How long til he eats???? :-(

[Catty1]

Pyka had a vet checkup yesterday morning. Poor mom is getting tired...she is feeding him 5 - 6 times a day, working up to 1 1/4 cans by next week.

He was put on a new Morphine patch, so he is subdued, but of course lethargic and not having a lot of appetite.

We fed him 1/3 can (5 parts food to 1 part water) yesterday noon and the same last night...and he threw up the food last night, so we are trying smaller meals more often.

Vet says most of the healing will be done in another week. He is sneezing MUCH less, and there is less blood all the time.

But I don't know how soon he will eat on his own...Mom doesn't either. What do I tell her?

Any ideas, folks? Maybe once this last morphine bit wears off, he will perk up and eat on his own - even hand fed? He's so bony...but can still move around and jump to his favourite spots.

Thanks....

[Craftlady]

Pyka had a vet checkup yesterday morning. Poor mom is getting tired...she is feeding him 5 - 6 times a day, working up to 1 1/4 cans by next week.
He was put on a new Morphine patch, so he is subdued, but of course lethargic and not having a lot of appetite.
Thanks....

Morphine patch I would say is the appetite surpressant. As long as Pkya is on that I would say eating is not going to be easy. 1 1/4 cans is a good start but most cans of wet food you have to eat 4 small ones (3 oz size) or 2 (6 oz size) ones a day.


Suggestions:

(1) Cook some plain white rice and give it to Pyka. Also use the water it's boiled in for drinking. This helps upset tummys.
Cook some hamburger (rinse and drain well with water) mix with white rice.

(2) Is chewing an issue? If so take dry kibble and grind it in a coffee grinder (not a food processor). Coffee grinder will pulvervise nicely to a powder consistancy. Using a food processor requires a liquid and that gets really gummy and paste like consistancy.
Mix the wet food and dry together and moisten frequently with hot water (with a syringe) to make it more palitable to taste. Hot water (I run it through coffee maker) makes it smell more too.
I use the above #2 method with Thumper

(3) NutralCal (get it a any good petstore) is great to stimulate appetites.

[Catlady711]

Awww poor Pyka!

I dunno about Pyka, but back in 1997 Dusty got aspiration pnemonia and didn't eat anything for 2 weeks 2 days, she went from 14 lbs to 7 lbs, but eventually started eating again and did great for 10 years until we had to have her put down a few weeks ago at 17 years old.

I hope Pyka is just as much of a fighter and she has you and your mom to help her.

[Grace]

I agree with Craftlady. Narcotics depress appetite, and can constipate.

[Catty1]

He's doing fine with the syringe feeding. I was just wondering how long it might be before he eats on his own.

I keep forgetting his surgery was just a week ago today, and it was major (Google turbinectomy). So I am sure once this last morphine patch wears off, and he has caught up on feeding, he will be more himself.

Poor mom - would like to spell her off in the evenings so she can go for a walk. I think I will go over tomorrow night.

[Craftlady]

Your mom is lucky Pyka uses the syringe for feedings.
I get to use my hand for Thumper. Dang wet/dry food combo is drying my hand out. I'm using lots of hand lotion that gets washed off before I feed her.
It's hard to feed in alternative ways, very tiresome.

Hopefully Pyka will eat on his own soon.