How to get a bun to take baytril....

[Mervinius]

Pip had her incisors removed today! She's doing really well and currently munching on some dried forage and seems her normal self.

The vet changed her antibiotics to baytril, which I know is meant to be yukky. How do I get her to take it. I have to give her 2 doses a day for 5 days. They showed me how at the vets. But Pip just sat there like an angel and licked it all up off the syringe. [emoji1787]

I know however as soon as I try to catch her tomorrow morning she's going to turn info a wriggly octopus. [emoji2957] I know some of you suggested banana when I thought it was sulfatrim, but she's never eaten banana. Shes very wary of any new food. I also need to do metacam.

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[Craig 1965]

Yeah. Won’t take baytril cause it’s yukky but will happily eat poop!
They don’t make it easy. Bunny burrito is the safest measure if you cant disguise the syringe amount. Banana is the obvious but you’ve already highlighted that. Metacam is easy - that tastes yummy. Even Lillian gobbles that down.
Pineapple juice? Or cranberry juice to add a bit of flavour to her royal heighnesses meds?

 

[Walli]

Glad to hear the procedure went well
It's so hard trying to get them to take medicine. Walli refuses everything even metacam. So for him it's bunny burrito. My previous bunny though loved the taste of fibreplex so for him I could put som fibreplex at the top of the syringe and give some of the medicine while he ate the fibreplex. When the fibreplex was gone I added some more to the top and he took what was left in the syringe. He loved fibreplex soooo much he came running for the syringe like a treat and put the whole top in his mouth. It took us a couple of years of learning this but when we did everything was so much easier Didn't even have to pick him up for medication, he just saw it as a yummy treat and came running and jumping up in my lap (as long as he wasn't in stasis or had a tummy ache of course). He had chronic digestive issues which meant a lot of medication. The only medicine I couldn't give this way was flagyl so that must taste really horrible!
Good luck with the medication tomorrow!

 

[Scrappy's Little Helper]

I'm really pleased that Pip go through her operation ok and is recovering well.

She sounds a lot like my Fudgie, who is a nightmare to medicate. I won't get away with hiding meds in food as she's also suspicious of new foods.

The only way with Fudgie is to do it straight via the syringe. And the only way I can get away with syringe feeding is to do it in the bathroom, where she rarely goes and is therefore less cocksure of herself.

You can add in a bit of fruit juice, as Craig suggests, to make it more palatable. Personally I always give the metacam dose straight afterwards to help get rid of the taste.

Good luck, it's a pain in the bum medicating feisty buns but you do eventually find a system that kind of works!

 

[joey&boo]

Well done Pippin for getting through your op your brave girlie. Yeah I think it will have to be a case of capture, pin her down & stick syringe in the gap between...Ohhh wait. She should be easier generally with no incissors but obv you'll want to be really careful as her gums might be sore

 

[Laurax]

Hello! Sorry to jump on this thread, i am having the same worries!

My bunny is currently on both the same meds as your bunny and we are putting this on basil and she is eating it all, apart from today she got wise right at the end and coming to think of it this was when the antibiotics were on the basil leaf! The vet recommended basil.

I am worried that after her op Friday we will have issues, she will not take from a sryinge and i don’t want to be trying to grab her after her lump removal.
She also does not like banana, i will be monitoring this also and glad it’s not just me who has this issue haha!

Glad to hear the surgery went well for you

 

[InspectorMorse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfROVhKTMxI

 

[Scrappy's Little Helper]

Hello! Sorry to jump on this thread, i am having the same worries!

My bunny is currently on both the same meds as your bunny and we are putting this on basil and she is eating it all, apart from today she got wise right at the end and coming to think of it this was when the antibiotics were on the basil leaf! The vet recommended basil.

I am worried that after her op Friday we will have issues, she will not take from a sryinge and i don’t want to be trying to grab her after her lump removal.
She also does not like banana, i will be monitoring this also and glad it’s not just me who has this issue haha!

Glad to hear the surgery went well for you

When you try to syringe feed your bunny, are you holding her upright in your arms? I've found bunnies tend to resist more if you do it that way. If you're not doing it already, I really recommend using the method in the video linked by Inspector Morse, ie where they have all four feet on the ground. Many bunnies feel more secure that way and don't seem to fight the syringe as much.

 

[Mervinius]

Well I can safely say Pip will not sit in between my legs like that video. [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]. But then she doesnt really do sitting. More of a sprinter.

I resorted to catching her in the carrier. transporting her into the bathroom, where she has never been.

I went with Metacam first cos it tastes nice. That was easy.

Baytril started ok, until she could taste it. Then we had a lot of squirming and wiggling every time the syringe got near her mouth. Hahaha.

I think most went in or around her mouth. So hopefully that's good enough. [emoji848]

She's now hiding in her tunnel recovering from the ordeal and I'm having a lie down too. [emoji51]

Its going to be a long week.

