I dont know what to do...

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maherwoman

maherwoman

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Joined
Feb 21, 2006
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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
I dont know what to do...my husband and I tried a few times to give Maisie her medicine that the vet prescribed today, but we just cant figure out how to do it. We tried wrapping her in a blanket, but she got really freaked out and wouldn't let us. I even sat there and pet her for a bit, and gave her a couple raisins, and when she calmed down, we tried again, but she just wouldnt allow it.

I dont know what to do...she's not eating, she's not drinking, she's not pooping...and she needs her gas medicine.

Can you guys help me? I'm totally freaked out that I'm going to lose my sweet baby because I just don't know how to administer these meds!

Any suggestions you guys have would mean the world to me...I really don't want to lose my baby.

The only thing I'm taking comfort in right now is the fact that the dr also gave her a shot of the meds we're trying to give her right now, so at least I know she has some in her system...but she needs to have them in the dropper, too.

Help? :tears2: I ask you this with tears...I'm so worried...today has been so hard, and I feel like her condition's just not improving like I thought it would. Should I be more patient? She's only had the meds in her system for a few hours, but I still expected to have more improvement. She was eating some hay ont he way home, but that's about the last time I saw her eat anything, adn that was about 2pm.

Thanks, guys...I feel so lost and sad in this whole thing...:bigtears:
 
It's okay. I know it's frustrating. But you need to be confident. Tell yourself that you will get her to take her meds and she will swallow them and that's final. As Buck would say, you need to be the Big Kahuna Bunny.

I've had trouble using the blanket, although it works well for some people. What works best for me is to have one of us hold the bun (often holding their head, too) while the other syringes the meds in. There's a little open spot between the incisors and the molars, and that's where you stick the syringe in. Aim at the cheek, squirt a little at a time, and give her a little time to swallow. You can also try putting a tiny dab of honey on the end of the syringe to make it taste good.

Did you read my response in the other thread?
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=14687&forum_id=16

:hug2
 
They don't eat all the time, usually just twice a day for awhile. 2 PM isn't too bad. Mine rarely eat in the afternoon.

Is she looking uncomfortable? Lying down and getting up? When did she last poop?



sas
 
She's not doing the lying down and getting up thing...but her last poop was sometime this morning. She did about 15 of them around the floor area of her top level in her cage, and last night literally 2 in her litterbox, but that's it...nothing since.

I just looked in her carrier that we took her to and from the vet in, and there are some poops in there, too...so the last time she pooped might have been around 3:30pm at the latest.

Am I just being paranoid??

One thing, too...something my husband mentioned...they gave her a shot of fluids, so maybe it's that because she has that in her system, she's just not thirsty? They didn't give it to her because she was dehydrated, just so it would help move things along in the digestion area.
 
First, calm down maherwoman. I know it's stressful, but you just work yourself up about something. Like with Pepsi, everytime she had it serious I always thought I was going to loose her, and that just upset me more to the point I couldn't think straight to deal with it. Believe me, Massie is going to be fine :).

Like the others said, you need to be firm and authorative. Is the bunny burito the method you're using? Masie is probably 2x the size of Pepsi but the bunny burito worked well for me. Just get a towel or hand cloth (depending on her size) And put her head just over the top facing away from you. Firmly put you're hand on her back and take one of the side and put it over her. Then take up the bottem and flip that up. Then, with the other side flap take it and secure it tightly around the bundle. Have someone hold her firmly under there arm with a hand on her bottem and a hand near her shoulders to keep from sturggling. Make sure you wrap her tightly so it will be easier. With me, I just usually annoy Pepsi with the syringe by putting it under her lips and holding it there. In time, she will start to move her mouth to try to get it away from it, then I gently squueze. This method has always worked for me, so maybe try it again in a smaller towel and wrapping her more tightly?

Don't panic if it's been around 3-4 hours without her pooping. Is she eating? If she's not than that probably is the reason why there are little poops. Try to tempt her to eat with some veggies or her favourite food. It's fine, it's only been a short period of time without poop so right now you don't have to worry at the moment.

