Go team "Tube Feeding!" - Updated 12/29/2019

[casportpony]

What breed is she?

 

[SarahGfa]

What breed is she?

Hamburg, she's the one in my profile pic

 

[casportpony]

Okay. So I think the tube length for her is closed to 8". If she were mine i would try to get fluids in first, and I would start with 30-40 ml of Pedialyte, Gatorade, or electrolyte water. I would wait 60-90 minutes and repeat.

Can she stand with her head up? If not, give half the amount of fluids at a time, just repeat the process twice. Try giving just the fluids and let me know how she handles that.

 

[SarahGfa]

Okay. So I think the tube length for her is closed to 8". If she were mine i would try to get fluids in first, and I would start with 30-40 ml of Pedialyte, Gatorade, or electrolyte water. I would wait 60-90 minutes and repeat.

Can she stand with her head up? If not, give half the amount of fluids at a time, just repeat the process twice. Try giving just the fluids and let me know how she handles that.

Wow, 8" is a lot farther than I expected. She was probably regurgitating because the tube was not all the way in.

She's drinking quite a bit of water (with rooster booster and sugar in it) on her own. I added about 100 ml to her water cup when i topped it up.

I Just went into her hospital room to tube feed again, and she was pecking at her wet crumbles. Didn't want to interrupt her, so I'll try again first thing in the morning. I just smashed a cup of chick feed into dust with a meat tenderizer, so I'm ready!

 

[SarahGfa]

@casportpony I screwed up so badly This morning her water cup was nearly empty, which means she drank over 100 ml before I woke up. So I went straight for the pulverized chick crumble, but it kept clogging up in the syringe while I was tubing her. I tried blending the crumble more but it kept clogging. She got really stressed out, and I got really stressed out, and finally I gave up and gave her Similac baby formula again.

BUT after only 20ml, she started shaking her head again, so I pulled the tube out. Her comb and wattles turned dark purple and she started gasping and making a loud bakawk-sneezing noise, and she sat there gasping for an hour while making a gurgling noise.

Her comb is still dark purple and it is still gurgling when she breathes, and every few minutes she sneezes. I have NO IDEA how it went so wrong, I swear the tube went in the correct hole. Her crop feels pretty full even though I only got 20ml in her. I thought it felt empty before I started but maybe I didn't check carefully enough. I HATE MYSELF

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

@casportpony I screwed up so badly This morning her water cup was nearly empty, which means she drank over 100 ml before I woke up. So I went straight for the pulverized chick crumble, but it kept clogging up in the syringe while I was tubing her. I tried blending the crumble more but it kept clogging. She got really stressed out, and I got really stressed out, and finally I gave up and gave her Similac baby formula again.

BUT after only 20ml, she started shaking her head again, so I pulled the tube out. Her comb and wattles turned dark purple and she started gasping and making a loud bakawk-sneezing noise, and she sat there gasping for an hour while making a gurgling noise.

Her comb is still dark purple and it is still gurgling when she breathes, and every few minutes she sneezes. I have NO IDEA how it went so wrong, I swear the tube went in the correct hole. Her crop feels pretty full even though I only got 20ml in her. I thought it felt empty before I started but maybe I didn't check carefully enough. I HATE MYSELF

That must have been a very traumatic experience for you. There is no need to beat yourself up about it at this point because what is done is done and was not done with the intent to do harm. Accidents, mistakes, etc, happen.
In your position I would end her suffering at this point.

 

[SarahGfa]

That must have been a very traumatic experience for you. There is no need to beat yourself up about it at this point because what is done is done and was not done with the intent to do harm. Accidents, mistakes, etc, happen.
In your position I would end her suffering at this point.

Thanks, but she died right after I posted that. I can't stop crying, I keep thinking she would have been fine if I wasn't so stupid

 

[casportpony]

I am so sorry for your loss. Try not to be too hard on yourself.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Thanks, but she died right after I posted that. I can't stop crying, I keep thinking she would have been fine if I wasn't so stupid

Sometimes a loss can be softened by considering what has also been gained and learned from it. In this case, you learned something that will equip you for the next bird that needs help, that's a great legacy for your sweet girl to have.

 

[SarahGfa]

I am so sorry for your loss. Try not to be too hard on yourself.

Thank you. I keep thinking about all the things I should have done differently. I hope others can learn from my mistakes too.