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[Shimmer]

I tend to put bunny on a higher surface (worktop, hutch, whatever) so their feet are on something firm, tuck them very firmly under one arm and use your fingers to hold the head / find the mouth. Insert pre-loaded syringe (with other hand) straight in behind incisors (ie sideways), and squirt it in. Don't squirt it down the throat as they could inhale it. If the syringe is actually between the lips, the meds will go in the mouth and they swallow. Do the nasty one first. Metacam is usually no problem. I don't 'do' treats, but you could have eg another syringe with apple puree to finish off, as long as the other meds have been swallowed first (or it all just dribbles out).

It's always worth getting a rabbit used to a syringe for times like this when they need to be medicated or fed, so maybe a weekly dose of apple puree or juice? It makes the process much less stressful all round when it is really needed.

 

[Shimmer]

I think the key is to have everything prepared (syringes loaded up, etc) and be quick with the whole process so it doesn't become a stressful episode and one that the rabbit avoids next time.

 

[keletkezes]

Lopsy's too strong for us to hold :roll: We can soak baytril into a fenugreek crunchie and he never notices though It's dish-shaped so we squirted the baytril into the dish when we'd administered the previous dose, left it to soak in, admninister at the right time and then repeat as necessary Dunno how he'd react now, it's been so long since we've had to medicate him (touches all the wood everywhere) and he's much more chilled about handling now (still a nightmare).

Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you!

 

[Zoobec]

I’m glad the op went well I hope she is making a good recovery. When we had to medicate Frosty we found he resisted less if we took him into an unfamiliar room.

 

[Mervinius]

Thanks everyone. She seems to be doing ok. She is eating and I've seen her drink and some slightly smaller poops just appeared. So all ok so far.

I'm putting food in front of her, because she wants to sit upstairs, but she does eat it.

They are both very tired, but they normally do sleep through the whole day. So I'm trying not to worry that shes not bouncing around.

We don't do treats as such, just dried forage. But she did get a piece of chicory root after her meds, which she gobbled up straight away.

She certainly seems to want to be close to Daddy, than scary Mummy. [emoji17]

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[keletkezes]

She sounds like she's doing really well We only keep the crunchies in for medication, although I'm doling them out at the moment because they're well past their Best Before! Lopsy will eat 2.5 and then he's good so it's nice to know he has a limit :lol: He could do with the calories right now as he's a bit winter-skinny.

Aboleth would hold it against me for a few days, Chibbs and Lopsy forget quicky :lol:

 

[Mervinius]

She sounds like she's doing really well We only keep the crunchies in for medication, although I'm doling them out at the moment because they're well past their Best Before! Lopsy will eat 2.5 and then he's good so it's nice to know he has a limit [emoji38] He could do with the calories right now as he's a bit winter-skinny.

Aboleth would hold it against me for a few days, Chibbs and Lopsy forget quicky [emoji38]

I'm glad Lopst has a limit. I'm not sure Archie would. He's like a treat hoover!

I'm trying to prepare myself for baytril number 2. I'm not sure she's going to fall for the same trick. Shes a very very smart bun!

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[Mervinius]

As predicted that didn't go well. She would sit between my knees until she saw the syringe and then she squirmed the get away from it. She kept climbing inside my cardi to get away from it. [emoji1787]. Not going to lie i liked the cuddles.

She kept making a breathing sound through her nose. Never heard it before. Not sure if its cos she was annoyed or stressed?

After mainly failed attempts and worrying I was stressing her i syringed it onto her paws. She currently licking them to clean them. Is this ok? Or could it hurt her skin/fur?

I could go to tesco and get some supplies, like baby food. But not sure if she'd eat that with baytril let alone with it. ? Help

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[Craig 1965]

I'm sorry that her ladyship is not making things easy. There seems to be a battle of royal wills going on here. She's a nethie - they are quick learners and very intelligent with it.
You're doing all the right things and trying to be adaptive. I wish I had more ideas for you but I'm afraid everything I have to offer has already been suggested or you are trying.
Hugs to you. xx

 

[Mervinius]

I'm sorry that her ladyship is not making things easy. There seems to be a battle of royal wills going on here. She's a nethie - they are quick learners and very intelligent with it.
You're doing all the right things and trying to be adaptive. I wish I had more ideas for you but I'm afraid everything I have to offer has already been suggested or you are trying.
Hugs to you. xx

Thanks Craig. Yeah she's so smart and determined! I didnt realise a bun could squeeze inside my sleeve, but she managed it [emoji1787]. I thought only mice did that! Its not even a loose cardi.

I just gave her a teeny bit of banana. She ignored it for 30mins and then ate it. Yayyyy. So maybe I can put some baytril with that tomorrow [emoji848].

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[Scrappy's Little Helper]

Do you wrap her in a towel or big blanket when you out her between your knees? I have to do that with Fudgie otherwise she will wriggle away.

I can really empathise, it's such a struggle with stubborn, feisty buns. Snoopy is a dream in comparison. I can just wrap him in a blanket and sit comfortably on the sofa while I give him the syringe. Admittedly, he does destroy the syringes and bite me at every opportunity, but at least I don't have to chase him round the flat!