Tips To Give Medicine - U/D how essential is the Metacam

Florence won't take her Metacam. Yesterday I managed to get it into her, just (she kept grabbing the syringe and chucking it down), but today she won't take it at all. As soon as I go near her with it she runs off. Now she isn't going anywhere near me. She still isn't drinking so I tried to give her some herbs in water, but she refused to take them, I guess she thought I put the medicine on them, but ate them as soon as I left her to it.

She's at the vet tonight so I'm taking it with me for the nurse to give it to her. But I'm guessing she's going to need it for a few more days yet. What can I do?

Help!

I am sure there is a vid for this somewhere.

You need to keep her on all fours to minimise the risk of the meds going down the wrong way and ending up on her lungs. If you are having trouble then wrap her in a fleece blanket. I favour fleece because you can warp it fairly snug and still allow the bun some wriggle room without them being able to wriggle free. Ideally get someone else to hold her still, with Flo I have had to cradle her wrapped up against my body but it is tricky if you are not used to having to do it. Aim to get the syringe into her mouth from the side so the syringe is behind her front teeth. Let her go quickly so she is not unnecessarily confined. When giving meds by syringe I generally give them at the same time every day and then by day 3 the buns normally give in the the idea it is going to happen and stop fighting so much.

OOh I have a perfect technique. Rhia is strong & really head shy so I need something that doesnt cause either of us any stress. If you buy one of the baby-food pouches, dip the syringe in that & let her lick it off (She really will do), and as she is licking, just squirt little bits at a time into her mouth. Just sit next to her on the floor rather than hold her, she wont even realise!

Ok how essential is it to give Metacam three days after a spay?

She is point blank refusing it. She knows what it smells like and as soon as I go anywhere near her with the syringe she is thumping and grunting. I tried putting it on some basil leaves, gave her basil without it on and she nommed it, gave her the ones with the Metacam on and she was thumping, grunting and running off again

I'm leaving her in the house to do it, as I'm not picking her up at the moment because of her stitches - she will make a run for it. So I'm sitting on the floor next to her, but she can smell the medicine as its coming towards her and she's off. If I manage to pin her down she's thumping and grunting so much and isn't cooperating with it when it goes near her mouth.

I'm at the end of my tether with it, and I'm at the stage where it's upsetting me. Is it essential she has it? The vet said she should stop tomorrow, but she's getting stressed. As soon as I put the syringe/basil down she's back to her normal happy self letting me stroke her.

The Metacam is a really good pain killer for her. What a little monkey she is. Have you tried it on a little bit of apple??

Katieb wrote:The Metacam is a really good pain killer for her. What a little monkey she is. Have you tried it on a little bit of apple??

I've tried it on basil, and also these alfapha (or however its spelt) bite things she has (basically compressed hay in a cube) but she smells it coming towards her and grunts and thumps at it! Then hops off to somewhere else. If I try and hand it to her she's off before I get to her as she knows what I've done

Maybe I should try and be firmer with her, before she goes into spoilt brat mode!

I have the same problem with Daisy and his baytril. He behaves like I am trying to poison him.

Is there anyone that can help you. We do it by one of us holding daisy and the other one pops the med in his mouth.

Does everyone get given this to give their buns after a neuter/spay? because I didn't get given anything for Buttons!! So I wouldn't worry too much about it!

The Metacam is very important and the best way to give it really is in a syringe into the mouth for quickness.
Does Florence like a little bit of brown bread as we have syringed the metacam on to that before today and the bunny has eaten the brown bread with the metacam on. I have put it on banana and left it on a little saucer to be eaten.

I've found this website and if you scroll down it gives you some ideas.

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/medicating.html

This is how to make a Bunny Burrito.

https://youtu.be/t3okPKg9Fc8

I don't agree with this way of making a Bunny Burrito
as I find throwing a towel over the rabbit like that is unnecessary

https://youtu.be/zeRCMy9-voo

How to give a Medication to a rabbit.

https://youtu.be/xaHtUy4EX5s

lizzi_blackwell3 wrote:Does everyone get given this to give their buns after a neuter/spay? because I didn't get given anything for Buttons!! So I wouldn't worry too much about it!

