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Tramadol - How to administer

H

happybunny

Mama Doe
Hi all,

I know quite a few people have rabbits on tramadol and I was wondering how you get them to take it? Rupert has been prescribed 25mg twice daily and I am crushing the tablet and mixing with juice but he will not take it. It is sooooo bitter. He spits a lot of it out.

He has kidney issues so can not have Metacam (which he loves and he loves the sementra).

Thanks in advance.

Rachel
 
happybunny said:
Hi all,

I know quite a few people have rabbits on tramadol and I was wondering how you get them to take it? Rupert has been prescribed 25mg twice daily and I am crushing the tablet and mixing with juice but he will not take it. It is sooooo bitter. He spits a lot of it out.

He has kidney issues so can not have Metacam (which he loves and he loves the sementra).

Thanks in advance.

Rachel
Click to expand...

Can you try mixing it with some veg baby food or banana puree? They are all thicker than juice and probably more likely to disguise the bitter taste of the Tramadol

https://shop.ellaskitchen.co.uk/collections/first-tastes/products/carrots-carrots-carrots

https://shop.ellaskitchen.co.uk/collections/first-tastes/products/parsnips-parsnips-parsnips

https://shop.ellaskitchen.co.uk/collections/baby-food-from-4-months/products/carrots-apples-parsnips

https://shop.ellaskitchen.co.uk/collections/baby-food-from-4-months/products/spinach-apples-swedes

https://shop.ellaskitchen.co.uk/collections/first-tastes/products/bananas-bananas-bananas
 
happybunny said:
Hi all,

I know quite a few people have rabbits on tramadol and I was wondering how you get them to take it? Rupert has been prescribed 25mg twice daily and I am crushing the tablet and mixing with juice but he will not take it. It is sooooo bitter. He spits a lot of it out.

He has kidney issues so can not have Metacam (which he loves and he loves the sementra).

Thanks in advance.

Rachel
Click to expand...

I usually mix bitter tasting meds with some Ella's Kitchen baby food pouches. Bananas, or bananas and apples are quite good. You can vary the flavours - apple carrot and parsnip is another.

Good luck xx
 
Thank you both :)

I just tried the spinach, apples and swede one (I had it in the cupboard from a recent syringe feed episode from another bunny) and he would not take it without the tramadol. He is not a big fruit fan, he likes leaves. I will buy a couple of other flavours and see if they are any better.

The vet has suggested buprecare as an alternative

Thanks again - really appreacited.
 
happybunny said:
Thank you both :)

I just tried the spinach, apples and swede one (I had it in the cupboard from a recent syringe feed episode from another bunny) and he would not take it without the tramadol. He is not a big fruit fan, he likes leaves. I will buy a couple of other flavours and see if they are any better.

The vet has suggested buprecare as an alternative

Thanks again - really appreacited.
Click to expand...

Buprecare may well make him a bit drowsy. One member on here had success with orange juice in the syringe :thumb: But there again if he's not a fruit fan ...

You could puree whatever he likes veggie or leaf wise, strain it so it goes through the sieve, and use that?
 
Can you get the capsules. We had capsules for Zeke and mixed it with his septrin ( or any tasty food) and syringed it in, be easier that a tablet.
 
I tried a capsule and the contents taste the same. If it was not as strong a taste I think I could get it in him with water or even with his sementra.

I have tried 2 more flavours of baby food without tramadol and he will not take it. :(
 
my bunnies were on injectable tramadol :shock: had I known it was in tablet form I'd have requested that but if you are comfortable injecting them maybe that might be an option? Many rabbits love fenugreek, maybe add a pinch of powder to the veg puree. I hope Rupert is ok (is he a B&W bun?)
 
Have you tried putting it in the fridge, the cold tends to 'lose' the taste so it may not taste as bad. I do this with baytril.
 
Mini has the drops, she takes it syringed into her mouth ok, especially as she knows she gets her metacam afterwards :thumb:
 
Thank you for all you replies. They have been most helpful.

I will try the fridge trick tomorrow (never heard of it before). I will also ask the vet about an injectable version (I did not know there was one). I am more than happy to inject. I do not want to have to stress him out twice a day for what ever time he has left with us.

He has a cystic kidney and the other is not functioning properly. He was supposed to be a cross rex but he is more a cross conti. He used to be a little over weight at 6kg and he is now 3.8kg. He is wildie brown in colour.

Thanks again for all your comments and support. x
 
When I have had buns on tramadol I have put the crushed tablet into a tiny piece of wholemeal bread. ALL my bunnies love bread but it isn't something they get generally as I know it is not good for them. The buns I have had who have been prescribed tramadol have all been bunnies who weren't going to recover so I didn't feel bad about letting them have a small piece of bread because it meant they ate the tramadol. My Bridge bun, Cherry, did start to eat around the tablet so I then started putting it in a piece of herb or dandelion leaf, which seemed to work as long as I had the time to watch to make sure she ate it, and not her husbun instead. (I mean the husbun eating the tramadol, not Cherry eating the husbun:oops:)
 
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