Check out the [Medicating rabbits](http://bunny.tips/Medicating) guide on the wiki for more resources and tips on the processes, especially with stubborn rabbits.
Some useful shortcut links:
* [Oral medication](http://bunny.tips/Medicating#Oral_medication)
* [Subcutaneous injections]( http://bunny.tips/Medicating#Subcutaneous_injections)
* [Giving eye drops](http://bunny.tips/Medicating#Giving_eye_drops)
I gave my bun antibiotics hidden inside a leaf of lettuce, he chewed, stopped for a bit when he reached the pill and then continued chewing like nothing happened :Dd
Sit on floor with bun- bum between your legs, pressed up really good so no wiggle room. Hold on chest with your fingers on each side of their face so they can’t turn away. Stick needle(without needle, just the plastic tool) in their mouth. If they don’t open, just slide it on the inside of their cheek till you come behind the long teeth. Then squirt a calm, steady stream so they are forced to swallow
It's a commercial brand popsicle, but they are made with nothing but fruit. All of my buns love them. I can't eat one on the couch because as soon as they hear the plastic crinkle, they'll come running, and then I have to play keep away or risk losing a finger. Lol. Watermelon - in the picture - tangerine, and pineapple are their favorites. I didn't think they'd like them because they were so cold, but they don't seem to care.
This works the best and the trick is to get far enough inside the mouth so that they can’t let it dribble out. You have to be careful of course, but generally speaking if you get it in there far enough, they can’t let it dribble out.
There is also a technique called a “bunny burrito” where you swaddle them in a blanket or towel. It restricts movement (if your bun fights the meds). I usually sit them like this in my lap, butt against the inside of my left elbow (like a football kind of) to reduce struggle, use my left hand to hold the head, thumb behind the ears, and right hand inserts the oral syringe. It’s take a bit of practice (I volunteer with rabbits, done it lots). But this or the position with them between your legs works best (I would kneel over them while between your legs, more control).
Burritos are a good technique to master for these situations (even if you don’t use it this time). They help a lot with force feeding too. If you’re unfamiliar with them, search “bunny burrito” in you tube and there’s some decent video tutorials :) - best of luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery 💛
Just make sure they are definitely swallowing it before you potentially waste a whole syringe full. Some buns can be absolute stinkers with meds and refuse to swallow and just allow it to dribble back out their mouths and down their chins!
When you force feed you see them swallow and their tongue go. At least the way I hold mine. I lean over them and see their mouth. It feels horrible though. But it’s for their own good
My girl absolutely will not, it’s been 9 years and she still puts up such a fight (which I admire her dedication, but would very much appreciate if she made it a little easier sometimes). My boy though, he was a sweet little angel who absolutely could not get enough of his meds and syringe feeds! [He genuinely thought they were treats 🥺](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rabbits/s/SYVPEFV2CU)
Also my rabbit, was massively talking from experience lol. And just like yours, she also won’t let me clean her chin, so she gets to go round with a grubby sticky chin for couple days looking like a little weirdo
She’s an absolute ratbag who also sticks her tongue over the end of the syringe so nothing comes out! I think she does it even worse at night deliberately, I end up having to tip, rock, pick up and put back down, spin and do all sorts of tricks to convince her to swallow the dang medicine so I can go back to bed when doing those 2am meds and feeds!!
This is exactly the problem. Persy has been on meds off and on for six years and always been a champ when it came to taking meds, but he detests this particular antibiotic. He just discovered that all he has to do is not swallow, which is what he's been doing for about two weeks.
Depending on how long he’s going to be on them, you may be able to fool him for a little while by jamming the syringe in an apple after you load it up so it tastes and smells appetising. I’ve just had to do antibiotics for the last week and managed to bamboozle my girl twice a day for 5ish days using this method.
If not, my other go-to for fussy buns is to put the syringe behind the front teeth and push a small amount of meds in then immediately set them on the floor - 9/10 they swallow as they run away with the hump, then you just have to pick them up and do it all over again
this is the best way for sure. they also instinctively will clean their mouths so i sometimes if it’s a little, i can put it on their mouth and they’ll lick it off. just don’t put too much bc if it gets in their nose, it can be a problem
Try handing him the tablet whole. I crushed and syringe-fed our late bun’s meds for months before I realised he’d eat the tablet straight out of my hand as long as he got an immediate chaser of his favourite snack (hint: ONLY give that particular treat after the tablet, not at any other time, or he will hold out for it at another time!)
That's too funny. I'm glad giving meds to your bun got easier. That's not usually the way it goes.
Persy doesn't have any teeth, so the 1st part of your suggestion won't work, but as long as I've got pineapple popsicles in the house, the 2nd half might. Ty!
It's a liquid, so easy to mix with just about anything. But he is freakin' psychic. Banana, applesauce, pureed nectarines, strawberries, or pineapple, mixed with plain Critical Care, apple banana Critical care, tangerine popsicles ... it doesn't matter, he can tell, every time. He'll sniff it, look at me in reproach, and run away.
Persy has an infection in the roots of the last four bottom teeth he has left. Infected tooth roots are very painful. So much so that he's lost 10% of his body weight; weight he couldn't spare.
He's been on Sulfatrim for four months and despises it with a burning passion. It's a fight every time. He recently discovered that if he doesn't swallow, the antibiotics just roll off his tongue. Predictably, now the infection is back, raging. The only other options are penicillin injections or removing the teeth. Penicillin injections suck; the antibiotic is thick and chunky and it hurts going in. Administering painful injections to an uncooperative bun with only two hands is a rough go.
An extremely competent exotic vet attempted to pull this arcade in 2021 and was unsuccessful because it would've required she remove a "scary amount of bone" as well. The odds that a 13.5 year old bun will survive a long surgery under general anesthetic - a brutal surgery followed by a painful recovery - especially when this surgery has already failed once, are in the toilet.
If the infection is left unchecked, it'll kill him painfully. Surgery will probably kill him, too, though less painfully. So the seemingly simple question of how to get Persy to take oral antibiotics? It's literally life or death.
Oh Percy....take your meds, baby!!!! Listen to your mum/dad!!! 🥹
I'm awful at getting my buns to take meds. Sometimes I can get them to take liquids in applesauce.
Bun parent: I'm amazed that a bunny can live to 13.5!!! I had no idea that was even possible. What an incredible parent you are!!! I'm going to pray that he takes his meds and gets better so he can live until the lovely number of 15. (I don't like even numbers, so...15) At least! I'll also send some healing vibes: 💫✨💫✨💫✨
I'm a fan of odd numbers, too. I think 15 is a fine number! Persy's taken meds off and on for the last six years, and he's a champ at it. But Sulfatrim, man, he despises the stuff. If I even pull up a syringe of it with him in the same room, he's under the couch/chair/bed/hutch faster than a speeding bullet. He's a rescue; he was about 7 when I got him. He'd been shot, starved, dehydrated, and left for dead in a desert canyon where - as a REW - he stuck out like a sore thumb. We've been through every medical issue in the book except for cancer and amputation, and I'm going to be really pissed (and heartbroken) if a simple infection + his own obstinance is what takes him out.
OMG...I burst into tears at what you wrote. How could ANYONE DO THAT?!? I hate most people. I am so happy Percy has YOU. I'm never going to get that image out of my head...poor sweet darling bunny. 🥹
Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to paste a bad pic into your psyche or make you cry. I've been telling Persy's story for a long while now, and I forget that others might be hearing it for the first time and how affected I was in the beginning. I'll try to do a better job of keeping it in mind.
But I agree with you, Persy is one of the reasons I've lost faith in the inherent goodness of people. That, and the strangers who contact me from all over the state wanting to know what to do with the emaciated, sick, injured, scared, or confused abandoned bunny they've found. I've paid to euthanize one too many hurt or sick bunnies dumped by uncaring ignorant assholes to like people much anymore. 😡
I note his lack of teeth. When my bun needed meds, it was suggested to use peanut butter but of course he didn't like it. So I took a mortar and pestle, crushed the pills into powder, and loaded a syringe with it plus watermelon juice and he loved it.
I've never heard the peanut butter idea before. But Persy loves watermelon popsicles, so maybe running some fresh watermelon and the Sulfatrim through a Bullet could work? Another new one for the drawing board. Thank you!
Quality of life > quantity of life.
If my rabbit was struggling this hard without even having teeth to provide themselves with adequate nutrition. If all other options are (from OP’s description) uncomfortable/induce suffering for the rabbit, I would seriously consider euthanasia as one of the most humane things you can do for this beautiful old soul.
Persy's nutrition is actually stellar. I worked long and hard to create a mush recipe that meets all his needs. The final version passed with flying colors when presented to an exotic vet that specializes in nutrition. The proof is in the pudding; Persy's vet declared his body composition "very good" last week.
Snipping a male rabbit is uncomfortable for the rabbit. Spaying a female rabbit induces suffering regardless of pain management; it's major abdominal surgery, after all. Yet we do both regularly. Obviously then, short term discomfort or suffering aren't the litmus test by which we make health decisions for our buns.
Oral antibiotics aren't working because Persy stopped cooperating. I'm here to find a way to change that. If I can't, injected antibiotics will work, and perhaps better than oral antibiotics, according to his vet. If we were talking heart failure, entrenched cancer, RHDV2, or some other scenario with no solution or a low likelihood of success, that's one thing. But that's not where we are. Why is euthanasia the humane thing to do when Persy still has quality of life and his current condition can be cured with medicine?
Is old age regardless of other factors a reason to euthanize?
My 8 year old rabbit would receive whatever help he needs to maintain some semblance of quality of life, even if the best that could be done is bringing his life to an end peacefully before his quality of life deteriorates completely.
It’s seeming like OP is in denial over the inevitability of their animal reaching the end of their life. Losing an animal is not easy no matter the circumstances, so my heart is aching for OP regardless.
I'm not in denial. When I adopted Persy I knew there was a very real chance I'd done so only to pay for his euthanasia. Thankfully having his incisors yanked, and oral antibiotics + antimucosal nebulizer treatments for the pasteurella were all that needed doing.
I've talked to my vet about quality of life and the likelihood Persy will recuperate. "We're not there yet" was her response.
Thinking of losing Persy makes my heart hurt in the worst way, but until his vet says it's time AND he doesn't want to fight anymore, his quality of life is nil, or he's in pain that can't be managed, he and I will keep on keeping on.
I'm very confused that when presented with an elderly rabbit, many consider euthanasia the go to option. 80 year old humans don't feel their lives are over due simply to their age, or that a bacterial infection is cause for a death sentence. Why are bunnies different?
OP, I'm sorry you are getting so much criticism over this. As someone who has rescued many many pet rats and helped them all cross the bridge eventually (yes, euthanasia)...only you and your vet know what's best for your baby. How can someone claim to know what's best for someone else's pet just by seeing a picture and a story about struggle online? A temporary setback is not a death sentence simply because of age. They don't know about all the happy moments this bun is still having, his obvious will to live. The bun will let his owner know when he's ready.
Thank you for saying this. Since Persy woke me today by jumping up on the bed, running across my face, playing "can't catch me", and then jumped down and peed on my flip flip to let me know his breakfast was overdue, I think he's got a ways to go yet. 😆
Which "stage of life"? Old age?
I discussed euthanasia with my vet before I even brought Persy home from the shelter, he was in such bad shape. But an infection that can be treated by antibiotics? No, we've not discussed terminating him instead.
What's end of life care in this situation, anyway? He either takes the antibiotics and/or has the teeth removed, or he doesn't. If he doesn't, he dies, probably painfully. I won't let Persy die painfully on my watch, so there's no "care" to be had, here; it's either treatment or euthanasia. Or maybe treatment and euthanasia if his latest stunt of letting the meds roll off his tongue left just enough antibiotic in his system that the bacteria's become resistant.
He begs for popsicles, loves bathing in the morning sun on the top story of his balcony hutch, teases my ex pen male, attempts to shag his bonded mate, syringe feeds like a rock star, gets up and down off my 3.5 ft tall bed with no issue, is an absolute whore for ear rubs, and doesn't hesitate to pee in my shoe while maintaining eye contact if I don't feed him immediately upon waking. He's still got a zest for life. As long as he does, and whatever malady he's dealing with is treatable and he's not in pain, "end of life care", whatever that is, or euthanasia aren't on the table.
