Re: help!!!

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Posted by iZ's mom on February 16, 1999 at 21:38:04:

In Reply to: help!!! posted by Mike on February 16, 1999 at 20:34:20:

i hope you've been to a herp vet 1st?!?
as far as getting it's mouth open ... it'll depend on the size and co-operativeness of your ig ... it might be a 2 person job, one to hold it's mouth open and one to apply/squirt the meds ...
mostly, it requires that you be *patient* and *calm*!
i hold iZ on my lap (he's 5' long BTW) and wrap a nice *thick* bath towel around him so my arms don't get scraped raw by his scales ... some people say if you gently pull on the dewlap, they'll open up ... iZ doesn't ... i take the top of his jaw between one thumb + forefinger and the bottom between the other thumb and forefinger and gently pull his mouth open ... i think i've just always been lucky too ... iZ seems to understand it'll help him feel better ...
it might help if you can 'mask' the smell of the medicine ... have a piece of fruit or other favorite and give a small piece before, quick do the medicine part and then give the rest of the nummy ... a reward for being such a brave ig!
it really helps to keep talking quietly, calmly the whole time ... even if (or especially if!) your ig decides to freak out ... if *you* stay calm and keep talking and talking like it's no big deal, hopefully, that attitude will rub off .. . if you're stressed out, *that* will rub off too ... sometimes, you might have to just 'give up' for a bit ... let the ig relax and try again later ...
some liquid meds taste *awful*!!! in that case, a 2nd syringe with water to rinse the taste out of it's mouth helps ALOT!!!

hope this helps!
iZ + mom

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Re: help!!! Emma 2/17/99 (0)

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: i hope you've been to a herp vet 1st?!? : as far as getting it's mouth open ... it'll depend on the size and co-operativeness of your ig ... it might be a 2 person job, one to hold it's mouth open and one to apply/squirt the meds ... : mostly, it requires that you be *patient* and *calm*! : i hold iZ on my lap (he's 5' long BTW) and wrap a nice *thick* bath towel around him so my arms don't get scraped raw by his scales ... some people say if you gently pull on the dewlap, they'll open up ... iZ doesn't ... i take the top of his jaw between one thumb + forefinger and the bottom between the other thumb and forefinger and gently pull his mouth open ... i think i've just always been lucky too ... iZ seems to understand it'll help him feel better ... : it might help if you can 'mask' the smell of the medicine ... have a piece of fruit or other favorite and give a small piece before, quick do the medicine part and then give the rest of the nummy ... a reward for being such a brave ig! : it really helps to keep talking quietly, calmly the whole time ... even if (or especially if!) your ig decides to freak out ... if *you* stay calm and keep talking and talking like it's no big deal, hopefully, that attitude will rub off .. . if you're stressed out, *that* will rub off too ... sometimes, you might have to just 'give up' for a bit ... let the ig relax and try again later ... : some liquid meds taste *awful*!!! in that case, a 2nd syringe with water to rinse the taste out of it's mouth helps ALOT!!! : hope this helps! : iZ + mom

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