hand feeding help

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kendra

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Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
365
Location
Alameda, CA
I'm hand feeding Ferdinand and have been for about a week now. He'd been only taking in small amounts, then I tried adding unsweetened apple sauce and he was loving it. Now he's decided he doesn't anymore apparently and even with restraining him he spits it back out. What else can I try?

We have a vet appointment on Wednesday to look at his x rays.
 
Not sure how close you are to ticklechin but maybe you can send her a pm. if you guys are close to each other maybe she can show you how to hand feed.
 
Have you tried adding 100% Pure Pumpkin to the food? Just enough to give it a flavor?
Also, you can get apple/banana critical care as well.

I mixed Lifeline from Chocolate Chins in with the critical care and they seem to like it even more.
 
Here are a couple of hand feeding videos that may help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICgcpTg06kU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGryprGknXY


The syringe tip dip technique also works, dip the end of the syringe in something tasty-I use either dyne or simethicone depending on if the chin has gut issues, dip the syringe tip, let the chin get a taste of the good stuff then feed. Also, some chins like to be fed upright, some on the back, some in a burrito, some not, so position matters almost as much as what is fed. I agree with Boo Boo that lifeline is a good addition in most cases, in this case it would be a last resort addition due to the liver issue, so add it if you can't get anything else down. Also, what syringe are you using? I find the 10ml syringe that petsmart sells in the bird department works best, and what consistency are you making the CC? Milkshake consistency works best.
 
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I'll try the different syringe and simethicone. I have tried adding lifeline with no luck. I try for milkshake, an average thickness type one, not super think though. Thanks for the ideas
 
Where do you find simethicone? I found something with that in it but it also had a bunch of other things like magnesium, is that ok?
 
Oh ok, I tried the bird feeding syringe and some baby food which helped, he ate about 6 cc's and I'd managed to get about 4 cc's in about an hour and a half ago.

I do love his punky attitude, when I put him back in his cage after hand feeding he goes up to his hay, grabs a piece and stares at me while eating it.
 
Most chins after getting over the initial trauma of handfeeding eat with no problem, especially those without gut issues. I have had only a couple of punks who never got over it .
 
Position of the feeding does matter as well. I learned that too.

I hadn't heard of the tip dip technique. Sounds like a good one to know. I'll have to keep that one in the back of my mind if I ever have to hand feed again.

When I had to hand feed Macy I found she was friendlier afterwards than before. Like before she didn't care for being packed around or held for to long, but afterwards she was okay with it.
 
Trying different positions, if I can get the burrito right so he can stop wiggling out it would help! It's a pretty consistent 6 cc's that I can get in him before he's just had enough (which is improved from the 4 before). He's always been super cuddly, always wanting to be held and even kacking and throwing a fuss when I have to put him back in his cage, followed by him leaping back into my lap or trying to before I can close the cage.

In one of your videos are you tapping his nose to get him to swallow or is that just getting some of the critical care off?

The only position I haven't tried yet is how dawn is holding in the video, or I should say I've tried but haven't gotten it quite right.

Last night he did eat about a ounce of pellets and a very small handful of hay. Right now he is munching on more pellets so I'm hoping that is making up a bit for what he's not getting with the critical care.

Thank you Booboo and dawn! I greatly greatly appreciate your help!
 
Tickling the nose (wonder where I got the ticklechin name from, after 1000s of handfeedings I am the Tickler of chins, lol ) makes them start chewing again when they stop and hold the CC in the mouth without swallowing, its just annoying enough to make them chew and swallow.
 
I'm glad you pointed that out Kendra. I assumed it was wiping away critical care.

Tickling the nose. I would have never thought of that. Also handy to know. I don't know how many times Macy would just hold the CC in her mouth and I thought she was done for a bit so I stopped feeding for about 10 minutes before trying again.
 
I should try stopping and restarting a few minutes later, I usually try to keep going which is just frustrating for both of us!

And I'll try tickling the nose next time he tries holding it! Thanks

But... I may not need to! He seemed to grudgingly accept the cc with pumpkin earlier, but just now I got home and he came up to me and started licking the bars of his cage, I gave him some scritches and went to the other side of the cage where he was licking the bars again. So I decided maybe he was hungry and it was about when I usually feed him. I made some up and decided to just do it through the bars and he ate it right up!! He ate through the bars a tiny bit with applesauce mixed in once but he'd never done the licking the bars thing. Could have been coincidence since he's always had a thing with nibbling on them and stuff but who knows!
 
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His vet said the x rays look fine. He lost a bit more weight but his poops are much more normal now and was more pissed at her! He's still liking the pumpkin too. Hooray!
 
Our love of pumpkin has diminished but thanks to taking breaks, tickling his nose, and having him in an extremely upright position he ate a total of 10 cc's thank you guys so much.

He is on Baytril for another week so I'm sure that's not helping.
 
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