Some vet's will give you pain relief for your bunny to take home with you, and some don't, we always have been lucky as our vet has given us some pain relief to take home with us and of course now with having so many buns we are well stocked up with medicines.

Rabbits will be in some discomfort after a spray/neuter and I think it is always wise to give them pain relief if that's the case.

Arrrgggghhh. Just decided to try and pin her down before she knew what was happening. It didn't work So I tried to put it on bread, and you'd think I put rat poison on it I can't believe a tiny piece of bread got thumped at!

She's now laying at the back of her house panting, after running away from me for a few minutes. And shes laying on the hay which isn't good. I'm going to let her be for a bit then I'm going to have to try wrapping her in something. She's just getting stressed out.

Had you lived not so far away I or Mike would have come round and given her medication to her for you. I do hope you manage don't let her win , get that syringe in her mouth and press the plunger quick so she won't get time to think about it never mind run off

If she is stressing I'd leave it for now.

I think id leave her hun if she is getting upset, give her some cuddles and keep an eye on her. If she doesnt seem in pain and you are stopping in the morning anyway id just keep an eye on her. If she looks uncomfortable or in pain then give it another go, but if not Id just try and build some trust and try to calm her down.

Is there a favourite food she has that you could put the Metacam on? Maybe a few of her usual pellets? I've never had any bother getting them to take Metacam - Artie looks forward to his daily Metcam, I think it's the highlight of his day! You're a bit unlucky there with Florence not liking it.

Personally, if she doesn't seem in pain and is happy in herself I wouldn't persist with it on Day 3 after surgery as I'd consider the stress of administering it outweighs the benefit of the medication. I've had two does spayed with my rabbit savvy vet and they were kept in overnight the night of the operation, given pain relief the following day but there were no meds to take home so by Day 3 there was no pain relief given.

Maybe if you put it on food for Florence and then didn't make an issue of it, just left her to it, she may just realise that she actually likes it.

Katieb wrote:I think id leave her hun if she is getting upset, give her some cuddles and keep an eye on her. If she doesnt seem in pain and you are stopping in the morning anyway id just keep an eye on her. If she looks uncomfortable or in pain then give it another go, but if not Id just try and build some trust and try to calm her down.

Yes I've just edited my last post as I read the bit about panting after.

Tuckerbunnies wrote:Had you lived not so far away I or Mike would have come round and given her medication to her for you. I do hope you manage don't let her win , get that syringe in her mouth and press the plunger quick so she won't get time to think about it never mind run off

If she is stressing I'd leave it for now.

Awww thanks. Then again if you lived closer you'd probably also end up with her for weekends!!!

icedancer wrote:

Tuckerbunnies wrote:Had you lived not so far away I or Mike would have come round and given her medication to her for you. I do hope you manage don't let her win , get that syringe in her mouth and press the plunger quick so she won't get time to think about it never mind run off

If she is stressing I'd leave it for now.

Awww thanks. Then again if you lived closer you'd probably also end up with her for weekends!!!

Ah she just ate the two basil leaves with it on, not sure how much was left on it but hey that's something. The bread is still getting thumped at, which is slightly amusing if we weren't both so stressed!!

I just gave her lots of strokes and she seems to have calmed down. I don't know if she had a bad experience at the vet with a syringe or something, but she is seriously freaked out by it.

She's laying on the hay though now which isn't good. She doesn't eat from a hay rack so I've had to put it on the floor, but up until now she wasn't bothered about laying on it.

Anyone want to adopt an anti-social bunny!!!!

Buns absolutely HATE any syringe feeding/meds. As already suggestion, try putting it on/on some treat foods or mix with some pellets.

JoeyBunsMum wrote:Buns absolutely HATE any syringe feeding/meds. As already suggestion, try putting it on/on some treat foods or mix with some pellets.

She smells it on the food and then thumps at the food!! To her, Metacam is rabbit poison!

She's suspiciously sniffing everything I give her now The bread with the Metacam on it is still in there, I keep offering it to her but it just gets thumped at.

Poor Florence!

She just weed on the bread so I've now removed it!! She's now looking very pleased with herself

That sort of behaviour won't go down well at the tea party!!!