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Syringe feeding tips?

Graciee

Graciee

Moderator
Staff member
I've obviously done it far too many times before, but I think it's been a year since I last did? And I don't remember Atticus spitting quite so much out last time.. [emoji849]

Anyone got any tips or things they do, or ways they do it? Or consistency tips?

I'm case I'm missing something really obvious, that'd make it easier for us both [emoji38]

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Graciee said:
I've obviously done it far too many times before, but I think it's been a year since I last did? And I don't remember Atticus spitting quite so much out last time.. [emoji849]

Anyone got any tips or things they do, or ways they do it? Or consistency tips?

I'm case I'm missing something really obvious, that'd make it easier for us both [emoji38]

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

c'mon atti boy, stop giving your mum a hard time. With consistency I think it varies between bunnies what they like but I generally go for as thick as I can syringe. Serve warm. Have you tried moistened / wet dual care from a saucer? A burrito might help him feel more secure. I don't expect any of this is new. Sorry you've more stress :( My only other tip is big syringe so you don't have to keep refilling but who knows - maybe some buns put off by big syringes & worth trying smaller one
 
I can only really echo what J&B has said: a warm mixture and as thick as you can get through the syringe. I also do it in very small amounts as a time, take the syringe out to allow them to chew and swallow each time. It takes longer but it does mean very little gets dribbled or spat out.

Position also seems important. Fudgie is much more cooperative with all four feet on the floor, wedged in between my legs. Snoopy will only take syringe feeds sitting upright.

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joey&boo said:
c'mon atti boy, stop giving your mum a hard time. With consistency I think it varies between bunnies what they like but I generally go for as thick as I can syringe. Serve warm. Have you tried moistened / wet dual care from a saucer? A burrito might help him feel more secure. I don't expect any of this is new. Sorry you've more stress :( My only other tip is big syringe so you don't have to keep refilling but who knows - maybe some buns put off by big syringes & worth trying smaller one
Click to expand...

Yeaa he's being tricky, I normally do it as thick as I can syringe, but he keeps spitting blobs out, I might try it runnier next time and see if he prefers it that way. How do you serve it warm? Sorry if that's a silly question [emoji38] yea he won't take it dry in pellet form or moistened atm, won't eat anything really.

He's happy in a towel or out of one tbh, he's pretty okay with it all, just some falls out his mouth, he is chewing the rest though and swallowing the rest. Yea I tried a big 50ml ones which I normally use, and a smaller 15ml one, no difference really.. I think I'll try changing consistency.

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Scrappy's Little Helper said:
I can only really echo what J&B has said: a warm mixture and as thick as you can get through the syringe. I also do it in very small amounts as a time, take the syringe out to allow them to chew and swallow each time. It takes longer but it does mean very little gets dribbled or spat out.

Position also seems important. Fudgie is much more cooperative with all four feet on the floor, wedged in between my legs. Snoopy will only take syringe feeds sitting upright.

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Click to expand...

Oh yea I squirt a bit in and remove the syringe whilst he chews, when he's finished repeat, takes about 20 minutes in total to do 15ml [emoji51][emoji51] also he still spits it out [emoji849]

Atticus normally has his back feet on the floor and his front two resting on my hand. So his front is every so slightly lifted up compared to where his front feet would put him.. If that makes sense [emoji849][emoji38]

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The RWAF say you can mix the food with a small amount of pureed fruit/vegetable baby food to make it slightly more pleasant, which will also help to get a better consistency. Just make sure you get one that's not got added nasties, e.g. go for deliciously ella brand ones.

To be honest, whenever I've had to syringe feed my buns, I've never been too worried about getting the full volume the pack recommends down them. When they start to get too distressed/fight back, I will ease off. As long as I get something in them frequently, it's better than nothing. I would worry if it lasted more than a couple of days though.
 
