help feeding critical care

[piggiemummy03x]

please help
we simply cannot feed della her critical care, we are only doing 5ml every hour but she just spits it out no matter what we try. i don’t understand how some people manage 15ml in a sitting? it takes us 20 minutes to do this 5ml, with like 4ml of it not being eaten and just spat out.. i’m pulling my hair out, i just want my baby to be better

 

[Piggies&buns]

Perhaps she doesn’t like it. Have you tried just mushing her own normal pellets with hot water (then letting it cook)? They have a familiar taste so are often well accepted

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Perhaps she doesn’t like it. Have you tried just mushing her own normal pellets with hot water (then letting it cook)? They have a familiar taste so are often well accepted

no we haven’t! how many nuggets do you recommend please?

 

[Piggies&buns]

no we haven’t! how many nuggets do you recommend please?

about a tablespoon would, mix with water, mush it up. See how much she takes each sitting so you may need more or less pellets each time.

You will need to cut the end off the syringe to used mushed pellets though because it is more coarse and won’t push through a syringe with the tapered end still on.

Also try offering just off a spoon, or just putting a shallow dish with mushed pellets in front of her - she may willingly lap at it

 

[Wiebke]

please help
we simply cannot feed della her critical care, we are only doing 5ml every hour but she just spits it out no matter what we try. i don’t understand how some people manage 15ml in a sitting? it takes us 20 minutes to do this 5ml, with like 4ml of it not being eaten and just spat out.. i’m pulling my hair out, i just want my baby to be better

Hi

I am very sorry.

Have you checked whether your girl is actually able to swallow properly if most is spit straight out again instead of dribbled out (although in the latter case this is also an alarm signal)?

With a very, very ill piggy, you can indeed struggle with getting 5 ml into a piggy in an hour since you have to do it in tiny bits like 0.1 ml at a time (one tenth of a small syringe) and then wait minutes for it going down before you can give more.
It is very draining and exhausting, especially when lack of sleep is setting in seriously and your piggy is not picking up.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Perhaps she would take it mixed with some 100% fruit and veg baby food? Hope she picks up soon

 

[Theremin]

You have to feed the pig on your lap, and I hold them in an upright position.
Use a 1 ml syringe, and cut the tip off so that it's wide enough that Critical Care will not clog. Also, keep the Critical Care a fairly runny consistency -- you can mix with juice to add nutrient but don't over do it or you'll end up with soft stools. With a full syringe, insert into the mouth, past the foremouth into the back area where the molars are. give the pig maybe a third of the syringe and see if they chew and swallow it. The can't spit it out if it's in the back cheek pouch areas. If your pig struggles with this, there's real trouble and you need to consult your vet ASAP. If they do alright, try more in the next mouthful. You can get 30 ml into a pig in one sitting doing this, even more.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

about a tablespoon would, mix with water, mush it up. See how much she takes each sitting so you may need more or less pellets each time.

You will need to cut the end off the syringe to used mushed pellets though because it is more coarse and won’t push through a syringe with the tapered end still on.

Also try offering just off a spoon, or just putting a shallow dish with mushed pellets in front of her - she may willingly lap at it

i will try this for our 7pm feed, we have just finished 6pm, got her to take more with the smaller syringe but still less than 5ml, i’m scared its not enough after seeing 15ml is standard. we’ve got all her meds to do at 8 which i am really nervous for.. that’s now metacam, baytril, fibreplex, critical care and cisapride, i honestly dont know how we are going to do it

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Hi

I am very sorry.

Have you checked whether your girl is actually able to swallow properly if most is spit straight out again instead of dribbled out (although in the latter case this is also an alarm signal)?

