Measuring meds in a syringe

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 2:09 am


OK... I hope this is not too confusing!

When you measure meds in a syringe, do you include the medicine that remains in the "hub" after you give it to the pig? So, when I measure the Ivermectin, I draw .03 into the syringe (AND some is also in the hub.) BUT when I give it to the pig, there is always some left in the hub. Also, if I measure the .03 and then pull back on the plunger to empty the hub, it reads .04 with the top of the med being at the top measuring line. I ASSUME that since the med stays in the hub it doesn´t matter.

Here´s another situation. Sometimes after I give the med I also give some liquid vit c because it tastes good! So... if I use the same syringe to Immediately draw up the vit, then part of the med that was left in the hub gets into the pig too.

Egaaads... I hope this makes sense! I think if you have used syringes it will. I hope!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 7:31 am


Yes, it makes sense.

Two things, I think the amount of medicine is very very tiny.
I think it is not included in the measured amount and is expected to be left.

If you are giving a larger amount (like diluted ivermectin or some antibiotic), it would probably not hurt to give the excess. But if the measured amount is also very very small, it could skew the dose.

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 11:57 am


That´s about what I thought. The hub is pretty darn small now that I think about it, but when you are measurring that tiny amount everything seems to count! I wish they would make Ivermectin just for piggies that was easy to dose! Thank you, Lynx, for making some sense of my post!

Kara

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CenterFielderNo5

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 12:24 pm


Liquid vitamin C that tastes good? Where? How? Tell me where to find it!!!!!!!!!! :D

imanut4u

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 3:49 pm


I asked my vet this same question --- the "hub" contents are NOT accounted for when you measure. If you need .03 only draw .03 ignoring the hub still being full after you dispense the med.

I personally would always clean the syringe before taking up another med, esp if you are drawing from the "main" container (IE vit C bottle) you´ve got germs on the used syringe.

If you put the C in a separate container before using a "used" syringe, it may not matter depending on what you dosed first (overdose).

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 6:01 pm


The Vitamin C that I give them is from GNC. It is called Liquid Vitamin C Dietary Supplement. The piggers like it, but I have NOT tasted it! They seems to think it is just dandy and it probably taste a lot better than the Ivermectin!

imanut4u... Thank you for the "hub" info.! It would probably be best to empty out the syringe before I give the vit, although it is such a small amount and is diluted even more by the vit c it probably does´t matter.

I don´t draw the vit c from the container. I put a tiny amount in a small cup and use it just for that pig. Then I wash and am off to the next pig! Quite a process! Also, my Ivermectin has the rubber on top so I draw it up with a new syringe and then put it into a dosing syringe. So the Ivermectin is never contaminated. I tell you, these pigs get the royal treatment!

Kara

Kara

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CenterFielderNo5

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 6:22 pm


Kara,

I checked out GNC a few weeks ago, and the only liquid vitamin C they had was supplemented with niacin. If this is the one you´re using, STOP! It can only cause problems for your piggies in the long run.

Talking about royal treatment, I just brought in one of my 7 week old babies to the vet because he had a little blister behind his ear. Turns out it was filled with fluid and had a lot of bacteria. So one needle poke and $294 later, his "bubble" is popped, and the vet is going to tell me what kind of stuff was in the fluid when the lab tests come back next week.

I also picked up some ultra-sweet liquid C at the vet that has enough sugar in one CC to make King Kong Bundy even fatter. The vet insists on giving a 100mg dose every day, but with the amount of sugar in it, I figure I´ll only use it 3-4 times a week, and even then only give about 75mg doses. Seems this liquid C is so sweet that my piggies refuse to try any other liquid C with slightly less sugar. That´s why I was asking about it in the first place.

Thanks for bringing up the whole "hub" question in the first place. Now that the little baby is on antibiotics, it´s even more relevant to me. I´m glad you got me thinking about it.

Scott

P.S. Ever heard of tribrissen?

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Jill

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 6:33 pm


$294! For one visit? Yikes.
Scott, try searching under the Guinea Lynx link at the top of the page for Tribrissen. There is information on safe meds there.

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 6:45 pm


Yes, it is the one with niacin, but I remember hearing that it was ok! Thank you for telling me. I will have to look into it! They have not had very much at all, because I have just been using it with the Ivermectin.

Does anyone know what problems niacin might cause?

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cmtigger

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 7:23 pm


Niacin should be safe. I have been to a decent vet who also reccommends that brand for ill pigs. You can get more pure stuff at health food stores, but then you are dealing with pure ascorbic acid, and if the concentration is too high, it can burn.

Tribrussin is a very safe sulfa drug. I agree that $295 is way too much for a visit too. Even for an emergency visit (at 11 at night) I paid just under $200 to have a boar´s wound stapled back together- and tribrussin. It is supposed to be very effective against the types of bacteria that cause abscesses.

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KarasKavies
For the love of my girls!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 8:27 pm


OK! I thought I had heard that it was ok. They sure do like it!

Kara

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Mar 07, 2002 8:32 pm


That is quite a bit of money. Did they give you a break down of what it was for? Was there any surgery involved? Any anesthetics? What part of the country do you live in?

It might be worth trying to find a different vet. I had a spay that cost under $140. With no further info, the charges certainly sound excessive.

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