Oh my goodness.

[VelvetLion7]

Well, we took Velvet to the vet today. . . and, apparently he has some mild respitory problems in his lungs, so right now he is on meds for that and also the vet gave him a dose of medicine for possible parasites (since he was losing fur and all.)  I’d say it went well.  However, the bill happened to be a whopping $219.  Yeah.  My parents weren’t so happy about that.  Is this the normal rate for a visit to the vet?  I’m afraid I didn’t have time to ask about the spuetering procedure but, now my mom is even more opposed to speutering because of the cost as well.  What’s more, when I told her about the probillities of Ruby getting cancer, she said that if any of the buns gets really sick, we’ll have to put them down!    I don’t know what to do! 

Anyway, does anyone have tips for giving medicine to a bun by mouth?  Because that needs to happen twice a day for Velvet. . . and I  have a feeling he won’t be happy about it.  

[Sarita]

For me, that’s a normal vet bill.

Velvet is pretty small isn’t he? I would wrap him in a towel, turn him over, insert syringe, push syringe and be done. Insert the syringe in the back of his mouth not the front.

[VelvetLion7]

Ok, thank you Sarita, Velvet’s was our first ever vet visit so we had no idea what to expect.

[Elrohwen]

Unfortunately, that sounds like a typical vet bill (in my area at least). I’m pretty sure my vet charges $90 just to see the bun, even without meds, testing, or a diagnosis. 🙁

I’ve only had to give meds to Otto once, but I had good luck just backing my bun into a corner and very slowly squirting the medicine out in his mouth. They flavor a lot of pet meds, and Otto loved the Metacam and just licked it right up. I would give him a chance and see if he’ll lick it up on his own before giving it by force. I also had a gerbil on antibiotics and she loooved her meds. So you never know.

And I’m sorry your mom still doesn’t see the value of speutering 🙁 You can remind her that putting an animal down isn’t cheap either. I’ve had two gerbils put to sleep and one was $80 and the other $160! So for what it would cost to put down a bun with cancer, she might have well been spayed. Putting them to sleep isn’t free. Maybe remind her of that? My only other suggestion is to keep reminding her that your buns can’t live together and have companionship unless they are fixed. It sounds like she wants what’s best for them, so how could she want to keep them separate forever?

[BinkyBunny]

Yes, I double ditto that the vet bill seems normal. I always say, you pay for the vet, not the pet, and so I always encourage starting up a “savings” for pet emergencies.

Elrohwen had some great points regarding the position your mom has now taken. I sure do hope your mom eventually softens on this.

[RabbitPam]

Just a tip: I find it easier to insert the syringe into the side of bunny’s mouth instead of trying to open up from the front. It gets into the back of their mouth more quickly and they may chew a little on the tip but it stays in, rather than a quick head turn away and running from you too easily.

[VelvetLion7]

=) Thanks everyone for the tips, it worked wonderfully, mission accomplished . . . for now.

Elrohwen, thanks for the suggestions, I think those might actually get through to her.

[bunnytowne]

Another suggestion is mixing the med with a little pear juice from a can or something similar.  bun may just lap it right up.   If she doesnt’ add a little more juice.   Less difficult this way.

Or whatever works for you. If you are comfy with syringe then go that route.

It costs 120 or 160 to euthanize a bun and creamate here.  Oh you can get VIP pet insurance 11.00 a month for 1 bun.  They do reimburse except for spay/neuter.  It will in the meantime help out with the other costs.

I didnt’ tell mine about any pre existing conditions.  And the vets know how to write up the bill to the ins too.

[KatnipCrzy]

Make sure when you give the medicine that you do not hold the bunny on its back or cradle it like a baby- you want the bunny to be in a normal eating/drinking position otherwise they can get aspirate/breathe the medicine into their lungs if they struggle- and that will add another complication to the illness.

That is pretty typical for a vet bill especially since you are treating TWO problems.  Did the vet think that either was contagious to your other bunny- it is important to know otherwise you can spend a fortune treating one, then treating the other or both to clear it up.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Oh yes-very standard price for vet care Glad that you got her in to the vet Keep us posted on recovery

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

When Comet was on his pain meds after his neuter, I mushed up some banana to feed it to him in and he gobbled it up all on his own and thought he was getting special treats It’s better than trying to force it in their mouth I think!

Also, depending on where you live, vet bills will vary. My vet charges $36 for a check up w/no testing, meds, etc., and his neuter was about $130, but I know that is fairly cheap compared to some other people’s experience. Also, neuters are cheaper than spays.

Good luck convincing them to speuter and healing vibes for Velvet! (((()))))

[VelvetLion7]

Oh, thank you everyone! Velvet’s doing a lot better and it looks like his fur is growing back. Katnip, thanks for telling me about not cradling, we had been tipping him back like a baby to give the meds, but since you told me that we’ve stopped. =)

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