With a very, very ill piggy, you can indeed struggle with getting 5 ml into a piggy in an hour since you have to do it in tiny bits like 0.1 ml at a time (one tenth of a small syringe) and then wait minutes for it going down before you can give more.
It is very draining and exhausting, especially when lack of sleep is setting in seriously and your piggy is not picking up.

thankyou, yes she can definitely swallow, shes just a stubborn little monkey! shes always been this way with medication, but this is another level due to the amount of critical care we have to give her, how often etc and now the fact shes got about 6 medications to take every 8am / 8pm.

other than her not eating her nuggets and as much hay, she seems more herself this evening, running around squeaking like she normally does, some normal poos but also some little ones. i will also add she absolutely hoovered up the grass we put in earlier!

it really is, we just want her better

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Perhaps she would take it mixed with some 100% fruit and veg baby food? Hope she picks up soon

is this safe to do so? what do you recommend? thanks so much, we do too!

 

[piggiemummy03x]

You have to feed the pig on your lap, and I hold them in an upright position.
Use a 1 ml syringe, and cut the tip off so that it's wide enough that Critical Care will not clog. Also, keep the Critical Care a fairly runny consistency -- you can mix with juice to add nutrient but don't over do it or you'll end up with soft stools. With a full syringe, insert into the mouth, past the foremouth into the back area where the molars are. give the pig maybe a third of the syringe and see if they chew and swallow it. The can't spit it out if it's in the back cheek pouch areas. If your pig struggles with this, there's real trouble and you need to consult your vet ASAP. If they do alright, try more in the next mouthful. You can get 30 ml into a pig in one sitting doing this, even more.

this doesn’t work with della unfortunately, shes too squirmy! there is no way we can give her more than 5ml in one sitting and she doesn’t even take that, thankyou for the tips though!

 

[Piggies&buns]

i will try this for our 7pm feed, we have just finished 6pm, got her to take more with the smaller syringe but still less than 5ml, i’m scared its not enough after seeing 15ml is standard. we’ve got all her meds to do at 8 which i am really nervous for.. that’s now metacam, baytril, fibreplex, critical care and cisapride, i honestly dont know how we are going to do it

it’s the daily weight checks which tell you whether she is eating enough.

The less she takes each sitting the more often you need to do a sitting but it’s also got to be sustainable. A feed every hour with the feed taking best part of hour is not necessarily going to work.

is this safe to do so? what do you recommend? thanks so much, we do too!

Yes it is. It can make it more palatable but you’ve also got to make sure you aren’t then giving more veg than fibre. In just 5ml of syringe feed the amount is veg you can add would be absolutely tiny.

 

[Piggies&buns]

thankyou, yes she can definitely swallow, shes just a stubborn little monkey! shes always been this way with medication, but this is another level due to the amount of critical care we have to give her, how often etc and now the fact shes got about 6 medications to take every 8am / 8pm.

other than her not eating her nuggets and as much hay, she seems more herself this evening, running around squeaking like she normally does, some normal poos but also some little ones. i will also add she absolutely hoovered up the grass we put in earlier!

it really is, we just want her better

If she is eating some hay then that is good.

You said she has lost 20g since yesterday. Has she lost anything else in the previous days? ie is the total loss more than 50g?

 

[piggiemummy03x]

it’s the daily weight checks which tell you whether she is eating enough.

The less she takes each sitting the more often you need to do a sitting but it’s also got to be sustainable. A feed every hour with the feed taking best part of hour is not necessarily going to work.




Yes it is. It can make it more palatable but you’ve also got to make sure you aren’t then giving more veg than fibre. In just 5ml of syringe feed the amount is veg you can add would be absolutely tiny.

of corse, i suppose the only way to know is when i weigh her tomorrow, i’m just worried after reading up about what can happen when piggies are not getting enough food…

what am i supposed to do because obviously it’s stressful for both della and us, like you say 5ml an hour when its not even a full 5ml taking half an hour isn’t working.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

If she is eating some hay then that is good.

