Mookie wont have her Antibiotic!

[Nintu]

Just registered, but lurked for awhile. I love the site. I absolutely love my 2 rabbits.

Mookie got spayed 4 days ago and yesterday when I checked on her stitches, there was a gaping hole that showed her organs and muscles inside. It looked clean and everything, but it was very gross. 

Panicked, I went to a local emergency animal hospital. They re-stitched her but I didn’t get the same good feeling I get from my Regular Vet. I felt like they kept finding ways to charge me for more. I felt like they weren’t as good with rabbits as they might have me believe and I didn’t like some of their advice.
 
I felt like they were upselling me a lot. E-collar, strongly recommended. What kind of sutures did you use ? Well, internal ones, and we did 3 big layers of internal sutures. So even if she managed to get one, there are others. But we highly recommend the e-collar. Umm, ok. Sure.

Obviously, hating the E-collar, but when we took it off, she kept grooming/going after her wound… So we decided, E-collar back on atleast for a few days while things settle and heal.

But they also sent us home with Antibiotics. Chlorpalm. I think they injected her with a pain med and an antibiotic when she went back under for her new stitches.. My question is.

Is it necessary? First of all, the smell sends her into a frenzy. After trying to put it in lettuce, she reaches the point then freaks out. Trying to get it in her mouth is impossible. 

We were able to give her medicam for pain no problem, but Chlorpalm just will not happen. We’ve tried for hours.

Is it strictly necessary? Is this Common? Should I find an alternative drug?
Is it wrong that the ordeal put me to tears? I don’t want her to be in pain or hurt herself. Will she be okay?

[LBJ10]

I would be careful with that antibiotic. I have heard that is can be harmful to humans. An antibiotic is a good safety precaution. After all, she did open the incision and it likely got bacteria in it during that time. So the vet prescribing an antibiotic isn’t unusual. Could you go to your regular vet and get a different one like Baytril? How else have you been trying to give her the antibiotic? Believe me, putting it on food doesn’t work. You have to force it. You need to restrain her either in a burrito or by “sitting” on her and then squirt it into the side of her mouth in small amounts at a time.

[Sarita]

Chlorpalm or chloramphenicol is definitely rabbit safe. It could cause some problems in humans but I wouldn’t worry too terribly much as you are not exposing yourself to this in any way i can see harmful by administering it to your rabbit. You can certainly though contact your regular vet for more instructions on this.

[Nintu]

We’ve tried everything. As a bunny burrito, the second she gets the smell of it( which smells really delicious by the way… weird) she freaks the hell out. she violently jerks her head. Our good vet isn’t open today so we have to wait until tomorrow to see about baytril or any alternative. They can also check the incision and see its done right or healing properly. It’s covered in red/brown which the receptionist said was Iodine and is normal apparently, but we thought it looked like a big bloody wound. :\

I’ll be more comfortable tomorrow when we get our good vet to see it.

I guess we’ll keep trying to force her to have it in the mean time.

Thanks for your responses. too =]

[Stickerbunny]

If you have a helper, getting medicine in her will be easier. One person holds her still with two hands, pressure on teh shoulder blades especially so she can’t jerk. While you, with the syringe, hold her head still with one hand and gently push up her gums with the other. At the back of their mouth is a sort of “pocket” and there is a spot you can get the syringe behind the teeth as well. Push the medicine into that and pocket of her cheek, behind her teeth and do it slowly. Push a little, wait for her to swallow, push a little. You can mix it with fruit juice to take some of the taste away. If you don’t have a helper, sitting on her with your knees holding her sides (be careful not to be too much weight on her, you can hurt her if you do) and using your hands to hold her head and get the syringe in her mouth might work.

Iodine does look pretty bloody and it’s normal to wash animal wounds in it when they have a spay go bad. Antibiotics are usually given as well so no infection sets in.

Stickers reacted the same way to Baytril as yours does to this one. Even though the vet mixed it with pineapple flavoring. I had my boyfriend hold her while I held her head and put the syringe in her mouth. She struggled, tried to spit it out with her tongue, etc. For an entire week, two doses a day. But, she got better from it. Some of them are hard to medicate.

[Sarita]

I agree about the smell of the chloramphenicol – it’s been awhile since I’ve had this for a rabbit but I do remember it was nasty smelling. I think you are doing the right thing by seeing your vet tomorrow. Keep us updated.

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