Introduction

• Vascular access for delivering fluids and medication Drug administration techniques is not without difficulty in ferrets, particularly small or dehydrated animals, or animals that are in shock.
• Intraosseous catheterization allows for vascular access.
• The rate of absorption of a substance from the bone marrow is equivalent to that from a peripheral vein.

Uses

Advantages

• Insertion into either the femur or the tibia allows for greater volumes of fluids and/or medications to be delivered easily. The proximal femur is the most common site used in ferrets.
• Useful when IV sites unavailable or unobtainable.
• Rate of absorption is great than that from a peripheral vein in a shocked patient.
• Blood transfusion can be done via an intraosseous catheter.

Disadvantages

• Requires heavy sedation with local anesthesia or full anesthesia to insert a needle into either the femur or the tibia.
• Catheter insertion cap needs to be protected with bandage material.
• Insertion into a bone cavity is considered painful so analgesia/NSAID should be delivered while the catheter is in place.
• Risk of iatrogenic infections if aseptic technique is not used.
• Contraindicated in cases of septic shock as risk of osteomyelitis is high.
• Contraindicated in the presence of local infections over the entry site.
• Rate of administration can be slower than with the IV route.

Requirements

Preparation

Procedure

Aftercare

Outcomes

Prognosis

• Good if the underlying reason the catheter was used for is cleared.

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.

Other sources of information

• Quesenberry K E & Orcutt C (2012) Basic Approach to Veterinary Care. In: Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents Clinical Medicine and Surgery. 3rd edn. Eds: Quesenberry K E & Carpenter J W. Elsevier. pp 13-26.