[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Syringe feeding

[DebJonSara at aol.com]

Alge
 
Whether I am just givnig meds or syringe feeding, I always wrap the piggie  
in a towel - a large towel, and I wrap the piggie fairly tightly, with paws  
tucked in and just the little face sticking out. Then I find it easiest to sit  
on the sofa with my knees drawn right up and my feet resting on a coffee 
table,  and put the towel-wrapped bundle against my drawn-up thighs, so it's facing 
me  and I suppose at about a 45 degree angle. This leaves both hands free, 
and with  one, I hold the little mouth and lift the lip so I can see the gap 
between the  teeth at the side. I insert the syringe into the gap, and push the 
plunger.  Naturally I allow time  between syringe insertions for the little guy 
to  "chew" and swallow - I did find, with Red Dandy, who was syringe fed for 
over a  month, that he seemed to "chew" even water - maybe this was a symptom 
of  whatever was wrong with him. I always let him take his time - but had to 
get  50ml per day into him, using 1ml syringes of course, so each mealtime took 
ages,  and they were fairly frequent. 
 
Red Dandy is the piggie I syringe fed longterm, and he got very used to the  
procedure. He seemed snug in the towel, and would feed eagerly until he'd had  
enough, then hide his little mouth just inside the towel when he wanted to 
stop.  Towards the end I was was having to ignore this request to stop and force 
him to  take a little more. I think he felt secure wrapped tightly in the 
towel, and he  was willing to eat this way even on the train in the Channel 
Tunnel! When he got  bored of water I used to juice his favourite veggies with a 
juicing machine -  celery, cucumber and dandelion juice were his favourites.
 
Good luck with it, Alge - I am only too familiar with the agonies of  syringe 
feeding a poorly piggie, and we will continue to pray for a complete  
recovery.
 
Debbie and the 16 Dolly Mixtures