Force feeding meds

[Courtney Cheesman]

Hi all,

Just wondering easiest way to force meds when all other options fail. Ill always try and mix it in with baby food, custard or something else...but my new girl is hit and miss with when she feels like eating. I left a whole bowl of dairy free yoghurt and she didn't touch it This morning she ate 3/4 of the meds I mixed with custard (ive been finger feeding it as she won't eat it straight off the spoon) but then she lost interest and wouldn't have the rest despite how much I stuck it in her face.
Ive tried forcing syringe in the mouth before with one of my other girls but I feel awkward doing it and they move so fast im worried I'm gonna miss their mouth and waste the meds.

What's the best way to position a rat to put the syringe straight in the mouth and successfully administer the medications?

 

[lilspaz68]

I made a wretched little video for a friend to.show them how I syringe meds into a rat. Maybe you can use this to figure out what works for you.

 

[Courtney Cheesman]

I made a wretched little video for a friend to.show them how I syringe meds into a rat. Maybe you can use this to figure out what works for you.

Yeah okay cool! That looks like how I did it tonight actually and it worked better than expected! My girl is SO wriggly Thankyou

 

[rmn34]

How much are you giving at once? I had to start giving mine half a dose at a time because when I gave the full amount she would let it drool out the side of her mouth. I also hold her head pointed upwards now and rub her throat like you would with a dog taking a pill. It helps her to swallow the meds. Then she gets a treat.

 

[Courtney Cheesman]

im only giving her like 1ml at a time. Not too much, so I can avoid spillage Shes crazy wiggly but we are getting there. She seems perfectly healthy other than the slight grunting. Shes been on doxy and baytril twice daily for 5 days now and its still not gone

 

[lilspaz68]

Wowza those doses are huge.

Can we doublecheck the doses? I would need the weight of your girl. The concentration (mg/ml or %) of each antibiotic.

 

[Courtney Cheesman]

Sorry I didn't mean 1ml !! I meant 0.1ml. Shes about 250g. Ive been doing 0.07ml doxy and 0.2ml enro. Should I change?

 

[lilspaz68]

not necessarily, what are the concentrations of your antibiotics? For eg. if you are using the Enro 10% its actually 100 mg/ml.

 

[Courtney Cheesman]

not necessarily, what are the concentrations of your antibiotics? For eg. if you are using the Enro 10% its actually 100 mg/ml.

So my bottle of doxy says "50mg/ml oral liquid" but my baytril one doesn't specify. They typed "give 0.21 ml twice daily" on the label but I think thars referring to my Annabelle who is 518g. Chloe (new girl) is half her size.

Chloe has been isolated and on meds for 7 days tomorrow. Annabelle is on meds anyway and usually always is due to chronic respiratory disease. She can be in antibiotics for months and after about 10 days off shes sounding grunty again so ive just decided to keep her on them permanently. I do give her dairy free yoghurt daily as well so she gets probiotics.

Choe is still making subtle little grunt noises when she breathes. Very subtle though. To the point where i can only really hear them if i put my ear to her and I'm in a quiet room. But I've had her a week now so even if she did have a virus...it would have shed by now, right? So ill be right to have her around Annabelle tomorrow maybe? Ill keep them both on meds for at least another week just to make sure.

 

[mwp051699]

im only giving her like 1ml at a time. Not too much, so I can avoid spillage Shes crazy wiggly but we are getting there. She seems perfectly healthy other than the slight grunting. Shes been on doxy and baytril twice daily for 5 days now and its still not gone

Spillage is only a minor concern, CHOKING to death is of major concern.

 

[Courtney Cheesman]

Spillage is only a minor concern, CHOKING to death is of major concern.

Im definitely not giving her an amount that I think would be possible for her to choke to death from. Shes so wriggly I'm not even able to give her more than 0.1ml max at a time and then I give her a few moments to swallow it and recover, and we go again.

 

[lilspaz68]

Spillage is only a minor concern, CHOKING to death is of major concern.

We determined it's NOT 1 ML but 0.1 ml she is giving. It was just a typo.

 

[lilspaz68]

The doxy dose should be 0.05 ml twice a day. Unfortunately I can't help you with the baytril with no concentration (you might want to check your bill?)

 

[ChrisK]

Thanks Lilspaz68 for re-posting this video! I haven't fostered rats for some time, and just took in a very sick little girl who needs meds. I am so glad ratshack is still here! And so happy to find your video again.. it was just what I needed.