I am having trouble syringing Dennis. We tried the shreddies, ellas kitchen, he is now refusing metacam on apple pieces. We have started syringing the metacam, sulfitrim and Ellas kitchen together. However now Dennis is really frightened of us which means he is spending most of the day hiding from us. He's got really funny about food as I have tried to trick him with all his favorite foods so now he's refusing them. He's eating fresh and hay when I have cleared off but he's not eating dry, treats or glucosamine biccie anymore. He doesn't like wet stickyness of metacam I think. I feel sad because I don't want him hiding away from me for the rest of his life :(

One minute silence for Toby who used to eat his heart tablet raw from your hand

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loobers25 said:
I am having trouble syringing Dennis. We tried the shreddies, ellas kitchen, he is now refusing metacam on apple pieces. We have started syringing the metacam, sulfitrim and Ellas kitchen together. However now Dennis is really frightened of us which means he is spending most of the day hiding from us. He's got really funny about food as I have tried to trick him with all his favorite foods so now he's refusing them. He's eating fresh and hay when I have cleared off but he's not eating dry, treats or glucosamine biccie anymore. He doesn't like wet stickyness of metacam I think. I feel sad because I don't want him hiding away from me for the rest of his life :(

One minute silence for Toby who used to eat his heart tablet raw from your hand

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Click to expand...

:cry: Frosty was similar post dental stasis when we had to give him lots of meds, it’s awful isn’t it :cry: it’s at times like this I wish we could talk to them. We found it worked better to bring him out of the rabbit room to somewhere less familiar, I would hold him on my knee in the burrito and my daughter used to do the syringing of the meds. Then as the week went on she realised it was easier for her to do it all while holding him so she became the bad guy !

Bless Toby :love:
 
Aww Toby, what a star :love: Aboleth was a syringe queen on the one night I had to do it as well, such a good girl :love:

Lopsy was a total nightmare, we couldn't syringe him after 4-5 days (we only managed 36hrs, our less rabbit-savvy but more animal-experienced friends having done the days beforehand!). Thankfully we only needed to get baytril and metacam in him: the baytril we used the fenugreek crunchie trick (which we've used since as well) and the metacam we managed with a plastic spoon. He seems less uncooperative these days though (mellowed in is middle age!) but I fear he'll be more like Dennis next time :S

The very best of luck xx
 
Zoobec said:
:cry: Frosty was similar post dental stasis when we had to give him lots of meds, it’s awful isn’t it :cry: it’s at times like this I wish we could talk to them. We found it worked better to bring him out of the rabbit room to somewhere less familiar, I would hold him on my knee in the burrito and my daughter used to do the syringing of the meds. Then as the week went on she realised it was easier for her to do it all while holding him so she became the bad guy !

Bless Toby :love:
Click to expand...
I was going to suggest this, plus just keep doing it, calmly go get him take him out, burrito, syringe, take him back then animated treat noises/actions, like that's over, who wants a treat? :D quickly mine get into a routine, and then they start demanding the treat after [emoji38]

Sorry Dennis isn't taking it well :( it's tough when you're just trying to help them x

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I agree with Zoobec & Graicee. Sometimes all you can do is pick em up, medicate them with them as little fuss as possible & hope they get in to the routine. I'm doing this twice daily with R&M & will be for life so they've no option but to get on with it. Once Denny has finished his sulphatrim & its just metacam I'm sure it'll be much better. My Ralph was like Toby :love: he used to eat steroid tablets from my hand. i was thinking of Toby "frisking your dressing gown" for metacam only last night
 
Thank you every bun. The problem is with Dennis is that he's very clever and switched on. He remembers!

Why is it better to take him out of the room? It only takes us about three seconds to do it but the sulking now is all day long. Maple is begging for the syringe. She's so greedy just like her bunny mum

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joey&boo said:
at 20kg twice daily I'm thinking how can he still be alive & wow, Loobers must be rolling in it

is he on 0.2ml twice daily? or 2 ml?
Click to expand...
It's up to 20 on that syringe. I don't know what that coverts to in a smaller one. Do you think its a lot?

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47323191719dffca3f882eb3cf9fb0da.jpg
 
If he is on a small enough dose I reckon you could hide his metacam in these once they are broken open.
https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/rabbit-treats/nutri-care-treat-ums-by-mark-and-chappell
They are really strong smelling (apple), I didn't care for them myself but the buns go wild. It isn't the sort of treat I'd normally buy. I used to give Mousey her metacam in them. I wouldn't try with anything other drugs though. Metacam is quite tasty & I'm sure the apple would overpower that easily.
 
loobers25 said:
It's up to 20 on that syringe. I don't know what that coverts to in a smaller one. Do you think its a lot?

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47323191719dffca3f882eb3cf9fb0da.jpg
Click to expand...

That syringe is for getting it out of the bottle then there is a 1ml syringe to measure it out to bunnies prescribed dose x
 
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