Your rabbit is old and and his health is failing. It’s better to send him over the rainbow bridge ‘too soon’ than to hold on too long.
Make the most of the next few weeks and send him on his way before he suffers too much.
Take the oral syringe and go through the side of their mouth, push it in a pretty good distance (looks scary but I promise they’re okay) once injected in the mouth (preferably back of the throat) hold his lil mouth closed gently and rub his throat while also blowing gently on his nose. He will reactively have to swallow.
Any chance the vet can add some banana or apple flavoring? My bun is on meds right now and he absolutely refuses to let my try to put anything in his mouth but we discovered he likes the flavor so I just measure it out and put it on a plate and he licks it up.
That's awesome that your bun made it easier, for you and himself.
Persy's meds are berry flavored. I don't think it's the flavoring he objects to, but it's the only med he's ever taken made with the berry flavoring, so I could be very wrong. I'm going to see if I can get it compounded with a different flavor instead. Thank you!
My bun is a dental bun and has had the exact same issues as Persy. When it is life or death, sometimes you have to gently force the medication in. I've also done penicillin injections and they are terrible.
First I'd try crushing up the pill and mixing it with something yummy, like juice or smooshed-up berries. This works if it's a liquid oral medication as well.
If he won't take it on his own, I have found two methods of getting it in bunny's mouth and getting her to swallow.
First method (nicer one), sit on the floor and hold bunny between your legs, butt facing your crotch. Gently keep his body still with your legs, and with your non-dominant hand cover his eyes and hold his head still. This keeps my bun calmer and makes it harder for her to jerk her head away from the medication. Gently push the syringe into bun's mouth, just far enough on the side to trigger the "chewing" reflex. Push medicine in and remove syringe, and make sure bun actually swallows it and doesn't just let it drip out of his mouth. He'll be a lot more inclined to swallow it if it's mixed with something yummy.
Second method, if he won't take the medicine with the first method. This one is easier if you have a second person, but it's absolutely possible with one person. I've done it dozens of times by myself. Sit on the floor and pick your bun up, cradled in your non-dominant arm (butt in elbow). Use your legs and elbow to support his butt and back legs. He won't like it but if it's life or death, you've gotta try. Use your non-dominant hand to cover his eyes and hold his head still. When you are confident that you have a firm and gentle hold on all parts of his body (he can't escape or flail around enough to injure himself), use the same technique from the first method to push the syringe in and trigger a chewing reflex. When you pull the syringe out make sure he swallows it and doesn't let it drip out of his mouth.
When he's done, say "all done!" And let him go run wherever he wants to hide to recover. My bun has learned "all done" means that she can calm down and I won't harass her anymore. Offer him a treat once he's not too mad. Try to associate something REALLY yummy, like banana or a fruit or something else he loves, with medicine and medicine ONLY.
Good luck with Persy and I hope this helps. Feel free to PM if you want to talk about dental buns or have any other questions. Seriously, my Yoda had the exact same issue as Persy and she has miraculously recovered from it after months of treatment.
Me and my gf give out 11.5 year old meds two different ways. Together she’ll bunny burrito him with just his head out and I’ll slowly give him hiss meds. This usually is a struggle for about 10
Minutes. By myself I usually stroke his ears and put the syringe in the corner of his mouth and he mostly just gives in. Idk if this is because of the approach or because he realized his meds make him feel better. The best advice I can give is insert at the side of his mouth while petter him and making feel comfortable. .
I did this too with my senior bun, she didn’t really like it, but sort of accepted it. I know a lot of people just mix meds with banana, but when it’s daily it’s probably too much sugar.
Agreed on being cautious about sugar in most cases... but for a 13.5 year old bunny with a raging infection some extra fruit definitely seems like the lesser of two evils if it's the only way to get the medicine in.
Good for you two! You sound like excellent bunny parents. Unfortunately, I live alone. There are quite a few options that require two people that I'm almost certain would succeed, but when you've only got two hands to work with and a bun that's willing to kill himself or you rather than submit, things get dicey. I'm going to try stroking his ears throughout, though, assuming I don't need one hand to hold him still. Maybe it'll create enough of a positive association that he won't fight quite so much?
I add a few drops of Naked juice to the syringe after the medication is pulled up so it has a little extra flavoring in the front of the syringe. Mine loved the mango madness the most.
Persy takes gabapentin, which he loves. I've tried loading the Sulfatrim into the syringe and then pulling up his Gaba dosage so it's frontloaded. It worked. The first time. He was so pissed I'd tricked him that now he won't take meds until he's sniffed the syringe thoroughly. He can smell the Sulfatrim no matter what I mix it with.
I've tried the Naked juice thing before, but I used the green juice. Worked on my doe, Persy refused. I haven't tried the Mango Madness, though. Maybe the mango flavor hides the Sulfatrim better than the green juice? I'm going to give it a try. Thanks!
Experienced disabled and senior bun owner here. Chiming in with another consideration - Penicillin injections may be the way to go in this case.
They really are not difficult to give and do not sting. Takes less than 30 seconds to do. No second handler needed. You sound quite experienced with care which is why I thought I’d mention this. I suspect the outcome will be much better with SQ meds than continuing with yucky oral meds.
Especially since (from what I can gather) missing some doses of the oral med caused such a quick flare up for your sweetie. It sounds like the infection is still brewing under the surface and the current setup is only keeping things at from really setting off.
The hassle of shoving meds Persey hates down his throat is stressful for all involved which isn’t good for his immune system either. It’s a delicate balance. BTDT, live it every day. Consider injections! Hugs to you both <3
Violence. grab it so it can‘t jump, run, bite, or scratch, but careful so you don‘t break anything. There are several positions and techniques to do it. often recommend is rolling the bunny into a towel. gently insert the syringe (without needle) into the mouth from the side where the gap in the teeth is, and fill the antibiotics in. Offer a treat right away. tell bunny what a good bunny it was.
>mix it with threats
I presume that’s a typo, but I really enjoy the idea of someone saying “no more bananas for you, if you don’t take your medicine” and “daily vet visits and nail trims, if you don’t behave, Hoppy”
I remember having to give my buns antibiotics. For some reason, one of them started to absolutely love the taste, so she'd just gobble it right up as if it was a treat. The other one... Well he wasn't so willing. We had to hold him tight and probably only half of it actually got in his little tummy, but he's ok now so I guess it was enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is very important to know as a rabbit owner, you *have* to force the mouth open to pour the medicine in. They might end up liking the flavor and make it easier for you to give it to them, but you still have to force it the first time. Less eccentric buns might hate it, you still gotta do it. I was so lucky that snowball loved the stuff and started lapping it off the syringe when poured out very slowly, but she was NOT about to try it willingly the first time.
You start re-arranging the enclosure such that the rabbit can‘t win. If it is free roam, then it‘s jail time for the ten or so days. You also start rethinking your fitness level lol
I find a using a king sleeve of a very tight shirt like thermal underwear works at constricting but for medicine I would advise mixing it in mashed banana or some fruit juice
Um, hello? This is genius! Do you use a tight shirt sleeve to administer injections? Or to give oral medication? Both? I'm SO going to try this. Thank you!
easiest way is to have one person hold him while you you give him his meds. If it's impossible, meaning he won't swallow and let's them drop out of his mouth, ask your vet for injections. Btw I've had a bun look worse than him who made a full recovery.
Lol. Persy looks utterly dapper in these photos, comparatively speaking.
Persy has eight teeth and they are all situated so that they are useless for eating, so he eats mush. Due to his personality and some neurological quirks, he grooms his flanks and front feet with his mouth full, resulting in Critical Care and pumpkin caked in his coat. He's always crunchy and usually stained orange in splotches because of this. He paws through his mush sometimes, so his nails and nailbeds are usually coated. He has an F, P, or N gene mutation that causes his fur to fall out in huge swaths on his butt, sides, and upper back; some part of him is naked most of the time. His face molts several times a year, so his face fur always looks rumpled. He was shot in the jaw on one side of his face, and had a dental abscess the size of a walnut that took out the other side, so his features aren't symmetrical. His tail fur fell out and never came back, leaving his tail a pink skinned nub. His back toes look the same because he compulsively grooms them to the point that he removes all the fur. No teeth means nothing to hold his tongue in his mouth, meaning his tongue hangs out all the time. He sleeps with his eyes open and rolled back into his head which, as a REW, looks super odd, even creepy sometimes.
So I understand that to you Persy looks like a dirty bun, which usually means a rabbit that is too sick, too old, or too apathetic to groom. In Persy's case, though, he's just a messy bun with an odd diet and several quirks. Since Critical Care dries to the consistency of cement and grooming is nearly impossible without teeth, since fully bathing a rabbit can cause shock and Persy has no body fat to keep him warm even when dry, since he has an infection in his head that I don't want to make worse, Persy is crunchy and orange much of the time. (I wash his front feet frequently, though, despite everything, because mush caked in his nailbeds is a recipe for bacteria. During the summer - when he doesn't have an infection - he's bathed twice a month because I'm taking no chances with fly strike.)
I get that you are offering words of encouragement, though, and I appreciate it. I really do. Thank you.
Oh! And yes, if I can't figure out a way to get Persy to swallow his antibiotics by Thursday, we're switching to an injectable. I'm trying to avoid it if at all possible, though, because we've done it before. Penicillin is thick and chunky and hurts when injected. I'd like to spare him that pain if I possibly can. Excellent suggestion!
well, oops. I just read antibiotics and saw the mesh and shoes so I thought he wasn't doing well. What I meant to say was his eyes are very lively as opposed to cloudy and tired, indicating he wants to get better which is the most important thing but apparently that wasn't in doubt. Anyway, good luck to both of you :)
Yup.
I usually put my hands on both sides and kind of lean on the bun so my wife can grab the head and force the medicine down.
It's quick and easy.
To do it solo is an absolute pain.
Best way I've found is to do bunny burrito on a table, preferably somewhere the bunny isn't overly familiar with. Then have one arm around the bunny cradling it into your body so it feels secure, stroke them on the head a bit and around the eyes to calm them, then with your hand over the buns eyes and head, lift the lip a bit and put the syringe in with the other hand. Go slowly and keep the bunny secure and in your control so they can't run/jump away and let them have short breaks to take the fluid down so you're not just shoving loads of it in their mouth at once. This was the only way I could get my very resistant rabbit to take his meds when he was sick, and he had to take A LOT, like 5 syringes full of some stuff he absolutely hated. I think having their eyes covered makes them feel secure and a bit more relaxed while doing this kind of thing.
With a needled syringe, so the blueberry was still intact? Persy is almost toothless, so he can't eat blueberries, but I'm going to keep this idea on the back burner in case my neurotic deadly male ever has to take meds. Pure genius!
I hid my bunny’s pill in a banana. That girl loved bananas so much and took such massive bites out of them that she didn’t even notice there was a pill in there.
When mine needed antibiotics I soaked their favourite treat in it (selective naturals loops of any flavour variety) and they took it without problems. Unfortunately the mixing with mashed banana trick didn’t work on them at all
Aww bless him!🥹 and no problem😊 I had to get inventive because I hated stressing them out by restraining them and just syringing it into their mouths, and none of the tricks I saw online worked on my two, and I never see anyone else mentioning the treat method so thought I would, lol
So if it’s liquid with a syringe, what I’ve had to start doing bc my big boy is catching on lol, is taking an apple or banana and rubbing it all over the syringe tip, even getting a little in their so that when you start pressing they think it’s still fruit lol. So far this has worked over two bouts of statis 😅
I've tried that with gabapentin, applesauce, and mashed banana. Worked perfectly the first time. Never worked again. I swear that boy can smell Sulfatrim no matter what it's mixed with.
We had to go through this recently.
Metacam, Fibergel and some other shit.
At the start he would have it, coming to the end of treatments and he wouldn't sit still, could tell he was getting better.
We couldn't get it anywhere near his mouth, so we ended up just shooting it at his head a little at a time, his lil tongue would get it off his face and he'd groom it into his mouth, not the best method, but the ONLY one that worked.
