If you own a dog that requires injections, you may need to learn to give your dog an intermuscular injection. Unlike subcutaneous injections, intermuscular injections require that the substance be injected into the meat of the muscle.
Things You'll Need
- Injectable substance
- Syringe with needle
- Diphenhydramine capsules
- Epinephrine
Instructions
Draw the liquid substance into the syringe. The best way to do this is to hold the liquid injection bottle upside down and plunge the syringe's needle to draw out the substance. Draw only the amount you need, or in the case of a single-dosage vaccination, draw all the liquid out by pulling on the plunger.
Mix a single-dose vaccination (if necessary) by pushing the needle into the dry contents and pushing down the plunger to mix the liquid with the dry contents. Swirl the mixture so it mixes and then turn the bottle upside down and draw the mixture into the syringe. Be careful not to draw air into the syringe and draw all the fluid out.
Remove the air from the syringe. Hold the syringe so the needle is pointing upward and gently push on the syringe until all the air is expelled from the syringe but you haven't squirted the liquid out.
Locate the thick muscle at the back of your dog's thighs. It is at the back and not along the sides. It should be meaty and capable of taking an injection.
Quickly push the needle attached to the syringe into the back of the thigh away from bones and ligaments.
Pull up slightly on the plunger and look for blood. If blood appears in the syringe, remove the injection to another location and try again.
Inject the contents of the syringe into the dog and pull the needle out.
Watch for anaphylactic reactions, which include swelling of the face, trouble breathing or unconsciousness. Contact a veterinarian immediately for proper dosages and administration of diphenhydramine and epinephrine.