After Dental .........advice giving antibiotic....please........the struggle is awfu

Julie started in drinking water from her bowl normally after I started warming the water up last night. She is peeing lots again and pooing. She is only eating soft foods but is eating good but no hay at all. She is eating Timothy hay fresh grass.
The big problem than we are having is getting her antibiotic in her. She really hates it and is getting worse and worse about it.
She has had antibiotic before and loved it. She normally would greedily lap it from the syringe.
This is the first time that she has had this one (Enofloxacin). It has an overpowering sweet watermelon smell. As soon as I open the bottle the kitchen smells like a jolly rancher's candy factory. It has to be covering up a horrible taste.
She is to the point that she takes off running and making a loud whimpering noise as soon as I open the bottle. We thought that we could trick her by filling her metacan(she LOVES the metacan) and the antibiotic syringes then give the metacan and switch syringes.
The results is that she throws a fit as soon as she sees any syringe now.
It was a fight for the metacan too this morning and she usually can't get enough of that. Good thing she drinking herself because I'd have no hope getting her to take anything from a syringe at this point. She had been drinking water from a syringe.
She fights like mad when we try to give this antibiotic. Once I catch her she starts whimpering and struggling so hard that it is really hard to hold her. OH tries to get the syringe in her mouth and I can't hold her head still.
Then she holds her paws over her mouth. They are hard to move. She is pretty strong. Now she still won't eat her breakfast. She is mad. She keeps throwing toys and even her bed. She won't look at her breakfast as she is so worked up I left the kitchen for a while hoping that she will calm down. Goodness. She is MAD! She makes a loud mad whimper noise. Horrible!
Using a towel and wrapping like a bruito stresses her really bad and is so hard to do as she knows it is coming and she is strong.

Any advice? Is this an impossible situation?

Can you ask the Vet if she can prescribe Enrofloxacin (AKA 'Baytril') INJECTION rather than oral ? I have yet to meet a Bunny who is 'OK' about taking oral Baytril. It really does taste vile.

As Jane says, if you are comfortable injecting into the skin and your vet will let you this is the best option and less stressful for everyone.

Jack's-Jane said:

Can you ask the Vet if she can prescribe Enrofloxacin (AKA 'Baytril') INJECTION rather than oral ? I have yet to meet a Bunny who is 'OK' about taking oral Baytril. It really does taste vile.

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When Rose had the infection in her spay wound she would happily eat herbs that I had put Baytril on. She would eat a fenugreek crunchie covered in them too, sometimes even lick the baytril off first lol But she wouldn't tolerate baytril alone

Bunnytoes - if she's eating soft things you could try putting it on herbs and see if that helps......we used to feed her the stem end first so by the time she was at the flowery end which had baytril on it she was already in chewing motion lol...

Have you tried adding dilute blackcurrant squash to the baytril syringe? Draw up the baytril first and then a bit of the dilute squash and shake to mix.

It won't help her get over her syringe fear but at least it won't taste quite so bad for her.

Or ask the vet for a different antibiotic - perhaps one she has previously taken happily?

Thanks. I knew you guys would come up with some great idea. Her vet wasn't open today though. Saturday is only a half day and they don't open at all the Saturday before a big Monday holiday. If I am still having problems then Tuesday I will ask for the injection or a different antibiotic and certainly will not be getting this stuff again.
I will try the herb thing tonight. She loves herbs and I have some in the garden. It will have to be very powerful smelling herbs to cover up the watermelon smell.
Julie is smart. She runs the minute she smells it and that smell is strong. She will probably go nuts the next time we eat watermelon.:lol:
As far as syringes go. She never minded them before. I think that she is just associating that watermelon smell and the syringe with the awful taste of the antibiotic.
If I can either give it without the syringe or mask the taste enough then I think that she might go back to taking the metacan and other stuff from the syringe. She is terrified the big food syringe though. She won't be syringe fed. If we manged to syringe in the critical care she just refused to swallow.

Okay now a big question. I am in the USA. Can anyone explain exactly what blackcurrant squash is and/or what an US substitute would be? I haven't even noticed blackcurrant juice in the store before. Squash isn't really juice right?

I think you guys call squash cordial. The concentrated stuff you dilute with water or lemonade. Just looked up and apparently this type of drink isn't much found in the US except in some Hispanic shops.
V sugary though. Is that a good idea for an ill bun?

If you are using herbs, e.g. basil, just paint a tiny tiny bit on each leaf. The more there is on a leaf the more liekly they are to reject it. Or stop chewing the leaf once they get to the bits with the medicine on, the crafty beasts. You may need a few leaves and to experiment how much you can get away with on each one.

Good luck! It sounds really awful. I remember how hard it was trying to medicate frightened angry babies.
Let alone a great big bunny.

You could try mixing the Baytril into a banana or strawberry to disguise the taste. Also I know someone who puts it on "Shreddies", don't know if you can get hold of them.

You could also get a pineapple (fresh) and squeeze some juice to mix with it.

Good luck.

