Feeding tube troubles

My cat Bella, has been diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis and has had a feeding tube installed. I think I'm doing well, accept that some times I can hardly get any food down the tube. Sometimes I can get 15cc down no problem. Others I can hardly get 5 cc in. The plunger on the syringe won't move when this happens. Not even water goes down. Any ideas? I blend up and strain the food. It is the consistency of soup.

Hi brillobee !

Oh my, that's not good.

You need to have the Vet look at that asap!

While they're recovering from HP, everything depends on the regular and periodic feeding. When that isn't consistent, more trouble can result.

The amounts of food getting in there are critical as well...........too much or too little are problematic.

Can you get her in today for - even - a quick recheck? You may need to get past the Reception Staff - I would tell them that it's an emergency - that the tube appears to be blocked......In fact,  I don't think I would even phone.........just march in!

Keep us posted!

(when you get back, I'll show you two specialized online groups that can help when you're in a pinch.....but, this one is a 'Vet visit time'!!!
 

I went through hepatic lipidosis and the feeding tube with one of my cats.  Are you flushing it out with a little water before you start?  I was using the Hills A/D and mixing it half and half with water so it was really thin.  It was almost as thin as water.  Sometimes the tube does get clogged.  I didn't have it happen to me so I don't know how to fix it if it's clogged.  Sometimes it would be harder to push down then other times but I never had it where it wouldn't move at all.  I would call your vet's office and ask them.  I know I called several times in the beginning and the receptionist was able to answer my questions.

I really am sorry.... but I have to repeat myself:

White Shadow said:

While they're recovering from HP, everything depends on the regular and periodic feeding. When that isn't consistent, more trouble can result.

The amounts of food getting in there are critical as well
 

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brillobee, this is NOT a 'call your Vet' issue...........most especially, if it's a repeated occurrence!

I'm at work until 1pm today. I've been flushing the tube before and after every feeding. It always starts out good, but then gets stuck. I guess my foods too thick? I'll she how she does with her afternoon feeding, if still problems off to the vet again. She just had this tube installed yesterday, as she vomited the other one Sunday.

It does sound like the food is too thick.  Like I said she had me diluting it half and half with water and it was thin like water.  I did have to give 60 ml at a time four times a day probably because it was thinned out so much.  I went real slow, probably 20 minutes each feeding.  Going too fast will cause vomiting or the food coming out of their nose.  It seems like I remember the vet saying I could put a little bit of soda through the tube if it got clogged but I'm not sure.  I'm middle aged and they say the memory is the first thing to go.  

I am assuming he quit eating which is what caused this.  Do you know what caused him to quit eating?

Yeah, just tried to flush her tube, for her lunch. No go, guess it's off to the vet. We had to re home one of our cats. We adopted them together. I think that is the reason she stopped eating.

It shouldn't be that big of a deal to get it unclogged then try thinning the food more.

Yep, was clogged real good. Took a few tries to get it unclogged. When the vet was feeding her it reclogged. It's the food. It still has small particles in it. Off to get a finer strainer or cheese cloth to see if that helps. The vet said about getting a different food, made specifically for tube feeding.

I was given a prescription food called Hill's A/D.  It's a very smooth pate and only available from a vet.  I thought they would've given you something like that to use.  Does she have the type of tube that goes in her nose?  Patches had the type that went in the side of his neck.  I think the ones that go in the nose are much narrower.

brillobee said:

Off to get a finer strainer or cheese cloth to see if that helps.

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If you have a hand blender, you could use that to eliminte the particles......works wonders!

The Vet may have been talking about this, which most Vets carry in the clinic: Hill's a/d - Feline Critical Care canned food

That's what she should be on, in any case.....high protein and fat....comes tube-ready.

Hill's a/d is what I've been using. I got some coffee filters, see if that works. It's an e-tube, goes in her neck,

They must've changed it since I used it.  It used to be a silky smooth pate.  Figures, something works really well and they mess it up.  It was probably advertised to vets as new and improved with an increased price.  I do remember that stuff was pricey.  I was lucky the receptionist would sneak me some extra without charging me for it.  It didn't take Patches very long to start eating again.  I was prepared for a really long haul but he started eating a little the second week.  The third week he was eating normally.  She went ahead and left it in that third week and I continued to feed a little through the tube.  She told me that if anything he needed to be overfed while he was recovering.

Coffee filter didn't work. I found a very fine strainer in the cupboard.Yes! Strained it 3 times. Now it was smoothe, no little particles. 6pm feeding was a success! 40ml in no problem.

I am glad you got it figured out.  Too bad there's the extra straining step now but you got it figured out.

brillobee, I do not want to 'pester' you, but, remember that you're removing some of the very thing she needs...protein.

Can you borrow a hand blender, a 'wand' blender?
 

Will go to the store and check out a wand blender tomorrow.

After I feed her, she gets the burps. Am I feeding her too fast?

I'm not sure if feeding her to fast is causing it but you could try going slower.  I took about 20 minutes for a feeding.  It is time consuming but there's no way around that.

Yeah, I've been going slow. Guess I need to go slower. I tried about 1ml every 10 seconds this morning seems to have helped. She starting to dead the feedings because if the gas she gets. Ugh. But she does look like she is getting better.