Tips for force feeding?

[RockedByRequiem]

Hello everyone.
I took my 6 1/2 year old male Peewee to the vet yesterday for what was believed to be a malocclusion. It indeed was, but not too far along yet. He was still able to eat somewhat, but lost a lot of weight nonetheless. Well, she fixed up the problem teeth (one was growing straight into his cheek), and now I have to force feed him for a week while he recovers. This is not going so well so far. It's not that he despises the taste, he just does not want to sit still for me for even 3 seconds while he's wrapped in a towel. He sat and ate it like a champ at the vet's. No such luck at home.

Does anyone have any tips for going about this? At times my girlfriend can help me, which makes it a bit easier. But she's at work during the day, so I'm on my own twice. What makes it even more difficult is I also have to give him his pain medication separately. The anti-biotics are being mixed in with the food. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

PS- The malocclusion was NOT due to improper care by any stretch of the imagination. He is a pet store chin, so I can only guess his genetics are flawed.

 

[mishellyshel]

If you do a search on the forum for "hand feeding" i think you will come up with lot of results.
personally i would not mix the antibiotic with the food. you can mix the pain meds & anitbotics together though. that way you know he is getting the maximum benefit from both meds.

what are you handfeeding? what is the consistancy of the mix? what size syringe are you using? how much is peewee eating at each feeding?
is his malo due to root growth damage or another tooth issue? did the vet take xrays to confirm or just to a visual?

you need to get the weight back on him. you need to wrap him firmly and sit in a comfortable position. you may need to feed him several times a day in smaller amounts if he is not taking enough food in. i usually let my chin out for a bit of playtime first and then i handfeed him, that way he is less squirmy.

 

[tunes]

I would not mix the antibiotics with the food either. If he should happen to spit the food back out, you have no way of knowing if he got the full dose of antibiotics.

If you have him on Metacam for the pain, it has a good taste to it. I would mix the Metacam and the antibiotic together. If it's a sulfa drug, they are usually flavored anyway, and the chins love the taste.

You need to put him in a burrito wrap. When I burrito wrap I lay a thin kitchen towel across my chest, then I lay the chin on it facing me. I put the chin closer to one edge of the towel, and wrap the long part of the towel around quickly, and tuck it in tight, making sure to capture all four squirming paws. After I have the burrito secure, I put the chin between my left arm and my body, basically pinning him/her. I then hold the chins head between my thumb and second finger, using my first finger to hold the chin steady over the forehead area. Kind of like cupping your hand and putting the head in it, only a little more secure. Even with the worst fighter, they haven't been able to budge from that position.

ETA: Being from a pet store has nothing to do with malocclusion. It can happen anywhere with a large rancher, a hobbyist, or a pet owner.

 

[ChilliPepper]

Keep trying. That's what people told me when I came on here after a session with Chilli left me emotionally exhausted. He squirmed and fought and scratched me just for giving him his meds. After a week I didn't even need to take him out of the cage for meds time- he ran up to the bars and held on to his syringe and then begged for more. Just remember, he does not understand what happened, and he is in pain and now you are doing something really different and scary to him. Approach with love and empathy and just get what you can in him. And after he starts eating, keep an eye on his weight. You may find that he needs another trimming soon.
I just fed Chilli his CC and he just sat there for me- I swear it does get easier.

 

[Saffron]

I found that giving pain meds about 30 minutes before feeding I could get our chin to eat more.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

When I was dealing with force feeding my chin with malo issues, I gave him the meds before I started to feed him and instead if coming at him from the front, with the syringe, I would come in from the side of his mouth, which made it a lot easier for him to take the syringe and eat.

 

[RockedByRequiem]

Thank you everyone for the timely responses. I appreciate it very much. This board is much more helpful than others out there.

personally i would not mix the antibiotic with the food. you can mix the pain meds & anitbotics together though. that way you know he is getting the maximum benefit from both meds.

