[caitlin14]

My little baby benji, is a little over 3 months old, so still very young and fragile in the sense of diet etc.. I took him to the vet on tuesday to have a checkup and get his vaccination (australia reccomends them) and then Wednesday he started limping, he did not jump from a high place, fall, get stepped on, twist it, or anything in that nature (that i saw). He was on the bed walking around then just started limping. So i took him to the vet Thursday and they gave him an anti inflammotory shot, and said might be soft tissue, but bring him back in the next day or two, so brought him back today (saturday) and he has improved a tiny bit is now putting his front paw down slightly but still not fully using it properly. So they put him on a 5 day trial of baytril, incase of an infection..

I am devastated it might be an infection, he is a house bunny how would he get it? He is still happy and playful and eating and drinking and pooping well, i hope to god it is a sprain.

has anyone had experience with limping bunnies? or a bunny with an infection?

thank you so much
caitlin and little benji

 

[somebody]

Was Benji lame in the area where the vaccine was given? That's not too uncommon I think. All those extra injections, poor thing, how is he today?

 

[caitlin14]

he has improved! he has had one dose of antibiotics, and today he is putting his paw down and using it a lot more, so fingers crossed he heals properly! thanks for asking!

 

[Purple-Hops]

I hope whatever he was given helps Baytril is not a generally good med for infection though because of a bunny's delicate system walls off the source thereby holding it in different areas of the body. Then it creates a maze and can re occur over and over if not treated aggressively. Anyway, that's my experience with Baytril and abscesses

 

[caitlin14]

thank you so much for that information! The doctor just put him on a 5 day trial run, and he is walking now completely, so hopefully it was just a sprain or something along those lines, I am going to take him to the vet one more time to have everything checked back out.

 

[somebody]

So glad to hear Benji is doing so much better. Let us know how the vet visit goes!

 

[caitlin14]

thanks i will! Does anybody have any tips on getting the antibiotics to your bunny? I tried the bunny burrito and he absolutely hated it, and i dont want him straining his leg / paw again and making anything worse. He will sometimes just stand there and lick the syringe but other times not. Any tips? thanks!

 

[somebody]

I only know how to medicate cats. It might work the same for buns, you could try.

Is there something soft and wet Benji likes? I don't know what rabbits like or what they are allowed to have. For cats I always recommend some yogurt, soft cream cheese, mayonaise or a little soft butter. Is there something along those lines he could have?

If so, put some on a spoon, put the spoon in a bowl with the medicine all ready, too.

After getting everything ready, kneel on the floor with your feet crossed behind you. Hold Benji between your knees, facing out. Put a little dot of the soft wet treat on his mouth to make him lick and to help him associate the whole ordeal with something good. (if not something soft and wet a tiny amount of any treat Benji likes)

With dropper, syringe or pill in one hand, pry open mouth with other hand and squirt it in (or push the pill back) aim for the throat/ side of the mouth.

Quickly put another dot of the soft wet treat on Benji's mouth and nose for him to lick off. (or pop another treat into his mouth) As he licks (or chews) he will swallow and down it all goes.

Release him and give him another tiny bit of treat, so it's all associated with good things.

Let me know if this works for buns, as with this method I can medicate any cat I have ever met

 

[Purple-Hops]

Bunnies are lactose intolerant so 'somebody', those might only make him sick, the rest might work!! For the wet treat maybe inject the meds into a strawberry or banana.
I used to hold Akina in my laps and pet her until she calmed down then, since she did not mind her mouth being touched, I would quickly shove the syringe into her mouth from the side (its easiest from the side) and make a quick squirt... She ALWAYS got a treat afterwards ^.^

Somebody, this method seems lke it might work in practice Only thing to remember is bunnies cannot have milk ingredients... I know stores sell Yogies and other various treats for bunnies but those have yogurt and intolerable amounts of sugar. My bunnies were fine eating them before I read up on the content being bad and they both were fine.. But I do not recommend them now lol Learning from my mistakes..... Darn pet stores.

