not eating after toe injury

[Lisa]

Basil got his toe bitten 3 weeks ago by my other chin, Digit (http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4368). He was on Baytril for about three days and then was on TMS. The antibiotics have been done for about three days now. I've been hand feeding for about two weeks and recently weaned him off CC. Basil is still not eating. He's averaging about 12-14 grams of pellets per night. I've started hand feeding him again starting today.

I have a call into the vet's office, but has anyone experienced this before? Toe injuries seem to be simple, for the most part. They heal, they eat. I can't figure out why he won't eat.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Is he on pain meds?

 

[Lisa]

Is he on pain meds?

Not anymore. He had enough Metacam for about 5 days.

 

[Chinniechantel]

I am guessing he is still in pain, and that is why he is not eating. I would ask the vet for some more Metacam, it does not have many side effects and it also helps with swelling.

If it is not that, maybe he just likes the Critical Care too much? I had that problem with a dental chin, he just loved the CC so much he would not eat the pellets even when he was feeling better.

So, I ground up pellets with a coffee grinder and mixed about 1/2 pellets and 1/2 CC when handfeeding, then more and more pellets until I just fed him pellets and water. It is not easy to get the water/pellet mix through the syringe, but it is possible with much work and lots of mess!

 

[tunes]

Three weeks out I'd guess the pain is gone, unless there is still infection. I would think it's more that he likes that critical care. Some people have a reallllly hard time weaning them back to the pellets.

I would do as Chantel suggested. It is a pain in the butt. The pellets and water just don't mesh the way the critical care and water does, but it can be done. Just try to ease him back to his normal food flavors and once you do, start mixing it with chunkier and chunkier pieces until he's back to normal pellets.

 

[Lisa]

Three weeks out I'd guess the pain is gone, unless there is still infection. I would think it's more that he likes that critical care. Some people have a reallllly hard time weaning them back to the pellets.

I would do as Chantel suggested. It is a pain in the butt. The pellets and water just don't mesh the way the critical care and water does, but it can be done. Just try to ease him back to his normal food flavors and once you do, start mixing it with chunkier and chunkier pieces until he's back to normal pellets.

Pffft. Figures. I held his food dish up to his face yesterday morning and he went to town. Lazy little git

It there one way of grinding pellets that's easier than another? For example, a coffee grinder works better than a food processor or vice versa? Smash them with a hammer?

 

[Chinniechantel]

I have found a new coffee grinder, or a "magic bullet" work best. Then let the crushed pellets sit and soad in water for about 5 minutes before you add more water for the syringe.

 

[eycamry]

My chin is going through the same thing. I've tried using a hammer to crush the pellets, did not work AT ALL. I also tried to use a food processor, but still got a lot of big chunks. I would suggest that you soak the pellets in water first, and then try to crush them. But of course if you have a coffee grinder, that would be the perfect choice.

Good luck! I hope mine will also start eating on her own soon.

 

[Lisa]

For those of you with CC addicts, how does your chin behave when you hand feed them? I've heard people liken it to deep throating the syringe - they can't get enough. I have to fight to get Baz to take it lately. He's slipped so much fur that I can see skin.

I took Basil into the vet yesterday and the vet had no answers for me. He suggested that it might be due to stress and to stop handfeeding him for a week and see what happens. He eats less pellets when I don't hand feed him.

His toe still looks swollen to me and the vet said it would always look like that. Does that sound right to anyone?

 

[Chinniechantel]

Are you sure the vet found everything that was wrong? Maybe he has an infection now? I don't know if the toe would still be swollen, that does not make much sense to me. I would find a new vet and get a 2nd opinion, he should be eating on his own now, and it does not sound like he is in love with the CC. And yes, when the chin loves CC, they like attack the syringe and I need a new one at each feeding.

 

[eycamry]

I started my girl on babyfood + crushed pellets 4 days ago. She took the first bite of her pellets this morning. You need to graduately re-introduce the pellets to Basil, and babyfood seemed to help with the process. What I did was first to soak the pellets in water or in pedialyte (if he is not drinking). When the pellets can be mashed with a spoon, add babyfood and make it into a paste. Feeding with a syringe is a little tricky because there are large chuncks of hay in the pellets that can clog up the syringe. Try feeding him with a spoon first. If he likes it, he will lick from it. Please monitor his weight every day. If his weight starts to drop, feed CC in addition.

I don't know if it was my girl playing dumb or what, but this morning when I went to check on her, she was jumping around looking for things to eat while her bowl of pellets was right in the cage. I took a pellet and brought it to her nose, she ate it. After I walked away, she jumped onto her bowl and started eating on her own. :confused1:

Good luck!