Medications Administering Meds

[fresian.m]

Hey, my piggies were diagnosed with a URI last Monday. They are on two medications, both I have to administer with a syringe. Pippin isn't too bad about it (although sometimes he ends up spitting it out all over me -.- ). But Merry is getting impossible. I have to give one of the medications twice a day, once in the morning before school, so I have like 10 minutes to get it down his throat.

He's getting worse, not better. I tried the method on guinea lynx, no luck. No matter how hard I try (without breaking his neck), he manages to wriggle around and bite my fingers or slip out underneath my hold. But he needs these meds, and I don't have an hour each morning to deal with his antics. He's now drawn blood twice.


Am I not holding him tight enough? I'm just afraid I'll hurt him..

 

[bpatters]

Wrap him tightly in a small towel, like you'd wrap a burrito. Sit down on the couch with a pillow or something to put him on beside you. Tuck him under your arm like a football, and hold his head with that hand. It helps if you can cover his eyes with something, either your hand or the end of the towel.

Then follow the instructions for inserting the syringe behind his front teeth and in front of his back teeth. Wiggle it around until it's as straight as you can get it, and push it back a little -- just not down his throat. And give it to him.

You'll have to hold his head really firmly, and he won't love it. But if you can get a firm enough grip on him, he won't be able to bite you, and it should be over with pretty quick.

 

[fresian.m]

I still cannot get it. He's pushes backwards against my hand so hard his head slips under my grip, then bites me. I am being pretty firm (atleast it feels like it to me).I've been sitting with him for the past half hour trying everything. Icannot get the syringe into his mouth, much less get him to swallow the medicine.

 

[fresian.m]

After 30 minutes he seems to be running out of steam to fight me. I've tried your teqniche multiple times. One or two times I got a tiny bit in his mouth before he got out of my grip. He's laying down on the towel.. he's exhausted. I'll give it one last try to get the rest in.

 

[fresian.m]

The last few attempts were futile, and he had only taken about half the dosage. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I had him under my arm wrapped tightly in a towel. I held his head with that same hand. The moment the syringe came near his mouth he tossed his head around and pulled back violently. There was no way I could get the syringe in the side of his mouth, he was squirming too much, and I could NOT hold him there with one hand on his head. My grip kept slipping.

Help!

 

[bpatters]

Is there someone who can help you? One to hold the pig and the other to insert the syringe?

 

[fresian.m]

Not really. My parents would not be willing to help.

 

[pinky]

It's hard to force feed them and intimidating the first few times you do it. The key is to get a good grip on them. The suggestions above do work but it takes persistence on your part to stick with it. I usually just hold them firmly and rub them around their mouth, face, chin to relax them. Then I try and feed. If I get a couple doses in and they fight me, I rub again. Try offering a tiny amount of baby food carrots in the syringe so he gets something yummy. Once he tolerates the syringe, switch to the meds. What size syringe are you using. I never use syringes that are over 1 ml because they are hard to fit in their mouths. You can always call your vet and ask if a vet tech can demonstrate or teach you how to administer it or if they can give you meds in tablet form that you can crush and sprinkle on wet veggies.

 

[fresian.m]

One of the syringes I use is over 1 millileter, but the other one is only a 1 millileter syringe and I still have trouble with it. I could use the same syringe for both medicines if you think it might help.


I certainly could overpower him with strength, but the problem is how agile he is, especially with his head. He knows exactly how to squirm his head around to escape my grip. And even if he doesn't completely escape he's squirming too much for me to get the syringe in. It's very possible I'm being too timid, every time he squirms backwards I feel like I'm going to break his neck if I hold his head down too tight.

I'll try making the syringe carrot-scented tonight and see if that helps. He certainly loves carrots.

 

[fresian.m]

I think my problem was being too timid. This morning I held him REALLY tight (not even in a burrito) against my stomach. I had to hold his head with my whole left hand. I felt like I was gonna hurt him, cause he was wheeking so loud. I got all of it into his mouth in one try. He swallowed all of it.

 

[pinky]

Congratulations! It is scary the first time but once both of you get used to it, it's a lot easier.

 

[fresian.m]

Haha, yes I found out the "too much at once" thing the first time, when it spilled out of Pippin's mouth and onto me. I do it in 2 or 3 little drinks. I do it form the side of the mouth as much as I can. Pippin loves to bite it, Merry just wants it to get the heck out of his mouth.