Re: Hi Belinda......

[Belinda Sauro]

Hi Lisa,    I wish I could make it go easier.  If you are trying the syringe method you really don't haveto open the mouth at all, just slip the point of the syringe into the side cheek flap and squirt a tiny amount into it.  The cats natural instinct will be to swallow.  Then squirt a tiny bit more. If you really can't get any food into him though you really may want to consider a feeding tube.  An etube is for short term use and it is a relatively simple procedure to insert, my vet hadn't done very many and even said she had the manual right there to follow.  The most important thing is for the vet to make sure it is placed correctly.  It has to be between the 6 and 7 rib I believe (maybe the 7 and 8 rib), but it can't go into the stomach.  Have the vet do an Xray after insertion to make sure it is where it should be.  When Buddie got hers she was just barely jaundice but with her liver cancer I knew how important it was to get nutrients into her.  The sepsis infection really took it out of her and she hadn't eaten much for about 4 or 5 days, I didn't want to chance Fatty Liver Disease after she fought so hard to beat the sepsis infection, which the vet really didn't think she was going to survive.  The saved her and we had an additional 5 or 6 months more that we wouldn't have had.  She only had the tube for not quite 3 months and for the last month she was getting weaned off.  Her jaundice never got any worse and within a couple of weeks was gone altogether.  Once she was eating on her own again I cut back on the feedings and after she was maintaining her weight for a couple of weeks the tube was removed.  My vet came to the house and simply cut the 2 stitches holding it in place and pulled it out.  The tiny hole closed and healed immediately.  I can honestly tell you Buddie and I got closer in those 3 months than we had been in all her 13 years.  The whole year she had her cancer we bonded in a very special way and I will cherish that always. Cats will die from not eating and it is a preventable death, all it takes is food.  I belong to an Assisted feeding group and I have seen several cats die that shouldn't have.  Had they gotten the food they needed I honestly believe they would be alive today.  But I have also seen cats whose caregivers fought tooth and nail and brought their cats back from the brink of death, and those cats are alive and well today. I hope your vet visit goes good today and you get a vet that knows what they are doing. PS. Tell the vet again you want your cat put back on the pred and if you end up with the same vet you saw the previous visit, and they continue to disregard your input and wishes, especially since your primary vet wants your cat on the pred, I would tell her/him, you are going to find another vet and make it very clear to your primary vet when he returns why you are no longer using his clinic. -- Belinda Happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties ... http://www.bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candle Light Service http://www.bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com (affordable hosting & web design) http://HostDesign4U.com ----------- BMK Designs (non-profit web sites) http://bmk.bemikitties.com