• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Bunny flinching during injection (frustrated)

Sakura6267

Sakura6267

Warren Scout
I've been giving Yuki his depocillin injections by myself pretty successfully twice a week for the last 2 weeks. But today when I stuck in the needle and was injecting the depocillin, he kept flinching, so I pulled the needle out even though he didn't get the full dose. If he was flinching, it was obviously hurting him which makes me very upset. I'm completely done for this week even though he didn't get the whole thing. I just hate giving these injections and I'm so frustrated! I try to be careful and pull up as much skin as possible and not hit any muscle, but he still feels pain from it. I guess I'll just have to bring him back to the local vet next week to do it for me. I wish there was an easier way, or a different ORAL medication I could give.
 
I'm in the same postition myself. SOmetimes my Arwen jumps and tries to get away and sometimes she is OK about it. Having given myself injections in the past I know that sometimes it really stung and sometimes it was OK - maybe to do with whether you happen to hit a nerve ending or not. Do you know about using one needle to draw the depocillin up and then changing to a fresh needle to do the actual injection? That way the needle is sharp.
I don't like giving the injections one little bit and have to psyic myself up for it but I reckon it is less stressful on the rabbit if I do it rather than carting Arwen to the vet particularly as the injections are for a long time.
Best of luck with it anyway...
 
My bunny is very cooperative when I give him the needles. He just sits there. But that flinching he did yesterday really bothered me. I guess I could try changing the needle tips and see if that helps. I just really hate giving these injections, but I know he needs them. :( You would think by this day and age they would have come up with an antibiotic that works like penicillin except you can give it to a rabbit orally. That would be so much better.
 
I wonder if it would help to warm the depocillin in the syringe (plastic bag mug of warm water 40C for about 10 mins) It's less painful 7 easier to inject. PLEASE check with your vet 1st. [I used to do his for human penicillin. Much less painful]
 
when bisc and matt were on these injections i was told to leave it out at room temperature for about an hour before injecting it. even so, matt was really difficult to inject, it hurt him because his skin was so tough and he flinched sometimes and i knew it had hurt him. sometimes was ok though. it is frustrating and upsetting so i know how you feel. xx
 
I think it hurts if you accidentally get the needle into the muscle, rather than just in a pocket under the skin...try 'tenting' the skin a bit higher and injecting parallel to the body...I know it's not easy especially if the rabbit has thin skin.
 
I can totally empathise with you,

It looks like I'm going to have to start giving our bun sub-q fluids again and I hate needles etc, I have to psych myself up for it, and my hand shakes when I actually come to do it which I'm sure doesn't make my bun feel very confident. plus the way he sits pulls all the skin taught around him so it's really difficult to find a lot of loose skin.

but I have to get past the mental block or whatever it is...but it's sooo terribly difficult.

Sending vibes your way!. who knows we might be experts by the time we've finished

M
 
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. :)

I do leave the depocillin bottle out for half an hour in room temperature before I inject him. I guess I should leave it out a little longer. The bottle does feel warm when I'm getting it ready, but the depocillin is probably still a little cold.

I was thinking about tenting higher since he didn't even seem to notice the injection when I give it higher on the tented skin. But it's harder too because you can poke through to the other side. I'm going to try it tomorrow and hopefully it'll work out.

It is hard to get a lot of loose skin because the bunny is so tensed up. My hand shook so bad the first couple of times I did it, but not so much anymore. I actually can do it quite calmly, but I lost my cool last time because he was flinching. I can't stand the thought of hurting my baby. :(
 
Try drawing up the meds from the bottle and leaving the syringe out in the warm rather than the whole bottle. When it's ready to inject, give the syringe a shake and switch the needle for a new one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

~ILoveMyBunny~
Problems with flinching with injections
Replies
11
Views
626
~ILoveMyBunny~
~ILoveMyBunny~
P
Bunny still off food and hay, drooling and teeth chattering
2 3
Replies
49
Views
927
twistedtiggerz69
twistedtiggerz69
KCG
I did not expect that
Replies
4
Views
325
KCG
KCG
Back
Top