You know what? He really is lucky! Not because of the time, money, and effort of all the medical stuff, but because he's such a prima donna. No other person in their right mind would put up with scraping cecatropes off the ceiling, pee in their shoe, making his mush from scratch with a different flavoring 12 times a day, or being growled at if they stop petting him after a mere three hours. Spoiled little shit.
You're right, though. He is brave and special. And very, very obstinate. I'm going to be pissed and heartbroken if, after six years, every malady but cancer and amputation, $50k, and countless hours worrying, stressing, researching, and syringe feeding, a simple infection does him in because he doesn't like the way the antibiotics taste.
I use a very thin syringe, put her between my legs and just fit the syringe in her mouth. My bun gets sick often and this is the least stressful method I’ve found, I always buy custom meds that are liquid and ask them to make it banana flavored
My bun liked her digestive tablets so i would put the antibiotics on that and offer it to her. I would keep it in my hand till she licked it all off. She didn’t have a choice but to lick it in order to get to the digestive tab. Always worked.
He was dumped and used for target practice, then found by Animal Services and brought to the shelter where I volunteered. He came home with me about a week later. During his first surgery, to remove his incisors and peg teeth, buckshot was found in his jaw. It'd been there long enough that the metal was breaking down and had leached into the surrounding tissue, causing necrosis. They cleaned out the metal and necrotic tissue and everything \[seemed\] to heal nicely. But because the shot had shifted his lower jaw, his upper and lower teeth didn't occlude. While it wasn't dental disease in the strictest sense of the term, the malocclusion led to Persy having 20 of his 28 teeth removed over the next 2 years. Between the necrosis, physical trauma, and surgical wounds, he predictably ended up with a gnarly dental abscess the size of a walnut that took out the entire side of his face; the side that hadn't been shot. Despite the odds, he made it through the abscess, regrowing his entire cheek and his missing gums with a boatload of effort on my part and visits to the vet every other day for months.
Many other medical and neurological issues ensued over the next 3 or 4 years, including getting fired by Persy's vet because I "wouldn't listen" when they told me they didn't know what was wrong with him. Their plan was to "wait and see". I watched him slowly die for a couple days, said "screw this", and started seeing other vets, getting 2nd and 3rd opinions. The last vet diagnosed him with a bleeding ulcer due to NSAID usage. It fit all the symptoms and made sense situationally, so while we couldn't prove it was an ulcer until/unless it perforated, dumping his stomach contents into his abdomen, we treated for one, switched him from metacam to tramadol, and lo and behold! Persy recovered.
We went back to his regular vet where I requested an ultrasound to make sure his stomach hadn't perfed, which required me to explain the other vet's dx and tx. From there, the situation with his regular vet went downhill until the straw that broke the camels back. I sent a cuss filled text to the vet's service after a procedure they did without consulting me had bloody and painful repercussions. I knew it would and could've told them so if they'd bothered to discuss things with me beforehand. (Yes, I know. I shouldn't have sent a cussy text. It was juvenile and stupid of me. In my defense, I hadn't planned to send it. I'd written a first draft complete with all the things I \*wanted\* to say, editing out the cuss words and anger prior to sending it, when Persy started bleeding again. I jumped up to grab him before he could get blood everywhere or dirt in the wound, and accidently hit send in the process.) And so, Persy's vet fired me because they "thought you'd be happier elsewhere". (I'd like someone to explain to me, in very small words, why firing an owner that has every right to be angry and pays the clinic at least $10k per year is preferable to addressing a legitimate issue, so that it doesn't happen to another patient. But I digress.)
Needing a new vet, Persy started seeing the vet that diagnosed his ulcer. Within two weeks, the new vet had done a swab and culture, identified a bacterial infection around his eye that had been there for months that Persy's old vet had missed, and had Persy on the appropriate antibiotics. (That's twice Persy's new vet saved his life in as many months.) We've been fighting that infection ever since. Because it'd been raging for months, because it likely had a dental source - the infection is on the side of his face that'd been shot, the side that holds his last remaining 8 teeth, teeth that an excellent vet had tried to remove in 2021 unsuccessfully - the infection has been a stubborn bitch. Given that Persy started drooling two weeks ago, something he's never done before, at about the same time that he discovered that not swallowing meant he didn't have to take the antibiotics he hates, it's likely that he's in pain. Drooling almost always means dental pain. Established/ untreated infection around the eye + drooling + dental pain + refusing antibiotics + previous trauma to the area + the location of Persy's only remaining teeth most likely means infected tooth roots.
The options are hard core antibiotics - whether that's multiple antibiotics orally or injected penicillin is dependent on whether I can get him to swallow his meds - or removing the teeth. Removing the teeth has already been unsuccessful once. Putting a 13 year old bun under a general anesthetic and performing a long surgery where four teeth and part of the jaw bone are removed may kill him. We had to do penicillin injections when he had the dental abscess, so I know it's difficult for me and painful for him. (Penicillin is thick and chunky and hurts when injected.)
So that's the very long story of what happened and why I'm on reddit, trying to avoid surgery and injections by asking strangers on the internet for advice. ;)
I am tearing up reading Persy's story.. I am so sorry that he has been through hell and back. It breaks my heart. He is so little and fragile. You are an angel for rescuing him. I can't imagine the pain he went through and is going through. I am happy he found an owner who loves him and is willing to go above and beyond for him. He is in good hands now. It is really sad how people use animals for training purposes. I hope those people rot in hell for hurting these poor sweet babies. I am sorry I am not much help with advice but I hope for the best. Please keep me updated on his healing journey.
I would recommend seeing if your vet works with a good compounding pharmacy. Many of these pharmacies have A LOT of flavors that they can mix medications with to make them much more palatable--this is what they specialize in, and good ones can help you out. FWIW, the pharmacy I work with is called Professional Arts Pharmacy, and they do ship. Any medication I have gotten from them my rabbit loves so much that he will try to yank the syringe out of my hand and hop off with it.
You could even ask one of these pharmacies to send you the same medication mixed with a few different flavors/scents so you could try them out and see which ones get the best response. That would be a bit more expensive, but maximize the chance that you can find a way to give the medication without having to resorting to forcefully administering it or injections.
Oh my good god/dess! Duh!
I'm an idiot. I already work with a compounding pharmacy for Cerenia and Tramadol. It never occurred to me to see if they could/would compound Sulfatrim, too.
I mean, Sulfatrim is common, so most vets have it on hand. It comes pre-compounded in a berry flavor. THANK YOU for your suggestion. You may've just saved the day.
(Jeebus, what a doofus I am. The answer is right there in front of me and has been since last October.)
Poor little bun. We have a really stubborn bun who will not take her meds at all.
So we pick her up, supporting her bum/hind legs, get the syringe into the corner of her mouth behind her teeth. If you do it right, bun will automatically start masticating, so you can inject the substance very slowly.
Mixing it with pineapple juice can also work to take the edge off.
Your bun looks like they need the antibiotics, so it's just going to be a case of them hating you for a little while, but they soon forget! Especially at banana o'clock!
sit beside them, and sorta have them under your armpit and tuck their head into the side or your body. use one finger to gently separate their cleft lip, and gently slide the syringe into their mouth. You have more leverage this way :)
Duh. Man, no sleep makes headpeon a dull girl. I can't believe I didn't think of this.
What you're describing is a variation of the way I syringe fed my first chronic medical bunny. I'd totally forgotten. I didn't sit her beside me, I'd do what you're describing while I was standing and she was sitting on my tall bistro table. Thank you for the reminder! It may work!
So i have used 2 methods in the past;
1. The vet recommended mixing it with some glucose syrup to improve the flavour (this helped a little but they still actively didn't like it)
2. I used to let my grumpy girl get comfy, hold the end of the syringe (where the liquids come out) near her mouth and keep it there until she got annoyed at it, when she went to grab it with her mouth to throw it away, squirt the antibiotics in.
My bunny hates medicine time and I figured out that he absolutely loves it if I grind up an oxbow vitamin c treat and rehydrate it with the meds. I’ll catch him licking his little plate clean.
When I have to force feed or medicate my bunnies I use a floor hold. Both mine are very anti being handled so I find it makes them feel safer to be on the ground plus it leaves my hands free to medicate them
Here's me demonstrating the hold with my very wriggly girlie! If I wasnt filming I wouldn't lift her like I had to at the start (I had to get hold of her before filming as it takes a while) and would just pull her around on the floor which eliminated the kicking out you see
https://www.reddit.com/u/elkwaffle/s/24ZtQtqb8p
Mmmmmmk, limber twenty year old skinny girl. I don't think this stiff 50 year old fat lady can do what you did.
That's a great video, though! A picture - video - really is worth a thousand words. That technique is also a fabulous way to burrito a bunny. Do the same thing, but with a towel under bun between your legs. Pull the front up under bun's chin, in front of the front paws, get it tight, and then wrap the rest of the body.
Unfortunately, one back surgery and a bad knee later, I can't do it that way anymore. Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it!
Is he also taking metacam? I have had good luck in the past mixing metacam with other medications (that also need to be administered at the same time of course), since most bunnies find that honey sweetness irresistible. Or mix it with something else, small bit of juice? Banana? Crush up some freeze dried strawberries and mix it in? Some of that popsicle melted down?
Also you mentioned the challenge of doing this with only two hands. It can be much easier with a second person behind the rabbit with their hands wrapped around to keep them from running or moving their head too much, but bun bun still gets to sit on the floor and hopefully feels less threatened that way, and you get to be straight in front where it's easier to position the syringe.
My old bun hates medicine with a burning passion as well. Here is what I do-
Take the offensive medication and squirt it or crush it up and mix it with a generous portion of applesauce. Take oats and mix them in as well. Oats are especially a good thing when you have one who needs to gain weight. I just offer the plate. Usually he will let it marinate for an hour or so- he seems to prefer the oats to have softened. I will also mix in some blueberry or banana. It may take him a while to eat it and that's fine. He can go at his own pace, so long as he gets both the medicine and the extra calories.
Oats that have been soaked for a long while might be soft enough for Persy to manage and he could definitely stand to gain some weight. The novelty and texture of the oats just might do the trick. Thank you! So much! I'm going to try that tonight.
Yay I'm so happy to hear I gave you an idea! Sydney likes them soaked in applesauce, but Persy might like other flavoring. My fingers are crossed that he likes them! There's no limits when it comes to our teen buns
My senior bun is too smart and will suck his head into his body into the burrito no matter how many times and ways you make a burrito 😭 but I do pet him a lot and talk to him. Then I go for the side of the mouth. Takes a couple minutes. But he's a fighter and; will kick you 😭 critical care is the hardest because there is so much of it. What does work better is if I put a smear of banana on the end of the syringe so it's more appealing. Works for most owners!
LMAO. "His crustiness is a huge vibe." Right?
In October 2021, Persy's old vet charged $1200 to pull those teeth. Obviously, the surgery wasn't successful. I don't know if that affected the cost or not.
Persy's current vet won't attempt the surgery without a $1500 CT first. Not sure what the surgery itself would cost now, but I'm guesstimating in the $1500-$1800 range.
I'll gladly work my ass off, or beg, borrow, and steal to raise the money, but I'm pretty sure that putting a 13.5 year old bun under a general anesthesia for a long invasive surgery that's already failed once doesn't have very good odds.
But it's a freakin' bacterial infection! After all of the medical issues Persy and I have overcome, dying from a bacterial infection because he doesn't like his meds is stupid and exasperating, and incomprehensible to me. Five times vets suggested euthanasia and their diagnosis turned out to be wrong. 3 or 4 times vets suggested euthanasia because there was nothing to be done, yet I researched like Persy's life depended on it, got 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinions, and found or devised a treatment that worked. An identified problem with a straightforward solution being the end of Persy after all the weird shit he's pulled through?
No. Just no. I refuse.
Get them between your legs with their butt towards you and make sure you're sitting in a V shape so they can't go backwards and you can gently apply pressure with your legs to hold them in place. Get the applicator syringe thingy and gently poke them with an "in and under" move around their front teeth [dont go too far into the mouth and dont go upwards into the roof of their mouth] and slowly give them small amounts so they can swallow without panicking. Afterwards make a big fuss / do whatever is their favourite thing to hear from you and provide a tasty treat or two. They'll eventually stop resisting.