 

[Dragonrain]

Banana!

Most bunnies love it and it's nice and soft so you can squish some up and mix in the medicine with it and hopefully trick your bunny into eating that. If the medicine has a bad flavor you can try mixing in a little bit of all natural pineapple juice to make it taste better and see if he'll take it from the syringe then.

Of if you have any and your bunny likes it, you can put the medicine in a bit of critical care and give that in a little bowl or a syringe. If you don't have critical care, you can soak regular pellets in water to make them mushy and mix the medicine in with the pellet mush.

 

[moonchild]

Did your vet take an x-ray? One of my rabbits jumped off of the back of a sofa and displaced his knee cap. Had it not been for the x-ray, the problem would not have been found.

 

[caitlin14]

We ended up not getting X-rays, if he kept limping i would have, but he stopped and we just finished the five day anti-biotics, and the vet gave the all clear!! And does not feel any swelling or bump and little benji is happier than ever! Thanks for all the advice and concern!

 

[somebody]

Bunnies are lactose intolerant so 'somebody', those might only make him sick, the rest might work!! For the wet treat maybe inject the meds into a strawberry or banana.
I used to hold Akina in my laps and pet her until she calmed down then, since she did not mind her mouth being touched, I would quickly shove the syringe into her mouth from the side (its easiest from the side) and make a quick squirt... She ALWAYS got a treat afterwards ^.^

Somebody, this method seems lke it might work in practice Only thing to remember is bunnies cannot have milk ingredients... I know stores sell Yogies and other various treats for bunnies but those have yogurt and intolerable amounts of sugar. My bunnies were fine eating them before I read up on the content being bad and they both were fine.. But I do not recommend them now lol Learning from my mistakes..... Darn pet stores.

Yes, I only mentioned those as an example. Whatever is good for bunnies that they like will work. You need something wet because you want to wipe it onto their mouth and nose to lick off. This stimulates the swallow reflex.

This method of medicating can work with any animal small enough to fit between your knees. Since I have mastered it, I can medicate ANY cat. I bet I could pill a bun, too.

I know I sound braggy, but it's true. Anyone can do it, it's just a matter of approaching with confidence, practice and building skill.

 

[Purple-Hops]

Okay, well the method works but I just wanted to clear up that bunnies are, in fact, lactose intolerant And I totally agree, confidence and practice are key. Raising bunnies to be tolerant of handling is a good idea too.. Bc you never know!!

 

[BunnyMommy1313]

Im an expert at pill medicating too. We had cats growing up. And one of them had the herpes eye virus and his eye kept getting really enflamed. So we had lysine for maitnence. And antibiotics/steriods for flare ups. So I was a pro! The person that explained the meds always was confused why I wanted pills over liquid- which most people request. And me- I was always annoyed that each and everytime I had to sit and listen to her ramble about how to administer the medicine. I bet I could have beat her anytime getting a pill down a pets throat! LOL confidence and quickness are key factors

btw I didnt know bunnies were lactose intollerent....shame on my big bunny Maxine when she took a lick of my ice cream bar the other night. I so didnt think she would. Course, if I gave her a plate of spaghetti, she'd probably eat that too!

 

[Purple-Hops]

HAHA Akina ate pie, chips, cat food or dog food once, She got into everything. She would literally stand on my laps and beg like a cat for chips or fries. Ugh, I miss her but I DONT miss her getting into food. She was such a pudge. Her previous owner let her eat non-bunny food.

 

[caitlin14]

haha! Benji comes running whenever he smells popcorn and will beg like crazy for it! Bunnies are little pigs!

 

[somebody]

Yes, I too would take liquid over pills any day.Pills are so much easier.

My Tolly (cat) has herpes eyes, but I put the pure lysine powder right in his food, the only taste is salty, so he likes it. He takes pills three times a day for his seizure disorder and liver damage, and he takes them like the lamb he is.

Anything soft and wet a bun likes that is safe for him/her can be used.

 

[binkies]

Keep him/her in the cage for longer periods, until the leg heal.