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Advice on giving rabbits Baytril.

BorisnHannibal

Young Bun
Our fluffy little Hannibal has been to the vets this am with a suspected respiratory problem. He has been given Baytril for it by the vet.

He's had baytril before and hates it. He's usually such a friendly bunny but when it's medicine time he lashes out, won't hold still, and the only way we get it in him is by tag teaming him. Scott holds, I dispense. Anyone got any advice for giving it to rabbits?

Here's the cheeky monster

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I always mash it into some banana, it's the only way I can get Nutmeg to have it. Soaked into a bit of bread also sometimes works.
 
Try some baytril and you'll see why he hates it! :lol:

I put a little carrot or apple juice (make sure there is no added sugar or sweeteners or anything except pure juice in it, check labels!) in a shot glass, add the baytril to it, mix and suck it up in a 5ml or 10ml syringe, make sure you get it all. My bunny Barney then just sucks it from the syringe, make sure you push the plunger down very slowly or you'll do it too quick and there's a danger he may choke. It's very useful to teach a bunny to take things from a syringe willingly, it enables you to give medicine without stressing them, and is a godsend if the bun needs to be fed liquid food to keep his gut going.

When I had to give it to my hamster, I mushed up a teaspoon of fruit and mixed the baytril in. The key with both methods is to disguise the flavour in something they like. If you make it an unpleasant activity then you will make him more reluctant each time to take it, and you risk damaging your friendship with him.


Has Hannibal been diagnosed with snuffles then? Lots of bunnies on here have snuffles, including my Barney. The first thing to do is to check if your vet is an exotic vet or has an interest in rabbits, as rabbits are classed as 'exotics' so normal vets dont have to learn more than the basics. A good vet that is willing to try new things and work with you will really help.

Your vet probably has explained this already, but there are a few different bacteria that cause snuffles, although the most commonly known is pasturella. Baytril is usually prescribed first as it is effective against pasturella, but dont worry too much if you see no real improvement, as you may need to try other antibiotics, or a combination of them, in order to find one that is effective for your bun. If you do find that the baytril is not working, a Culture and Sensitivity test from his nose will tell you what bacteria you are dealing with, and allow your vet to pick an antibiotic that is effective against that bacteria.

I would also keep a sharp eye on his hay intake, as snuffles can be related to dental problems. I would advise a dental check on the back teeth the next time you go to the vet. That will show up any misalignment of the jaw and major problems, but some cant be seen unless under General Anesthetic. Tooth root problems you cant see without an xray of the jaw.
 
Wrap your fella up in a Bunny Burrito!! A towel,and all 4 paws get folded in.That way he cant kick out.Then GENTLY put the baytril filled syringe in the side of bunnies mouth and push it slowly.
Metacam is nicer as its honey based but this stuff is vile!!
 
Our Charlie is on day 5 of baytril today so off again from tomorrow. We've had to tag team her. Did read about 100% apple juice but as shes only young and not tried it before decided against it. Lucky for us she likes the other stuff the vets given us so she willingly drinks that down after the baytril!
 
We tried applejuice last night. Originally just neat in a syringe. Boris loved it. Hannibal just didn't seem to understand it and lost interest. In the end out came the towell. It was still mixed with Apple.but he still no likey. So tonight we shall try the mashed banana approach. I'm worried about the weekend. I'm going away and leaving it up to my partner Scott.... Who for the first time ever yesterday changed a litter tray... And usually only assists if anything. Worrying

Teeth wise she checked them, there are several vets at our practise and both women are knowledgeable about bunnies (the bloke looked like he'd never seen a rabbit before so we dont book with him) he eats hay loads, Boris is the one who.avoids it but then he chews his toys constantly so not too worried about his gnashers either.
 
I had to give Jezebel her first dose this morning, started off wrapping her up but she wasn't having any of it!

I tried a different method took a fresh basil leaf and put the medicine on that. Jezebel wolfed the leaf down, so problem solved.

Just back to the vets on Friday hopefully the abscess will be better!
 
I split the top of a sugar snap pea and put the meds into that, then feed the pea to bun :)
 
aaah bess you...I always mash mine into banana...it gets wolfed down and the plate licked...:roll::lol:
 
In the past when administering Baytril, I have either wrapped the bunny up in a towel or mashed it up with a TINY amount of digestive biscuit.
The above depended on the bunny and what suited it best!!

I've tasted Baytril and it is vile.

Best of luck with your bunny.:thumb:
 
Isn't it liver flavour:mrgreen:

One of my buns has just been on it for 10 days - she wasn't impressed.
 
Tried banana today..... He had a good sniff, then a lick, then backed off glaring at me. So out came the towel again... Sigh! Too clever for his own good. Boris on the other hand was desperate to get into it! Wish it was him I was drugging. Looks like peas shall be tried tomorrow!
 
Success! Hannibal will take Baytril on small chunks of apple, if we feed Boris un drugged apple at the same time! For the first night we don't have a stressed out bunny! Yay!
 
I mash it into Twinkies food. He just gets too stressed when I try to pick him up and then wrap him up. It's just so much easier;)
 
BB Mommy;5047757[B said:
]Isn't it liver flavour[/B]:mrgreen:

One of my buns has just been on it for 10 days - she wasn't impressed.


Apparently,it tastes of Ear wax.....but Im only quoting a member on here!!!
 
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