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penicilin injections

C

carolinej

Young Bun
hi,
i have posted alot recently about my rabbit ben who was found to have a ?tumour on his foot. we finally got the results of the biopsy today and thankfully it may be curable. i didnt write down the exact diagnosis but it is a tumorous region caused by a bacterial infection. although he has been on baytil for a while now it is not the right treatment and so the vet wants to try daily penicilin injections. he is going to teach me how to do this myself at home to save going back there every day. what are the problems or side effects of penicilin and how can i reduce them? i was thinking of using a probiotic as a starting point? thanks
 
Most buns have penicillin fine, but there is an amount that have bad gut reactions with it.

My Inca has been on daily penicillin injections, she coped really well with it. I just gave her probiotics daily.

The first few times you give the injections is a bit hard, but you get used to it and you know that if it is helping bun then you just have to do it!

Good luck xx
 
This medication may could cause balmy diarrhea, abdomen upset, nausea, airsickness or affliction at bang website during the aboriginal few canicule as your physique adjusts to the medication. If these affection abide or worsen, acquaint your doctor.
 
Side effects will depend on the type of penicillin used...avoid ampicillin and amoxicillin because they can cause potentially fatal gut problems in rabbits.
Gut reactions to the safer injectable penicillins are rare (thankfully).

A member on here had a bun who developed a skin reaction at the injection site, but again this is rare.
 
Probiotics are probably a good idea. I would also make sure that the bun is on a good, high fibre diet, avoid sugary/starchy treats (fruits, carrot, corn etc), stick to leafy green vegetables, grass and hay alongside the normal food. This will minimise the risk of any disruption to the gut flora. Keep a close eye out for any change in poops and if you see any, especially diarrhoea, I would stop the penicillin (until directed otherwise by your vet) and contact your vet straight away, just in case it is related.

I'm sure your vet will talk you through this anyway, but no harm in repeating these things - I spend many days driving back to the vets for extra injections where I had initially really struggled, and this lot really helped:

On injecting, I have found that the best method is to sit on a dining chair with bun on my lap as there's nowhere for the bun to run away, pinch the scruff with thumb and middle finger, then use index finger to poke a dent into the bit of scruff that you have picked up. You then have a nice divot just under your index finger to guide the needle in with. When you think the needle is well in, give the syringe itself a gentle pull back...if it's in the right place, it should be in a vacuum and suck itself back to the initial position. If it stays out, then either the needle is in too far and has poked out the other side (done that :oops:), isn't in far enough (done that too :oops:) or the needle isn't pushed hard enough onto the syringe and air is getting in the gap (done that too :oops:)

Sometimes the vet likes to give a slightly larger needle than usual with penicillin as they can be quite thick solutions - don't be afraid to ask to try a different one if you are struggling with one type. It's also best with penicillin to use a fresh needle to inject with rather than the one the injection is drawn up with, as they need to be kept in the fridge and the needles can block easily, and also a fresh needle will be sharper, so easier to inject.

Good luck!
 
Santa said:
It's also best with penicillin to use a fresh needle to inject with rather than the one the injection is drawn up with, as they need to be kept in the fridge and the needles can block easily, and also a fresh needle will be sharper, so easier to inject.
Click to expand...

I have never kept my penicillin in the fridge, Vet doesnt keep the bottle in the fridge at the practice either......should i be?
 
thankyou - i had not even thought about the logistics of actually giving the injection yet!! As for the diet he is on oxbow T with unlimited hay and daily mixed veggies which i will limit to greens and leaves from now on. i already use vetark pro-C too so hopefully that will help. is there a better probiotic than this that i could try?
 
Kermit said:
I have never kept my penicillin in the fridge, Vet doesnt keep the bottle in the fridge at the practice either......should i be?
Click to expand...

Maybe it depends which one it is, there are lots of different brands/types etc. Certainly the one I have used (depocillin) needs to be stored in a fridge. Here's the data sheet for it:

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Int...00_mg_ml_Suspension_for_injection/-28791.html

Duphapen, however, just says store below 25 degrees (even that's tricky at the moment out of a fridge!) so it's probably ok out most of the time.
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Animalcare_Limited/Penacare_Injection/-33478.html
 
i have just returned from the vets. he gave the first dose and showed me how to do it. it seems straight forward enough so i am not worried about that. HOWEVER, the medication is benzylpenicilin and since i have come home i have read on internet that it should not be given to rabbits!! anyone know anything about this??
 
It might be an old site you're reading, or it might be referring to giving it orally. It can kill if given orally but is fine given by injection. It's not the 'safest' of all antibiotics but it is not hugely dangerous either and now quite commonly used and is recommended as the most appropriate treatment in some circumstances such as for syphillis or abscesses.

The most usual penicillin given to buns is depocillin and this is benzylpenicillin: http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Int...00_mg_ml_Suspension_for_injection/-28787.html

I don't think you need to panic :)
 
thankyou for your fast replies. i was beginning to panic but you have put my mind at rest a bit. they currently have pro-c in their water daily but will this be enough now he is on a stronger antibiotic?
 
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