FIP Georgia > treatment info > supplies
We recommend Terumo brand needles, as they're especially sharp (less painful insertions) and have thinner walls (less to push through your kitty's skin). 20-gauge is the best size for drawing from the vial; the GS solution is so thick that it'd be difficult to draw through a narrower needle. For injecting, you can use either another 20G, or a slightly narrower one (21G or 22G). If you find that your kitty does best with a fast injection (see Doing GS injections), you'll want to stick with a 20G; if your kitty does better with a slower injection, a narrower needle will make it easier to do that.
As for needle length, 1" or 3/4" is best. Needles longer than 1" will be more difficult to handle comfortably, and more likely to poke through the sides or far end of the "tent" when you inject; with needles shorter than 3/4", it's more likely that some of the liquid will leak back out the injection site afterward.
For syringes, any 3-mL Luer Lock syringe will do. Using a Luer Lock (rather than Luer Slip) syringe is important, to ensure that the needle won't pop off the syringe from the pressure of pushing the thick GS solution through it.
The person you get your starter supply of GS from may also give you some syringes and needles to get you started. You may be able to get more from your vet, a local pharmacy, or a nearby Tractor Supply store—they're needed by people who have livestock—but the most affordable option is to purchase them online. (Mail order of syringes and needles is restricted in some states, but Georgia is not one of them.)
Several online retailers known to carry Terumo needles are HealthyCat, Med-Vet International, California Vet Supply, and Pet Health Market. The particular sizes we need are sometimes in short supply, so you may need to shop around a bit. Remember to check for both syringe-needle combos and separate syringes and needles, as certain sizes may be in stock one way but not the other.
Here are a few links to specific products, but again, you may need to hunt around a bit to find your preferred size in stock—and remember, you'll need twice as many needles as syringes:
Baby scales are affordable and accurate enough for our purposes. Here's one popular model sold at Amazon, but any similar scale will do:
Used baby scales are often available inexpensively on sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Offer Up, and NextDoor.Ear thermometers are not accurate; it's best to take the temperature rectally. Any quick-read digital thermometer will do—for example, a Vicks Rapidread. Similar ones will be available locally at most any pharmacy.
Lube the end and insert just far enough for the silver tip to disappear—about 1/2 inch. Your kitty probably won't like it very much, but with a quick-read thermometer, you need to hold it there for only a few seconds, and if you lube well, it isn't all that uncomfortable.
FIP Georgia > treatment info > supplies