Still Syringe Feeding

Its been about a month and a half or so of syringe feeding Bear. His health has improved greatly. His colour is good, he his hydrated. His digestion has improved. His energy level has improved. While he does eat, enthusiastically, after a few mouthfuls, he's had enough and will walk away. He is in mirtazapine, which does help some, but each day, we still have to syringe feed him to make sure he gets enough. Tempting him to eat is not difficult, getting him to eat more than a taste is a massive challenge and I'm just not sure what to do next. Any suggestions?

Hi!! Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions but I wanted to tell you CONGRATS on his improvement!!! you must be so happy

Hopefully others will chime in with tips to get him to eat more on his own. What do you have him eating exactly?

tulosai said:

 
Hi!! Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions but I wanted to tell you CONGRATS on his improvement!!! you must be so happy

Hopefully others will chime in with tips to get him to eat more on his own. What do you have him eating exactly?

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Thanks! Yes, we're all glad to see him getting better, and still surprised.

If he shows interest in something, he gets it, so as far as canned food goes, that's a huge variety of things. He'll pick at the w/d dry on occasion, and sometimes will eat Solid Gold. When I'm syringe feeding him, I feed him Wellness pate. He eats one 12.5oz can each day that way, in four feedings. The first feed of the day, he gets pumpkin, a vitamin, Pepcid, metronidazole, and Dr. Maggie's along with it. The vitamin is a senior vitamin by Omega Alpha and I think the glucosamine and chondroitin have made a difference in his hind end. Because of the issues he's had in the past, our veterinarian would like to try him on something different food-wise, like a rabbit and rice recipe, for instance, but until his appetite improves, we can't to much about that.

I don't know what to suggest because I don't know Bear's story. I won't ask you to retell the whole story, but I'm willing to read about it if you can point me in the right direction. 

I think I brought him up originally in Behaviour? The thread was called Meeka and Sookie Bear. We shortened the name to Bear...To make a long story short, our veterinarian thinks that he's had IBS for so long with nothing done for him that it aggravated his liver. I'm willing to bet that he hadn't seen a veterinarian since he was neutered, and he's thirteen years old. None of us expected him to live. I'm just so lucky to have veterinarians like I do. I'll never forget the look on her face when we began to improve and we brought him in to be weighed - and he came barreling out of his crate, explored the entire exam room, and investigated that apparently oh-so-fascinating smell on her shoe...Everything about Bear has improved except his appetite. He's waiting for breakfast in the morning, circling around my feet, bugging me to open the can faster. When I put the saucer down, he eats a few mouthfuls with great enthusiasm, than leaves. The rest of his portion I put down him with syringes. He hasn't vomited in weeks, his stool is soft, but formed, and there is much less of it than there was at first. He drinks his water well. My best friend put it best when she remarked that he's a perfectly normal nineteen year old cat...except he's thirteen. He is interested in the world around him. He likes to look out the window, watch our pet zebra finches, get high on catnip, and argue with Peepbean over who the chair actually belongs to. I've tried almost every canned food available, and he'll eat them all (except Science Diet), but he just doesn't eat anywhere near enough to stop syringe feeding him.

To his credit, he is a good patient, and is very easy to feed, but he can't possibly enjoy it.

Sorry, that was a bit disjointed. I've only had one sip of my coffee so far.

Thanks for sharing. I read the thread, too, and you've really had a hard time lately. 

A few things I didn't see mentioned that you could ask your vet about if not already discussed. An antiemetic medication like Cerenia (maropitant citrate) does wonders for kitties who are nauseous. If you don't see any result from Cerenia, you could ask about Zofran (ondansetron). Zofran is expensive. My Sebastian is on Cerenia long-term for his chronic pancreatitis, and we'll also use Zofran if he's flaring up. When Sebastian is nauseous, he'll do what you describe. He'll act hungry, but then either sniff and walk away or only take a few bites and then stop.

