Where to buy saline for nebulising/which one to go for? - Solved

[~ILoveMyBunny~]

Hi all, sorry to be a pest with a second thread, and I'm really sorry this is probably a stupid question.. Lunar saw the exotics vet yesterday and she's been given salbutamol for nebulising with 4ml saline 2-3 x a day in addition to 1 session daily with 10ml saline and 0.04ml f10 that she's been having up until now.
Problem is I didn't think, I had plenty of saline left for when it was just the f10 but now with doing the salbutamol 2-3 x a day that's another 12ml being used daily.. I'm going to run out long before her next recheck.
I can't go all the way to Cardiff to get more from the vet (it's about £130-£140 by taxi each time :shock - it's possible the vet might be able to put some up at the local vet surgery (they somewhat work together as she runs a clinic there from time to time) but I feel really bad bothering her with it.
Is there somewhere I can buy it online? I just opened the last 100ml bag yesterday and have used 14ml so far so hopefully have time to get it through the post if I'm fast but I don't know where it's best to get it or which one to go for.
What she's currently using is this:
https://www.dechra.co.uk/admin/publ...es/placeholder-image.png&Width=600&Quality=75
except the 100ml version, but although I can find it for sale online it's prescription only.
The human ones I've seen say 0.9%.. is that the same?
Sorry if this is a really stupid and obvious question
Thanks!

 

[Shimmer]

You can get 0.9% vials of saline for nebulisers on Amazon. It may be better value to get a bag from the vet when you are there, but at least you have options. Can they courier it to you? Still cheaper than a taxi fare.

I presume local pahrmacies will be able to supply it in either the vials or bags, even if the vet has to send a private prescription through.

 

[~ILoveMyBunny~]

You can get 0.9% vials of saline for nebulisers on Amazon. It may be better value to get a bag from the vet when you are there, but at least you have options. Can they courier it to you? Still cheaper than a taxi fare.

I presume local pahrmacies will be able to supply it in either the vials or bags, even if the vet has to send a private prescription through.

Are the 0.9% ones okay? I saw them this morning and was wondering if they would be okay as I have Prime at the moment and can get them next day. They said 9g sodium chloride on the back vs the 9mg in the Vetivex. I'm not very good at working out mg vs g etc. Or would it not matter too much for this purpose? If so I could grab the Amazon ones to get me out of trouble for now then ask the vet when I speak to her for more bags. I suspect she may be on this for a while, if not longterm. Salbutamol is a trial at the moment.
I think it will be cheaper to get from the vet as you say, from what I've seen the human ones are about twice the price - assuming my maths are right (most of the time they're not :lol - was looking at these or similar: https://www.amazon.co.uk/KNOXZY-Iso...1680010755&sprefix=saline+nebui,aps,78&sr=8-1
Courier might be an option, though if Lunar's on it for a while I might see if they're willing to sell me a good few bags at a time and pick it up whenever she's having a recheck.
Unfortunately even getting to a local pharmacy is difficult for me and most of the time would require a taxi. There isn't one for a couple of miles where we live
She did seem to respond well to the salbutamol this morning, her breathing seemed a lot better so hopefully it will help her.

Thank you so much Shimmer xx

 

[SarahP]

The only time I've used saline in my nebuliser, I got bags from the vet. I wish I had an empty one to see what it said on there for you!

 

[Shimmer]

0.9% is the same as the 9mg / ml that you had in the original bag. Just has chemist daughter double check as my brain is rusty.

 

[Shimmer]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Physiodose...18-8be6-4a1064c279a6&pd_rd_i=B00VMADU6I&psc=1

I think these are suitable. Bit better value and bigger vials. I would get another opinion before you commit, though - there's not much detail on the pack.

A lot of the vials are specifically for nebulisers so will be fine, although there seem to be 2 concentrations (0.9% and 7%).

 

[~ILoveMyBunny~]

Thank you so much Shimmer! And SarahP also.
I called the vet this morning but the phone line was absolutely terrible. I feel so embarassed as she could barely hear me. I think it might be the weather, it's bad here today.
From what I could make out it sounds like the 0.9% are okay so I've ordered some from amazon (these which were the best price I could find considering I need enough for 2 weeks!: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B26FWYVC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ). She did say I could try the local vet but I phoned and they won't give it to me without a prescription.
Hopefully this will get us out of trouble for now. Going forward if she's on this longterm I'll ask for a prescription so I can either get it at the local vet or, ideally, online. If she doesn't mind doing the bigger bags it could be a lot cheaper too. £5.99 for 500ml from Hyperdrug-! And similar on Viovet. Even with the prescription charge I think that will be a lot better. Or she might be able to get me a good supply when I'm there, we'll see.

Anyway, problem solved for now.

It's hard to tell how Lunar's doing. She's not really improved overall but her breathing does seem a little better after the salbutamol for a little while. Just not that long. In general I'd say she's about the same.
Hopefully with time it might improve.
She's had a swab done as she sneezed and had some whitish discharge whilst at the vet (thank goodness the vet thought quickly and managed to grab it before Lunar wiped it all off!). Might not show anything but at the same time just might give us an answer. She tested positive for Bordetella when she was a few months old and had sneezing issues back then. Just weird that she's had no trouble for a good 7+yrs since then.