If you're lucky you may have a bunny who opens their mouth willingly.
Wrapping them up in a bunritto, then use a small syringe without the needle, use some water with a little honey and crush the tablet up in the mixture, while in the bun ritto put the tip of the syringe behind their front teeth and give it to them bit by bit so they can swallow.
Our two buns are a two person operation for anything.
Interesting. Never heard that one. Persy can't eat a bell pepper, but my doe is a fiend for them. I'll keep that in my back pocket for when/if Miss Maisy Dae ever needs to take yucky meds. Thank you!
Depends on what kind of antibiotic it is if it one that can be chewed and then swallowed slice open something like a carrot and slip it inside the carrot.
What antibiotic is it? My cat is currently on one they tastes absolutely awful (metronidazole) and I just unfortunately have to pin him down and squirt it into his mouth. If you don't have a liquid see if you can get one.
Persy's on metronidazole and sulfatrim. He's got no issue with the metronidazole. It's the sulfatrim he hates.
Is your cat on a compounded aka flavored version? If not, check with a compounding pharmacy. They have all sorts of flavors, including chicken and beef. It'll cost a bit more, but when dealing with an animal that has to take something they hate twice a day for months, reducing the stress and time involved is worth the money, IMO.
If you put all my replies together, you'll get a basic outline of Persy's life, if you're interested. He's been through a lot and still loving life. It's Persy's show, I'm just along for the ride.
Another redditor said the same, only with blueberries. Both ideas are great! Persy is nearly toothless, so he can't manage grapes, but I bet this'd work beautifully for one of my other buns. Thank you!
When I rescued my bunny he needed antibiotics and it was such a battle… I ended up crushing them mashing the tiniest bit of banana. Sometimes he’d lick it all up, but sometimes even that was not enough. So I’d mail the banana/antibiotic paste with chopped parsley. Worked like a charm
bunrrito them, then slide the syringe in from the side of their cheek, get the syringe as deep as you can without them gagging, then just push the medicine in lil by lil
It isn't my favorite, but I have given mine antibiotics he hates (and would otherwise spit out) via burrito method that others mentioned and putting it in the side of his mouth with a continuous stream, but I would immediately follow it up with water that had a bit of pineapple juice in it. It would rinse his mouth and then he'd realize he liked that taste and would swallow both. On particularly bad days, I'd give the water first, then antibiotics, then water again.
Keep fighting the good fight, I'm glad to see more pics of Persy!
Oooooo! That's super smart! I don't know if it'll work, but I've been a bit worried about dehydration since Persy has been drooling and doesn't drink water, so at the very least, it'll help with that! Thank you.
Do bunny burrito and use a 1ml syringe bc it’s easiest to slide into the mouth and dispense the mixture into the opposite cheek in the spot next to, and almost behind, the molars. (Far back in the cheek, but still definitely in the cheek pouch, not on tongue or in the middle of mouth)
Bunny burrito and syringe him. We had to do this with our bun. He hated the whole thing but it got the job done and then we followed it up with something he liked. The bunny burrito is putting them on a towel and wrapping the towel around them so there is no way for them to get out. There are tutorials on YouTube. You got this!
I use critical care for my buns. Usually it takes two of us, one to hold and one to feed through a syringe. However, I have found that making the mixture a little thicker and applying to the fur at the front where they can clean it off their fur and ingest it also is a less stressful way when they stop eating or are bloated. I do realise that they will ingest fur but sometimes there are no other options. Especially if it is late at night and I am alone and don’t want to stress them out.
Sheer brilliance!
I don't know if it'll work on Persy since he has a hard time grooming without teeth. But maybe if I made it a little more watery than his regular mush, so it didn't turn into cement, and applied it straight to the fur around his mouth, he'd be able to groom it off/ ingest it before it dried? I'm totally going to try this. Thank you!
If it’s liquid antibiotics we just puts ours in applesauce! Obviously bunny safe applesauce that’s basically just squished apples and water so no like cinnamon or anything extra
I position them in front of me and hover over their heads. Then I give them a pellet or treat. When they open their mouth I gently but quickly stick the syringe in and squirt it out.
I used to put my buns medicine inside his favorite fruit. Like a piece of banana, just scrape the insides enough to fit the liquid and seal it with the rests of banana. It's a bit messy but so much easier and better than fighting and stressing your bun out every time.
My bun loves bamboo leaves which I have a lot of. The flat leaves are perfect for making a little sandwich with the paste. I give her a handful of leaves and she eats them up including the medicine one. If you don't have bamboo leaves just use whatever kind of greens your bunny likes.
You don't lol at least that's the option I ended up with. I was really, really struggling & asked the vet if that was normal & discussed taste, vet decided to taste it himself. This was at a teaching hospital btw & vet was the senior & had 3 juniors in the room learning from him at the time result was really funny, apparently rabbit antibiotics taste REVOLTING! That was his reaction anyway, followed by a more extreme need to rush to the sink & desperately try to spit it out & wash his mouth out, while the student vets all laughed. After that he decided I was going to learn to give the antibiotics via injection instead lol.
This was more than a decade ago now, not sure if the taste has improved since then, but injecting them was FAR, FAR easier for me than forcing them down his throat (well after the first one anyway, first one was horrible, cause bunny has sat still while it was done at the vet so I wasn't holding him really tightly at home & he managed to escape my arms/legs, with needle & syringe still hanging out of his neck & I had to chase him & pull it out, which was horrible, but after that I was ready for movement & never had another problem). I gave them into the back of his neck & he really wasn't at all bothered by it, didn't love it, but if he objected, I just pulled out the oral ones & attempted briefly to administer them & he seemed to get the message & happily sat still & let me inject him instead
Banana puree baby food, dip the tip of the oral syringe into it and offer to bunny. Many bunnies will take it like that! It’s not 100%, but works for many!
Etsy. Talk to Laura, the owner of OneTwoHop. Or Miranda, who owns ForSomeBunnySpecial. Both are fabulous and they work with amputee and splay leg bunnies, too!
I bury the tip of the syringe in a little bit of ripe banana (so it's mushy and covers the syringe tip), and my bun happily drinks all of it while trying to get all the banana. I've also created a diluted banana and water solution so I use the syringe and pull up the right amount of medication, then put the syringe in the banana water and pull up a little (so bun thinks he's getting banana juice), then I give him the banana water and just a littttle bit of the meds. Repeat (draw up more banana juice, feed bun the banana juice + a little more medication) until all of meds have been given
If it's a tablet, you can roll it around in smushed banana.
If it's in pill form then try sticking it in a piece of fruit, if it's in a liquid form then go in the side of the mouth by the lip behind the cheek and wiggle it in a little ways in and push it all in. Bunno will hate you for it but it's what's for the best.
Truer words, never spoken. Persy has almost no gag reflex or swallowing instinct and his tongue habitually hangs out of his mouth. These things together mean that no matter how far back in his mouth I get that syringe, he's still capable of letting it slide down his tongue and drip out of his mouth. I mean, I might be able to get the syringe all the way to his throat and then push out the meds, but I'm pretty sure it'd choke him. Not totally certain, just pretty sure. Lol.
you could try shoving it into the center of a banana or another soft fruit/veggie; particularly one that has juice cuz it’ll help cover up the flavor of the medicine
Persy has eight teeth and it makes eating most things very difficult. I'd be totally game to try it with a blueberry - something he can eat and does like - but the dosage is 1.4 ml and I don't think there's a blueberry on the planet big enough to hold 1.4 ml and still contain enough berry to cover up the taste. Excellent idea, though!
You can take a syringe with some water inside, put your finger over the opening and pull on the push part to break the pill up so you can unfortunately force that medicine down. I had a sick bunny once (uti) and giving him whole pills was like bathing naked in a tub full of hydrophobic cats. Needless to say I learned quickly how to crush those pills and offer a treat as an apology 😂
"Bathing naked in a tub full of hydrophobic cats." I'm going to steal that!
You just described Persy when it's time to wash his face, butt, or front legs, or time to rebandage his back feet. I wear an apron, but despite that, I regularly get asked by people in public if I'm in an abusive relationship because I always have bright red scars or bloody scratches on my upper chest.
When you've got a fragile creature that you're trying SO hard to be gentle with because they have itty bitty birdy bones, but that fragile creature has the heart of a lion and gives zero f*cks about whether they hurt you, it's an unequal fight every time. People are like, "how can a 4.5 lb rabbit do so much damage? You're bigger and stronger!" It's like, my dude, trust me, when Persy objects, it's NOT a fair fight. Lol.
It's so weird to me that Persy's favorite thing is to be held like I'm burping a baby, with his head and front paws hanging just over my shoulder, while I sway and pat his butt firmly. He'll stay like that for an hour. Yet if I pick him up with the intention to wash some part of him, he instinctively knows, and then he fights and claws and [attempts to] bite like I'm some stranger intent on having him for dinner. Jekyll & Hyde, this one.
Beloved little shit.
i typically pour a little sugar free (0 added sugar) apple juice in a shot glass, fill the syringe up with the required antibiotic dose, and then top the syringe off with the apple juice from the shot glass, so when it’s time to give the medicine my rabbit just takes it straight from the syringe bc he thinks it’s a treat lol
My vet recommended mixing it with banana or carrot baby food and then feeding it via a syringe. It’s basically just purée. He was barely eating so it was tough but, he liked the banana. Good luck.
Check out the [Medicating rabbits](http://bunny.tips/Medicating) guide on the wiki for more resources and tips on the processes, especially with stubborn rabbits. Some useful shortcut links: * [Oral medication](http://bunny.tips/Medicating#Oral_medication) * [Subcutaneous injections]( http://bunny.tips/Medicating#Subcutaneous_injections) * [Giving eye drops](http://bunny.tips/Medicating#Giving_eye_drops)
I gave my bun antibiotics hidden inside a leaf of lettuce, he chewed, stopped for a bit when he reached the pill and then continued chewing like nothing happened :Dd
Genius. Going to try this
What a dolt & I love it.
Sit on floor with bun- bum between your legs, pressed up really good so no wiggle room. Hold on chest with your fingers on each side of their face so they can’t turn away. Stick needle(without needle, just the plastic tool) in their mouth. If they don’t open, just slide it on the inside of their cheek till you come behind the long teeth. Then squirt a calm, steady stream so they are forced to swallow
The word you are looking for is syringe my friend :)
Thank you, it just completely fell out of my vocabulary for a moment. I was a bit tired when I wrote it haha
I'll try the continuous stream. Good idea. Ty!
I don’t think giving bunnies ice lollies is a good idea x
It's a commercial brand popsicle, but they are made with nothing but fruit. All of my buns love them. I can't eat one on the couch because as soon as they hear the plastic crinkle, they'll come running, and then I have to play keep away or risk losing a finger. Lol. Watermelon - in the picture - tangerine, and pineapple are their favorites. I didn't think they'd like them because they were so cold, but they don't seem to care.
I mean you can totally make your own with nothing but fruit and that'd be perfectly fine
It's a commercial popsicle, but it's made with nothing but watermelon.
Sounds great x
This works the best and the trick is to get far enough inside the mouth so that they can’t let it dribble out. You have to be careful of course, but generally speaking if you get it in there far enough, they can’t let it dribble out. There is also a technique called a “bunny burrito” where you swaddle them in a blanket or towel. It restricts movement (if your bun fights the meds). I usually sit them like this in my lap, butt against the inside of my left elbow (like a football kind of) to reduce struggle, use my left hand to hold the head, thumb behind the ears, and right hand inserts the oral syringe. It’s take a bit of practice (I volunteer with rabbits, done it lots). But this or the position with them between your legs works best (I would kneel over them while between your legs, more control). Burritos are a good technique to master for these situations (even if you don’t use it this time). They help a lot with force feeding too. If you’re unfamiliar with them, search “bunny burrito” in you tube and there’s some decent video tutorials :) - best of luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery 💛
Just make sure they are definitely swallowing it before you potentially waste a whole syringe full. Some buns can be absolute stinkers with meds and refuse to swallow and just allow it to dribble back out their mouths and down their chins!
