my question is what can I do in the meantime to keep it as clean as possible?
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- You can quote me
Ditto bpatters.
See if you can find something called "Simply Saline". Many grocery stores/drug stores have it, Walmart might.
It's a can that squirts out a stream of sterile saline solution. It's not cheap and you don't get much in the can, so if you find it, buy a couple. The harder you press, the stronger the jet of fluid.
It's very effective, but feels very weird to the pig. Keep a firm grip on him. He will be uncharacteristically hard to handle because it will spook him a little. I.e., expect him to freak a bit, but it'll get you to Saturday.
Alternatively, ask your vet, a drugstore, or if you have a friend that's a nurse or tech if they can get you something called a cannula. This is a hollow piece of very thin plastic that you can attach to a syringe tip. I think they're normally used for IVs.
Also try calling dental offices. Dentists sometimes give curved-tip syringes out to extraction patients to keep the hole clean while the underlying bone heals.
See if you can find something called "Simply Saline". Many grocery stores/drug stores have it, Walmart might.
It's a can that squirts out a stream of sterile saline solution. It's not cheap and you don't get much in the can, so if you find it, buy a couple. The harder you press, the stronger the jet of fluid.
It's very effective, but feels very weird to the pig. Keep a firm grip on him. He will be uncharacteristically hard to handle because it will spook him a little. I.e., expect him to freak a bit, but it'll get you to Saturday.
Alternatively, ask your vet, a drugstore, or if you have a friend that's a nurse or tech if they can get you something called a cannula. This is a hollow piece of very thin plastic that you can attach to a syringe tip. I think they're normally used for IVs.
Also try calling dental offices. Dentists sometimes give curved-tip syringes out to extraction patients to keep the hole clean while the underlying bone heals.