I need to syringe feed our FIV/FHV kitty at least one meal a day for the foreseeable future, and would greatly appreciate some ideas as to how to cram as many calories and nutrients into each feeding.
Usually if it's only for a few days to help Buddy bounce back from one of his frequent health setbacks, I just add taurine and Nutri-Cal to a jar of baby food, or U-Stew pre-mix per the manufacturer's instructions.
But since I have no idea how long I'm going to need to assist feed Buddy this time, I want to make sure he gets the proper nutrients, keep his calorie intake between 180-220 calories a day per the vet's recommendation, and provide whatever he needs to help him poop, as he's prone to constipation unless he eats foods that contain guar gum.
I've tried blending the crap out of regular cat food that he's allowed (but never what he might usually eat on his own so he doesn't develop an aversion to it), and adding liquids such as homemade meat broth or bone broth to get it liquid-y enough to draw up with a syringe. But, of course, the more fluids I need to add, the fewer calories per mL.
I recently got some Hill's Urgent Care a/d from the vet, even though it contains proteins that cause some problems for Buddy. But he hated it so much, he kept spitting it back at me, and he's usually really chill and cooperative about syringe feedings.
At this point, even though Buddy has some food allergies and sensitivities, we're willing to consider almost anything except stuff that contains fish (due to his history of urinary tract problems) -- and we're even willing to be flexible about that if it's hydrolyzed like it is in his Viralys L-lysine supplement.
Oh, and for what it's worth, Buddy is pretty healthy, all things considered, and has always been a challenge to feed even in the best of circumstances because of his compromised sense of smell and frequent nasal congestion. So the vet doesn't feel any meds would be appropriate to help make it easier to feed Buddy -- even thought that would be a huge help to us right now under some other circumstances.
Any ideas? *asks hopefully*
Usually if it's only for a few days to help Buddy bounce back from one of his frequent health setbacks, I just add taurine and Nutri-Cal to a jar of baby food, or U-Stew pre-mix per the manufacturer's instructions.
But since I have no idea how long I'm going to need to assist feed Buddy this time, I want to make sure he gets the proper nutrients, keep his calorie intake between 180-220 calories a day per the vet's recommendation, and provide whatever he needs to help him poop, as he's prone to constipation unless he eats foods that contain guar gum.
I've tried blending the crap out of regular cat food that he's allowed (but never what he might usually eat on his own so he doesn't develop an aversion to it), and adding liquids such as homemade meat broth or bone broth to get it liquid-y enough to draw up with a syringe. But, of course, the more fluids I need to add, the fewer calories per mL.
I recently got some Hill's Urgent Care a/d from the vet, even though it contains proteins that cause some problems for Buddy. But he hated it so much, he kept spitting it back at me, and he's usually really chill and cooperative about syringe feedings.
At this point, even though Buddy has some food allergies and sensitivities, we're willing to consider almost anything except stuff that contains fish (due to his history of urinary tract problems) -- and we're even willing to be flexible about that if it's hydrolyzed like it is in his Viralys L-lysine supplement.
Oh, and for what it's worth, Buddy is pretty healthy, all things considered, and has always been a challenge to feed even in the best of circumstances because of his compromised sense of smell and frequent nasal congestion. So the vet doesn't feel any meds would be appropriate to help make it easier to feed Buddy -- even thought that would be a huge help to us right now under some other circumstances.
Any ideas? *asks hopefully*
