This idea is something another nurse has posted on a thread a few months ago, can't remember who it was. I tried it the other day and everyone was impressed, so thought i'd put it here for anyone who hasn't seen it before!
Get an open drip bag and inject food dye into it. Microwave it and use instead of hot hands! Stays warm for a good while and less likely to burst than gloves. The food dye is so that people know it's purpose and don't use it to flush a wound or something! I wouldn't put it in with an awake animal, but good during surgery.
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We use empty drip bags filled with uncooked rice (leave the ends on them, cut a slit in them, fill using a funnel and suture with old suture material), heat for a minute or two in the micro, they stay hot for ages, work like wheat packs that you can buy in pharmacy
Kool tip!, Random one from me too, if anyone ever gets chickens in your practice, giving them hot hands to roost on really helps with the distress of being in such a foreign environment. I discovered this by accident after leaving hot hands around a hen in recovery when she woke up she gathered them up and roosted, tried it with another hen and had the same calming affect :)
I've used these with good results. Have not added food dye; instead have marked both sides clearly with permanent marker "H2O". For 1 L, microwave for approx 1 min
I was wondering the same as shane!
How long would you recommend putting it in the microwave for?? Don't want to blow it up in the microwave :o
It is a great method, but be wary of cheeky cats with sharp claws...had a kitten who woke up from GA with one in his kennel and then chewed/clawed the bag...tabby and white kitten turned into tabby and blue kitten...
I tried this and was working well untill someone nuked it for too long and it exploded!! We now have a pink microwave !!!
these work so well - bigger, stronger and easy to clean between patients! They last for ages! :)
well done dicky...yas we were all very impressed! useful tip!
I will be bringing some food dye into work tomorrow to try and sort this out for us. Great tip