When Pepsi got fluids under the skin, she didn't drink much either so it's normal. When did she get this? If it wasn't rescent however,it should have been urinate.

:hug:Everything's going to be fine! No need to panic just yet :).
 
One thing I tried with a bun worked pretty well, but she was a caqlm rabbit anyway.

I kneeled on the floor with the bunny between my legs and head facing out. I used my legs to firmly keep her still and had one hand on her shoulders and the other holding her head (from the top) slightly sideways and pulling her top lip up while a friend gently inserted the syringe into the side of her mouth.

Good luck with your lovely Maisie :pray:
 
Okay, guys...I did it! I did what another member had suggested in this thread:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11658&forum_id=16

"HoneyPot wrote: Ok I'll tell you how my vet showed me to do this - and it worked!

get a towel, lay it on a table and put the bunn on the towel with his butt facing you, so you are standing behind him. Fold half the towel up so that it is covering the bun up to his neck.

And this is the part that I had to learn - you HAVE to be the boss and win the first fight to keep the bun still.

Lean over the bun so that if he tries to back up, he hits your stomach and has no where to go. Press the towel down so he is secure and hold his head with one hand. Keep a hold of his head so he has to stay still.

Take the syringe and gently put it on his front teeth and move it to the side (right or left beside their big front teeth) and find the little space between the top and bottom teeth - the syringe tip will slide right in.

Syringe a little bit at a time - remember their mouths are super small.

The most important part is that you HAVE to win and be the boss.Remember that it's not about being bigger/heavier or overpowering them with strength, you don't want to hurt them, you just have to be persistent and firm. Don't let him go when he tries to get away.

Misty would quiet down and take a lot of the syringing, then try to fight - but once she saw that I was unrelenting, she just sat and took the syringe.

I was never able to do until recently, so good luck - and keep trying.

____________
Nadia
"

So I tried this, and it worked okay. I did have to have my husband help me, which stinks because he's out-of-town tonight and the next two days, so I have to figure out how to do this alone. I'll try your burrito method the next times that I have to do this alone, Spring.

Here's what I did: I started out by petting her until she melted into the floor of her top level, and even a few minutes after that. Then I picked her up, which she initially kinda freaked out about, but I was stubborn, supported her butt well, and she calmed down and went into a bit of a trance (is that a good thing?). Then I held her for another couple minutes, until she was nice and calm, and then I put her down and did the above. Up until this point, I worked completely alone. I even had my husband put his back to me.

It was when I put the syringe in her mouth and she tasted the first medicine that she tried to get away. Then my husband had to come over and firmly place his hand on her back, and she then laid down and let me syringe the meds into her mouth, like mentioned by others (in the space between her front teeth and her molars). A lot of the medication they gave her in the shot didn't make it in, but most of the simethacone got in, so I'm happy I accomplished something, ya know?

Tomorrow, when my husband's not here, I'll try Spring's burrito method...and I'll be the Big Kahuna Bunny, Naturestee, I promise! Talking and singing to her before hand helped a lot ("Little Bunny Foofoo" has always been her favorite). I let her know that I was just gonna have to do it, and that was that...I think it was more for ME than for HER, but hey...whatever works!! :D

Anyway, I'll let you guys know how things tomorrow go, too. Since she gets these meds twice and three times a day, so I'll have it down PAT by the end of the week!! *sigh*

Thanks so much for your help, guys!! Couldn't have done it without you!!

:bunnydance:Flower is happy to do the Happy Bunny Dance for ya...but I don't think Maisie wants to...she's too busy pouting and licking off the stray drops of medicine from her fur. LOL!!

 
Great job maherwoman! I'm proud :D!

I can take pictures of the steps tomorrow and post them using a stuffed toy around Masie's size if you want? When Pepsi was sick, I could manage her on my own, so you shouldn't have a problem with Masie! :)

Any poops? Pees? Improvements? Come on Masie, make a big pile of poop for everybody!

:brown-bunny......:sweep*Borrowed from someone else, thought it was a good idea-so MAKE POOPIES MASIE MOO!*

:hug2Hang in there, you're dong a fantastic job :).
 