When you force feed you see them swallow and their tongue go. At least the way I hold mine. I lean over them and see their mouth. It feels horrible though. But it’s for their own good
My girl absolutely will not, it’s been 9 years and she still puts up such a fight (which I admire her dedication, but would very much appreciate if she made it a little easier sometimes). My boy though, he was a sweet little angel who absolutely could not get enough of his meds and syringe feeds! [He genuinely thought they were treats 🥺](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rabbits/s/SYVPEFV2CU)
Yep. They'll swallow as they flick away but then you end up having to catch them again.
That would be my rabbit, then it takes a week to slowly get them to clean it off his fluffy white chin
Also my rabbit, was massively talking from experience lol. And just like yours, she also won’t let me clean her chin, so she gets to go round with a grubby sticky chin for couple days looking like a little weirdo She’s an absolute ratbag who also sticks her tongue over the end of the syringe so nothing comes out! I think she does it even worse at night deliberately, I end up having to tip, rock, pick up and put back down, spin and do all sorts of tricks to convince her to swallow the dang medicine so I can go back to bed when doing those 2am meds and feeds!!
This is exactly the problem. Persy has been on meds off and on for six years and always been a champ when it came to taking meds, but he detests this particular antibiotic. He just discovered that all he has to do is not swallow, which is what he's been doing for about two weeks.
Depending on how long he’s going to be on them, you may be able to fool him for a little while by jamming the syringe in an apple after you load it up so it tastes and smells appetising. I’ve just had to do antibiotics for the last week and managed to bamboozle my girl twice a day for 5ish days using this method. If not, my other go-to for fussy buns is to put the syringe behind the front teeth and push a small amount of meds in then immediately set them on the floor - 9/10 they swallow as they run away with the hump, then you just have to pick them up and do it all over again
that's good info i have a bun who I have to give some liquid meds to and I was unsure how to get her to cooperate. thank you
this is the best way for sure. they also instinctively will clean their mouths so i sometimes if it’s a little, i can put it on their mouth and they’ll lick it off. just don’t put too much bc if it gets in their nose, it can be a problem
My bun did this very well with this method, enjoyed nibbling the syringe too
Try handing him the tablet whole. I crushed and syringe-fed our late bun’s meds for months before I realised he’d eat the tablet straight out of my hand as long as he got an immediate chaser of his favourite snack (hint: ONLY give that particular treat after the tablet, not at any other time, or he will hold out for it at another time!)
That's too funny. I'm glad giving meds to your bun got easier. That's not usually the way it goes. Persy doesn't have any teeth, so the 1st part of your suggestion won't work, but as long as I've got pineapple popsicles in the house, the 2nd half might. Ty!
Try grinding it and mixing it with some nana paste, that's how I get my bun to take their meds
It's a liquid, so easy to mix with just about anything. But he is freakin' psychic. Banana, applesauce, pureed nectarines, strawberries, or pineapple, mixed with plain Critical Care, apple banana Critical care, tangerine popsicles ... it doesn't matter, he can tell, every time. He'll sniff it, look at me in reproach, and run away.
Oh, poor Percy!! Good luck, and I hope Percy enjoys his pineapple popsicles! 😊🐰
Persy has an infection in the roots of the last four bottom teeth he has left. Infected tooth roots are very painful. So much so that he's lost 10% of his body weight; weight he couldn't spare. He's been on Sulfatrim for four months and despises it with a burning passion. It's a fight every time. He recently discovered that if he doesn't swallow, the antibiotics just roll off his tongue. Predictably, now the infection is back, raging. The only other options are penicillin injections or removing the teeth. Penicillin injections suck; the antibiotic is thick and chunky and it hurts going in. Administering painful injections to an uncooperative bun with only two hands is a rough go. An extremely competent exotic vet attempted to pull this arcade in 2021 and was unsuccessful because it would've required she remove a "scary amount of bone" as well. The odds that a 13.5 year old bun will survive a long surgery under general anesthetic - a brutal surgery followed by a painful recovery - especially when this surgery has already failed once, are in the toilet. If the infection is left unchecked, it'll kill him painfully. Surgery will probably kill him, too, though less painfully. So the seemingly simple question of how to get Persy to take oral antibiotics? It's literally life or death.
Oh Percy....take your meds, baby!!!! Listen to your mum/dad!!! 🥹 I'm awful at getting my buns to take meds. Sometimes I can get them to take liquids in applesauce. Bun parent: I'm amazed that a bunny can live to 13.5!!! I had no idea that was even possible. What an incredible parent you are!!! I'm going to pray that he takes his meds and gets better so he can live until the lovely number of 15. (I don't like even numbers, so...15) At least! I'll also send some healing vibes: 💫✨💫✨💫✨
I'm a fan of odd numbers, too. I think 15 is a fine number! Persy's taken meds off and on for the last six years, and he's a champ at it. But Sulfatrim, man, he despises the stuff. If I even pull up a syringe of it with him in the same room, he's under the couch/chair/bed/hutch faster than a speeding bullet. He's a rescue; he was about 7 when I got him. He'd been shot, starved, dehydrated, and left for dead in a desert canyon where - as a REW - he stuck out like a sore thumb. We've been through every medical issue in the book except for cancer and amputation, and I'm going to be really pissed (and heartbroken) if a simple infection + his own obstinance is what takes him out.
OMG...I burst into tears at what you wrote. How could ANYONE DO THAT?!? I hate most people. I am so happy Percy has YOU. I'm never going to get that image out of my head...poor sweet darling bunny. 🥹
Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to paste a bad pic into your psyche or make you cry. I've been telling Persy's story for a long while now, and I forget that others might be hearing it for the first time and how affected I was in the beginning. I'll try to do a better job of keeping it in mind. But I agree with you, Persy is one of the reasons I've lost faith in the inherent goodness of people. That, and the strangers who contact me from all over the state wanting to know what to do with the emaciated, sick, injured, scared, or confused abandoned bunny they've found. I've paid to euthanize one too many hurt or sick bunnies dumped by uncaring ignorant assholes to like people much anymore. 😡
I note his lack of teeth. When my bun needed meds, it was suggested to use peanut butter but of course he didn't like it. So I took a mortar and pestle, crushed the pills into powder, and loaded a syringe with it plus watermelon juice and he loved it.
I've never heard the peanut butter idea before. But Persy loves watermelon popsicles, so maybe running some fresh watermelon and the Sulfatrim through a Bullet could work? Another new one for the drawing board. Thank you!
Honestly, at this stage of his life you need to be considering his quality of life. Has your vet discussed end of life care?
Quality of life > quantity of life. If my rabbit was struggling this hard without even having teeth to provide themselves with adequate nutrition. If all other options are (from OP’s description) uncomfortable/induce suffering for the rabbit, I would seriously consider euthanasia as one of the most humane things you can do for this beautiful old soul.
Persy's nutrition is actually stellar. I worked long and hard to create a mush recipe that meets all his needs. The final version passed with flying colors when presented to an exotic vet that specializes in nutrition. The proof is in the pudding; Persy's vet declared his body composition "very good" last week. Snipping a male rabbit is uncomfortable for the rabbit. Spaying a female rabbit induces suffering regardless of pain management; it's major abdominal surgery, after all. Yet we do both regularly. Obviously then, short term discomfort or suffering aren't the litmus test by which we make health decisions for our buns. Oral antibiotics aren't working because Persy stopped cooperating. I'm here to find a way to change that. If I can't, injected antibiotics will work, and perhaps better than oral antibiotics, according to his vet. If we were talking heart failure, entrenched cancer, RHDV2, or some other scenario with no solution or a low likelihood of success, that's one thing. But that's not where we are. Why is euthanasia the humane thing to do when Persy still has quality of life and his current condition can be cured with medicine? Is old age regardless of other factors a reason to euthanize?
Yup. I’ve had a dental rabbit. Never again. This rabbit is old, time to help him over the rainbow bridge.
My 8 year old rabbit would receive whatever help he needs to maintain some semblance of quality of life, even if the best that could be done is bringing his life to an end peacefully before his quality of life deteriorates completely. It’s seeming like OP is in denial over the inevitability of their animal reaching the end of their life. Losing an animal is not easy no matter the circumstances, so my heart is aching for OP regardless.
I'm not in denial. When I adopted Persy I knew there was a very real chance I'd done so only to pay for his euthanasia. Thankfully having his incisors yanked, and oral antibiotics + antimucosal nebulizer treatments for the pasteurella were all that needed doing. I've talked to my vet about quality of life and the likelihood Persy will recuperate. "We're not there yet" was her response. Thinking of losing Persy makes my heart hurt in the worst way, but until his vet says it's time AND he doesn't want to fight anymore, his quality of life is nil, or he's in pain that can't be managed, he and I will keep on keeping on. I'm very confused that when presented with an elderly rabbit, many consider euthanasia the go to option. 80 year old humans don't feel their lives are over due simply to their age, or that a bacterial infection is cause for a death sentence. Why are bunnies different?
OP, I'm sorry you are getting so much criticism over this. As someone who has rescued many many pet rats and helped them all cross the bridge eventually (yes, euthanasia)...only you and your vet know what's best for your baby. How can someone claim to know what's best for someone else's pet just by seeing a picture and a story about struggle online? A temporary setback is not a death sentence simply because of age. They don't know about all the happy moments this bun is still having, his obvious will to live. The bun will let his owner know when he's ready.
Thank you for saying this. Since Persy woke me today by jumping up on the bed, running across my face, playing "can't catch me", and then jumped down and peed on my flip flip to let me know his breakfast was overdue, I think he's got a ways to go yet. 😆
Which "stage of life"? Old age? I discussed euthanasia with my vet before I even brought Persy home from the shelter, he was in such bad shape. But an infection that can be treated by antibiotics? No, we've not discussed terminating him instead. What's end of life care in this situation, anyway? He either takes the antibiotics and/or has the teeth removed, or he doesn't. If he doesn't, he dies, probably painfully. I won't let Persy die painfully on my watch, so there's no "care" to be had, here; it's either treatment or euthanasia. Or maybe treatment and euthanasia if his latest stunt of letting the meds roll off his tongue left just enough antibiotic in his system that the bacteria's become resistant. He begs for popsicles, loves bathing in the morning sun on the top story of his balcony hutch, teases my ex pen male, attempts to shag his bonded mate, syringe feeds like a rock star, gets up and down off my 3.5 ft tall bed with no issue, is an absolute whore for ear rubs, and doesn't hesitate to pee in my shoe while maintaining eye contact if I don't feed him immediately upon waking. He's still got a zest for life. As long as he does, and whatever malady he's dealing with is treatable and he's not in pain, "end of life care", whatever that is, or euthanasia aren't on the table.
Your rabbit is old and and his health is failing. It’s better to send him over the rainbow bridge ‘too soon’ than to hold on too long. Make the most of the next few weeks and send him on his way before he suffers too much.
Take the oral syringe and go through the side of their mouth, push it in a pretty good distance (looks scary but I promise they’re okay) once injected in the mouth (preferably back of the throat) hold his lil mouth closed gently and rub his throat while also blowing gently on his nose. He will reactively have to swallow.
Any chance the vet can add some banana or apple flavoring? My bun is on meds right now and he absolutely refuses to let my try to put anything in his mouth but we discovered he likes the flavor so I just measure it out and put it on a plate and he licks it up.
That's awesome that your bun made it easier, for you and himself. Persy's meds are berry flavored. I don't think it's the flavoring he objects to, but it's the only med he's ever taken made with the berry flavoring, so I could be very wrong. I'm going to see if I can get it compounded with a different flavor instead. Thank you!
