SYRINGE FEEDING PLEASE HELP

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 1 month ago by lunavenus.

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- 03/06/2016 at 1:33 AM
  lunavenus
  Participant
  176 posts
  I have the worst luck. I finally got my rabbits on Friday and they both seemed healthy and active. Then, suddenly luna started seeming lethargic and she didn’t seem interested too much in eating. It might be because of the stress of moving into a new home… I thought I heard gurgling sounds from her tummy this saturday morning, which I wasn’t too sure about because I was also hungry so It might have been mine. Nevertheless, I sort of freaked out as a first time rabbit owner and took her to the vet. The doc said she may have an onset GI stasis and prescribed her 3 medication and a critical care packet…. I’ve been tryna feed her the critical care packet BUT SHE WONT STOP SQUIRMING. My boyfriend tried holding her down while I tried to syringe feed her the mix but to no avail. Then I tried to hold her down while he syringe feed her but she squirms and jerks around so much that its almost impossible to properly feed her anything…. We managed to get some of the mix into her mouth but most of it went flying everywhere… then, my boyfriend and I saw that she seemed to be eating hay on her own so we decided to head out to get some dinner. When I came back, my housemate told me that my rabbits were making a lot of noise which i took as a good sign because I thought luna is starting to finally perk up…. But while I was laying beside luna and her buddy Venus in an attempt to bond with them, I heard gurgling sounds from her tummy again. I thought I was just hearing imaginary things so I ignored it, but then the longer I stayed next to Venus and Luna, I’d hear Luna’s tummy gurgle a lot more. I started freaking out again, and went down to make more of the Critical Care mix. My boyfriend and I tried so so hard AGAIN to syringe feed her the mix… We literally tried everything to hold her down literally for almost 2 hours… We are both exhausted now……
  I dont want my poor luna to go into a full GI stasis and end up really sick… How can I keep her still to properly give her the medication and critical care mix????? PLEASE HELP IM FREAKING OUT.
- 03/06/2016 at 2:08 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  If you see her going for hay again, just let her eat that and don’t worry about syringe feeding. Hay and water are the best thing. Do what you can to get her eating on her own. Even try put the critical care in a dish for her.
  
  What medications did the vet give?
  
  {{{Luna}}}
- 03/06/2016 at 2:13 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  If she’s gone without food for too long and you do have to force feed, try wrap her in a towel first. Look up “bunny burrito” technique.
  Don’t hold bunny on their backs while feeding. It’s too risky and they can easily aspirate the formula.
  
  Try pop the syringe tip in the side of the mouth between front and back teeth. They’ll often start a chewing motion when you do this. Then slowly syringe food a bit at a time.
  
  I’d actually try syringing her water first.
  I
  A couple other things people have had success with is mix the CC up thicker and feed little balls of it to the bun. Or syringe feeding a really watered down version.
  
  ETA: this video is not a bad one. The nurse has it up high on a table and on all 4 feet so it is less fearful.
  http://youtu.be/8iGZVYVm5Bg
- 03/06/2016 at 2:22 AM
  lunavenus
  Participant
  176 posts
  Oh okay. If she’s eating her hay a bit, I should just let her eat that instead?..
  I’m just so worried about her. She seems really inactive compared to Venus, who’s always jumping around doing binkies around me. I haven’t seen Luna do any binkies or sprints yet… I don’t know if it’s her personality or her tummy issues, but she seemed more active than Venus when I first brought her home… It’s like her personality switched…. I feel like she hates me now since I’ve tried to syringe feed her earlier, which sucks because I wasn’t even able to properly gain her trust because I had her for such a short time…. I hope she forgives me.
- 03/06/2016 at 2:34 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Oh okay. If she’s eating her hay a bit, I should just let her eat that instead?..
  
  Absolutely. Just make certain she is actually eating it, not just biting and letting it drop from her mouth.
  p.s. I added a video in my post above.
  
  Once she’s settled and feeling herself, I think you’ll see her become more active. Perhaps something spooked her that triggered this.
- 03/07/2016 at 2:23 AM
  lunavenus
  Participant
  176 posts
  She seems a lot better today. She’s eating her pellets and hay and pooping.
  Thank you for the help!
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