Tiger

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Amanda1

Member Since 2014
Tiger has not been eating for a few days. I am giving him Sub Q fluids daily now. I have syringe fed him several times, the first two times he did not seem to mind. Today he growled at me and did not look happy. I am worried the force feeding him , is it cruel or inhumane to do this, I don't want him to suffer. What should I do? His BG was 118 this AM so no insulin. Any suggestions would be appreciated. It is breaking my heart.
 
Oh, Amanda, what an awful time. I'm so sorry for you and Tiger. :( How long have to been fighting to feed Mr. Tiger? Has he been to the vet recently?

When Theo was DKA he wouldn't eat for three days. The vet was putting sub-q fluids in him during the day and we were fighting to hand feed him at night. His electrolytes were really low and the insulin made it lower. We couldn't get his BG down without getting his potassium up so we did constant micro treating - a little bit of potassium supplement, a little bit of a quick insulin. Little drops at a time, all day for days. We knew if we could get him to start eating, raise his electrolytes the normal way, we could treat his diabetes and have a better chance at pulling him through.

I opened sooo many different flavours of food to try to tempt him. I never used a syringe but I'd mix water into his food to make a thin broth and I'd dribble it drop by drop onto his tongue. When he was really sick, he would resist, he would just lay there and take it. When he got a little better, he started trying to resist the dribbling and I got a little hopeful... And then on the third day, I'd put a few drops on his tongue and he'd start licking it off the tongue depressor which is when I knew we were going to pull through.

My fingers are crossed for you! Deb had a bunch of suggestions on your first post for ways to get him to eat himself - did you try any of them yet?
 
I have not tried all of Deb's suggestion but I will make a trip to the store. Tiger was at the vet about 3 weeks ago, the vet said everything looked okay, the kidney function was down a little bit. He suggested I think about putting Tiger to sleep. I give him the sub q because the vet said since he was not eating very well this would help him. Which it has helped him for the last couple of months. But now he is refusing all food, even his treats.. He has never been diagnosed with pancreatis, I am sure the vet would run all the tests possible for another $800.00 At this point he is not getting his insulin. I need to know is it cruel to force feed Tiger ? What should I do?
 
It the cat tolerates syringe/assisted feeding then it is not cruel at all. I have been syringe feeding three of mine for awhile now. One for over a year.
 
I don't think it is cruel to give SubQ fluids. Many people here have and do them on a regular basis. I think, if Tiger is suffering, putting him to sleep is of course an option. If he were mine, I think I'd want to know why he doesn't want to eat. And if it is fixable.

It could be pancreatitis. This is a great thread on the symptoms and treatments. Maybe see if anything sounds like Tiger?

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=83108

Of course it could be many other things, including cancer.

How is he otherwise? Does he interact with you? How much does he sleep? Does he seem to be in pain when you touch him or pick him up? Does he seem to enjoy his life other than the feedings?

I am sorry that I have so few ideas for you, Amanda. I would think it would be comforting for you to know what is going on with him and whether it is a quality of life issue for him, but I understand that vets can't always figure out what is going on and that the visits can be costly.

You might go back up to your first post on this thread, choose Edit and add to the subject "SubQ feedings help" . Maybe others who have done SubQ feedings can give you some insights.
 
Hi, such difficult times. Sorry! Have you tried a few pieces of dry kitten food? I gave some to my Pudge (13+ yo) about 7-8 months ago when he was refusing all food & water. He ate those ... looked for more...started recovering. Lost his remission for a time, but lived. Vet never discovered what was wrong. I hope others comment, too. Many hugs are on their way to (((((((((( you and Tiger)))))))))). All my best, Sophie
 
Just another suggestion that helped one of my kitties awhile back when she wouldn't eat. I smeared some wet food on her paws and she would start licking off the food after a few attempts. We had been forcing food with a syringe and she would really resist us and made it even more difficult, but we just kept at it, and tried the food smearing on paws finally. She slowly started eating on her own after several days. I hope your kitty gets better soon..
 
I'm sorry you're going through this. My girl wouldn't eat before. I never syringe fed, but I considered it. Adding water, sprinkling a few treats on top and giving 1/4 tablet of Pepcid before meals worked for us. She had some sort of upset stomach.

I'd say before you think of having her put to sleep, see if you can get more info on why she isn't eating. I know it's expensive, but it'll give you more info to work with. Helps you decide what is best for your kitty. Don't lose hope! If it is pancreatitis, it's treatable. No matter what, I can tell you that syringe feeding isn't cruel. Sometimes it's just what they need.
 
Thanks to everyone, I really appreciate the info. I am syringe feeding and Tiger is hanging in there. I am happy for the time we have together. He has been enjoying the Florida sunshine. He is so happy to be outside, I figure he should enjoy his time left on this earth. I will keep everyone informed.
 
Sending prayers for Tiger that he'll start eating on his own again.

How is everything else going? Is he still geting any insulin?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top