You said she has lost 20g since yesterday. Has she lost anything else in the previous days? ie is the total loss more than 50g?

yes she is eating a little hay, she seems quite keen on her hay cookies at the moment!

she only reduced her eating yesterday so we haven’t been tracking her weight daily for very long, 26th feb (normal weekly weigh in) 953g, shes been on so many meds and multiple vet trips since then, we also cut out her veggies as she had funny poos. 3rd march 905g, 4th march 885g

 

[piggiemummy03x]

so shes lost about 80g within 6 days? (i think thats right, i’m absolutely knackered so may have it wrong)

 

[piggiemummy03x]

right we have just gone to give her her 7pm feed but she is currently eating hay.. i don’t want to disturb her while she herself is eating so thinking it best to leave and wait until shes stopped to give her more?

 

[Piggies&buns]

right we have just gone to give her her 7pm feed but she is currently eating hay.. i don’t want to disturb her while she herself is eating so thinking it best to leave and wait until shes stopped to give her more?

She is 68g down in 6 days.

Yes leave her if she is eating.
I think hourly feeds is too stressful for you all. I would leave her for now, let her eat hay. Perhaps try to feed at about 8.30 and see what happens. Then monitor her and perhaps don’t try again until just before you go to bed.

Have you tried just offering her a bowl of mushed pellets? Perhaps put a bowl in the cage and see what happens. You could always try to keep Luna out of the bowl by giving her some veggies handfed to keep her occupied and give Della a chance to become interested in the bowl

 

[piggiemummy03x]

She is 68g down in 6 days.

Yes leave her if she is eating.
I think hourly feeds is too stressful for you all. I would leave her for now, let her eat hay. Perhaps try to feed at about 8.30 and see what happens. Then monitor her and perhaps don’t try again until just before you go to bed.

Have you tried just offering her a bowl of mushed pellets? Perhaps put a bowl in the cage and see what happens. You could always try to keep Luna out of the bowl by giving her some veggies handfed to keep her occupied and give Della a chance to become interested in the bowl

sorry my head is all over the place!
okay we will leave her for now and keep an eye on her hay intake, you think it will be okay to do it just twice more today? we’ve done 4,5,6 & 7pm, all at 5ml however she’s definitely not taking that full 5ml.

no we haven’t yet, its been very stressful and time ran out for the 7pm feed, we are making some up now for the next feed!

 

[piggiemummy03x]

i have been on the phone for the last ten minutes, in this time my boyfriend has seen her eat hay, drink from her bottle a few times, shes gone round hoovering up left over grass and even foraging in amongst her hay in the hay cart… shes stopped now and is just having a little clean.

i think you are right @Piggies&buns and getting her out every hour is just too much, i just don’t know what to do about the fact we can’t give her more in one sitting, as i am writing this she has gone over and started drinking from her bottle which is brilliant as we was concerned about her not drinking. della is currently eating her ‘self made poo nuggets’ as we like to call them, so hopefully this is a good sign!

 

[Merab]

You are having a rough time.
Looking after a sick piggy is exhausting and very draining.
Hugs

I mash a bit of banana into the syringe feed when I need to do this. Mine also like Oxbow Aniseed Flavour Critical Care above all others.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

You are having a rough time.
Looking after a sick piggy is exhausting and very draining.
Hugs

I mash a bit of banana into the syringe feed when I need to do this. Mine also like Oxbow Aniseed Flavour Critical Care above all others.

thank you so much!
that is a good idea however as shes only taking 5ml at a time id be worried it would be replacing too much. i’m pretty sure thats the one we have!

 

[piggiemummy03x]

we have just finished dellas 8.30pm meds, baytril, cisapride, metacam, as much critical care as she would take and we also managed to get some nugget soup down her, again unsure of how much but we didn’t want to stress her out anymore with meds..

out of interest, if della has dropped weight tomorrow we will obviously carry on with the feedings.. if she hasn’t, or its gone up and seems to be eating, do we stop and let her feed herself once again? (critical care / nugget soup i am talking about here) the cispride is a 4 day course and we are day 4 or 5 of baytril and metacam 14 day course. these are no longer the problem, its the critical care and fibreplex we are struggling with the most, which are obviously important.

