Feeding Tube - I Need Help!!

Cindy had a feeding tube inserted last Thursday.  The actual feeding part is going fine, but can somebody please, please tell me how to get the syringes filled??

The first few times went fairly smoothly, but last night and this morning it was just about impossible.  Wouldn't suck up into it no how so I tried spooning it in, then couldn't get the plunger back in.  I started trying between 7 and 7:30 and here it is 9:30 and I've just finished feeding and cleaning up. And there was a lot of cleanup! Food splattered everywhere.  I ended up having to use three 20 ml syringes because neither the 35 nor the 60 would work at all.  Even then the third syringe I had to take back and refill it because it wasn't plunging.  I'm so frustrated, and I just can't spend 2 hours or more in the morning before work since I have to be there at 7 AM.

If someone has some experience, please help!  I've watched videos, they make it look so easy.

First you need to start with a very smooth wet food.  You can also you human chicken baby food stage one in a pinch.  But with the wet cat food, add enough water so that its soupy enough to either draw up through the tip, or allows you to add it from the back end, leave enough room to add the plunger back in.

Here is a decent video that also shows drawing the food into a syringe, and more videos or on youtube, just search for "tube feeding a cat"


 Inject the food slowly and if she starts to lick her lips, slow down or she may throw up.  And you know to clean the tube with a clean syringe of water at the end right?

Stephen

Warm the food up so it is easier to mash down more.  Put the can in some warm water.  I would not use microwave.

What type of feeding tube does your kitty have?  Mine had the kind that went through the side of his neck into his esophagus.  My vet had me diluting the food half and half with water and then giving 60 mil of the diluted food four times a day.  I know I have seen a lot of people here having problems with clogged feeding tubes and I never had a problem.  I know it's better with syringe feeding to use a smooth food and not diluting it but I don't think that would work well with a feeding tube.  The feeding tube is too narrow.

Never mind... I just found out what the problem is:

Most of us are supplied with syringes from the vet with black rubber plungers/stoppers. These syringes are designed for a single use as they have lubrication that fails after the first use. If you try to use them repeatedly, you will begin to feel resistance until you either can’t push the plunger, or it squirts forcefully and unpredictably.

http://www.kittykollar.com/Syringes__How_to_Order.php

But thank you all for the replies and advice, it is appreciated. 

We reuse syringes at the vet I work for all the time with tube feeding.  Usually not too big of a problem.  What type of food are you trying to feed through the tube?  When I was tube feeding a kitty I made sure it was almost 50% food and 50% water to make sure it was nice and liquidy.  It came up through the syringe pretty readily.  I even ground it up in a food processor too to make it smoother.

Are you rinsing them in VERY hot water?  I had that issue when I syringe fed first kitten I had.  Certain brands of syringes wear faster.  I have used Science Diet A/D and Royal Canin regular wet food bought off regular shelf at Petsmart. 

cprcheetah said:

 
We reuse syringes at the vet I work for all the time with tube feeding.  Usually not too big of a problem.  What type of food are you trying to feed through the tube?  When I was tube feeding a kitty I made sure it was almost 50% food and 50% water to make sure it was nice and liquidy.  It came up through the syringe pretty readily.  I even ground it up in a food processor too to make it smoother.

Click to expand...

Per the vet's instructions, we are feeding 1 can of CliniCare Liquid Diet 8 Fl to 2 cans of Iams Intestinal Plus (Low Residue) 6 oz each.  I've been adding a little water too to make it soupier and closer to 50-50%.  I blend it really well, then strain it.  It goes up pretty easily in the smaller ones, but the bigger syringes - nope.  It'll come part way and then leave a big air bubble at the top and just stop being able to pull it.  Sometimes it won't pull at all even a  little bit.  I pretty much have to spoon it into the tube and then push the plunger in.  Works sometimes, doesn't work other times.  I opened a brand new 60 ml this afternoon, and I couldn't pull it, but I did manage to get it full and working in about half an hour. 

catsallaround said:

 
Are you rinsing them in VERY hot water?  I had that issue when I syringe fed first kitten I had.  Certain brands of syringes wear faster.  I have used Science Diet A/D and Royal Canin regular wet food bought off regular shelf at Petsmart. 

Click to expand...

Yes, very hot water.  It's not that it's clogged, it's that the plunger part won't work.  That's intentional, I guess, from this manufacturer (Terumo).  The package says "Syringe - Sterile - Single Use - Non Pyrogenic."  I'm ordering some from the web site I referenced above....but that doesn't help me now.  Who knows how it's going to go tomorrow morning, and I have to go to work by 7.  I guess I better start getting up at 4 AM.

As for food, she's on a very high calorie diet because of losing weight and being under 5 pounds - which is why she has the feeding tube.  She does eat on her own, just not enough I guess.

Your expanding the plunger basically.  Try less hot water, more bath temp. Also try running it through cold when done Obviously not reusing if you do not have to but in meantime.  Call first thing in am they may have staff earlier then you think.  At my vet staff starts around 5-6 am depending on what day it is.

Can try rinsing now and then in AM rinsing the syringe in hot water to expand it and the plunger in cold to contract.