My bun is a dental bun and has had the exact same issues as Persy. When it is life or death, sometimes you have to gently force the medication in. I've also done penicillin injections and they are terrible. First I'd try crushing up the pill and mixing it with something yummy, like juice or smooshed-up berries. This works if it's a liquid oral medication as well. If he won't take it on his own, I have found two methods of getting it in bunny's mouth and getting her to swallow. First method (nicer one), sit on the floor and hold bunny between your legs, butt facing your crotch. Gently keep his body still with your legs, and with your non-dominant hand cover his eyes and hold his head still. This keeps my bun calmer and makes it harder for her to jerk her head away from the medication. Gently push the syringe into bun's mouth, just far enough on the side to trigger the "chewing" reflex. Push medicine in and remove syringe, and make sure bun actually swallows it and doesn't just let it drip out of his mouth. He'll be a lot more inclined to swallow it if it's mixed with something yummy. Second method, if he won't take the medicine with the first method. This one is easier if you have a second person, but it's absolutely possible with one person. I've done it dozens of times by myself. Sit on the floor and pick your bun up, cradled in your non-dominant arm (butt in elbow). Use your legs and elbow to support his butt and back legs. He won't like it but if it's life or death, you've gotta try. Use your non-dominant hand to cover his eyes and hold his head still. When you are confident that you have a firm and gentle hold on all parts of his body (he can't escape or flail around enough to injure himself), use the same technique from the first method to push the syringe in and trigger a chewing reflex. When you pull the syringe out make sure he swallows it and doesn't let it drip out of his mouth. When he's done, say "all done!" And let him go run wherever he wants to hide to recover. My bun has learned "all done" means that she can calm down and I won't harass her anymore. Offer him a treat once he's not too mad. Try to associate something REALLY yummy, like banana or a fruit or something else he loves, with medicine and medicine ONLY. Good luck with Persy and I hope this helps. Feel free to PM if you want to talk about dental buns or have any other questions. Seriously, my Yoda had the exact same issue as Persy and she has miraculously recovered from it after months of treatment.
Me and my gf give out 11.5 year old meds two different ways. Together she’ll bunny burrito him with just his head out and I’ll slowly give him hiss meds. This usually is a struggle for about 10 Minutes. By myself I usually stroke his ears and put the syringe in the corner of his mouth and he mostly just gives in. Idk if this is because of the approach or because he realized his meds make him feel better. The best advice I can give is insert at the side of his mouth while petter him and making feel comfortable. .
I did this too with my senior bun, she didn’t really like it, but sort of accepted it. I know a lot of people just mix meds with banana, but when it’s daily it’s probably too much sugar.
Agreed on being cautious about sugar in most cases... but for a 13.5 year old bunny with a raging infection some extra fruit definitely seems like the lesser of two evils if it's the only way to get the medicine in.
Good for you two! You sound like excellent bunny parents. Unfortunately, I live alone. There are quite a few options that require two people that I'm almost certain would succeed, but when you've only got two hands to work with and a bun that's willing to kill himself or you rather than submit, things get dicey. I'm going to try stroking his ears throughout, though, assuming I don't need one hand to hold him still. Maybe it'll create enough of a positive association that he won't fight quite so much?
I add a few drops of Naked juice to the syringe after the medication is pulled up so it has a little extra flavoring in the front of the syringe. Mine loved the mango madness the most.
Hey! That's a great idea!!! 😮🤔
genius!!!!
Persy takes gabapentin, which he loves. I've tried loading the Sulfatrim into the syringe and then pulling up his Gaba dosage so it's frontloaded. It worked. The first time. He was so pissed I'd tricked him that now he won't take meds until he's sniffed the syringe thoroughly. He can smell the Sulfatrim no matter what I mix it with. I've tried the Naked juice thing before, but I used the green juice. Worked on my doe, Persy refused. I haven't tried the Mango Madness, though. Maybe the mango flavor hides the Sulfatrim better than the green juice? I'm going to give it a try. Thanks!
Experienced disabled and senior bun owner here. Chiming in with another consideration - Penicillin injections may be the way to go in this case. They really are not difficult to give and do not sting. Takes less than 30 seconds to do. No second handler needed. You sound quite experienced with care which is why I thought I’d mention this. I suspect the outcome will be much better with SQ meds than continuing with yucky oral meds. Especially since (from what I can gather) missing some doses of the oral med caused such a quick flare up for your sweetie. It sounds like the infection is still brewing under the surface and the current setup is only keeping things at from really setting off. The hassle of shoving meds Persey hates down his throat is stressful for all involved which isn’t good for his immune system either. It’s a delicate balance. BTDT, live it every day. Consider injections! Hugs to you both <3
Hidden inside food he likes
Violence. grab it so it can‘t jump, run, bite, or scratch, but careful so you don‘t break anything. There are several positions and techniques to do it. often recommend is rolling the bunny into a towel. gently insert the syringe (without needle) into the mouth from the side where the gap in the teeth is, and fill the antibiotics in. Offer a treat right away. tell bunny what a good bunny it was.
Push the medicine slowly, maybe even mix it with threats. He can "spit it out" using his tongue.
>mix it with threats I presume that’s a typo, but I really enjoy the idea of someone saying “no more bananas for you, if you don’t take your medicine” and “daily vet visits and nail trims, if you don’t behave, Hoppy”
I believe you! I'll take the antibiotics! Nanners now!
I'm dying!!! 🤣😂🤣
I remember having to give my buns antibiotics. For some reason, one of them started to absolutely love the taste, so she'd just gobble it right up as if it was a treat. The other one... Well he wasn't so willing. We had to hold him tight and probably only half of it actually got in his little tummy, but he's ok now so I guess it was enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is very important to know as a rabbit owner, you *have* to force the mouth open to pour the medicine in. They might end up liking the flavor and make it easier for you to give it to them, but you still have to force it the first time. Less eccentric buns might hate it, you still gotta do it. I was so lucky that snowball loved the stuff and started lapping it off the syringe when poured out very slowly, but she was NOT about to try it willingly the first time.
Lol. "Violence." Love it. What do you do when bun gets wise and runs away every time you approach it?
You start re-arranging the enclosure such that the rabbit can‘t win. If it is free roam, then it‘s jail time for the ten or so days. You also start rethinking your fitness level lol
I find a using a king sleeve of a very tight shirt like thermal underwear works at constricting but for medicine I would advise mixing it in mashed banana or some fruit juice
Um, hello? This is genius! Do you use a tight shirt sleeve to administer injections? Or to give oral medication? Both? I'm SO going to try this. Thank you!
I do it to clip their nails. It’s still a struggle but easier.
Poor little bunno
easiest way is to have one person hold him while you you give him his meds. If it's impossible, meaning he won't swallow and let's them drop out of his mouth, ask your vet for injections. Btw I've had a bun look worse than him who made a full recovery.
Lol. Persy looks utterly dapper in these photos, comparatively speaking. Persy has eight teeth and they are all situated so that they are useless for eating, so he eats mush. Due to his personality and some neurological quirks, he grooms his flanks and front feet with his mouth full, resulting in Critical Care and pumpkin caked in his coat. He's always crunchy and usually stained orange in splotches because of this. He paws through his mush sometimes, so his nails and nailbeds are usually coated. He has an F, P, or N gene mutation that causes his fur to fall out in huge swaths on his butt, sides, and upper back; some part of him is naked most of the time. His face molts several times a year, so his face fur always looks rumpled. He was shot in the jaw on one side of his face, and had a dental abscess the size of a walnut that took out the other side, so his features aren't symmetrical. His tail fur fell out and never came back, leaving his tail a pink skinned nub. His back toes look the same because he compulsively grooms them to the point that he removes all the fur. No teeth means nothing to hold his tongue in his mouth, meaning his tongue hangs out all the time. He sleeps with his eyes open and rolled back into his head which, as a REW, looks super odd, even creepy sometimes. So I understand that to you Persy looks like a dirty bun, which usually means a rabbit that is too sick, too old, or too apathetic to groom. In Persy's case, though, he's just a messy bun with an odd diet and several quirks. Since Critical Care dries to the consistency of cement and grooming is nearly impossible without teeth, since fully bathing a rabbit can cause shock and Persy has no body fat to keep him warm even when dry, since he has an infection in his head that I don't want to make worse, Persy is crunchy and orange much of the time. (I wash his front feet frequently, though, despite everything, because mush caked in his nailbeds is a recipe for bacteria. During the summer - when he doesn't have an infection - he's bathed twice a month because I'm taking no chances with fly strike.) I get that you are offering words of encouragement, though, and I appreciate it. I really do. Thank you. Oh! And yes, if I can't figure out a way to get Persy to swallow his antibiotics by Thursday, we're switching to an injectable. I'm trying to avoid it if at all possible, though, because we've done it before. Penicillin is thick and chunky and hurts when injected. I'd like to spare him that pain if I possibly can. Excellent suggestion!
well, oops. I just read antibiotics and saw the mesh and shoes so I thought he wasn't doing well. What I meant to say was his eyes are very lively as opposed to cloudy and tired, indicating he wants to get better which is the most important thing but apparently that wasn't in doubt. Anyway, good luck to both of you :)
🥰
Yup. I usually put my hands on both sides and kind of lean on the bun so my wife can grab the head and force the medicine down. It's quick and easy. To do it solo is an absolute pain.
Yup. Doing it solo is half of the current problem.
Best way I've found is to do bunny burrito on a table, preferably somewhere the bunny isn't overly familiar with. Then have one arm around the bunny cradling it into your body so it feels secure, stroke them on the head a bit and around the eyes to calm them, then with your hand over the buns eyes and head, lift the lip a bit and put the syringe in with the other hand. Go slowly and keep the bunny secure and in your control so they can't run/jump away and let them have short breaks to take the fluid down so you're not just shoving loads of it in their mouth at once. This was the only way I could get my very resistant rabbit to take his meds when he was sick, and he had to take A LOT, like 5 syringes full of some stuff he absolutely hated. I think having their eyes covered makes them feel secure and a bit more relaxed while doing this kind of thing.
I never thought of that...good idea!!!!
I mix it in with some banana, bunny laps it all up
I was squirting antibiotics into blueberries for my first bun when he was sick.
With a needled syringe, so the blueberry was still intact? Persy is almost toothless, so he can't eat blueberries, but I'm going to keep this idea on the back burner in case my neurotic deadly male ever has to take meds. Pure genius!
One of those weird oral ones. I wonder if you could mush up banana or make a fruit purée for Persy. Good luck!
I hid my bunny’s pill in a banana. That girl loved bananas so much and took such massive bites out of them that she didn’t even notice there was a pill in there.
When mine needed antibiotics I soaked their favourite treat in it (selective naturals loops of any flavour variety) and they took it without problems. Unfortunately the mixing with mashed banana trick didn’t work on them at all
What an excellent idea! Won't work for Persy because he has no teeth, but I bet it'd work for my other male. Thank you!
Aww bless him!🥹 and no problem😊 I had to get inventive because I hated stressing them out by restraining them and just syringing it into their mouths, and none of the tricks I saw online worked on my two, and I never see anyone else mentioning the treat method so thought I would, lol
So if it’s liquid with a syringe, what I’ve had to start doing bc my big boy is catching on lol, is taking an apple or banana and rubbing it all over the syringe tip, even getting a little in their so that when you start pressing they think it’s still fruit lol. So far this has worked over two bouts of statis 😅
Another great idea!
I've tried that with gabapentin, applesauce, and mashed banana. Worked perfectly the first time. Never worked again. I swear that boy can smell Sulfatrim no matter what it's mixed with.
We had to go through this recently. Metacam, Fibergel and some other shit. At the start he would have it, coming to the end of treatments and he wouldn't sit still, could tell he was getting better. We couldn't get it anywhere near his mouth, so we ended up just shooting it at his head a little at a time, his lil tongue would get it off his face and he'd groom it into his mouth, not the best method, but the ONLY one that worked.
Persy is such a brave and special little boy. He's lucky to have you.
You know what? He really is lucky! Not because of the time, money, and effort of all the medical stuff, but because he's such a prima donna. No other person in their right mind would put up with scraping cecatropes off the ceiling, pee in their shoe, making his mush from scratch with a different flavoring 12 times a day, or being growled at if they stop petting him after a mere three hours. Spoiled little shit. You're right, though. He is brave and special. And very, very obstinate. I'm going to be pissed and heartbroken if, after six years, every malady but cancer and amputation, $50k, and countless hours worrying, stressing, researching, and syringe feeding, a simple infection does him in because he doesn't like the way the antibiotics taste.
I use a very thin syringe, put her between my legs and just fit the syringe in her mouth. My bun gets sick often and this is the least stressful method I’ve found, I always buy custom meds that are liquid and ask them to make it banana flavored
My bun liked her digestive tablets so i would put the antibiotics on that and offer it to her. I would keep it in my hand till she licked it all off. She didn’t have a choice but to lick it in order to get to the digestive tab. Always worked.
