SubQ fluids — rabbits vs dogs

[cianoy]

I can count rabbit vets in one hand in the Philippines. I believe that SubQ hydration can help save a lot of rabbit lives.

If someone needs that and only a dog vet is available, what do I advise the person. How is bunny vs dog hydration different? Entry point, hydration fluid amount and type (are there different types), etc.

Please work with the constraint that there”s no bunny vet available in this scenario.

Thanks

[Bam]

I don’t think it’s much different, buns too have that loose skin that you can put fluid under. I’ll ask the other leaders for input on this.

[jerseygirl]

There is a bit of an indication of how much fluids to give on page 3 in this pdf. This is for treating Gastrointestinal Stasis.
Basically, it suggests giving 100-120ml / kg each day (25-30mls/kg each 8 hours). It doesn’t indicate what needle size to use but the usual spot to give it is on the back (the scruff).
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.pdf

It’s different though when treating a rabbit that is in shock or really dehydrated. They wont absorb subQ fluids well, if at all. So it’s better they receive IV fluids that have higher dextrose to help get the blood glucose levels up. I think IV fluids are normally given through the ear vein or cephalic vein on the front leg.

[cianoy]

I’ve read you should warm the fluid. To what temp? Microwave? Can you reuse the needle?

[LittlePuffyTail]

I have to give my bunny, Bindi, fluids once a day due to him not being able to drink well on his own. We do warm the fluids as cold fluids can be quite shocking to the system. We fill the sink with warm water and let the fluids sit in there for several minutes. It should be warm, we usually do lukewarm. Always check it first to make sure it’s not too hot or cold.

I don’t do the actual need part as I get queasy but my husband does that part and says it’s much easier with a bunny than the times we’ve had to give our cats fluids. Their skin is loose and easy to insert the needle. He does it right at the scruff of the neck. Lift the skin up, make a v and insert it at the tip f the v.

We give our bunny 60 ml a day for a poorly bunny in stasis, I’ve seen my vet give twice that amount. It probably depends on the size of the bunny. My little guy is less than 5 lbs.

It’s good that you are researching this because you are right, I have seen fluids turn around a very sick bunny. Sometimes it just gives them the little boost they need.

[cianoy]

Posted By LittlePuffyTail on 10/12/2017 7:08 AM

I have to give my bunny, Bindi, fluids once a day due to him not being able to drink well on his own. We do warm the fluids as cold fluids can be quite shocking to the system. We fill the sink with warm water and let the fluids sit in there for several minutes. It should be warm, we usually do lukewarm. Always check it first to make sure it’s not too hot or cold.

I don’t do the actual need part as I get queasy but my husband does that part and says it’s much easier with a bunny than the times we’ve had to give our cats fluids. Their skin is loose and easy to insert the needle. He does it right at the scruff of the neck. Lift the skin up, make a v and insert it at the tip f the v.

We give our bunny 60 ml a day for a poorly bunny in stasis, I’ve seen my vet give twice that amount. It probably depends on the size of the bunny. My little guy is less than 5 lbs.

It’s good that you are researching this because you are right, I have seen fluids turn around a very sick bunny. Sometimes it just gives them the little boost they need.

If you don’t mind me asking, what is Bindi’s condition?  One of my bunnies, Daisy, is very prone to GI stasis.  Over the months, I’ve come to suspect it happens when she gets dehydrated (which happens subtly).  And I have noticed that once she gets a subQ hydration, she recovers on the way home from the vet.  So what I’ve been experimenting on is keeping her hydrated by making her drink more.  I’ve discovered that she’s quite a fan of Pedialyte.  She’s certainly developed the taste for it, but I’m counting almost 2 months now that she’s been fairly stable.  

[LittlePuffyTail]

Don’t mind at all. Bindi has kind of an unusual situation. He developed an ulcer on his tongue and had to have part of it amputated. This sounds horrible, I know but it didn’t even cause him to stop eating, not even with stitches in his tongue. This was about 3 years ago and we do the daily fluids because, while he does drink on his own, a lot of it ends up dribbled on his chin, so the vet just wants to make sure he stays hydrated. Luckily, he is great about getting the fluids and it’s just become a normal part of our daily routine.

Earlier in his life, Bindi was also very prone to stasis. Many emergency vet visits. My vet suggested drastically reducing his pellets which pretty much did the trick for him. He is now only getting about 1 TBSP of Timothy Pellets per day.

[cianoy]

I’m glad it worked out for Bindi. His case seems to be different from Daisy. I still haven’t discovered the cause of hers. And quite the opposite, I have to jack up the pellet ratio since she’s losing weight.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Bindi is at a low weight too but, since we can’t really give him more pellets, I give him several TBSP of Critical Care daily. He’s still at a lower weight than I would like but with his issues and his age, I don’t think I’ll ever get his weight to where I want. I just try to keep him from losing anymore.

[cianoy]

I switched my pellets to Sherwood since I’m hearing it may be better than Oxbow. However, I’ve also been giving critical care spread on the veggies. It’s the only way I can get her to eat the stuff. I don’t even measure critical care. I figure she can use all that and more.

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