Beside myself with grief

[ChilliPepper]

I hate this! Chilli is fighting the meds so hard it is breaking my heart. I hope when hubby gets home tomorrow night, it will be easier. He is eating on his own, but not as much as I would like. I tried flavoring some mashed pellets with canned pumpkin and since my syringe is too tiny, I tried to just stuff it in his mouth a little at a time and he just spit it out. I will be going to get CC in the morning and will have to use half a day of vacation time. He will probably refuse that too. I got some banana baby food to cover up the taste of his antibiotics and that didn't go over well either. I have tried burritoing him and apparently I suck at that because he is loose in a few kicks. He is wiped out from all the struggling and I am a mess. I think I am going to take him to the vet with me and have them give him the meds. I have never cried so much in one weekend. My poor baby, he doesn't even trust me anymore.

 

[saphire]

I'm so sorry chillypepper... my heart and thoughts are with you. I know they are hard moments to go thru when you love so much. Hang in there and let the vets show you how.

keep up posted

 

[addictedtochins]

I know how you feel, I went through that with my cat, it's been 19 years since then but it was horrible.

 

[eroomlorac]

I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Once you get good at hand feeding, I think it becomes easier for them, too. Good luck.

 

[tunes]

It really is less struggle for him if you burrito him when you administer the meds. Wrap him securely and he won't get so stressed out.

Is the medication flavored? What kind is it? I know with sulfa, I only have to hold them one time, if that. After that, they grab the syringe like they think it's candy.

As far as the food, mashed up food just does not work. The water doesn't absorb into it the way it does into the critcal care. I've tried various ways of doing it and it's just not the same. The critical care is much easier. You still may have to burrito, but it's a whole lot easier to get into them than the homemade stuff.

 

[ChilliPepper]

sulfatrim and metacam. Once I get him to stop struggling, he will sit still for the metacam and part of the sulfatrim, but the last half of the sulfatrim is a battle. I don't want to squirt it in too fast and have him choke. How do you burrito a squirming chin whose legs are kicking every which way? is there a youtube video? I have one more dose by myself and then hubby will be home. I think I can hold him and have him give the meds and it will go better. Last night he ate a substantial amount and there were good poops on the shelves. I am going to go buy a scale today and weigh him. I think i only need to supplement him a little with the CC. Can I give it at the same time as the meds or does it need to be given separate?

 

[tunes]

I lay a towel across my chest, then set the chin on their tummy on the towel. I keep a firm grip on the tail, then fold the left side around the back and under the tummy, then the right side over top of that, being sure to trap the front paws as they are the ones that will bat the syringe away.

After I have them wrapped, I pin their bodies between my arm and my body, with their hind feet down near my elbow. I then hold their heads between my thumb and first finger on either side, cupped into the palm of my hand. Shoot the medicine in and you're done.

It sounds more complicated than it is. Once you do it, you'll get the hang of it real quick. I never bother with the hind legs. Once I have them pinned, they can't get out anyway.

Have you tried offering the sulfa while he's in his cage? Draw up the metacam with the sulfa on the end, then just offer the syringe while he's in his cage. Be persistent. Sometimes it takes a couple times to get the hang of it, but a lot of times they'll take it easier without you trying to trap them and force it in. Unless your boy is 4000 gm, the amount of medication he is on is very minimal and it shouldn't take but a second to get him to take it in.

 

[mishellyshel]

i have been handfeeding and administering meds to my one chin for about 4 months. be patient and you will figure it out. i went thru lots of different typs of syringes until i found one that work. tried all types of wrapping and positions. now he pretty much knows what the deal is but he still fights me once in a while.

here are two pix. one of me feeding him meds & one his food mixture. sometimes i do critical care but since he probably will always need to be handfeed i grind up very very fine my pellets mix filtered water and some canned pumpkin plus 1 tsp of stage 1 baby food, usually pears but sometimes i do the banana/apple/pear mix. i also grind the crushed rose hips in my mix.
this mixture usually lasts me 3 days, so he doesnt get much fruit/vege, it is mostly pellets & water.
critical care is awesome and has a better consistency and they usually like the flavor, but until yours arrives you have to get you chin to eat something and take the meds.

 

[lrdst64]

Hey there- this may be a dumb answer- i am pretty new here. Is your chin's medicine flavored? My chin has been on antibiotics close to a month that we administer with a syringe. She LOVES it. It's tutti fruiti flavored

 

[bianca]

oh i am so sorry i honestly JUST went through this for the past 5 days. my poor timo couldn't fight it anymore though.

but hang in there, everything will be okay and im sure hand feeding your chinny will become a lot easier with him getting used to it all. im very very sorry.

 

[ChinchillaSteve]

Oh Michelle those pics are heart breaking!