Need help giving bunny a pill!

[dmh426]

So Sophie’s "poopy butt" turned out to be a bacterial infection. I was given Baytril and a topical cream to treat it.  The cream- fine. No problem, put bunny in a trance and done. The pill is another story. I wrapped it in a raisin and she wouldn’t touch it! Wouldn’t take it with dried fruit pieces in my hand, wouldn’t take it straight, mixed in her food, NOTHING. Any advice? I am thinking about crushing it up and putting it in some apple sauce. I can’t think of anything else.

[Gravehearted]

you doctor gave you baytril in PILL form to give to Sophie? in our area all the vets give it in liquid form! yesh

here’s a method that might work for you:

Crush pill into powder using the back of a spoon, with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baby food or applesauce. The less food you use means the less mix you will have to get into the bunny! All of these are wet enough to get easily into a feeding syringe.

You can also be sneaky if you have payaya tablets – give Sophie 2 papaya tablets, the pill and then another papaya tablet – bet you snuck it past her 😛

[BinkyBunny]

Looks like I was late on the advice from the previous post when you first posted about this.  So just ignore my post on the other thread.

I’ve also never had to give Baytril in a pill form either.  It’s a very very bitter medicine, that even bitter loving bunnies won’t touch.  If the crushing up and mixing with apple sauce doesn’t work, I’d ask the vet to change to "flavored" Baytril liquid.   They usually make banana flavored for Rucy. 

Baytril can also cause poopybutt for a bit, in some bunnies,  so did the vet talk to you about that at all?

[dmh426]

Called the vet, he’s going to give me the banana liquid flavored Baytril. He said he gave me the pill form because he thought Sophie would eat it since she eats everything else in sight (he’s been her vet since she was born, so he can say that!) I tried everything to get her to take the pill. I mashed it up and put it in applesauce, which normally she would DEVOUR, and wouldn’t go near it. Put it in her food, wrapped some raisins around it. I was almost balling my eyes out begging her to take it I was so frustrated. So, hopefully this liquid form will go a little better. Any suggestions on that one?

[Gravehearted]

ya – the banana flavored baytril shouldn’t be nearly as difficult to get her to take.

If she won’t take it willingly from the syringue, you can wrap her in a bunny burrito. I personally find it much easier to sneak in the side of the mouth instead of head on. I find the bunnies sometimes have a right side and a wrong side of their mouth for meds. So if she’s really fighting it, try the other side of her mouth.

[BinkyBunny]

The first time I had to give meds with a syringe, my vet tech showed me how.   He used water though since they had just given her meds when I wasn’t there.

Maybe they will do that for you.

[dmh426]

My vet helped me give her the first dose. It wasn’t bad. She hated every minute of it, but I got it down with Dr. W. talking me through it.

[dmh426]

NOTE TO ALL: BANANAS!!!!

[Theresa Moan]

Hmmm….shockingly, not one of my 3 bunnies will eat banana.

[Gravehearted]

Posted By dmh426 on 12/25/2006 9:27 PM
NOTE TO ALL: BANANAS!!!!

lol – so true!  when all else fails: BANANAS!!!

[dmh426]

not a pill, but when I have to give her the nasty liquid Baytril, I put some pineapple juice in the syringe too. makes life a little easier. Rasberries work well too!

[BinkyBunny]

Rucy goes bonkers for bananas.  She’ll knock other bunnies out of way with a one-two punch.  But that little smarty-pants will eat right around the pill, and even if I crush the pill to fine powder, she will have nothing to do with it.   She must be really sensitive to the bitter taste.  

[dmh426]

I think once Sophie actually got her appetite back, she went right for the banana. Treats, yea!!!! She was nibbling around the banana, but it’s all in the trick of putting it in a small piece, in the middle and then it’s all luck!

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