Getting Chin to eat Critical Care

[mishellyshel]

Since my boy is on baytril & metacam he does not have his appetitie, although he is on the cisapride, he is not eating as much as I would like, so i have decided to "try" to give him critical care.
He absolutely hates it!! The medicine he will take just fine, but when it comes time for the CC syringe he starts squirming & pushing me away.
The most I have been able to get into him is about 1/4 tsp, which is less than 1/2 of one syringe. I tried the burrito thing. I am wondering if the consistancy is too thick?? or if there is something I can add to it??
I dont want him to lose too much weight because this is his second round of antibiotics and along with a diet change, over the last 8 weeks he has lost a total of 100 grams. I know some of it if from not getting all the high fat treats but at this point I am getting very concerned. The vet said he is still at an average weight. I also have started giving him a few drops of Dyne. he hates that too. So if anyone has experience in feeding that please advise on how to get a chin to like critical care and/or dyne!
I read how people cant get thier chin off of the stuff and I cant get any in mine! please help.

 

[tunes]

Wrap him up with a towel burrito style. I use a kitchen towel because it's thinner and I can get a better wrap. I lay the towel on my chest, lay the chin on it facing me, then wrap it around so it encloses his (her) front and hind feet, then I turn it so they are facing me. I place their back across my left forearm, tucking their body between my forearm and my side, then hold their head in my hand. I rest one finger on top of the head, and my thumb and other fingers to the side of their heads. It pretty much prevents any fighting. Insert the syringe behind the front teeth in the gap before the back teeth start, place a little in at a time, and be ready to catch it when they push it back out. Put it back in again, repeat.

 

[furmommy]

Since my boy is on baytril & metacam he does not have his appetitie, although he is on the cisapride, he is not eating as much as I would like, so i have decided to "try" to give him critical care.
He absolutely hates it!! The medicine he will take just fine, but when it comes time for the CC syringe he starts squirming & pushing me away.
The most I have been able to get into him is about 1/4 tsp, which is less than 1/2 of one syringe. I tried the burrito thing. I am wondering if the consistancy is too thick?? or if there is something I can add to it??
I dont want him to lose too much weight because this is his second round of antibiotics and along with a diet change, over the last 8 weeks he has lost a total of 100 grams. I know some of it if from not getting all the high fat treats but at this point I am getting very concerned. The vet said he is still at an average weight. I also have started giving him a few drops of Dyne. he hates that too. So if anyone has experience in feeding that please advise on how to get a chin to like critical care and/or dyne!
I read how people cant get thier chin off of the stuff and I cant get any in mine! please help.

My heart goes out to you. My chin ^Chloe^ who I just lost last week to cancer, had to be syringe fed CC on 3 different occasions during her 8 years. I also syringe fed my ^Gandalf^ for 6 months before the vets could do nothing more for his malocclusion. I also syringe fed my Cocoa a few years back...I think she got a bad batch of chin food. She's been fine ever since.

I either had my husband hold the chin gently, or I used the towel method to gently wrap the chin while I fed him or her on my own. I had the best success with Critical Care in Apple/Banana flavor. I added enough bottled water (sometimes, per my vet's advice, a tiny bit of pineapple juice or they also like green bean baby food...only natural ones without any onion powder in them). I feed slowly and let them eat each bite at their own pace. You can try green bean baby food alone to stimulate their interest for one meal and then go back to CC. If all else fails, make sure you chin stays hydrated and very slowly give some water since a sick chin often won't drink for himself.

I make sure it's quiet, or that I play soothing harp music or Cistercian Monk chant music (a favorite among animals I'm told by animal behaviorists) to relax the chin while feeding. It helps reduce the stress. Otherwise just talking softly to him or her is good.

I hope this helps. I'm praying your chin eats and gets better soon!

 

[mishellyshel]

thanks peggy. i sorta got the hold down, although by your descrip, i will try that tonight because the last feeding he was still squirmy.
i was looking for more ideas to make it more "tasty".
right after i posted i went upstairs, mixed a little dyne w/a drop of honey, some water & critical care. the consistancy was much thinner than i was feeding before & i got him to eat 2 full syringes. i was SO happy. but from what i understand i shouldnt be feeding too much dyne, so i was looking for other ideas on additivies to make him like it.

note: the vet told me to mix the CC w/baby food carrots. from everything i read here i got too nervous.
suzy--by green baby food do you mean the peas? is that ok? i am alwasy SO nervous to try things that are not chin approved.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Chins HATE carrots - I don't know why vets recommend this (she isn't the first vet to recommend) - Try mixing with winter squash or sweet potatoes. Some people on this forum use can plain pumpkin (not the kind with spices for pies). I can never find it. I also found that Rachel, (my hand fed chin) likes a little 'vegetable garden' baby food in her 'formula' - I have stop using CC for a long time. I grind up her regular chow, add a little baby food and plenty of water until I get it the constency I want it - You be getting around 100 cc (ml) a day into your chin divided into at least 3 feeding. I feed in the morning before I go to work, when I get home and just before I go to bed

 

[tunes]

Sorry Michelle - misunderstood!

