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I have been told that cats like it better if their subcutaneous fluids are administered from a bag that has been warmed a little bit. I like this idea, but I don't trust my arbitrary means of heating the water to a good temperature. I happen to have a sous vide cooker which is really good at heating water to a specific temperature.

Could I use this to heat the fluid bag to the desired temperature (submerging it in a water bath)? I reuse each bag about 10 times.

As a side question, what's the ideal temperature? (I would assume it's the same as the cat's natural body temperature, but I don't want to make assumptions.)

Elmy
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vargonian
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3 Answers3

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No,

In your case you are using the bag multiple times. Every time you submerge the bag in water you are exposing it to germs. Additionally you would be warming the bag to the perfect temperature for more germs to grow.

Single use bags are available; the lactated ringer's bag is inside of another bag that protects it from germs, you could warm it before taking it out of the protective bag. In hospitals there is a special machine that warms the fluids. If that machine is not available running warm water over the bag is next best choice.

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James Jenkins
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Yes it’s perfectly fine. Just keep the line end out of the water. Any vet’s office will tell you you can warm the fluids with a heating pad or by submerging the bag in a pot of warm water - so long as you keep the line connection point and port out of the water. A sous vide is no different. Just attach the vide wand to the side of a pot and fold the top of the bag over the top of the pot. You can use a binder clip to hold it there if you want. Then let the machine do the work.

I do this every day. It works perfectly and the fluids are always at the same temp. There’s no stress over keeping them from cooling down or getting too hot. 100 degrees is body temp for a cat so that’s what I use.

Kara
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The bag is air tight and sealed.I do not see any reason why it can’t be warmed and keep the business end of it out of the water.It is a sterile solution so it would remain sterile if warmed.

Gary
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