I thought I would post this for those who may need to 'force' some food into a reluctant adult or weak lamb. This works for many species of animals, and is great for those who do not wish to, or do not have the equipement to tube feed.
1. Animal must be conscious 2. Put the animal in a "sternum down" position--as in laying naturally-- but not on it's side.. think Sphinx position 3. Hold head up, with the end of jaw just slightly higher than the throat junction. 4. Administer, via dosing syringe, a small amount of the milk replacer or nutritional supplement, as far back in the mouth as possible, but NOT into the throat. 5. Lghtly hold mouth closed, taking care not to compress nasal passages. 6. Stroke gently, in one direction only, from jaw end to the sternum, on the front of the neck. 7. you should be able to sefeel te animal swallow. Sometimes, the animal will attempt to stick out it's tongue-- this is a good sign--that is a reflexive action to a weak swallow, and the animal is trying to force the bolus down further. It is important, when one has weakened animals, to keep them sternum down-- this help prevent pnuemonia from developing. Terry I hope this helps any of you that may have a weak lamb this season. _______________________________________________ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
