Oesophagostomy tube - please tell me your experience

[Stakhanovite]

Looks like my litte cat flu sufferer is going to need a tube in his neck. He's been on antibiotics, interferon etc forever to try and get his tongue ulceration to heal and it's just not budging. Unclear whether he's going to need to have all his teeth out as well.

Has anyone had to manage a cat with an oesphagostomy tube?

Do you mean a feeding tube? My cats had one after having pancreatitis. It was really easy to use. However I am a paediatric nurse so used to tube feeding cat sized humans. So I wasn't phased by it. She had a bandage round her neck but left it alone. However she is an exceptionally placid Persian. I'm not sure how easy it would be for a real cat!

Thanks TTP. Yes, that's the one. He's a very good little cat and is already used to having multiple pills, pain injections etc. I was horrified at the idea of the tube but from what you say it might not be that traumatic for him? Plus a lot of his meds can go down it which may be less unpleasant for him.

He does like scrambling over the wall and exploring undergrowth. I'd love to be able to avoid confining him (and pro his able bodied brother) to quarters.

Hi Stakhanovite.
We exchanged a few messages last week.I'm so sorry to hear your boy needs more treatment.Bless him, hope the feeding tube sorts the problem.
My cat had most of his teeth out apart from his 4 fangs andvthe 12tiny teeth at the front top and bottom. I was so upset for him the night before his op.Next day he bounced out of his carrier without a care in the world.He was high on Ketamine though, and the most affectionate i have ever known him. He is a difficult cat !
Next day he was very quiet but after that didn't seem to notice. Sometimes he drops bits of food, but generally is so much happier and can eat anything raw meat, steak and loves his biscuits.

That's lovely to hear @Clarich007, thank you. It's now a bit up in the air whether the extractions or the tube are the right way to go - specialist isn't sure they'll help. But taking it a day at a time.

@Stakhanovite I have placed and managed a fair few in the clinic, but I also cared for a friends cat at home with a tube after he suffered multiple facial fractures after being hit by a car.
I kept him confined to a single room, the critical thing was I could go home at lunchtime to feed him. But he slept on the bed, jumped on and off the window sill without disturbing his tube.

I had to deal with my bolshy two year old having a feeding tube for almost a week, I'll be honest I was terrified but actually he was so happy to be fed he made it easy for me. Purred all the way through every feed. I was so scared he would dislodge the tube but we kept it pinned in place to a bandage and he was fine with it. If it does come to it, get the vets to give you a demo and if you can film it. The clip to open and close it is a fiddly bugger though!

@Lonecatwithkitten and @StartingGrid thanks so much for the first hand accounts. I'm getting different views from different medics. The very expensive dental specialist said his tongue was the worst they'd ever seen. But she was dubious about whet the tube would work. And he is hungry and able to eat on his own, albeit with a lot of discomfort.

But I am working from home for now, which is an opportunity, and it sounds as though the tube is not that traumatic.

Bless him We hate to see our pets in painThey don't understand what's happening.
I suppose the idea is that having a feeding tube will allow his tongue to heal.Good luck, I hope he's better soon.
Do they know if it will sort the problem out ?

@Clarich007 no, there's no certainty and that's the trouble. It's all a gamble at this stage. But I'm thinking it's really worth a punt. I mean, I'm giving him 4 pills daily, and he's normally so good about taking them but this morning he was squeaking and trying not to swallow them. Clearly in pain.

@Stakhanovite how is your boy getting on, has there been any improvement for his poor mouth?

Hi startinggrid. He's fairly chirpy. The specialists didn't recommend full extractions, so he gets to keep most of his little fangs, but he's going to need a biopsy to try and figure out whether the tongue lesions are calicivirus related or something else. And they'll put in a tube at the same time. So that may help him heal a bit. We'll see. He's currently next to me snoozing on his back, so hopefully not too uncomfortable