Giving medication to VERY annoyed bunny??

Hi!

So two days ago we took Peanut to the vet as she had stopped eating and wasn't moving around much. She was diagnosed with very early GI stasis. Thankfully since she has started eating veggies again (although doesn't want her pellets and doesn't drink) and has produced some poops.

However, she has three lots of medication via oral syringe; two twice a day and another once.

I have tried: bunny burrito, holding her between my legs and leaning over her, placing her on a flat surface and dipping and mixing the medication with something sweet.
She constantly fights. And I mean a hugely aggressive wiggle until you have to let go. Peanut is a very gentle and friendly rabbit and doesn't bite generally or during this but it is near impossible to hold her.
I managed to get it in a few times with her flat to my chest facing me but she's become aware of this now!
The only way she will take medicine is on her back and I know you're not meant to do this in case they inhale it into their lungs but I am totally at a loss of how to get her to take it??

She is rewarded with dill and basil after which she accepts and likes but the next time round she still fights it.

Any ideas so much appreciated please as I don't want to make her worse!

EDIT: Also, I've seen people recommend simethicone to help bunny pass gas. Does anyone know how to get this in the UK, please, as any infant has drops I've found doesn't have it on the label and my local pet shop doesn't have it? Many thanks!

Have they determined the cause of the stasis? Spurs on the teeth are often a cause of stasis and if they aren’t sorted out by a dental the stasis won’t resolve properly, although painkillers can mask the problem for a while in order to get them eating again.

I found my bunny would eat baby food, he only liked the Aldi mamia apple carrot and parsnip one, and he would eat it with metacam mixed in, so that was one of the meds off the list. We found he would tolerate having the other meds by taking him into an unfamiliar room, sitting him on our knee with his back to us, and tilting his head upwards slightly, he would accept the small 1ml syringe between his jaws then. It’s not easy though!

So it might be possible to find a pouch baby food your bunny likes, the Ella’s kitchen fruit and veg ones seem to go down well too with bunnies on here.

Infacol has simethicone in but the consensus of opinion on here and with most vets is that it doesn’t really do any good, but is also probably not going to do any harm. I’ve not tried it on my bunny I have to say.

Thank you for your advice

No, he couldn't determine the cause but I think it may be dental. She's not eating much hard food.

She does like the baby food but isn't taking it on her own at the moment. The only thing I can tempt her with is leaves! Which she is eating by the bag full

I will try sitting her on me knee. Thank you!

Maddie220790 said:

Thank you for your advice

No, he couldn't determine the cause but I think it may be dental. She's not eating much hard food.

She does like the baby food but isn't taking it on her own at the moment. The only thing I can tempt her with is leaves! Which she is eating by the bag full ��

I will try sitting her on me knee. Thank you!

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I would ask the vet (rabbit savvy vet if yours isnt) to examine her teeth, sometimes they look ‘ok’ under a conscious examination but when they are under anaesthetic for the dental the problems can be seen better. For example my bunny had slight spurs apparent whilst he was conscious, but when he was under anaesthetic it was found they had caused huge ulcers either side of his tongue.

Good luck, sending lots of vibes for her.

Your vet can let you know if your bunny is still stable enough for a dental. Even small spurs can cause a bunny to stop eating certain spurs and it is best to get dental spurs addressed before they cause more serious problems.
Are any of the meds available as injections that you may be able to do yourself?
Instead of mixing meds with baby food and expecting your bunny to eat it on her own, I would load the oral syringe with the meds as usually then draw up a little of the baby food (or juice). This way your bunny would first taste baby food.
Also, some bunnies will take Medicam easier than other meds. However, once I used the syringe for medications they do not like, they would not take the Medicam from the same syringe.

Thank you all! She has started eating hard things again today which is great! Still not drinking however.

Will definitely get teeth checked out again.

She does like the medicam a lot more than the others! I will remember that about the syringes and they the baby food at the end

They've never offered me injections but I will ask.

Next dose in an hour so will try bunny burrito again and see how we go!

Update: found a solution to the wrapping! Took an hour.. but we did it! And she drank

Thank you all for your help!

I’m glad you found a solution :thumb: topping up the vibes for your bunny

annoyed bunny

Maddie220790 said:

Thank you all! She has started eating hard things again today which is great! Still not drinking however.

Will definitely get teeth checked out again.

She does like the medicam a lot more than the others! I will remember that about the syringes and they the baby food at the end

They've never offered me injections but I will ask.

Next dose in an hour so will try bunny burrito again and see how we go!