I would definitely go with the pumpkin. The chins seem to really like it. You just mix it in with the critical care after you add water, until you can get a decent consistency to use a syringe for it. I don't have any problem finding the plain in the baking isle, but maybe that's because I'm in South Dakoduh and spices would be cheating <rolls eyes>.

You can also try black strap molasses, which I think takes like butt (and thus far, so do my chins), but others have had good luck with it.

I have to tell you though, some chins just don't like the critical care and just don't like being messed with. No matter what you dress it up with, they are still going to be the ugly sister at the ball - they aren't going to appreciate it. Just keep plugging away though. If nothing else, they finally cave just so you'll stop messing with them.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Sometimes it does take a couple of days before they realize they might as well open their mouth and take the food I think it 'dawns on them' that the food feels good in the stomach even if they don't like how it is getting there at first Another thing you can try is something Dr. Goode (my chin vet) suggested to me. Works for any other chin I had to hand feed for a while when they were ready to eat on their own (but not Rachel). Turn on your oven to 250. Put a bunch of his pellets in a strainer. Run the water until it is hot. Pour the hot water over the pellets in the strainer until they are wet. Let drain. Put in a baking pan/dish with a little black strap molasses and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool before giving the chin in his dish. What this does it makes the pellets less dense - sort of like 'puffed pellets' Some chins absolutely love it and it gets them starting to eat

 

[AZChins]

How much molasses needs to be in the pan? LOL

I have a c-section patient right now that I really need to get eating more of her pellets. This could be helpful because I don't want to have to keep feeding her three times a day with her Life Line/honey mix...it's getting to be really annoying even if she really enjoys it.

 

[mishellyshel]

Fantastic ideas! Thank you all SO much! I am determined for Richie to have the best of what life he has left. I am the kinda of person who will also spend as much time grinding food, baking food, hand feeding my pets and doing whatever i need to do to make sure they are happy and healthy. also realizing when it is time to let them go, i will do so with great sadness.

 

[mishellyshel]

oh yeah..........is the dyne okay to give daily until he is better? less than 1/8 tsp daily is what i have been doing for the last 2 days.
also is 2 drops of honey a day ok??
im so nervous to upset his already stressed stomache.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

Daily dyne is fine.

 

[Sandi]

This is what worked for me and Whiskers, my chin who had malo. He had stopped eating his hay and wood chews and would only nibble on his pellets but mostly making them into sawdust. After his teeth were filed, I had to syringe feed him. I always had a hard time syringe feeding him on my own but when my husband got home, he helped and it would go much faster and a lot less messier. I often noticed that he would want to eat on his own but couldn't. I would always have fresh pellets in his bowl and he often would pick up a pellet, put it in his mouth and then immediately drop it. So I started thinking that maybe I could make the consistency of the critical care thicker and make my own pellets. The apple/banana cc is what I used and the 40 cc syringe because it has a bigger opening (mouth). Then I stuck them in the freezer for about 30 minutes or so and then I put a bunch in his bowl. I don't know if it was the smell of the critical care or what but within a couple of minutes he was at his food bowl eating all of the Critical Care pellets. It was thick enough for him to hold each pellet and I'm also sure they were thawing in his mouth so maybe them being a little cold felt good in his mouth? Don't know but he ate them on his own which was a HUGE deal for me. This is what they looked like after I squeezed them out of the syringe -

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

as for the molases in the 'puffed pellets' I never measured - just a little poured on top of the pellets (that are spreaded out in the pan) - then I mix and bake

 

[furmommy]

thanks peggy. i sorta got the hold down, although by your descrip, i will try that tonight because the last feeding he was still squirmy.
i was looking for more ideas to make it more "tasty".
right after i posted i went upstairs, mixed a little dyne w/a drop of honey, some water & critical care. the consistancy was much thinner than i was feeding before & i got him to eat 2 full syringes. i was SO happy. but from what i understand i shouldnt be feeding too much dyne, so i was looking for other ideas on additivies to make him like it.

note: the vet told me to mix the CC w/baby food carrots. from everything i read here i got too nervous.
suzy--by green baby food do you mean the peas? is that ok? i am alwasy SO nervous to try things that are not chin approved.

My exotics vet said it was ok to feed green bean baby food to chins and it has helped me in the past stimulate their appetite and keep them hydrated. They loved the taste and green beans aren't harmful to chins. I then later was able to put a little in with critical care to keep them interested. Hopefully your chin would like the apple/banana critical care and you won't need to bother with other things. I'll be looking for updates and keeping him in my prayers.

 

[eycamry]

I added organic sweet potato baby food and some apple flavored padialyte to the CC. My chin just did not like to be held no matter what she was fed. I have attached a picture of how I held her. You have to make sure that the rear legs are firmly standing on your thighs. They don't feel safe when they can't stand on something. Press the body against you firmly. With your one hand, hold the front legs, and with a couple of your fingers, hold the head. I liked the feeding syringe which has a long curved tip. If the process is long, make sure to let him cool down a little as it can make them overheat.

Good luck.