Syringe Feeding Advise

[LittleCinnamonRollGabby]

Hello everyone, I have a concern regarding my cat during feeding sessions.
A little background -- My 17-year-old senior was just diagnosed with an over-active thyroid. In response to losing a lot of weight in the last 2 weeks and having no appetite, my vet recommended syringe feeding.
The problem -- The first few sessions went very well but she's become more uncomfortable and has started grinding her teeth during the sessions. I usually stop, give her a small break, and reposition the syringe to the other side of her mouth when she does this but the teeth grinding is becoming more and more frequent.
I would like to know if anyone has some suggestions as to how I can combat teeth grinding.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Teeth grinding is often a sign of nausea. You might ask your Vet about getting an antiemetic to give her and see if that stops it.

Otherwise, just going very slowly is your best bet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I think there should be a multitude of ways to get her to eat besides syringe feedings. Is she on meds for her hyperthyroidism? If she is, could it be possible that she is experiencing some sort of nausea from the meds - if in fact the teeth grinding is related to nausea? I also wonder if the teeth grinding is just her reaction to being force fed.

Aside from that, has the vet ever considered giving her an appetite simulant? If not that, have you considered trying other foods to get her stimulated back to eating on her own? See the article links below for ideas.

Feeby (16+ yo) was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last October, and had been losing weight for months before that. After we started her meds, her weight stabilized, but she still has been off-n-on with her eating - which I am afraid might be due to another health issue yet undiagnosed. I wouldn't rule that out with your cat, given her age.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again – TheCatSite Articles
How To Get A Cat To Gain Weight – TheCatSite Articles

 

[LittleCinnamonRollGabby]

Teeth grinding is often a sign of nausea. You might ask your Vet about getting an antiemetic to give her and see if that stops it.

Otherwise, just going very slowly is your best bet.

Thank you for the advice.
I just tried a session with a smaller amount at a slower pace and it helped quite a bit. There was still a bit of tooth grinding midway through but it was significantly less than in the last few sessions.
I will contact my vet regard the antiemetic and take it nice and slow for my kitty. Thank you again!

 

[LittleCinnamonRollGabby]

Hi. I think there should be a multitude of ways to get her to eat besides syringe feedings. Is she on meds for her hyperthyroidism? If she is, could it be possible that she is experiencing some sort of nausea from the meds - if in fact the teeth grinding is related to nausea? I also wonder if the teeth grinding is just her reaction to being force fed.

Aside from that, has the vet ever considered giving her an appetite simulant? If not that, have you considered trying other foods to get her stimulated back to eating on her own? See the article links below for ideas.

Feeby (16+ yo) was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last October, and had been losing weight for months before that. After we started her meds, her weight stabilized, but she still has been off-n-on with her eating - which I am afraid might be due to another health issue yet undiagnosed. I wouldn't rule that out with your cat, given her age.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again – TheCatSite Articles
How To Get A Cat To Gain Weight – TheCatSite Articles

Thank you for replying to my thread and linking resources! (Also sorry for the long response, I tend to get long-winded online LOL)
Gabby's diagnosis is fairly recent and she just got on meds 2 days ago, so unfortunately we haven't noticed much of a difference yet.

Regarding her appetite, it has been slowly declining in the last few weeks and we have tried just about everything in that time. The last couple of days have been the worst as she won't even try to eat her favorite treats anymore.
We've trying to hand-feed (keeping treats or food near her nose and mouth for a few minutes), offering creamy treats, soft-center treats, tuna water, broth (from cat food brands), milk (for cats), various brands and textures/types of wet food (tried microwaving some as well to up the 'stink'). The only thing she is willing to eat on her own is nutri-cal mixed with some salmon or olive oil (thankfully she does eat something on her own but she has vomited from having too much oil in the past).

Regarding the nausea and health overall, my vet thinks there may be something else going on as well but for right now we're just trying to get her eating again. He says that she should start eating on her own after a few days of the syringe feeding. For now, I always try to give her food on its own before resorting to using the syringe.
It would make sense that the teeth grinding is from nausea (especially if it is a side effect from the meds), I will contact my vet ASAP regarding it!
I will also look through the links you referenced, I greatly appreciate the information! I am will try anything to get her eating again (and stop the syringe feeding).