05/08/2025
You may be thinking ‘what is the reason for the colourful leg bandages’ in our photos. And the answer is an important one:
For various situations, most commonly when we are anaesthetising a patient, we need to place an intravenous (IV) line (sometimes called a catheter or cannula).
This is required because:
1) many medications are given directly into the vein, and this gives us safe and fast access
2) all patients undergoing anaesthesia in our clinic receive IV fluids, which helps maintain circulation to the tissues, support blood pressure, and prevent dehydration.
It is important to clip the hair away prior to placing an IV line because we need to disinfect the skin to help reduce the chances of infection. With many types of coats, it is difficult to see the vein without clipping. It also helps us to secure the line with tape.
In this photo, we can see a green bandage over Jayda’s foreleg, matching her beautiful green eyes! 💚 This is covering her IV line, which she had placed prior to her dental procedure. The line is left in place until the patient is recovered, so we can give them additional medications or fluids as needed.
If there’s any questions you would like answered, let us know in the comments!
Photo description for the visually impaired: A fluffy black cat with bright green eyes is sitting on a white towel. The cat has a green bandage wrapped around its front leg.