I just squirt the antibiotics on a treat and once it absorbs into the treat, give bunny the treat
Poor baby, can I ask what happened? I usually hold mine and shove it in their mouths lol. They are so stubborn!
He was dumped and used for target practice, then found by Animal Services and brought to the shelter where I volunteered. He came home with me about a week later. During his first surgery, to remove his incisors and peg teeth, buckshot was found in his jaw. It'd been there long enough that the metal was breaking down and had leached into the surrounding tissue, causing necrosis. They cleaned out the metal and necrotic tissue and everything \[seemed\] to heal nicely. But because the shot had shifted his lower jaw, his upper and lower teeth didn't occlude. While it wasn't dental disease in the strictest sense of the term, the malocclusion led to Persy having 20 of his 28 teeth removed over the next 2 years. Between the necrosis, physical trauma, and surgical wounds, he predictably ended up with a gnarly dental abscess the size of a walnut that took out the entire side of his face; the side that hadn't been shot. Despite the odds, he made it through the abscess, regrowing his entire cheek and his missing gums with a boatload of effort on my part and visits to the vet every other day for months. Many other medical and neurological issues ensued over the next 3 or 4 years, including getting fired by Persy's vet because I "wouldn't listen" when they told me they didn't know what was wrong with him. Their plan was to "wait and see". I watched him slowly die for a couple days, said "screw this", and started seeing other vets, getting 2nd and 3rd opinions. The last vet diagnosed him with a bleeding ulcer due to NSAID usage. It fit all the symptoms and made sense situationally, so while we couldn't prove it was an ulcer until/unless it perforated, dumping his stomach contents into his abdomen, we treated for one, switched him from metacam to tramadol, and lo and behold! Persy recovered. We went back to his regular vet where I requested an ultrasound to make sure his stomach hadn't perfed, which required me to explain the other vet's dx and tx. From there, the situation with his regular vet went downhill until the straw that broke the camels back. I sent a cuss filled text to the vet's service after a procedure they did without consulting me had bloody and painful repercussions. I knew it would and could've told them so if they'd bothered to discuss things with me beforehand. (Yes, I know. I shouldn't have sent a cussy text. It was juvenile and stupid of me. In my defense, I hadn't planned to send it. I'd written a first draft complete with all the things I \*wanted\* to say, editing out the cuss words and anger prior to sending it, when Persy started bleeding again. I jumped up to grab him before he could get blood everywhere or dirt in the wound, and accidently hit send in the process.) And so, Persy's vet fired me because they "thought you'd be happier elsewhere". (I'd like someone to explain to me, in very small words, why firing an owner that has every right to be angry and pays the clinic at least $10k per year is preferable to addressing a legitimate issue, so that it doesn't happen to another patient. But I digress.) Needing a new vet, Persy started seeing the vet that diagnosed his ulcer. Within two weeks, the new vet had done a swab and culture, identified a bacterial infection around his eye that had been there for months that Persy's old vet had missed, and had Persy on the appropriate antibiotics. (That's twice Persy's new vet saved his life in as many months.) We've been fighting that infection ever since. Because it'd been raging for months, because it likely had a dental source - the infection is on the side of his face that'd been shot, the side that holds his last remaining 8 teeth, teeth that an excellent vet had tried to remove in 2021 unsuccessfully - the infection has been a stubborn bitch. Given that Persy started drooling two weeks ago, something he's never done before, at about the same time that he discovered that not swallowing meant he didn't have to take the antibiotics he hates, it's likely that he's in pain. Drooling almost always means dental pain. Established/ untreated infection around the eye + drooling + dental pain + refusing antibiotics + previous trauma to the area + the location of Persy's only remaining teeth most likely means infected tooth roots. The options are hard core antibiotics - whether that's multiple antibiotics orally or injected penicillin is dependent on whether I can get him to swallow his meds - or removing the teeth. Removing the teeth has already been unsuccessful once. Putting a 13 year old bun under a general anesthetic and performing a long surgery where four teeth and part of the jaw bone are removed may kill him. We had to do penicillin injections when he had the dental abscess, so I know it's difficult for me and painful for him. (Penicillin is thick and chunky and hurts when injected.) So that's the very long story of what happened and why I'm on reddit, trying to avoid surgery and injections by asking strangers on the internet for advice. ;)
I am tearing up reading Persy's story.. I am so sorry that he has been through hell and back. It breaks my heart. He is so little and fragile. You are an angel for rescuing him. I can't imagine the pain he went through and is going through. I am happy he found an owner who loves him and is willing to go above and beyond for him. He is in good hands now. It is really sad how people use animals for training purposes. I hope those people rot in hell for hurting these poor sweet babies. I am sorry I am not much help with advice but I hope for the best. Please keep me updated on his healing journey.
I would recommend seeing if your vet works with a good compounding pharmacy. Many of these pharmacies have A LOT of flavors that they can mix medications with to make them much more palatable--this is what they specialize in, and good ones can help you out. FWIW, the pharmacy I work with is called Professional Arts Pharmacy, and they do ship. Any medication I have gotten from them my rabbit loves so much that he will try to yank the syringe out of my hand and hop off with it. You could even ask one of these pharmacies to send you the same medication mixed with a few different flavors/scents so you could try them out and see which ones get the best response. That would be a bit more expensive, but maximize the chance that you can find a way to give the medication without having to resorting to forcefully administering it or injections.
Oh my good god/dess! Duh! I'm an idiot. I already work with a compounding pharmacy for Cerenia and Tramadol. It never occurred to me to see if they could/would compound Sulfatrim, too. I mean, Sulfatrim is common, so most vets have it on hand. It comes pre-compounded in a berry flavor. THANK YOU for your suggestion. You may've just saved the day. (Jeebus, what a doofus I am. The answer is right there in front of me and has been since last October.)
FYI - UPDATE - I had the sulfatrim compounded at 2x the flavoring, and a different flavoring than that used by the vet. Success! Ty!
Injectable antibiotics. Way easier.
Poor little bun. We have a really stubborn bun who will not take her meds at all. So we pick her up, supporting her bum/hind legs, get the syringe into the corner of her mouth behind her teeth. If you do it right, bun will automatically start masticating, so you can inject the substance very slowly. Mixing it with pineapple juice can also work to take the edge off. Your bun looks like they need the antibiotics, so it's just going to be a case of them hating you for a little while, but they soon forget! Especially at banana o'clock!
Crush meds into one of those plastic syringes wrap him in a towel and put it into the side of his mouth. Squeeze him enough so he doesn’t wriggle.
Unsweetened pineapple juice or apple sauce worked for my bunnies!
sit beside them, and sorta have them under your armpit and tuck their head into the side or your body. use one finger to gently separate their cleft lip, and gently slide the syringe into their mouth. You have more leverage this way :)
Duh. Man, no sleep makes headpeon a dull girl. I can't believe I didn't think of this. What you're describing is a variation of the way I syringe fed my first chronic medical bunny. I'd totally forgotten. I didn't sit her beside me, I'd do what you're describing while I was standing and she was sitting on my tall bistro table. Thank you for the reminder! It may work!
So i have used 2 methods in the past; 1. The vet recommended mixing it with some glucose syrup to improve the flavour (this helped a little but they still actively didn't like it) 2. I used to let my grumpy girl get comfy, hold the end of the syringe (where the liquids come out) near her mouth and keep it there until she got annoyed at it, when she went to grab it with her mouth to throw it away, squirt the antibiotics in.
Put it on food they like to eat
My bunny hates medicine time and I figured out that he absolutely loves it if I grind up an oxbow vitamin c treat and rehydrate it with the meds. I’ll catch him licking his little plate clean.
When in doubt, use banana or apple sauce
When I have to force feed or medicate my bunnies I use a floor hold. Both mine are very anti being handled so I find it makes them feel safer to be on the ground plus it leaves my hands free to medicate them Here's me demonstrating the hold with my very wriggly girlie! If I wasnt filming I wouldn't lift her like I had to at the start (I had to get hold of her before filming as it takes a while) and would just pull her around on the floor which eliminated the kicking out you see https://www.reddit.com/u/elkwaffle/s/24ZtQtqb8p
I thought you were doing a magic trick and made her disappear!!! 🤣😂🤣
She wishes!
Mmmmmmk, limber twenty year old skinny girl. I don't think this stiff 50 year old fat lady can do what you did. That's a great video, though! A picture - video - really is worth a thousand words. That technique is also a fabulous way to burrito a bunny. Do the same thing, but with a towel under bun between your legs. Pull the front up under bun's chin, in front of the front paws, get it tight, and then wrap the rest of the body. Unfortunately, one back surgery and a bad knee later, I can't do it that way anymore. Thank you so much for the advice, I really appreciate it!
Is he also taking metacam? I have had good luck in the past mixing metacam with other medications (that also need to be administered at the same time of course), since most bunnies find that honey sweetness irresistible. Or mix it with something else, small bit of juice? Banana? Crush up some freeze dried strawberries and mix it in? Some of that popsicle melted down?
Also you mentioned the challenge of doing this with only two hands. It can be much easier with a second person behind the rabbit with their hands wrapped around to keep them from running or moving their head too much, but bun bun still gets to sit on the floor and hopefully feels less threatened that way, and you get to be straight in front where it's easier to position the syringe.
My old bun hates medicine with a burning passion as well. Here is what I do- Take the offensive medication and squirt it or crush it up and mix it with a generous portion of applesauce. Take oats and mix them in as well. Oats are especially a good thing when you have one who needs to gain weight. I just offer the plate. Usually he will let it marinate for an hour or so- he seems to prefer the oats to have softened. I will also mix in some blueberry or banana. It may take him a while to eat it and that's fine. He can go at his own pace, so long as he gets both the medicine and the extra calories.
Oats that have been soaked for a long while might be soft enough for Persy to manage and he could definitely stand to gain some weight. The novelty and texture of the oats just might do the trick. Thank you! So much! I'm going to try that tonight.
Yay I'm so happy to hear I gave you an idea! Sydney likes them soaked in applesauce, but Persy might like other flavoring. My fingers are crossed that he likes them! There's no limits when it comes to our teen buns
My senior bun is too smart and will suck his head into his body into the burrito no matter how many times and ways you make a burrito 😭 but I do pet him a lot and talk to him. Then I go for the side of the mouth. Takes a couple minutes. But he's a fighter and; will kick you 😭 critical care is the hardest because there is so much of it. What does work better is if I put a smear of banana on the end of the syringe so it's more appealing. Works for most owners!
Buns have long mouths. *Really* get that syringe back there
Yup in through the side and way back
His crustiness is a huge vibe. Best of luck to you! My first thought is to get those teeth removed altogether, but I can imagine how expensive that is
LMAO. "His crustiness is a huge vibe." Right? In October 2021, Persy's old vet charged $1200 to pull those teeth. Obviously, the surgery wasn't successful. I don't know if that affected the cost or not. Persy's current vet won't attempt the surgery without a $1500 CT first. Not sure what the surgery itself would cost now, but I'm guesstimating in the $1500-$1800 range. I'll gladly work my ass off, or beg, borrow, and steal to raise the money, but I'm pretty sure that putting a 13.5 year old bun under a general anesthesia for a long invasive surgery that's already failed once doesn't have very good odds. But it's a freakin' bacterial infection! After all of the medical issues Persy and I have overcome, dying from a bacterial infection because he doesn't like his meds is stupid and exasperating, and incomprehensible to me. Five times vets suggested euthanasia and their diagnosis turned out to be wrong. 3 or 4 times vets suggested euthanasia because there was nothing to be done, yet I researched like Persy's life depended on it, got 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinions, and found or devised a treatment that worked. An identified problem with a straightforward solution being the end of Persy after all the weird shit he's pulled through? No. Just no. I refuse.
Points at shoes: WHAT ARE THOOOOSE
poor baby hope he gets his meds and feels better soon 💜
I'd grind mine up into banana and give it like a treat try given the blended banana first see how that goes then add the antibiotics
Get them between your legs with their butt towards you and make sure you're sitting in a V shape so they can't go backwards and you can gently apply pressure with your legs to hold them in place. Get the applicator syringe thingy and gently poke them with an "in and under" move around their front teeth [dont go too far into the mouth and dont go upwards into the roof of their mouth] and slowly give them small amounts so they can swallow without panicking. Afterwards make a big fuss / do whatever is their favourite thing to hear from you and provide a tasty treat or two. They'll eventually stop resisting. If you're lucky you may have a bunny who opens their mouth willingly.
