Posted by Marsha on August 21, 2000 at 13:02:45:
In Reply to: Oral Syringe-Feeding posted by Lisa on August 21, 2000 at 11:42:35:
This isn't going to help too much...I hope someone knows a good trick for you. Here's a couple things to try.... MK referred to the glottis during oral meds. It sound like the glottis is being filled up instead of the meds going down the back of the throat. They will not be able to breath then. She seems to use a long feeding tube when giving meds...you'd have to be shown how by the vet for this. You could accidently stick the tube in the glottis by mistake. Sounds like a horrible situation to me. I would try to work the end of the syringe towards the rear right side of the mouth...squirt a little at a time If you shoot the med straight in from the front...you'll flood the glottis. Poor you. Here's something from MK below....
PO (per os)
Giving fluids or anything else by mouth to reptiles can be difficult, given the vast numbers of sharp teeth, the glottis, and often cranky disposition a sick reptile may have. When dealing with venomous reptiles, matters are rather compounded by the fact that you may get more than a few teeth left behind in a bite wound.
When giving fluids by mouth, you need to watch out for the glottis that sits on the tongue at the back of the mouth in most reptiles i;n chameleons and snakes, the glottis will be behind the tongue sheath. When using a French catheter or feeding/dosing tube attached to a syringe, you need to insert it into the mouth, sliding it down one side of the mouth or the other to avoid accidentally threading it into the glottis. While the ideal is to insert the tube all the way down into the stomach, this is not always possible so the catheter or feeding/dosing tube should be inserted as far as need be to prevent the fluid from backing up and flooding into the glottis. When expressing fluids or liquid nutrition (slurries) into a reptile, do it slowly enough so that it flows down towards the stomach, rather than so fast that it backs up into the mouth. If fluid or slurry backs up into a reptiles mouth, stop forcing the fluid or slurry through the tube. Tilt the reptile with its head downward to let the fluid or slurry run out of his mouth and let him catch his breath.
For the most rapid uptake of PO fluids, they should be warmed before being administered.