If a bun uses his tongue to push out the Critical Care from syringe, what can you do?

I'm force feeding my bun w/ some critical care. I am guessing he doesn't like the taste. In each of the little bit of critical care that I push in his mouth, he uses his tongue to push out most of it. He did eat a small amount, but most of them he push it back out.

What would you do to fix this?

Firstly try slower syribge movement, maybe too much is going in at once?

Try adding water to the usual feed to syringe. If possible add the critical care to this to get the bun to take it.

Have you tried offering it in a bowl? My buns will take it from a bowl no problem, but will struggle if I try to force them to take anything.

nessar said:

Have you tried offering it in a bowl? My buns will take it from a bowl no problem, but will struggle if I try to force them to take anything.

Click to expand...

Or off a spoon? It is a lot less stressful than syringe feeding for you & bun!

I've never given critical care, but I do soak Pebbles pellets and push them through a garlic press to make "baby food" which then goes in a little plastic bowl and he eats it no problem. However after so long of feeding him the mashed food in this particular bowl, he now associates it with his baby food (which he likes) and will go to it looking for the mashed up food, when he doesn't want his dry pellets in his normal ceramic bowl!!

I have had to syringe feed my little Simba many times over the past year. I have the same problem that he spits stuff out. In fact I find that although he hates being syringed anything he prefers medicine to Oxbow Critical Care or Supreme Science mix or pureed pellets. He just hates being syringe fed food. I found it easier when I bought the Supreme Science syringe for a start, as all of the fibre goes through the syringe (other syringes nozzles were so narrow only murky water went through). Simba tends to hold the liquid food in his mouth for ages (several minutes) andthen tries to spit it out. I tend to pretend to do something else and then he might swallow most of it thinking it's the last mouthful. But as he spits so much out, I do a full syringe and bit by bit feed it all to him so that even though he spits some out I know he gets some.
I've also tried making it up to different consistencies - I figures if it's runnier he can't spit it all out as some will stick to the inside of his mouth. I've also tried syringing it between his cheek and teeth and then gently pressing his cheek against his teeth to make some of it stick to his teeth/cheeck (again so he can't spit every bit of it out). I find it difficult to do that though as he's got wise to me and moves his head so I don't have time to position the syringe.
I don't know where (in your home) you syringe him, I used to syringe Simba on floor in hallway, but I now take him to the kitchen and place him on a towel on the worktop. He's much more compliant there (obviously I don't leave him unattended in case he decides to jump off).
Another thing I've tried for very quick fix, is to use tube of Fibreplex. I wouldn't use Fibreplex alone if he needs repeated syringing, but it's something I sometimes try when trying to persuade him to eat to hopefully ensure he gets fibre, which doesn't take as long to feed him as food mix. I actually think he hates the taste of Fibreplex more than liquid feed as he spits it out too, so I give him a second dose. It's carrot flavoured apparently. If you're worried he's not getting enough fibre, that might be an optionto at least increase fibre intake. I was surprised to find that my new vets don't stock it so I bought it from Hay Experts and keep it in Simba's medicine chest. Sorry meant to add that Fibreplex is a very small measured does from a syringe. Apparently high in fibre. Apologies if you already know this.

Am now worrying whether someone's going to post and say squishing food against teeth is a bad thing. I'm no expert (and indeed have posted on here for advice myself), so can only tell you what I've tried to do with Simba who is also very wilfull when it comes to what he swallows. When it comes to anything really. My aim is to make at least some of the liquid feed stick to the surfaces inside his mouth so that he can't spit ALL of it out.
I hope your little bun recovers well. xx

I don't always do really runny feed either, it depends on say how well (or how much) I think he ate his previous feed and whether I'm worried about how much water he's drinking.

I've never offered advice before but I seem to find myself beset by guilt in case it's bad advice.

in the end, my vet said he push the syringe at a near 90 deg. at the corner of the bun's mouth, and under the tongue, I suppose that way, my bun can't push it out w/ his tongue. So I'll use this trick next time he has a GI stasis

thanks for all the input

I always do a tiny bit of food then take syringe away for bun to lick and clean his face.
It'll take longer but less stressful for bunny.