The vet told me to mix the antibiotic with the food. I was thinking the same thing though, not all of that food is making it into his stomach. I cannot, however, mix the pain meds with the AB because the pain meds are already in the syringes, whereas the AB is in a little jar. I guess it's gonna be a little more work than I thought. :/

what are you handfeeding? what is the consistancy of the mix? what size syringe are you using? how much is peewee eating at each feeding? is his malo due to root growth damage or another tooth issue? did the vet take xrays to confirm or just to a visual?

Oxbow Critical Care mixture. The consistency is pasty I guess? The syringe for the food is a 3ml. Trying to give him 6ml 3 times a day, although 6ml seems like quite a bit for his little stomach. That is what they told me to give him though. She did not do X Rays, she just said two teeth on one side were growing against his tongue, and the real bad one on the other side was growing into his cheek. I have an appt for one month, and then they want to see him again 3 months after that to make sure they aren't growing back rapidly. She didn't really give me a whole lot of answers, just took a wait and see kind of approach, which, needless to say, isn't all that comforting.

The good thing is, he never really lost any energy, even when he dropped a lot of weight. And even now, the day after, he is in pretty good spirits. She said he was totally healthy otherwise, so I'm hoping this won't linger and he'll be back in good shape.

 

[mishellyshel]

i use the 10ml syringes, you can get them at walmart. when my chin was first sick, i would feed him 40 - 50 cc's/ml's at one time! he got that 3 times a day. you definitely need to get more into him. i belive the minimum to maintain weight is 45 cc's a day but to gain weight, much more.
did they give you the apple bannana flavor or the original. some chins do not like the original, i know mine did not.

thin out the consistancy a little and you may get a little more into him.
if his teeth are not wearing properly i am inclined to ask you what chew toys you give him?? upon the completion of his meds, you should be offering many options to get the teeth to wear evenly on thier own (apple sticks or other wood, pumice, loofah, coarse hay, etc......)

unfortunatley to determine if he has root growth it will require an xray. one common sign of that is watery eyes and constant pawing at mouth however that is not always the case.

hopefully his teeth are just not wearing evenly and you can help that with items he can chew.

 

[RockedByRequiem]

if his teeth are not wearing properly i am inclined to ask you what chew toys you give him??

I give him Lava Bites, Mrs Pastures Cookies for Horses, and he also has a variety of hanging bird toys (everything but wood removed of course).

unfortunatley to determine if he has root growth it will require an xray. one common sign of that is watery eyes and constant pawing at mouth however that is not always the case.

To be honest, I'm surprised she didn't do X Rays. I was kind of expecting to be nickel and dimed for every penny I had. That wasn't the case. I think that, while she knows the basics, she isn't overly knowledgeable when it comes to chinchillas. However, I don't really have a lot of choices around here. I actually called about six places (including three listed on a chin website) that didn't treat chinchillas. To my knowledge, the next closest vet that treats them is located about an hour and a half away.

Also, he had the watery eyes and pawing at the mouth.

So should I ask for X Rays when I go next month?

BTW, for anyone....When is it okay to give him a dustbath? The vet said 2-3 days. I ask because he has ointment all over his face from yesterday and I know he's probably dying to get cleaned up.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

You could take a soft cloth and get as much off as possible..why did the vet say no dust baths?

 

[RockedByRequiem]

Ok, I just read on another thread that a malocclusion would require filings every 4-8 weeks. I'm assuming, being that he is given more than adequate options to naturally keep his teeth filed, that is precisely what this is. Not only do I not have the money to get him dental work every 4-8 weeks (Have been out of work for three years due to health reasons), I don't want to put him through the stress of going to the vet and having such a procedure done that often.

This is very disheartening, as I thought we were actually taking care of the problem, not just delaying the inevitable...

 

[RockedByRequiem]

why did the vet say no dust baths?

I really have no idea. All she did was file the teeth.