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dear maddie220790,-there is a lot of good advice given by the other concerned owners,-do you believe you dvm has made the proper diagnosis-for these meds.??-you have to ask yourself,-" if the meds are to treat the problem or the symptoms."--generally with rabbits it is a timely issue,.grasses,ie timothy/orchard,etc.-"are what is considered hard things"--quality pellets are soft things,-every thing starts in the mouth,when swallowed,must go all the way through--no stomach muscles for throwing up..--grasses keep the teeth from getting out of control because they-constantly grow --the grasses also assist the high fiber diet and keep the gi tract in good shape"in tone",--grasses require lots of water intake..using a stethoscope/or your ear listen to the stomach/gi tract-should be light gurgling sound all the way through..very loud noises equal pain-rabbits cannot expel gas,-[may need infant simthecone]-this keeps the gas from forming..--remember to give probiotics with any antbiotic,-[must protect the immune system]---a proper dental exam is a full facial radiograph-and the procedure would be some [gas]-sleepy time and using the pictures the exotic dvm can begin..here is a link for an exotic dvm http://www.medirabbit.com rabbits want us to learn as much as we can about them,..-- sincerely james waller from across the great pond-usa:wave:

Thank you!! I will take a look!

Just an update and another question!

So Peanut has been on the meds for four days now. We've mastered bunny burrito in a bit of an alternative way as she wouldn't sit on anything to be wrapped but as she loves cuddles so I pick her up and hold her against a towel on my chest then wrap her and there are some struggles but we get through it and she's a happy little bun after!

She's been eating SO MANY leaves the last few days... like really wolfing them down! Basil, spinach, parsley, mint, kale... didn't like the watercress
She's also eating her pellets quite happily again and drinking from a water bottle!! This is huge for Peanut as a couple of years back my husband stood on her... (lots of abuse following this and I've never seen a grown man feel so much guilt and cry so much!) but she recovered from that beautifully but would only drink from a bowl so now she's back on the bottle too, its great!

She's peeing and pooping like a trooper!

Only worry I have now... for the first couple of hours after her medication, her poos are the very soft clumpy types.. not liquid but not the solid ones she's then doing throughout the rest of the day. I'm presuming this is the medication working its way through but is this normal and okay? It would seem whatever blockage she had has been solved as I was massaging her belly the first couple of days and it did feel hard and doughy but now is soft.
I'm meant to continue the medication until Wednesday but just a little concerned it is upsetting her to be doing about 2-3 of these big soft clumps straight after giving it to her?

For more info, the medication she is on is:
Emeprid 1.2ml twice a day
Cisapride 0.3ml twice a day
Meloxaid 0.6ml once a day

Thank you for any help!

EDIT: I have just had a look at that website, jewaller! The poops I am talking about are cecotropes and they're saying on there that they are healthy looking at the ones she is producing She isn't eating them however.

Just visited the website you recommended, jewaller!
The poops I am referring to are cecotropes! Comparing the ones to the site, they look healthy! She isn't eating them however.

Hello, new too this thread but adding best wishes for Peanut's continued recovery.

It is not unusual for rabbits to leave the occasional caecotroph uneaten, but I would be concerned if she continues to leave them all. Perhaps they smell of the meds she has taken and that is putting her off.

Most of all I want to say how happy it makes me to hear Peanut is doing so well.
You have been given some great advice. My suggestion is to not stop her meds too quickly. When it is time to withdraw meds, I suggest taking Peanut off them one at a time. That way you can monitor Peanut and know if Peanut needs to stay on a maintenance dose of one or more meds.
I am sending you, your husband, and Peanut many positive vibes for continued success.

Thank you all!

Update:Retracting from my last post a bit! Peanut is still eating and drinking well but now not taking any medication at all. She fights and kicks so much she ends up panting and stressed. Even wrapped up like a burrito she's biting and holding onto the thing she's wrapped in
Her last lot I managed to get in her was yesterday morning. So worried about her.

cecotropes

jewaller said:

dear maddie220790,-there is a lot of good advice given by the other concerned owners,-do you believe you dvm has made the proper diagnosis-for these meds.??-you have to ask yourself,-" if the meds are to treat the problem or the symptoms."--generally with rabbits it is a timely issue,.grasses,ie timothy/orchard,etc.-"are what is considered hard things"--quality pellets are soft things,-every thing starts in the mouth,when swallowed,must go all the way through--no stomach muscles for throwing up..--grasses keep the teeth from getting out of control because they-constantly grow --the grasses also assist the high fiber diet and keep the gi tract in good shape"in tone",--grasses require lots of water intake..using a stethoscope/or your ear listen to the stomach/gi tract-should be light gurgling sound all the way through..very loud noises equal pain-rabbits cannot expel gas,-[may need infant simthecone]-this keeps the gas from forming..--remember to give probiotics with any antbiotic,-[must protect the immune system]---a proper dental exam is a full facial radiograph-and the procedure would be some [gas]-sleepy time and using the pictures the exotic dvm can begin..here is a link for an exotic dvm http://www.medirabbit.com rabbits want us to learn as much as we can about them,..-- sincerely james waller from across the great pond-usa:wave:

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dear Maddie,-the cecotropes are considered night poops,-yes-they are different from the usual poops.--sorry I did not include the poop link http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html [generally] cecotropes are taken directly from the the bum,-therefore-they are not generally seen lying about,-[-there is an exception to every rule,medical,etc]--I think of murphy,s law,--not to scare you but rabbits are merely prey animals,they know we are predatory ,they are hard wired to never show pain or discomfort--to the point of dying..this makes education of the rabbit of the utmost importance..--sincerely james waller from across the great pond-usa:wave: