First of all, thank you all for your support and indispensable advice. This blogging community has been invaluable to me in more ways than one, and I feel privileged to consider myself a part of it. I honestly never would have thought I would have so many wonderful friends who I've never even met, who care so much about my bunnies, or that I would care so much about all of yours.
Biff is doing great. He's back to his normal energy level and appetite. He runs towards his food, and gave quite a chase this morning when I tried to wrangle him to give him his medication. He's even enlisted the help of the Sogna girl, who gets in between us when I try to catch him, and has been giving me so much attitude on behalf of Biff that you'd think she's the one I'm picking up and syringe feeding!
I called the vet yesterday morning, to ask how long I should continue to give him his medication, since he was already eating Saturday night. They said at least two more days.
I would like to ask for just one more piece of advice. I can't get Biffy to swallow his medication. I squirt it into his mouth, he drools it out. Of course then it gets all over him, and he spends the next hour or two cleaning himself. So I'm sure he's getting most of it into his system. Is that OK? Good enough? How do you all get your buns to lick swallow their medication when they don't want to? I thought it might help if I administered his medication with him securely on the ground, thinking maybe he's too uncomfortable to really eat anything. Of course that doesn't work, because if he's on the floor, he doesn't stay still and I can't get it into his mouth. And it's easier for him to run away. Please share your thoughts.
Thanks again, from the bottom of my heart, and Biffers asked me to thank you for him too!!!
Aww, I'm glad to hear he's doing better. Scamp put me through the same thing not so long ago. They are such a worry when they are not well.
ReplyDeleteFor nasty medicine I have them on the floor and kneel with them between my knees (feet together so they can't back out) facing away from me, that way you have them pinned down with enough hands still free to work the syringe. You want to go for the side of the mouth just behind the front teeth as there is a gap there.
I should think your right, he'll get most of a dose just washing off hiself anyway though so don't worry too much if he's too wriggly:)
I have to say syringe feeding is the hardest thing to do.
ReplyDeleteIf I can't grind the tablet down or add the fluids to Arabella's and Wesley's special 'mash treats' that I make them, then I do the same as Tamsin.
I either have them between my legs, kneeling on the floor, or they are trapped in a corner of the room with no way out and I slowly put a single drop at a time in the side of their mouth near the bottom lip. Some does drip out, but every drop I see them licking and swallowing it. They get a rest between drops, it takes a long time, and at the end we are all emotionally and physically exhausted!
Many times the syringe is grabbed by them and pushed away (awww :) but we have long talks about the benefits of the medication and getting better faster!
So glad Biffy is better, nice to see Sogna 'helping' him in his manouveres!
Glad to hear Biff is doing better. I have also used the "sitting on" technique (once I get hold of one of them) and it seems to be the best for us--holding them on their backs on my lap allows for too much wiggle room. If most of the medicine goes in their mouth and on them and not on you or the surroundings, I would consider that sufficient.
ReplyDeleteOh, well, I guess I'm the odd one out here. I always hold the bun in my left arm, on their back (like cradeling a baby). If they are squirmy, I wrap them in a towel first. Bunnies normally relax in this position. It's actually called "putting them in a trance."
ReplyDeleteThen I squirt the stuff into the side of the mouth behind the front teeth -- but I use that very small (1 cc) syringe, and I only fill it 1/3 or 1/2 full ... so they don't get too much at a time.
Critical care is thick and probably tastes like crap. If you'd consider trying Nutri-cal, it's gooey, and if you give him a small amount, you will do more good with less stress.
I'm guessing that Biff is ok, and doesn't need any more meds. I am curious why the vet didn't give you a small bottle of Metacam to bring home and have on hand. I would never have rabbits without it.
I'm so glad to hear Biff is doing better!
ReplyDeleteWHEW! Feels good.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness! Yippeeee!!!
ReplyDeleteI use the bunny burritto method. I wrap them in a towel with only the head sticking out. I also administer only a little at a time. Put the syringe in right behind the front teeth on the side and point it downward. Easy does it, just a little at a time. And pet their head a lot so they swallow. Sugie takes medicine easy. All my other rabbits faught it. Again, everybun is different. ;)
We wrapped Clovis in a bunny burrito with a towel and I held while my husband gave the meds with the syringe between the front and back teeth like BL. We had the same issue with him not swallowing but we think he got most of the dose. I've heard when you give a pill to an animal, you can blow in their face and it makes them swallow. I wonder if this would work? Never tried it with Clovie.
ReplyDeleteVery glad Biff is better! Always so scary.
Bink Bink!
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! I am so glad to hear that everything is working out so well! That must have been so scary. I am glad he is just about back to himself now.
ReplyDeleteI was told by a vet once that rabbits can't spit things out. So once you get the stuff in (as someone else said, aiming by the corner of the mouth behind the front teeth) it should be in. I'd try to squirt small amounts to give him time to swallow so it doesn't all ooze out.
BTW, rabbits can drop things out of their mouths, though. Mario once got a cherry seed and I was SO worried. He was working on it for 10 minutes and then, plop, out came the cleanest seed you've ever seen.
Good to hear that things are heading in the right direction. When I need to syringe feed, or do medicine, I put the bun on a towel on yhe kitchen island. Then I lean over them close with my body, and curve my my left arm around their left side/ I use the fingers of my left hand to support their jaw, and go in with the syringe from the right side, halfway back like the others have said.
ReplyDeleteIf they are eating a little, I put medicine in Critical Care. The key is that I use the apple/banana flavored one. They think they are getting a treat.