Giving medication - tips please

[Jolysium]

Hi,

Harribunny, who will be 11 on Friday and has arthritis in his jaw making him very sore around the mouth, has a probable UTI. He’s been prescribed baytril. Historically he’s taken it on some banana but he’s refusing. He puts up such a fight if I try to bunrito him because it’s really painful for him if I have to grab his mouth to squirt it in. Has anyone got any ideas for how to get it down him please?

Thanks for any help!

[mini lop1]

Are there any other fruits or veg he will eat that you could put the baytril on or on a pellet would be eat that or would he know

[InspectorMorse]

Agree with Mini lop1, try mixing it in other foods such as grated carrot and apple. Baytril can be given by injection, but good injection skills are needed to avoid the common side effect of ‘ Baytril Burn’. So the Vet might only agree to injections if you take him in to the Surgery every day to have it done.

Baytril does smell and taste awful, so the Vet might agree to changing the abx to Co-Trimoxazole which is effective for UTIs and it smells and tastes like banana.

[bunny momma]

I did injections before when oral was not readily available. Some bunnies got the Bunny burn Jane mentioned.

Try to suck up correct dose of baytril, then suck up something bunny would like to eat. Also, if you put syringe in mouth slightly to side you avoid incisors syringe which may be more comfortable. I use a 1ml/cc oral syringe.

[Jolysium]

Thanks everyone, I will try the grated treats option. Want to leave having to physically give it him myself to last resort so I don’t have to hold his mouth open and potentially cause more problems by hurting his jaw.

[InspectorMorse]

Thanks everyone, I will try the grated treats option. Want to leave having to physically give it him myself to last resort so I don’t have to hold his mouth open and potentially cause more problems by hurting his jaw.

If you use a 1ml syringe you shouldn’t need to hold his mouth open. You just gently push the syringe into the side of his mouth in the gap just behind his incisors

[Jolysium]

He's too much of a squirmer, he won't stay still unless you hold him - even fully bunritoed he manages to move his head to avoid it

[InspectorMorse]

Is there someone who can hold him so you have two hands free. One to keep his head still and the other to administer the meds ?

[Jolysium]

Yes, we're failing even with two of us - one of us holding him, the other trying to keep his head still and push syringe in - he just really, really doesn't want you to touch his head and will fight tooth and nail to prevent you getting the syringe anywhere near. Even the vet and vet nurse have struggled and although they did manage I think they ended up just grabbing his head really hard which hurt him I know he needs the medicine but I also don't want him to stop eating because his jaw hurts again. Will be offering medicine-laced grated treats later and will report back how it goes!

[InspectorMorse]

Yes, we're failing even with two of us - one of us holding him, the other trying to keep his head still and push syringe in - he just really, really doesn't want you to touch his head and will fight tooth and nail to prevent you getting the syringe anywhere near. Even the vet and vet nurse have struggled and although they did manage I think they ended up just grabbing his head really hard which hurt him I know he needs the medicine but I also don't want him to stop eating because his jaw hurts again. Will be offering medicine-laced grated treats later and will report back how it goes!

If he won’t eat any food with Baytril in I would request having it administered by injection.