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How do I get a rabbit to swallow..

charlie82

Mama Doe
Teddy had a dental on Tuesday and is always very slow to recover. He usually doesn't start eating on his own until a few days after, but he had to have a molar removed so he's feeling even more unwell. :(

I need to get some food into him but he just point plank refuses to swallow. I've tried gently rubbing his throat, and gently moving the syringe around in his mouth to try and encourage some movement....but nothing :cry:

I hate putting him through this.
 
Teddy had a dental on Tuesday and is always very slow to recover. He usually doesn't start eating on his own until a few days after, but he had to have a molar removed so he's feeling even more unwell. :(

I need to get some food into him but he just point plank refuses to swallow. I've tried gently rubbing his throat, and gently moving the syringe around in his mouth to try and encourage some movement....but nothing :cry:

I hate putting him through this.

I'm sorry you are going through this. We went through EXACTLY the same thing when Poppy had her impaction and were a night away from admission for a ng tube or drip.
It took hours of determination and staying as calm as possible. If you get frustrated (which I must admit I did)....go off into another room and let it out, then come back and try again...just stick at it.
Poppy would hold it all in her mouth and then spit it out 5 mins later! :roll: As she deteriorated she would just let it run in and out of her mouth...it was a nightmare, I totally understand. We tried all the tricks in the book...nothing! She was soaking with everything she had spat out :( (She lost the fur beside her dewlap after this bout of illness from scald from being so damp and poorly...it regrew in a week or two)

It was oral fluids that turned it around for us. She had 3 lots of sub-cuts in 24 hours but this was not enough it seemed. This was the night I discovered RU and found the herbal tea suggestion. We made a mug camomile and spearmint and when cooled I tried her with a syringe of that.....MIRACLE! She started to swallow - she was incredibly thirsty - took 30ml in one go, and after this she decided to swallow some syringe food and eat the odd bizarre leaf dipped in the herbal tea first. J Artichoke leaves and rosemary - she ate one of each....but I swear it was the dehydration that was contributing to not swallowing. She is a terribly nervous rescue bun who refuses to eat on our laps when well, when sick she was absolutely not having any of it until we rehydrated her.
Good luck:):wave:
 
It was oral fluids that turned it around for us. She had 3 lots of sub-cuts in 24 hours but this was not enough it seemed. This was the night I discovered RU and found the herbal tea suggestion. We made a mug camomile and spearmint and when cooled I tried her with a syringe of that.....MIRACLE! She started to swallow - she was incredibly thirsty - took 30ml in one go, and after this she decided to swallow some syringe food and eat the odd bizarre leaf dipped in the herbal tea first. J Artichoke leaves and rosemary - she ate one of each....but I swear it was the dehydration that was contributing to not swallowing. She is a terribly nervous rescue bun who refuses to eat on our laps when well, when sick she was absolutely not having any of it until we rehydrated her.
Good luck:):wave:

Thank you!

Yep, teddy does this every time he has a dental... the only way I can get metacam into him is to literally give him 0.2 ml at a time and put him back on the floor... once I'm not holding him he will swallow it. Any sort of food I try to give him he just lets run back out of his mouth! he normally perks up after a few days, but that's just after a normal burring, he will be more sore this time because he has lost that tooth :(

I'll go and buy some herbal tea and see if I can at least get some fluids into him. Hopefully it might encourage him to eat. I'll give him some zantac too. He's just looking so poorly and doesn't want to move at all, makes me feel so guilty :(
 
Is he trying to eat anything else?
Both mine were in last week and angel is her normal self straight away but I panicked with winnie as he was really unwell and not eating, he kept trying with herbs and hay but could'nt be bothered.
As its only 2 days I would wait a little longer as if your poking around his mouth wwith syringe this is going to be sore we were told off nurse to let winnie be for little while. However if your bun aint eating anything at all then obv you want something any old thing inside. Have you tried weetabix one of our favs? Or bread winnie would eat bread just a bit but it was enough to keep him going its real soft and vet doesnt mind as long as you get something inside.
Its only been this week when winnie began to eat properly his nuggets etc. He had his dental last wed. He was moving away from us stroking his face and wincing still on friday hence me panicking and speaking to nurse while angel was getting her teeth done.
It is weird as angel has very bad mouth disease and her mouths in terrible state she bv is in pain when nearing a dental needed yet when she comes out she is so bright and wanting her tea hopping about like she never went in and I swear shes smiling when she has had it done like "ahh thank god for that no more hurty"
 
Thank you!

Yep, teddy does this every time he has a dental... the only way I can get metacam into him is to literally give him 0.2 ml at a time and put him back on the floor... once I'm not holding him he will swallow it. Any sort of food I try to give him he just lets run back out of his mouth! he normally perks up after a few days, but that's just after a normal burring, he will be more sore this time because he has lost that tooth :(

I'll go and buy some herbal tea and see if I can at least get some fluids into him. Hopefully it might encourage him to eat. I'll give him some zantac too. He's just looking so poorly and doesn't want to move at all, makes me feel so guilty :(

Fluids will keep him going if anything. Any herbal teas....fennel, nettle, camomile and peppermint - all are good digestive tonics. Jane I think likes the new nettle and sweet fennel tea!
If the worse case scenario is that you can't get the meds or fluids into him then I would suggest the vet for injectables and sub-cut. I hope he feels better soon....it is such a worry when they are like this.
 
Fluids will keep him going if anything. Any herbal teas....fennel, nettle, camomile and peppermint - all are good digestive tonics. Jane I think likes the new nettle and sweet fennel tea!
If the worse case scenario is that you can't get the meds or fluids into him then I would suggest the vet for injectables and sub-cut. I hope he feels better soon....it is such a worry when they are like this.

Thank you so much for the advice!!

I'll go and buy a range and try him on them. I am giving him until tomorrow morning and then it's back to the vets. My vet said to call her if he's not eating by then as she is going on holiday on Saturday. Hopefully if his pain is wearing off he will start to eat on his own again, personally I just don't think metacam is enough, it never seems to get his pain level down.
 
Thank you so much for the advice!!

I'll go and buy a range and try him on them. I am giving him until tomorrow morning and then it's back to the vets. My vet said to call her if he's not eating by then as she is going on holiday on Saturday. Hopefully if his pain is wearing off he will start to eat on his own again, personally I just don't think metacam is enough, it never seems to get his pain level down.

It depends how much metacam you are giving. The problem with the opiates like buprenorphine are that they do make bunny drowsy and I think, although I could be wrong, have a negative effect on gut motility to some extent - a relaxant. Therefore, I always assumed they are only appropriate in the acute stages of any treatment e.g. severe bloat, immediately post-op etc....but that as bun improves the dose should be tailed off in order to stop bun being so drowsy and improve gut function. NSAID's don't seem to effect gut motility so much. However, if the pain is so bad he isn't eating....then I would think the pain relief was the priority - it always seems to be such a balancing act.
I would definitely rule out dehydration first though...that alone can make bun pretty unresponsive. Perhaps you could give him a higer dose of metacam oral if you speak to the vet on the telephone?
 
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