Before inserting the needle, the area should be plucked of feathers, and heavily disinfected with an antiseptic. By doing that, you will be able to see any superficial veins on the surface. Draining too many fluids all at once can result in shock, and if not performed properly could also result in infection. That being said, I wanted to reemphasize the risks, but the process is beneficial in knowing exactly what you're dealing with.
I just finished the procedure and it went very well!! I had someone assist me in holding her, we took before and after photos which I will post below.
I used 91% alcohol to disinfect the area where I was going to insert the needle, and did an initial plunge test to check that I hadn't hit a vein, there was no initial draw of blood which was good!
She was a very calm and I think, relieved, patient. My assistant held a towel firmly around her and we set her on an two tubs stacked, which sort of made an impromptu table. I set a towel over the tubs and also lightly draped a microfiber cloth over her head to relax her. I checked her breathing and made sure she was ok throughout the process.
Whole thing maybe took about an hour to complete. After disinfecting and inserting the needle, I regretted not plucking feathers around the insertion area. They tended to get in the way of the drip and I was sure to swab them in alcohol and try my best to keep them away from the port.
I used a 18 gauge needle and a 12 ml syringe, the syringe was small, but it was the largest I had on hand so I had to do multiple extractions. After the first extraction, I removed the syringe from the port leaving the needle inside her. As mentioned in the above videos, I didn't want to have to reinsert a needle 100's of times and possibly introduce bacteria to the injection site. After removing the syringe the first time, a slow but steady drip can out which was convenient. I situated a solo plastic cup beneath the drip and it would continue in between the syringe pulls that I would slowly take. I deposited the syringe pulls into a 1quart plastic kefir bottle that I rinsed out for collection of fluids.
Leaving the needle in proved very helpful. I checked on little Mimi periodically to make sure she wasn't in shock or distressed but she was fine through the process. Even managed to poop on my assistant's shoe after removing the needle!
I noticed some air bubbles forming at one point and realized my connection between reattaching the syringe to the port wasn't entirely complete, so after that plunge I made sure the syringe was screwed in properly.
One benefit of the slightly smaller syringe was that I was able to hold the needle with my right hand and the syringe in my left alone in order to extract the fluid. If I had a larger syringe I may have needed both hands on the plunge to extract or to have had my assistant hold the needle (which in case anyone was interested, he HATES needles, doctors, medical procedures and blood, fluids, etc. So he performed like a champ in helping, but if I needed him to hold the needle, he may not have been up to it). Also, another benefit to the slightly smaller syringe was that I was able to take off smaller amounts of fluid at a time, I was able to better monitor her condition in-between extractions and monitor how closely I was to be long done.
The done point came when I would reinsert the syringe to extract but felt some resistance.
I would remove a partial syringe fill and notice that the drip either stopped or slowed. I reinserted the syringe to make sure I hadn't just not pulled firmly and gently enough, then remove, then the drip would continue. After the second time of noticing this resistance, I remove the syringe and there was again no drip. I gently palpated her lower area and noticed it was less firm and fluid filled. This gentle pressure also didn't not bring forth any additional drips, so I decided to remove the needle, apply a cotton ball with alcohol to the injection site and disinfect the surrounding area (some feathers as well).
Overall, it went well. I filled up 3/4 of the solo cup just with the drips (free flowing from the port) and with my syringe loads, a 1/4 or so of the 1 quart kefir bottle. I added the solo cup the the kefir bottle with a funnel to get a better visual of how much fluid came off. I'll attach a photo as well. The fluid was a yellow orange color indicative of the EYP mentioned above.
After changing the bedding and adding fresh straw to her coop and kennel area, I gave her more vitamin water and food. (Sidenote, upon finding her this morning, I noticed she ate all of her pellets and took a HUGE poop.)
She immediately started tail wagging and drinking, then dipping her head and splashing around in her water bucket. She seems so happy!! I treated her to some mealworms because she deserved them for being such a little champ!!
Thank you for all the help, I greatly appreciate it. And I know that this procedure isn't a save all, but rather more like bridge therapy, which is ok because I'd rather prolong her life and keep her happy and comfortable then see her suffer and die prematurely.
I can't help but blame myself for her condition. I know if could be other factors, but knowing that I could DO something to help her, really really helps me too!! I feel better that she feels better. Also, knowing more about this condition and procedure is priceless. Thank you again.