Milly fighting meds-what to do?

Milly is on 1ml of fusemide twice daily and .5 of metacam for the treatment of bladder sludge. Alas, Milly fights when i guve her meds and refuses to swallow. It's the fusemide she hates-metacam and sptrim she happily takes. Recently this has got much worse-she gets VERY upset and bites and scratches-twice a day it's no fun. I'm concerned that all the dosage hasn't gone down her throat and instead is spat out onto me. She had her bladder sludge 'cleared' about a month ago when she had her dental though vet says hardly any sludge present. Sometimes she gets what my vet calls cystitis and she then has Septrim 1ml daily. Mills has been uncomfy for a few days now. She was wet and so she's been on septrin for 5 days now. She's dry round her bum now. But she remains not quite right. She's doing her strange digging in the litter tray which she does when not happy. My vet is not 'au fait' with this issue and I've had to 'tell' him what we need meds/treatment wise. The first time he removed the sludge he did bladder surgery but then he did read up on massaging the bladder and he did that when her dental was done. I ask him to do bladder stuff when Mills has her teeth done so not so many upsetting procedures. Is this likely to be the sludge or still the cystitis or simply that her fighting me has meant she's not getting enough of her fusemide? I'm really struggling with her. I do the whole bunny burrito thing but before I get her into it I have to crawl under the bed and it's like trying to hold a wild banshee. Afterwards she's fine and comes to see me. It's the fusemide she hates. I can't add apple juice as then it's even more fluid to get down her. Sorry to go on but I feel I'm failing her.

Some rabbits will take the meds soaked into bread. It's a way of getting it into her if she likes bread!

How thick is the medicine? The thicker kinds I've sandwiched in between basil leaves

I'll try this evening. Rupert would as he'll eat anything but it's worth a try. Thank you. I just feel so useless, that I'm failing her. When I walk in the room she runs and hides. I hate being hated like this. Appointment at vets tomorrow

She loves grapes so that nay work. Trouble is 1ml is quite a lot of fluid. It seems fusemide tastes horrendous. I do the metacam after so I leave her with a better taste in mouth but she is pretty much hysterical trying to avoid the fusemide. I really worry she'll hurt herself twisting and so forth. It's hard to hold her and give meds-not helped by fact I'm not all that well myself so twice daily fighting really takes it out of me.

Is there anyone who can help at med time? someone to hold her while you get the syringe in the side of her mouth?

I would also ask if there's any other form this medication comes in. you could also try lacing the end of the syringe with fruit baby food or puree banana she'll grab on and then you can quirt the rest in.

I am having the same problem with Snowdrop. She closes her mouth so tight I can't poke the syringe in and if I do get anything in she spits it straight back out! I have tried putting it on food but she just doesn't eat it!

Sorry I don't have any suggestions.

I think a tiny bit of weetabix will do the trick. It soaks the medicine up well. I have also mixed septrin in with other meds as doughnut laps that out of the bowl. Obviously when she needs to take it. The weetabix worked for my friend too when she was despairing.

Snowberry said:

I am having the same problem with Snowdrop. She closes her mouth so tight I can't poke the syringe in and if I do get anything in she spits it straight back out! I have tried putting it on food but she just doesn't eat it!

Sorry I don't have any suggestions.

Click to expand...

At least I'm not alone.

akaemzybabe said:

Is there anyone who can help at med time? someone to hold her while you get the syringe in the side of her mouth?

I would also ask if there's any other form this medication comes in. you could also try lacing the end of the syringe with fruit baby food or puree banana she'll grab on and then you can quirt the rest in.

Click to expand...

Only me. I'll have think about that. Milly and Rupert won't eat banana (a first for me too), but I could try something else. I do wipe the syringe clean so no medicine on the outside. With the other meds she swallows happily but with fusemide she won't open her mouth it swallow so I gave to drop a bit on her lips and 'shuttle' her a but, then she'll eventually swallow. Otherwise goes under her chin and I'm terrified of abscesses because if a we chin but when I try to wipe her with a tissue she goes hysterical again. She has the sharpest claws ever and bites too.

cpayne said:

I think a tiny bit of weetabix will do the trick. It soaks the medicine up well. I have also mixed septrin in with other meds as doughnut laps that out of the bowl. Obviously when she needs to take it. The weetabix worked for my friend too when she was despairing.

Click to expand...

Dry weetabix? Just a small piece with meds squirted on? Worth a try-thanks.

bunniesgalore said:

Dry weetabix? Just a small piece with meds squirted on? Worth a try-thanks.

Click to expand...

Let me know how you get on, it works for me as Doughnut wouldn't just lap the metacam up and it also soaks up the meds quite easy.

My bunny is currently on 2ml of baytril twice a day. I hold her with one hand/arm and tip her head up with the other (you could wrap her in a towel to keep her legs/ your arms safe if she gets aggravated). A friend, with good bunny know-how, syringes it in the side of her mouth in short bursts. This works with little distress and she has her breakfast and dinner afterwards. (Currently breakfast and dinner are heavily supplemented with fresh fruit and veg at other times of day so she doesn't associate meal times with baytril! ) Good luck!

The first think I would say is ask for medications in a concentration that you don't need to give more than 1ml at a time because with the smaller amount they tend to swallow rather than spit.
Tamsin has now now been on baytril twice a day for 12 weeks, and for the first half of that also panacur and the second half metacam, twice a day also. I have found she has become very nippy and the method I use is that I kneel on the floor with my legs crossed at the ankles. I place her on the floor between my knees facing away. Having my ankles crosses means she can't back out. I then place my hand underneath her chin and tip her head up towards me, and with my free hand insert the syringe in to her mouth and squirt the medication to the back of her throat (she can't bite me so long as a keep my fingers under her chin). I keep her head tilted up until I've administered all the medications then offer a tasty treat with my free hand as a remove the hand under her chin to distract her from taking a chunk out a finger.
This is the only position I have found where her being between my knees stops her from fighting so violently she is at risk of doing herself injury. Also as she is sat on the floor her scratches tend to be on the floor rather than on me, I'm not creating the added stress of being picked up/ held off the floor, and as soon as I move my hand from under her chin she can run away from me if she so wishes.

How is she today?