Is she on an appetite stimulant to try to kick start her?

catsallaround said:

 
Your expanding the plunger basically.  Try less hot water, more bath temp. Also try running it through cold when done Obviously not reusing if you do not have to but in meantime.  Call first thing in am they may have staff earlier then you think.  At my vet staff starts around 5-6 am depending on what day it is.

Can try rinsing now and then in AM rinsing the syringe in hot water to expand it and the plunger in cold to contract.

Is she on an appetite stimulant to try to kick start her?

Click to expand...

We got a different type of syringe from the hospital this morning, but haven't tried them yet.  I opened another new one yesterday that worked.  I can't do just one use because we feed her three times a day for who knows how long, and can't afford an unlimited supply of syringes.

She has an apptite stimulant, but it's not so much that she wasn't eating, just not eating enough maybe.  Not gaining weight and starting to lose, with no diagnosis yet as to why.  We need to get her weight built up so we can see if we want to do any more tests.  I guess about the last thing left is a colonoscopy, but I'm not putting her through that right now if I can avoid it.

I so understand  Hope this works for you and her and she gets back on track.  What food did she stop eating enough of?  Had you changed her foods with in few months prior to this?

catsallaround said:

 
I so understand  Hope this works for you and her and she gets back on track.  What food did she stop eating enough of?  Had you changed her foods with in few months prior to this?

Click to expand...

Just a little bit of her history, she got sick a year ago around November and the vet discovered a mass in her abdomen.  Thye had a hard time finding what kind of cancer, and it took surgery in January to get a diagnosis of mast cell tumor on her colon.  Surgeon removed all of it, Cindy had chemo, and went into remission.  Though the chemo, she wasn't gaining weight but was pretty stable.  Then she started to lose again, but all of her tests looked good, including exploratory surgery and biopsies. She was still eating, but her method of choice these days is to scoop some out on her paw, fling most of it around on the walls and such, and lick it off her paw.  Lately she's not even doing that very much.  They have no idea what is wrong with her, but they're treating her for IBD, and the feeding tube was necessary to hopefully keep her going until we can find out or at least get some weight on her.  We had her back to the vet yesterday because she vomited overnight and I wanted to make sure everything was okay with the tube.  They did another blood test and chest Xray and said everything looked normal.  She doesn't have much energy right now, but it seems to come and go.  Last night after I gave her the meds and fed  her, she was almost like her old self for a little while.  I just hope we're doing the right thing, but if we didn't, she was already under 5 pounds and still losing so she wouldn't have lasted much longer that way.

So as to type of food, Fancy Feast Classics is her food of choice.  Sometimes she sniffs it like she's hungry and wants to eat but I was wondering if maybe her sense of smell is off.  I don't know, I'm just very sad about it right now and want so much to help her feel better, but I just don't know how. 

Whenever I've had to tube feed kitties, I lubed the rubber plunger thingy with a bit of olive oil before filling. 

One time my hubby wanted to help me out with a morning feeding when I was just too exhausted to get up, but I forgot to tell him about the trick with the olive oil. Sucking the food into the syringe proved rather difficult, so he tried using brute force (typical guy). The plunger came flying out of the back of the syringe at the same time that the container of food slurry dumped upside down into the open cutlery drawer. Couldn't sleep through his swearing after that, plus I had to get up and blenderize a new batch of food. Good times. 

Hopefully it's going better for you and your girl!

I ended up making a mess with a batch of kitten milk I had made up from powder.  The bowl spilled down onto the dining room carpet and...yeah.  I put a towel on it and left it for later.  Few hours later Mom commented on something smelling odd.  Ants,ants and more ants...

She seems to have gone through a lot.  Hope things look up soon.

Oh yes, both of us have made royal messes with this mixture while learning how to do it.  I think I've got a system now that we have the catheter tubes, they're way easier to fill for sure.

Cindy is doing pretty good right now, I got some more of the anti nausea medicine and I think that may have helped settle her tummy.  She ran around for a while last night like she'd been in the catnip - not sure which of the medicines helped  her feel better, but I'm grateful!  She's tolerating the feedings, but I have found when I get to about 30 ml she starts licking her lips.  So that's where I stop.  Seems like 60 ml is an awful lot for such a little kitty as she is. 

I want to thank all of your for your great advice, encouragement, and interesting stories about your precious babies

I had to cut some of Patch's feedings short because he was acting like he was going to vomit.  I know they need the full feedings but a partial one that stays down is much better than vomiting.  I know we had someone here a short time ago whose kitty vomited up her feeding tube twice.  The first time was shortly after it was put in so it had to be put back in.  The second time she was eating well she was just in that safety period that they always use before removing the tube and she didn't get it replaced.  The second time her kitty probably just got too much food between the tube feedings and what she was eating on her own.

By the way, the behavior of sniffing the food, acting interested then walking away is a very common sign of nausea with kitties.  I think the survival instinct is pushing them to eat but the nausea keeps them from eating.

We are cutting hers short most of the time too. The minute I see her licking her lips, I stop.  I know she needs the food, but you are right, vomiting will not help.  She only has 4 more doses of the anti nausea medicine.  I wonder if there's a different kind I can get that doesn't have half life issues or whatever.  It hurts me so much to see her like this.