Syringe feeding- help!

[LoveCrumb]

My poor little guy is suffering from GI stasis (luckily I caught it early on!) and the vet gave me several different meds as well as Oxbow Critical Care to syringe feed him.
I need to give him two of the medications every 8 hours and one every 12 (all with a tiny millilitre syringe), while the critical care is given every 4-6 hours with a standard size syringe. He doesn't have too much of a problem with the smaller syringe doses (not that it's easy, mind you!) but I'm really struggling with trying to get him to accept the larger syringe for the critical care.

It took me almost two full hours to get just 20 ml of the stuff into him the first time, and now that he knows what the syringe means, he has a huge body-jerking reaction every time it touches his mouth. He buries his face into my hands, into my pants, or into the towel if I'm trying to burrito-wrap him. You'd think I would be able to hold him in place, but you guys all know how squirmy and strong a bunny can be when they don't like something!

I just tried feeding him again and I ended up getting the mixture EVERYWHERE but where it needed to go!!! His reaction is to flick his face or jerk his body really quickly to dislodge the syringe before I can do anything with it. He doesn't seem to mind the taste at all, he just doesn't like the syringe.

Please, does anyone have any helpful tips or tricks for getting a squirmy bunny to take a syringe!!??? I make sure to go very slow when I feed him, giving him enough time to chew and swallow. Maybe the mixture is too cold? His body temp is perfectly normal, but maybe I should heat the mixture a little?

 

[cassnessxox]

It was really difficult getting my girl to take the critical care when she stopped eating.

What I did was burritoed her in a towel as tight as I could and kind of held her head up and against my chest. Then the only place I could get the syringe in was at the side of her mouth, there is sort of a gap in their back teeth. I found it much easier to get the syringe in from the side and she couldn't jerk away as much. Once it is in there I could get the syringe load in most of the time if I held her still enough. Also I found that she was more likely to swallow from the side, if I syringed it from the front she just sort of let her mouth fill up and spat it out...

 

[DrSki]

We've had many syringe feed experiences with Sydney and GI Stasis and she often wears it, as well as struggles. Cassnessxox is right as far as the side being the best area and wrapped as tight as possible. This seems to be the best way that I've found. I also try to make the slurry a thinner (it goes through the syringe a bit smoother). I've also had better luck with the apple/banana flavor, over the regular one, but not all vets carry that flavor. When she's really bad, I do feeds around every four hours and, just try to get as much down her as possible. I also syringe water as well. She takes that pretty well on her own, without struggle. When I first started syringing fluids, I mixed the water with some apple juice (read the label to get one without extra sugars or other items). Also, I keep pushing her greens and grass. I put it right under her nose and keep doing that, sometimes she gets mad enough to put it in her mouth to move it out of the way, that she'll start eating it. Hope your bun is on the mend soon.

 

[LoveCrumb]

Thank you guys! I've been giving him the syringes in the spot you mentioned, but I haven't tried wrapping him as tight as possible- I guess I was worrying about his ability to breath and take down the food when he was so confined, but I will certainly try it during his next feeding. I will also water down the mixture a bit more, because he doesn't seem to have too much of a problem taking water!
He finally had a small poop this morning and drank out of his bottle himself! I'm hoping he's already feeling a bit better.
I've been doing the same thing, DrSki, bugging him by basically poking him in the face with his hay and greens until he angrily yanks it away and nibbles on it!

 

[Watermelons]

You may need to burrito him a little snugger.
If they really squirm I put the burrito'd bunny between my legs as I kneel on the ground as this prevents backwards and side to side motion, then one hand on one side of the head, syringe on the other so theres really no where for them to go.
You can try mixing a little plain apple sauce into the slurry to see if it improves the flavour (100% apple no sugar or other junk added) I used to do this any time I used critical care or hand fed the birds, but we can our own apple sauce...

 

[Shmoo06]

I'm doing syringe baytril at the moment with both of my bunnies and boy do they hate it(2 times a day). I've been able to get them on their backs, but I have to have a firm grip or else they're gone. It's the only position I can get them in and see their mouths. My arms are so scratched up. Mumbles is pretty good once I get him turned over & it doesn't take long at all, but Stitch goes absolutely insane. I wrap him in a towel at times. Sometimes he'll get out of it, so I just hold him as tight as I can. It sounds like what you're using is a bit bigger, so good luck!!

It's kind of strange too because Stitch has actually been coming up to me more and hoping on my lap since I've started the medicine. lol. By the way he acts when it's medicine time, I thought he'd hate me for life.

 

[missyscove]

I wouldn't recommend syringing a rabbit anything while they're on their back as that could increase their chance of asprating it. I will usually sit on the floor with the bunny sandwiched between my legs and my torso and, if necessary, wrapped in a blanket. I always use warm water when I make my critical care which I think makes it more appetizing.

For future reference, I have had some success training my rabbits to take a syringe by regularly offering them some diluted juice or baby food so that when it's time to give them drugs, they're already used to the syringe.

 

[cassnessxox]

When I first had to syringe painkiller after Cleo's spay I used to do it sitting on the stairs. She would be on the top step and I would sit a few steps down so she could fit under my arm, because I couldn't wrap her up so tight from fear of hurting her stitches. Just some more ideas of positions to make it easier if nothing is working. If you don't have stairs maybe sit on the floor with the bunny on the couch or something similar.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I alwasy have issues syringing when I use a large syringe. I highly highly reccomend using a 1 mL syringe and just keep refilling it and keep the mixture relatively thin. My buns take this SO much better, it's the difference between night and day. It can be hard to fill the little one though so I fill the big one and fill the small syringe from the large one.

 

[degrassi]

I also find using a 1ml or 5ml syringe easiest to use. With the bigger syringes you can get tips that fit onto the end, makes the end longer and easier to fit into the side of their mouth. The vet should have the little tips for the syringes, thats where I got mine, or you can even use a short piece of tubing(like airline tubing for an aquarium). I just find its easier then the tip is longer, its easier to get it into their mouths.

Or you can even find special syringes that come with curved longer tips. Usually they have them at the dentist, as they give them to you after surgery to help clean your mouth.

 

[lindemanbunnylover]

If you have a helper have them hold bunny still while someone elder syringe feeds the bunny...I had a bun with bladder sludge and we had to syringe feed her too. Very hard to do..and messy! She passed away though...I miss her:cry1:

 

[leoniecudahy64]

Hi would anyone be able to tell me how much a 2 pound rabbit is able to have a day? Mine is not drinking so I have given her 5ml of water using a 1.5 ml syringe and she seemed to like that, but is that enough including her eating her celery and carrots?