Thank you so much again for all of your help! xx

 

[InspectorMorse]

Thank you so much Shimmer! And SarahP also.
I called the vet this morning but the phone line was absolutely terrible. I feel so embarassed as she could barely hear me. I think it might be the weather, it's bad here today.
From what I could make out it sounds like the 0.9% are okay so I've ordered some from amazon (these which were the best price I could find considering I need enough for 2 weeks!: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B26FWYVC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ). She did say I could try the local vet but I phoned and they won't give it to me without a prescription.
Hopefully this will get us out of trouble for now. Going forward if she's on this longterm I'll ask for a prescription so I can either get it at the local vet or, ideally, online. If she doesn't mind doing the bigger bags it could be a lot cheaper too. £5.99 for 500ml from Hyperdrug-! And similar on Viovet. Even with the prescription charge I think that will be a lot better. Or she might be able to get me a good supply when I'm there, we'll see.

Anyway, problem solved for now.

It's hard to tell how Lunar's doing. She's not really improved overall but her breathing does seem a little better after the salbutamol for a little while. Just not that long. In general I'd say she's about the same.
Hopefully with time it might improve.
She's had a swab done as she sneezed and had some whitish discharge whilst at the vet (thank goodness the vet thought quickly and managed to grab it before Lunar wiped it all off!). Might not show anything but at the same time just might give us an answer. She tested positive for Bordetella when she was a few months old and had sneezing issues back then. Just weird that she's had no trouble for a good 7+yrs since then.

Thank you so much again for all of your help! xx

Many Rabbits are asymptomatic carriers of Bordetella. Testing the mucus might give a false negative as usually swabs need to be taken from deep within the nasal passages whilst the Rabbit is sedated. The mucus itself can be sterile. If infection is on the lungs then sometimes a lung lavage via a bronchoscope can be done to get a sample of secretions. But it’s a case of weighing up risks v benefits. Any respiratory compromised Rabbit is going to be a high risk case for sedation/GA.

How are you giving the Salbutamol ? The best way is via a nebuhaler.

 

[~ILoveMyBunny~]

Many Rabbits are asymptomatic carriers of Bordetella. Testing the mucus might give a false negative as usually swabs need to be taken from deep within the nasal passages whilst the Rabbit is sedated. The mucus itself can be sterile. If infection is on the lungs then sometimes a lung lavage via a bronchoscope can be done to get a sample of secretions. But it’s a case of weighing up risks v benefits. Any respiratory compromised Rabbit is going to be a high risk case for sedation/GA.

How are you giving the Salbutamol ? The best way is via a nebuhaler.

Yes, she did say it might not show anything. But worth a try just in case. She's also getting it tested for sensitivity to engemycin. Again, might not show anything but hey it's worth a try. Anything that could potentially help at this point without putting her at risk has to be worth it. Up until now her discharge has been mostly clear when she's sneezed (only a trace of white once before some weeks back).
At the moment her breathing is taking a lot of effort. I can see why she'd be very high risk for sedation. If it becomes the only option we won't have a choice but that the moment I'm just hoping we can avoid it. I can't help but feel it would be a very bad outcome to sedate her at the moment. We already lost Cody in Jan under GA, it's a very scary thought.

Salbutamol is in a 2.5ml vial, 0.5ml is taken out and mixed with 4ml saline in the nebuliser 3 x a day. Carrier is wrapped in cling film, then a towel over the door leaving a small gap for ventilation. Medication is put in the cup without the mask attached.
I've not heard of a nebuhaler before. Google shows it being used with an inhaler though? The medication we have is in vials for nebulising, not an inhaler.

It's hard to say for certain but I think she might be responding well to the salbutamol. She's quite bright and relatively normal in herself (gets exhausted after a sneezing session but that's understandable). I took her somewhere she'd be less comfortable for her injection yesterday and managed to get it all in. She flinched again but not with the violent jerking movement that knocked the needle out last time. I think we're just going to have to do a tour of the house and find new and interesting places to try to make her distracted so she cooperates for the injections :roll:

Thanks Jane xxx

 

[InspectorMorse]

Yes, she did say it might not show anything. But worth a try just in case. She's also getting it tested for sensitivity to engemycin. Again, might not show anything but hey it's worth a try. Anything that could potentially help at this point without putting her at risk has to be worth it. Up until now her discharge has been mostly clear when she's sneezed (only a trace of white once before some weeks back).
At the moment her breathing is taking a lot of effort. I can see why she'd be very high risk for sedation. If it becomes the only option we won't have a choice but that the moment I'm just hoping we can avoid it. I can't help but feel it would be a very bad outcome to sedate her at the moment. We already lost Cody in Jan under GA, it's a very scary thought.

Salbutamol is in a 2.5ml vial, 0.5ml is taken out and mixed with 4ml saline in the nebuliser 3 x a day. Carrier is wrapped in cling film, then a towel over the door leaving a small gap for ventilation. Medication is put in the cup without the mask attached.
I've not heard of a nebuhaler before. Google shows it being used with an inhaler though? The medication we have is in vials for nebulising, not an inhaler.

It's hard to say for certain but I think she might be responding well to the salbutamol. She's quite bright and relatively normal in herself (gets exhausted after a sneezing session but that's understandable). I took her somewhere she'd be less comfortable for her injection yesterday and managed to get it all in. She flinched again but not with the violent jerking movement that knocked the needle out last time. I think we're just going to have to do a tour of the house and find new and interesting places to try to make her distracted so she cooperates for the injections :roll:

Thanks Jane xxx

Hopefully the salbutamol is helping. Sending lots of vibes for her x

 

[~ILoveMyBunny~]

Thank you so much xxx