What is it with these big buns & meds!
Ondine throws a fit when a syringe appears too.
Even Metacam has to be heavily disguised in a fruit only baby food & presented as a treat in a small bowl like a dessert.
At the moment we are using an organic pear puree which is just pears & I mix her metacam into that & she licks it all up.
I had heard the Ribena (blackcurrant cordial) trick before too. But blackcurrants are very rare in the US I think.
I really sympathise with you having to give a nasty strong smelling drug to a clever feisty bun like Julie.
However it is good to hear that she is rallying.
Sending nose rubs

I can completely sympathise with this situation, my Moley has been having some episodes of gut stasis, two weeks ago was the worst episode, he was given a tablet of Zantac, a syringe of Metacam and syringe of Zantac syrup. I hid the tablet in dandelion leaves and he knew no better but the syringe ........ Not happening!!!! I tried everything even bunny burrito wasn't working he got so stressed, as did I. When he saw the towel he would run and it got to the point where he could smell the medicine and he was off.

I tried putting the syrups on dandelion leaves, grass, mushed in pellets and baby food, covering the syringe nib with pineapple juice but nothing he wouldn't touch it.

Luckily the tablets worked and the vet said not to worry about the syringe.

It's just as we'll because on Thursday he was poorly again I knew I had no choice but to syringe him so o/h and I got hold of him wrapped him tight in the towel - no messing and syringe fed him the Metacam, it was horrific he was breathing v heavily and raspy he squirmed every 2 mins and hit his head against the floor. A lot of the medicine went through his mouth onto the floor and his chest fur..... But once we let him go he was absolutely fine just a bit off. It did the trick and he passed some fur so I knew it was for his own good, the second night was just as bad but it really helped him

I am covered in bruises and scratches and HATE doing it. I guess what I'm trying to say is persevere - I hope you find a solution

I'm chipping it to say my bun is the worst at taking meds. currently having to do 5 syringes a day and it just getting more and more traumatic. Especially cos I have no one to help me. Cant wait for my oh to be back because I get lacerated each time and I feel really guilty because Patrick gets SO stressed out.

Metacam must be tasty though, cos I doesn't mind that QUITE so much. I just wrap him up in a towel, cover his eyes and hold him very tightly.

Yippee!!!!!

OH pitted a cherry and syringed the med in then I filled it up with oats. She must of smelled the med right off because as soon as the cherry was close to her nose, she would jump and run off. We left it in a bowl with her even put basil leaves under and over it. She managed to eat the basil leaves and not touch the cherry. I tried wrapping the cherry in the basil leaves then cilantro but as soon as she 'd get close to the cherry she would twitch,grunt and run away.
I then soaked cilantro leaves in the med and offered the stem first by the time she would get to the soaked leaves it was in her mouth before she knew it. She'd stop eating for a second or two but will then finish it. I have to use several pieces of the cilantro to soak up all the med. I can only feed her one with the med then she won't take another until I feed several without then sneak a soaked one in. I use a basil leaf to wipe the bowl clean of med and she ate that too. So far it worked last night and this morning.
She jumped and turned away when she first saw the syringe of metacan but then turned back smelled it and took the metacan happily from the syringe. She loves the metacan.
The antibiotic would be easier to disguise if it didn't have that strong smelling watermelon it it. I am also beginning to hate the smell of watermelon.:lol:
Thank you everyone for all the great ideas.
Julie is happy and unstressed this morning.

I've been so lucky with Furby - he even lets me syringe feed him Baytril.

I have started adding blackcurrant squash to it though to make it a bit nicer for him.

When I had to give him a lot of meds I asked for injections as I find them easier to give than oral meds as I am on my own. I also find they are more reliable - in that none gets spat out or dribbled.

Furby is a particularly good patient though. He just sits there and lets me medicate him. He really is an incredibly brave and wonderful bunster.

Once they become scared of something it is awful

So glad to hear that Julie is happier and unstressed. It is so hard when they hate meds. I had to try and seringe (cant spell) feed wormer to my two. They ended up stamping whenever I came near them. Thanks to RU I ended up putting it on their food and that did the trick (extra apple and carrot in their veggie salad for a few days lol).

Hope Julie makes a good recovery. xx

Julie is feeling much better as she is actually hopping all around and playing in her tunnel and with her toys. The meds must be kicking in. She still won't eat anything cool/cold or that isn't fairly soft but seems back to her very friendly,happy playful self.

bunnytoes said:

Julie is feeling much better as she is actually hopping all around and playing in her tunnel and with her toys. The meds must be kicking in. She still won't eat anything cool/cold or that isn't fairly soft but seems back to her very friendly,happy playful self.

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So pleased to hear that Julie is doing better now. She really is a very special Bunny

I'm so glad to hear Julie is doing better.
I was going to say, having speedily read the updates, that actually stone fruit is not good for bunnies, but luckily she did not eat it. I was also going to suggest canned plain pumpkin (not the pie filling) if you needed something to mask the taste of the baytril.
Hope she continues to go from strength to strength. ((((((Healing vibes and noserubs for Julie)))))))
A big glass of wine, or equivalent, for you! :thumb: Great job getting her meds sussed! Julie is lucky to have you and your OH for bun-parents!