Setting up

Make sure, while you're doing this, that no sterile needles touch anything, including your fingers, or you'll have to start over again with a new needle. This is very important. Don't even let them touch the tabletop.

• Hang the IV bag somewhere convenient. Mine was kept on a hook in the closet. This will free up your hands.

• Remove the bottom cap from the "drawing out only" needle and place the needle on the tip of the sterile syringe.
  
  
• Take the top cap off the needle and carefully put it someplace safe. You'll need it again in a few minutes. Don't let the insides touch anything.

• On the Lactated Ringer's bag there are 2 tips/nozzles at the bottom. One of them has a rubber tip over it, kind of like a mini drum (sometimes this is on the front of the bag instead of on the bottom). If you look closely it usually has a bulls-eye sort of pattern on it. Leave that rubber tip in place (don't try to take it off) and poke the needle right through the center of the rubber tip and into the bag. Make sure you don't poke through to the other side of the bag! If you make a hole in the bag the whole thing will become unusable and you'll have to get another one.
  
  
• Use the measurements on the syringe to draw out the correct number of ccs or mls of fluid as determined by your vet.
  
  
• Once you've done that, pull the needle back out. The rubber cap thing will seal itself. —It's supposed to do that!

• Once you've loaded the syringe, keep the needle pointed upwards and thump the sides of the syringe to cause any air bubbles to rise to the surface. Then press the plunger to push any extra air out of the syringe.
  
  
• Next, cap the needle and remove it from the tip of the syringe. Carefully place this needle someplace safe and make sure the needle and the insides don't touch anything. You'll need this again too. Remember that this needle was ONLY for drawing the fluids from the bag.

• Now take the green butterfly needle and tubing out of the packaging. Remove the cap from the end of the tubing and place the tubing onto the tip of the syringe. Keep the sheath covering the needle in place. (Remember, don't use this needle to draw out fluids from the bag. The large needle is only for drawing out fluids from the bag and not sticking the ferret. The butterfly needle is only to be used on the ferret and is not for drawing fluids -Did I mention that enough yet?!)
  
  
• Once the tubing and butterfly needle are attached to the syringe, remove all the air from the butterfly tubing by carefully pressing the plunger until a drop or two of fluid appears at the tip of the needle.

(The syringe pictured above is empty, but yours will have fluids in it.)

• Now arrange the syringe with the fluids and the butterfly needle on the end, and the treat you're going to use, within reach of the chair you'll be seated in with your ferret. I'm right handed so I had these set up on a table to the right of my chair. Uncap the treat tube or bottle so it's ready to go.

Now it's time to get the ferret!