The measure
How to use an oral syringe for liquid medicine, step by step
An oral syringe measures liquid more accurately than a kitchen spoon and lets you give it slowly, a little at a time. Here is how to draw, check and give a dose without spills.
What is an oral syringe?
An oral syringe is a syringe without needle used to measure and give liquids by mouth. The barrel is marked in millilitres, the plunger pushes the liquid out, and a tip cap keeps a measured dose from leaking. Foosi makes them in 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 mL.
Step 1: pick the right size
Use the smallest syringe that holds the whole amount in one draw. Small barrels have finer marks: a 1 mL syringe reads in tenths, a 5 mL syringe holds one teaspoon, a 10 mL syringe two.
Step 2: draw the liquid
Push the plunger all the way in, put the tip into the liquid and pull the plunger back slowly past the mark you need. Pulling fast draws in air bubbles.
- Turn the syringe tip up and tap the barrel so bubbles rise
- Push the plunger to the exact line
- Read the mark at eye level, at the edge of the plunger tip
Step 3: giving the liquid
For a child or an animal, place the tip inside the cheek, not toward the back of the throat. Push the plunger slowly, a small amount at a time, and allow time to swallow between pushes. Never squirt the whole dose at once.
Cleaning and reuse
Foosi syringes are sold sealed and sterile for single use. If you reuse a barrel for the same liquid, pull warm water through it several times, separate the plunger and let both parts dry fully.
Foosi lists its oral syringes for lab, hobby, pet feeding and home use and not for medical purposes. For a prescribed medicine, ask your pharmacist or veterinarian which dispenser and dose to use.
Types of oral syringes
Oral syringes come in several types. Many are clear with black graduations; some medical oral syringes are amber or orange in color to protect light-sensitive medicine and to tell them apart from hypodermic syringes. Some have a tip cap, some fit a bottle adapter that plugs into the neck of the bottle so you can draw liquid medicine with the bottle upside down. Common sizes are 1 mL, 3 mL, 5ml and 10ml.
Whatever the type, the proper technique is the same: find the correct mark, draw carefully, check for air, and give the dose slowly into the side of the mouth.
Giving liquid medicine to children and pets
Never use a kitchen spoon for liquid medicine; household spoons are not the same size, and the dosage your doctor or pharmacist gives is in millilitres. Ask them to show you the right mark on the syringe if you are unsure. For a child, sit them upright, place the tip between cheek and gums and push lightly. Wash the syringe and tip cap in warm water after each use, and keep an individual syringe for each medication.
Foosi syringes are latex-free in the barrel, made from polypropylene with a rubber plunger tip, and sold for lab, pet and home use; follow the medical information that comes with any prescribed medication.
General product information, not medical or veterinary advice.