 

[Wheekallweek]

is this safe to do so? what do you recommend? thanks so much, we do too!

It sure is! I believe Ella's kitchen is a popular choice, something that's just say apple, banana, carrot, something like that. Obviously no potato, onion etc. Don't give her too much, but just a bit can make the critical care of mushed up nuggets taste a bit nicer.

Glad to hear she's feeling a bit better, hope she continues to improve

 

[piggieminder]

Fingers crossed she continues to improve.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

It sure is! I believe Ella's kitchen is a popular choice, something that's just say apple, banana, carrot, something like that. Obviously no potato, onion etc. Don't give her too much, but just a bit can make the critical care of mushed up nuggets taste a bit nicer.

Glad to hear she's feeling a bit better, hope she continues to improve

thankyou!

 

[piggiemummy03x]

Fingers crossed she continues to improve.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

morning all! della has had her weigh in and this morning is 883g, so only a 2g loss in a night.. i hope this is a good sign! i haven’t given her critical care this morning yet, because when i woke up she was in her hay pile eating and was using the water bottle herself. shes had her meds for this morning (baytril, metacam and cisapride) and was going to try some critical care at 9.. if anyone has any suggestions on a different routine we can try (at the moment its 5ml every hour, however it’s taking us half an hour to feed her this and shes not even getting the full 5ml, its too stressful getting her in and out every half an hour or so, both for della and us!) i would be extremely greatful!

 

[Piggies&buns]

morning all! della has had her weigh in and this morning is 883g, so only a 2g loss in a night.. i hope this is a good sign! i haven’t given her critical care this morning yet, because when i woke up she was in her hay pile eating and was using the water bottle herself. shes had her meds for this morning (baytril, metacam and cisapride) and was going to try some critical care at 9.. if anyone has any suggestions on a different routine we can try (at the moment its 5ml every hour, however it’s taking us half an hour to feed her this and shes not even getting the full 5ml, its too stressful getting her in and out every half an hour or so, both for della and us!) i would be extremely greatful!

That’s good. She is obviously getting enough food even without much critical care going in.

I would offer her a feed every 2 hours. Try the bowl or from a spoon as I’ve suggested and see if she will eat it herself.

 

[piggiemummy03x]

That’s good. She is obviously getting enough food even without much critical care going in.

I would offer her a feed every 2 hours. Try the bowl or from a spoon as I’ve suggested and see if she will eat it herself.

yes! we’ve just gone to give her her 9am lot but she’s upstairs in her hay loft eating hay so don’t want to pull her away while she’s eating herself. as soon as she stops and comes down ill get her out for critical care / nugget soup. she did actually eat one nugget i offered her after her meds this morning which i was happy about!

okay i will try every two hours, because she hasn’t really lost any weight, will just 5ml (or as much of it as she takes) every 2 hours be enough?

we tried the bowl and offering her nugget soup on a spoon but she was not interested at all unfortunately.. she has in the past just suddenly gone off nuggets then wanted them again a few days later so i’m wondering if shes just not wanting nuggets as everything else she is fine eating. we where giving her pea flakes previously as a treat after meds which she loved but stopped yesterday as saw they could potentially cause stomach problems if piggie is already struggling a bit. she also ate lots of grass yesterday so ill be getting some more for them both today and hopefully she eats that.

i have a bag of excell rabbit feeding hay i think its called i bought for there birthday which i didn’t know if i could try as i thought a new hay might be interesting to her, however i have never fed them any of this brand so i didn’t want to introduce if it could potentially cause tummy troubles?


i haven’t noticed any strange looking poos now, they seem to be getting back to normal, just slightly smaller than usual so i have decided to stop the fibreplex for the time being, to reduce the amount of things we have to give her hopefully reducing the stress a little. i hope this is the right decision to make.. i thought i could always start it up again if i noticed thing’s getting worse again? vet said to use until diarrhoea clears up but she never actually had diarrhoea in the first place, just odd shaped, slightly wet poos.