B12 injections have the potential to help with appetite. I don't really see anything for healing the gut. Metronidazole can really wipe out both the good and bad bacteria in the gut, and probiotics could help replenish the good bacteria. There's also a yeast-based probiotic called saccharomyces boulardii. Here's some information about saccharomyces boulardii: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/283161/saccharomyces-boulardii-use-for-diarrhea-and-gi-disease-incl-ibd.

If there is any inclination that Bear could be pain, perhaps a pain medication might be warranted.

Did Bear ever have an ultrasound? Have you considered consulting with a holistic vet so that they can guide you in the use of nutraceuticals, Chinese medicine, and/or homeopathy?

Bear didn't have an ultrasound. The veterinarian didn't think that it would give her enough information at the time. He had blood taken twice - once to establish whether or not he was anemic and if so how badly, the other was much more broad spectrum. He also had urine taken. When the results came back, my veterinarian consulted a specialist, and then we sat down and went over them. Based on the results and the advice of the specialist, she decided to treat him with clavamox (he was allergic and we had to change but I can't remember the second one, and he's finished it), metronidazole, and Pepcid. We later added Imodium to that, which he no longer needs. As soon as we began the Pepcid, the vomiting stopped. Slowly, his stool improved. He doesn't seem to be in pain. He walks normally (a little stiff in the back end, but that's begun to improve). He jumps and stretches, sleeps all sprawled out, and seeks attention. I'll ask her about the Cerenia when I go to pick up Montgomery's food on Monday. Perhaps the Pepcid just isn't doing enough for him. I also have some Forti-Flora left over from some foster kittens, and perhaps that would be a good thing to speak with her about, too.

No, I haven't considered a holistic veterinarian. I've got the best veterinarians in town. I used to go to a clinic at the other end of town and really liked them, but the property was sold and they had to move, and since I don't drive, taking my cats to them was no longer an option. I saw many veterinarians over the next few years, and was frustrated and disappointed until I found my current clinic. They're very open. They make sure they communicate with us, they're big on education and I've learned so many skills from them. They're caring, compassionate, and stubborn. They're good at creative thinking. Believe me, my little Montgomery has tested them over the past nearly three years! I can't say enough good things about them. They're the busiest clinic around, too. The holistic veterinarian in town has a sketchy reputation, and you almost never see anyone in his parking lot, so I'd be very wary of bringing an animal there.

You've given me some good things to think about and I really appreciate the help. What really, really frustrates me is that Bear's condition boils down to neglect. If he'd seen a veterinarian when he first showed signs of illness, none of this would have happened. I can't believe that someone could watch him getting worse and worse every day and do nothing for him.

I'm glad you're happy with your vet. Our regular vet is very traditional/Western, but she's open-minded and stays in the loop with the recommendations from our Chinese medicine vet (who I consult with long distance via phone and email). But you're right, some holistic vets are sketchy, so it's good to go with your instinct.

Pepcid can be very helpful for kitties who have nausea and vomiting associated with excess stomach acid and/or acid reflux. However, Pepcid alone may be not be helpful if vomiting and nausea are originating from another cause, such as with Sebastian's case (pancreatitis).

I think ultrasounds can be very helpful to see what's going on, but the person performing and reading them should be experienced, ideally an internal medicine specialist.

There used to be a really good holistic veterinarian north of here, but she retired several years back, and it was still too far.

I think you may be right about the nausea. It hadn't occurred to me that he could still be nauseated after the vomiting has stopped, but it makes sense. After all, if I can feel nauseated without vomiting, why can't he? I'm definitely going to ask her about that on Monday.

Looking over the blood test results, we had a good long discussion about what was likely the matter with Bear. She said we could X-ray him, but she didn't think that would help. She said the ultrasound likely wouldn't give her enough information, as certain things wouldn't show up (I can't remember everything now. I wish I had a good memory, I don't. It is written down.) I guess we'll see what she says when he goes back in, when he finishes his metronidazole. He is gaining weight, slow but sure, which is a relief.