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Spring! :D It made me smile, which I've haven't done much today (which is rare for me).

Well, no poops yet...BUT she DID eat some hay earlier...with much verve, I might add!! She was eating that hay like it was goin' outta style!! It was so cute...she had switched from laying loafy (like they do when it's cold), to sprawling out, and then eventually she sat up real quick, and started eating like her tummy started growling out of the blue! It was adorable! She's laying back down now, and looks much more relaxes, so that Simethacone certainly helped!! YAY!!

I'll update you when I see poops! :)

Fair warning: I'm also going to copy this post's basic information in the other thread about her. :)


 
Well, if she's eating hay you should expect to see a big pile of the brown nuggetspretty soon! :D That's fantastic! GO MASIE!!

I'll be holding my breath waiting for "THERE'S POOPS!" :D. Hope they come in a plentiful amount and quick!

:D
 
I'll keep checking...that's exactly what I thought, too, that poops are sure to follow. I didn't think she would have been eating if she were still so backed up. Didn't make sense, ya know?

I'll check and check, and post RIGHT when I see some! :)

This is kinda exciting...a bit nerve-wracking, but somehow also a bit exciting. :)
 
Lol...totally funny, Peapoo!! (I always feel like I'm actually writing Peapoo when I say that...lol!!)

Oh, quick update: No poops yet, but when I checked just now, she was eating her pellet food (which I'm keeping at a minimum, per my vet's direction). :)
 
I know how you feel! I was so worried when I had to syringe Delilah's meds alone. You get used to those men being around huh. If she really squirms I wrapped her in the towel and placed her on the floor which made her squirm less and all I had to do was hold her head still. I know this sounds mean but when I had my hand on her head to find the hole for the syringe... sometimes I had to lift her lip... either way I covered her eyes with my hand and she squirmed less.

also b4 your start to syringe feed her with the tip dipped in honey as N said, rub along side her face or on top of her head that made D start to close her eyes and relax. NO, she was not in a trance just less stressed. I always pet her for a little bit after I syringed her also. Otherwise, I would never catch her again. Imagine how they feel.

good luck, You have a great bunch of people for suport:DI am sure you will be fine.
 
ATTENTION!! Maisie has officially left me a nice, dark brown, pile of poos!!!! YAY!! I'll of course continue giving her the meds...but I wanted to report to ya'll about the wonderful news!!!!

:bunnydance::bunnydance::colors::colors::elephant::elephant:

I'm so relieved!!!!


 
When you're alone, you might try what I do:

I put the rabbit on a kitchen chair facing sideways. I kneel in front of the chair, placing my arm around the bun, kind of nestling his/her back end under my arm, close to my body. I put that hand on top of the bun's head to keep him/her from moving it and use my thumb to pull up on the upper lip, exposing the teeth. I then use my free hand to work the syringe.

It's the only way I can do it without any help. I sort of envelop them with my own body.It keeps them calm and prevents them from moving.


 
Binkie absolutely refused to take her baytril after her surgery. I needed first aide after trying the first time.:disgust:

They can feel your stress so you need to stay calm and be firm.

I'm big on the bunnie-burrito....AND the Big Kahuna Bun stance as well.;)

An added advantage to the burrito....you don't get fur all over you.....especially when you have to run home at lunch time to give meds and they go back to work. And the towel will smell like the bun so they have that familar scent to help calm them. I also keep an old denim long sleve shirt hanging in the bunnie room to wear when I handle the buns. #1 it smells familiar#2it's sturdy and the long sleeves help avoid bites and scrathes.

Oh yeah...Binkie hated the Baytril because it tasted & smelled NASTY!!!

I mixed some banana baby food with it and she decded that she liked it and took it willingly...well almost willingly.

The key is to find that little space behind the front teeth....get the tip of the syringe far enough in.....give a little at a time and make sure their swallowing by moving the tip around a little...DO NOT take the syringe out until finished if possible, try to complete it all in one episode.

Oh gosh...and good luck too!!.........brings back vivid memories!!

How's the furrie one today, by-the-by???

~Jim

 
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