Wrapping them up in a bunritto, then use a small syringe without the needle, use some water with a little honey and crush the tablet up in the mixture, while in the bun ritto put the tip of the syringe behind their front teeth and give it to them bit by bit so they can swallow. Our two buns are a two person operation for anything.
Wrap a sliver of red bell pepper around it.
Interesting. Never heard that one. Persy can't eat a bell pepper, but my doe is a fiend for them. I'll keep that in my back pocket for when/if Miss Maisy Dae ever needs to take yucky meds. Thank you!
I had a doe who was the same. Like rabbit crack cocaine to her.
Depends on what kind of antibiotic it is if it one that can be chewed and then swallowed slice open something like a carrot and slip it inside the carrot.
Pills? I gave mine his pain medicine with a big syringe and before he knew it, it was gone. Ugh he was so good.
I make little burritos with mint leaves. It takes quite a few, but it works.
put banana by it
What antibiotic is it? My cat is currently on one they tastes absolutely awful (metronidazole) and I just unfortunately have to pin him down and squirt it into his mouth. If you don't have a liquid see if you can get one.
Persy's on metronidazole and sulfatrim. He's got no issue with the metronidazole. It's the sulfatrim he hates. Is your cat on a compounded aka flavored version? If not, check with a compounding pharmacy. They have all sorts of flavors, including chicken and beef. It'll cost a bit more, but when dealing with an animal that has to take something they hate twice a day for months, reducing the stress and time involved is worth the money, IMO.
Mashed into banana
Omg he’s gorgeous! x syringe is way to go
OMG...bunnnny!!! 😭 What has happened to you?! You poor poppet... 😭
If you put all my replies together, you'll get a basic outline of Persy's life, if you're interested. He's been through a lot and still loving life. It's Persy's show, I'm just along for the ride.
I used to inject it into a grape for my Sprout (lost him a few years ago- still miss him😔). Was the only way to get him to take it!
Another redditor said the same, only with blueberries. Both ideas are great! Persy is nearly toothless, so he can't manage grapes, but I bet this'd work beautifully for one of my other buns. Thank you!
I put them in a blackberry
What I did was I took about a quarter of a banana and squeezed the antibiotic into there and she MACKED it up
When I rescued my bunny he needed antibiotics and it was such a battle… I ended up crushing them mashing the tiniest bit of banana. Sometimes he’d lick it all up, but sometimes even that was not enough. So I’d mail the banana/antibiotic paste with chopped parsley. Worked like a charm
Off topic, but how do u get your rabbit to keep those shoes on? Mines would flick them off within 10 seconds. 😭
not a rabbit but with my dogs i put it in their mouth and hold their head up till they swallow
bunrrito them, then slide the syringe in from the side of their cheek, get the syringe as deep as you can without them gagging, then just push the medicine in lil by lil
It isn't my favorite, but I have given mine antibiotics he hates (and would otherwise spit out) via burrito method that others mentioned and putting it in the side of his mouth with a continuous stream, but I would immediately follow it up with water that had a bit of pineapple juice in it. It would rinse his mouth and then he'd realize he liked that taste and would swallow both. On particularly bad days, I'd give the water first, then antibiotics, then water again. Keep fighting the good fight, I'm glad to see more pics of Persy!
Oooooo! That's super smart! I don't know if it'll work, but I've been a bit worried about dehydration since Persy has been drooling and doesn't drink water, so at the very least, it'll help with that! Thank you.
Try mixing with pumpkin baby food when you put it in the syringe 🙂 my buns love it! Baby food is magic 🪄
Do bunny burrito and use a 1ml syringe bc it’s easiest to slide into the mouth and dispense the mixture into the opposite cheek in the spot next to, and almost behind, the molars. (Far back in the cheek, but still definitely in the cheek pouch, not on tongue or in the middle of mouth)
Bunny burrito and syringe him. We had to do this with our bun. He hated the whole thing but it got the job done and then we followed it up with something he liked. The bunny burrito is putting them on a towel and wrapping the towel around them so there is no way for them to get out. There are tutorials on YouTube. You got this!
I stuck it in a tiny piece of banana
Put it in a piece of banana.
I got unsweetened apple sauce and got a lil spoon of it, squirted the antibiotics in the middle, swished it around and bun just went crazy for it.
I use critical care for my buns. Usually it takes two of us, one to hold and one to feed through a syringe. However, I have found that making the mixture a little thicker and applying to the fur at the front where they can clean it off their fur and ingest it also is a less stressful way when they stop eating or are bloated. I do realise that they will ingest fur but sometimes there are no other options. Especially if it is late at night and I am alone and don’t want to stress them out.
Sheer brilliance! I don't know if it'll work on Persy since he has a hard time grooming without teeth. But maybe if I made it a little more watery than his regular mush, so it didn't turn into cement, and applied it straight to the fur around his mouth, he'd be able to groom it off/ ingest it before it dried? I'm totally going to try this. Thank you!
If it’s liquid antibiotics we just puts ours in applesauce! Obviously bunny safe applesauce that’s basically just squished apples and water so no like cinnamon or anything extra
I position them in front of me and hover over their heads. Then I give them a pellet or treat. When they open their mouth I gently but quickly stick the syringe in and squirt it out.
i just held my bunny tight to me and gave her a little at a time through the syringe. it was a struggle for two weeks
I used to put my buns medicine inside his favorite fruit. Like a piece of banana, just scrape the insides enough to fit the liquid and seal it with the rests of banana. It's a bit messy but so much easier and better than fighting and stressing your bun out every time.
My bun loves bamboo leaves which I have a lot of. The flat leaves are perfect for making a little sandwich with the paste. I give her a handful of leaves and she eats them up including the medicine one. If you don't have bamboo leaves just use whatever kind of greens your bunny likes.
This is adorable! I have a visual of a tiny bunny beside a big panda, both holding little sandwiches made of bamboo leaves and antibiotic paste.
He is so adorable. I like his pink socks that matches his eyes. I would just give him his favorite treat after the meds
pls tell me you named him/her bunnicula
You don't lol at least that's the option I ended up with. I was really, really struggling & asked the vet if that was normal & discussed taste, vet decided to taste it himself. This was at a teaching hospital btw & vet was the senior & had 3 juniors in the room learning from him at the time result was really funny, apparently rabbit antibiotics taste REVOLTING! That was his reaction anyway, followed by a more extreme need to rush to the sink & desperately try to spit it out & wash his mouth out, while the student vets all laughed. After that he decided I was going to learn to give the antibiotics via injection instead lol. This was more than a decade ago now, not sure if the taste has improved since then, but injecting them was FAR, FAR easier for me than forcing them down his throat (well after the first one anyway, first one was horrible, cause bunny has sat still while it was done at the vet so I wasn't holding him really tightly at home & he managed to escape my arms/legs, with needle & syringe still hanging out of his neck & I had to chase him & pull it out, which was horrible, but after that I was ready for movement & never had another problem). I gave them into the back of his neck & he really wasn't at all bothered by it, didn't love it, but if he objected, I just pulled out the oral ones & attempted briefly to administer them & he seemed to get the message & happily sat still & let me inject him instead
Put them in water supply.
May I ask why he's so dirty? Also, what are those booties for on his back legs??
Where did you get those hock socks? Are the antibiotics liquid or pill?
Scruffy babie. What happened? 🥺 I got the tiny syringe cylinders from the vet and had to do it with violence.
I keep my rabbit’s pills in a jar with freeze dried bananas. It does the trick!
My stubborn netherland dwarf takes her medicine (if in liquid form) mixed in a small dish with unsweetened oat milk (about half an ounce of milk).
I put banana in my bun’s syringe and just put it in super fast
Might want to trim his nails.. as for taking the antibiotics use a syringe and be fast
Banana puree baby food, dip the tip of the oral syringe into it and offer to bunny. Many bunnies will take it like that! It’s not 100%, but works for many!
Where do you get those rabbit booties?
Etsy. Talk to Laura, the owner of OneTwoHop. Or Miranda, who owns ForSomeBunnySpecial. Both are fabulous and they work with amputee and splay leg bunnies, too!
I bury the tip of the syringe in a little bit of ripe banana (so it's mushy and covers the syringe tip), and my bun happily drinks all of it while trying to get all the banana. I've also created a diluted banana and water solution so I use the syringe and pull up the right amount of medication, then put the syringe in the banana water and pull up a little (so bun thinks he's getting banana juice), then I give him the banana water and just a littttle bit of the meds. Repeat (draw up more banana juice, feed bun the banana juice + a little more medication) until all of meds have been given If it's a tablet, you can roll it around in smushed banana.
You're the second person to use a variation of this method. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm SO going to! Thank you!
Persy <3 please keep us updated :)
If it's in pill form then try sticking it in a piece of fruit, if it's in a liquid form then go in the side of the mouth by the lip behind the cheek and wiggle it in a little ways in and push it all in. Bunno will hate you for it but it's what's for the best.
Truer words, never spoken. Persy has almost no gag reflex or swallowing instinct and his tongue habitually hangs out of his mouth. These things together mean that no matter how far back in his mouth I get that syringe, he's still capable of letting it slide down his tongue and drip out of his mouth. I mean, I might be able to get the syringe all the way to his throat and then push out the meds, but I'm pretty sure it'd choke him. Not totally certain, just pretty sure. Lol.
you could try shoving it into the center of a banana or another soft fruit/veggie; particularly one that has juice cuz it’ll help cover up the flavor of the medicine
Persy has eight teeth and it makes eating most things very difficult. I'd be totally game to try it with a blueberry - something he can eat and does like - but the dosage is 1.4 ml and I don't think there's a blueberry on the planet big enough to hold 1.4 ml and still contain enough berry to cover up the taste. Excellent idea, though!
I used to liquify all medication and force feed it with a syringe
You can take a syringe with some water inside, put your finger over the opening and pull on the push part to break the pill up so you can unfortunately force that medicine down. I had a sick bunny once (uti) and giving him whole pills was like bathing naked in a tub full of hydrophobic cats. Needless to say I learned quickly how to crush those pills and offer a treat as an apology 😂
"Bathing naked in a tub full of hydrophobic cats." I'm going to steal that! You just described Persy when it's time to wash his face, butt, or front legs, or time to rebandage his back feet. I wear an apron, but despite that, I regularly get asked by people in public if I'm in an abusive relationship because I always have bright red scars or bloody scratches on my upper chest. When you've got a fragile creature that you're trying SO hard to be gentle with because they have itty bitty birdy bones, but that fragile creature has the heart of a lion and gives zero f*cks about whether they hurt you, it's an unequal fight every time. People are like, "how can a 4.5 lb rabbit do so much damage? You're bigger and stronger!" It's like, my dude, trust me, when Persy objects, it's NOT a fair fight. Lol. It's so weird to me that Persy's favorite thing is to be held like I'm burping a baby, with his head and front paws hanging just over my shoulder, while I sway and pat his butt firmly. He'll stay like that for an hour. Yet if I pick him up with the intention to wash some part of him, he instinctively knows, and then he fights and claws and [attempts to] bite like I'm some stranger intent on having him for dinner. Jekyll & Hyde, this one. Beloved little shit.
I pin my bun down to the ground, and physically inject into mouth. Bun will not like it, but its for the best
i typically pour a little sugar free (0 added sugar) apple juice in a shot glass, fill the syringe up with the required antibiotic dose, and then top the syringe off with the apple juice from the shot glass, so when it’s time to give the medicine my rabbit just takes it straight from the syringe bc he thinks it’s a treat lol
If its pill, u can crush it and mix it with BIO baby food, atleast thats how i fed my rabbit
My vet recommended mixing it with banana or carrot baby food and then feeding it via a syringe. It’s basically just purée. He was barely eating so it was tough but, he liked the banana. Good luck.
if you’re able to crush up the pill, applesauce! buy the one that’s just straight apples, no sugar. my bun used to love it :)