Syringe Feeding Cat Aspiration

Feeding patients in any of these categories pre pylorically puts them at risk of aspiration of food.

Syringe feeding cat aspiration. It s important that the food not be too runny or they can get aspiration pneumonia. Before you get started learn about the benefits and risks of syringe feeding. Make sure you do this slowly so the cat has time to swallow the liquid and breathe. Aspiration pneumonia is a condition in which a cat s lungs become inflamed due to the inhalation of foreign matter from vomiting or from the regurgitation of gastric acid contents.

Make sure you do this slowly so the cat has time to swallow the liquid and breathe slowly squeeze the syringe to dispense the liquid medication. A d canned food works well as does anything that is a lose pate consistency. Naso oesophageal less so than oesophageal gastric but even so. Feeding tubes of whatever sort are obviously going to cost more than syringe feeding but there may also be some cost saving in quicker healing and recovery.

Steps involved in syringe feeding a cat. Also the vast majority of patients tolerate the tubes and the feeding well. The use of this equipment may require to be applied for days until your cat can fully recover. However the prolonged use of a syringe or a feeding tube for force feeding can cause pain to our little tiger.

Pneumonia from inhalation of foreign matter in cats. To syringe feed a cat successfully a set of steps need to be followed. There may be days that kitty just flat out refuses to eat and syringe feeding may be necessary. Lastly caution should be used when feeding patients with nasoesophageal or esophagostomy tubes using constant rate infusion.

Diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia in your cat will begin with a complete physical exam. If your kitten is young mention whether and via what method you have been hand feeding or nursing. You need to know exactly what you re doing before you even attempt to syringe feed your cat since if the food or water goes down the wrong way into their lungs for example it could cause them to develop illnesses like bronchitis. You should provide your doctor with a complete physical history for your cat.

This can increase the risk of the cat inhaling or aspirating the liquid. Viable alternatives would include jejunostomy tubes and parenteral nutrition. Bottle feeding is the standard method for feeding orphaned kittens but if you re having difficulty feeding a kitten under 2 weeks old you may want to consider switching from a bottle to a syringe. A syringe can be greatly beneficial for kittens 0 2 weeks of age.