Teaching Ollie to drink juice out of a shot glass

Roz

Forum Trainer
Regular Member
Thought it was a good idea to teach Ollie to drink a strongly flavoured juice that could hide future meds. This is Chico's tart cherry juice. Ollie was afraid of it to start with. He won't drink off a spoon or out of a syringe (for now) so gradually reducing the amount of juice in a shot glass. Have ordered some smaller shot glasses (half the size of this one). I thought then I might transition to a clear plastic spoon. He's at least loving the juice and drinking quite a bit.

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Cherry is probably not the best thing for him to drink Roz😂
:risas3:

Actually it is fine. It's organic tart cherry juice (nothing added). Cherries, and the juice, are excellent at lowering uric acid levels so very effective in a bird with gout. I use it for Chico for his arthritis which is related to gout. Great thing is that it has a strong taste so hopefully excellent as disguising meds. For Chico I add Milk Thistle tincture and DMG and he drinks it by syringe.

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@Latindancer - make sure it is organic. Cherries are one of the fruits with highest pesticide content. I get this one which is also widely available in health stores:

Thanks Roz, just bought some £7 a bottle being delivered by prime tomorrow, I’ll give it a go. Currently I’m disguising antibiotics on a small piece of granary toast with almond nut butter. All the other ways were not working😂
 
Any other tips @Roz for a bird with arthritis
Yes, is this for one of your birds @Latindancer ? The Amazon in your avatar?

Look for anti-inflammatory foods:
Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory. I now use this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007Q7MU0S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It is the curcumin that Turmeric contains, but is tasteless. I open a capsule and mix a little with a tiny bit of greek yogurt and add it to Chico's breakfast. I also cook with turmeric, ginger and chili when I cook for the birds.
Ginger (anti-inflammatory)
Cinnamon (anti-inflammatory)
Chili (painkiller)
Omega 3 is anti-inflammatory - flax oil, freshly ground flaxseeds, walnuts contain most
Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory - not too much because it is also a saturated fat
Anti-oxidants are anti-inflammatory - found in fresh fruit and veggies. Berries (careful of pesticides) and pomegranate are great sources

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is supposed to be good for arthritis - I often add it to cooking
Keep away from the nightshade family - white potatoes, aubergine, courgette, peppers, tomatoes, etc.
Oranges may cause problems or may not
Peas contain purines which aren't meant to be good for arthritis
You could try organic CBD oil (painkiller) I add a drop of the lowest percentage (4%) to Chico's morning turmeric mix
It might be a good idea to put the bird on a gluten free diet (wheat, rye, kamut, spelt all contain gluten) (millet, buckwheat, quinoa, rice don't contain gluten) Gluten causes inflammation
And of course the tart organic cherry juice
You may want to detox the liver with alcohol free Milk Thistle tincture

If arthritis is in the feet/legs then having perches of different thicknesses will help exercise the feet

That's all I can think about off the top of my head for now.
 
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Thanks Roz, just bought some £7 a bottle being delivered by prime tomorrow, I’ll give it a go. Currently I’m disguising antibiotics on a small piece of granary toast with almond nut butter. All the other ways were not working😂
I tried everything and ended up having to towel poor Eddie 😔. Going to work on her accepting the spoon again and then work up to a syringe
 
I tried everything and ended up having to towel poor Eddie 😔. Going to work on her accepting the spoon again and then work up to a syringe
I know it’s the guilt, I know I’m supposed to be helping him get better, but honestly the way he looks at me when after I’ve used the towel on him makes me feel bad.
 
I tried everything and ended up having to towel poor Eddie 😔. Going to work on her accepting the spoon again and then work up to a syringe
That's ok. Work on her accepting the spoon again now - it is never too late. You might not even have to work up to a syringe if she will take meds (mixed with something to hide the taste) from a spoon. Baytril does well mixed with something sour like yogurt since it is sour/bitter itself. That tart cherry juice has a pretty strong taste. I just saw in the supermarket they now do a cranberry juice with NO added sugar! That would surely go well with Baytril.

By the way - just so as you know, you can nebulize Baytril (but it has to be mixed with water not the sticky glycerine). The vet also needs to work out dosage. You can't nebulize all meds - antifungals do better taken orally.
 
That's wonderful @Latindancer !!! :applaudit:

I've swapped to a smaller glass with measurements written on. I am noticing Ollie drinks about 5ml so I start off with 10ml and put in twice the amount of meds/supplements and let him drink half... only because it gets more difficult to reach all of it as the liquid goes down. Still expecting my 10ml shot glasses ordered from Amazon which will be even smaller... hope not too small!

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