 

[mishellyshel]

Where in NJ are you??? I am in NJ and i have a good vet and she knows a good amount about chins. until you get an xray you will not know for sure if he has root problems.
the eye tearing and pawing could be a sign of the tooth overgrowth.

i had my chins teeth filed in june and august and then have not needed to do it since.

i dont understand why he has ointment on his face?? i would wipe the ointment with a warm cloth or an unscented baby wipe and then with a soft dry cloth and allow him to dust bathe. it will make him happy.

 

[RockedByRequiem]

I'm in Hunterdon county.

And I guess she put something in his eyes when she put him under to do the filing. Plus I had her clean underneath his one eye that was crusty.

I don't know, this is getting very frustrating now. I guess what I'm wondering is, is there really any chance it ISN'T a malocclusion, considering I've given him everything he needs to keep his teeth filed?

 

[ticklechin]

Just curious why the antibiotics for a filing? Did the vet say anything about infection?

 

[RockedByRequiem]

Just curious why the antibiotics for a filing? Did the vet say anything about infection?

Nope, no infection...

Do you think the antibiotics weren't necessary?

 

[ticklechin]

Routine filings with no soft tissue injury or infection seen by a vet don't need antibiotics, at least not the ones I have had done. I don't think its normal to prescribe them.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

She may have given the antibiotics to ward off any infection that MAY develop from the filing. You said that one of the teeth had rubbed the cheek or something like that, so this may be why she gave the antibiotics. This is what my vet did when my chin had her teeth filed a few months ago.
I would highly recommend getting a set of X rays done because it its the only full proof way to rule out problems with the roots and then go from there.

 

[mishellyshel]

sorry my vet is in camden county a bit far from you. although i travel from mercer county. i do know of another vet in the ocean country area but even that if probably too far. perhaps someone else may be able to recommend another vet or you can call around and ask a lot of questions.

if the AB that she prescribed is the the Tri-meth, which is the pink stuff it really wont harm your chin and because his teeth were rubbing his gums, there may be an abrasion.

she should have done an xray while she had him under, as you will need to pay for the that again.

while malo is an incurable disease it can be manageble, depending on the type. if he has tooth root issues there isnt much help. although the tooth may stop growing, eventually it will grow towards his eye socket cause a great deal of pain.

if he has other issues, like tooth spurs or misaligned jaw (which is what my chin has) there are ways to manage the pain and prolong his life. i know a lot of people will differ in opinion on this topic, however from my own personal experience i am satisfied with my course of treatment and the behavior and health of my pet at this time. he is on daily pain meds, although the dosage has been significantly lowered and he has started eating on his own a bit, but i do supplement with handfeeding.

every situation is different, every pet is different. i caught my chins symptons very early, i don't know how long your chin was drooling or pawing or his eyes were tearing.

you may be delaying the inevitable OR this may have held the tooth growing at bay.
personally, i would wait the month before the follow up and watch him closely. if he takes a turn for the worse it may be time to put him down. however; if he starts gaining his weight back and his symptons stop, he may be able to live comfortably.

i hope this helps. but one of the vets that i had seen when first treating richie said this to me: "do you want A chin or THIS chin". i know it sounds kinda harsh but she was basically telling me if i have the time and money richie could live a comfortable life but without my constant care he would not have made it this far. I have invested a lot of time and money into his health. I spend a great deal of time researching things and spending time with him.........but to me it is worth it. He feisty and sweet and funny and just a silly little furball. but i made a promise to him............when i notice that he is in pain and i can not control it any longer, i will put him to rest.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

The vet that Michelle goes to is the same as mine - Dr. Janice Goode in the Deptford area of NJ. I know it is an hour and half away but she is worth it. I go there for my teeth problem chin and that is how long it is for me. I go every 3-4 months for filing for my chin. It will be 6 years in June that I have been doing this. Lucky for me and her (the chin) she doesn't have root problems. It cost me $100 every visit. To me that is worth it and Rachel (the chin) is a very active, sweet chin. I feel, right now, her quality of life is good - she is a 'spoiled rotten' chin I would be concerned about any vet that tells you to mix any medicine with the food. That is extremely bad advice