(RIP) S'more has been sneezing/coughing and has nasal discharge.

[JimD]

tonyshuman wrote:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rx/drugcalc.html

ray:

Thanks, Claire.

I'm going out to the CVS to pick up Pedialyte and the Motrin in about an hour.

So, I think I've got it figured.
I'll get the Children’s Motrin (100 mg/5 mL ibuprofen) suspension.
I'll make sure I check the concentration.

For a 6lb rabbit the dosage works out to 1cc.

Can someone check my math for me? I'm pretty sure I got it right, but I could use the extra assurance.

 

[JimD]

Pipp wrote:

I think I worked out that about a quarter tablet (50 mg suspension?) was good for my little guys (who liked the berry flavor), so maybe start there. There is a recall on the liquid suspension, so if you go that route, check the batches against recall info.

You need to make sure she has food in her stomach.

Giving too much or too often can cause GI upsets and/or ulcers.


sas :clover:

Thanks, sas.

I posted before I saw this.

 

[JimD]

I'm back.

I bought the CVS brand of children's Ibuprofen suspension.
It's the same concentration (100 mg/5 mL), and the pharmacist assured me that it was excluded from the recall.
I'm going with the calculated dose of 1cc.

I'll make sure she's got some food in her before I give her the Ibuprofen.

How often should I give it to her??

I've got pellets soaking in Pedialyte right now.
I'll add a dose of Baytril to the slurry. She's still got a few doses to go to finish the script.

It's going to be a long night.

ray:

 

[tonyshuman]

The math is right. I would give it no more often than every 6 hours, every 12 is probably ok. If she's really in a lot of pain, it's usually dosed every 4-6hrs, but the thing is she has to have water and food in her belly so it might be hard to give food that often too.

 

[JimD]

Things went pretty well last night.

I was able to get a substantial amount of food and liquid into her before she started to give me a hard time about it.
And then she took the Ibuprofen willingly.....I think she liked the berry taste :biggrin:

The only thing I forgot, was to add the Baytril to her slurry.
I was so overwhelmed with sorting everything else out, that I just plain forgot.

This morning I wasn't surprised to see she hadn't eaten or drank on her own during the night. Her little belly was probably pretty full, and it was pretty late by the time I finished up.

She left a nice pile of poops and had peed, though! YAY!!

I'll be home in a little while and I reassess her, but I'd most likely do the same routine tonight with her.

 

[hln917]

Just saw this Jim, sending good wishes to S'more.

 

[JimD]

hln917 wrote:

Just saw this Jim, sending good wishes to S'more.

Thanks, Helen.

 

[JimD]

Things are about the same.

S'more is still not eating on her own....except for nibbling at her hay.
She's still taking treats (dried papaya) willingly, though.

Last night was a battle of wills. She fought me through EVERYTHING, and bit the tip off of almost every syringe I have.
It was tough to tell if I got more in her.... or on her. What a mess we both were!

I'm not sure what to do now.

If she doesn't start eating and drinking on her own in the next few days, I guess I'll be taking her back to the vet.

 

[JimD]

Last night I took a bit of a risk and did not force food.

I gave her the ibuprofen, antibiotics, and Pedialyte (only about 15cc - 20cc)
She had been nibbling at her hay so I wasn't too concerned about her having something in her stomach before I gave her the meds.

She had about a hour of free run time last night. She ran around inspecting everything....even got a few binkies!

I was hoping that she would be jump-started enough to eat and drink some on her own.

Annnnd....

So, this morning she had pooped and peed.
She had not touched her pellets.
She had drank a little water.
She's not eating her treats now....this worries me.

I'll probably force some food tonight, and continue with the rest of the regiment.

I'm scheduling a vet visit for Monday.

 

[JimD]

Maybe I should try some NutriCal??

 

[tonyshuman]

I would. I know Randy doesn't like it, but it might get her appetite going. If not, the vet could give her a shot of B vitamins which would do the same thing.

 

[JimD]

tonyshuman wrote:

I would.

I think I'll give it a go.

I'm picking up feed tomorrow....I'll get some NutriCal, too.

I also feel that forcing food might deter her from wanting to eat the same thing on her own.
If I force her to eat her regular food....why would she want to eat it willingly?
Does that make sense?

 

[tonyshuman]

Some bunnies do get "spoiled bunny syndrome" if you force feed them the tastier stuff, like Critical Care or pumpkin.

 

[JimD]

tonyshuman wrote:

Some bunnies do get "spoiled bunny syndrome" if you force feed them the tastier stuff, like Critical Care or pumpkin.

I'm thinking that the opposite might also apply.

If she doesn't like her regular food, and I force her to eat it....she might not want to eat it willingly.
Maybe that's contributing to her lack of appetite.....or at least that towards her pellets.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

So sorry I'm late to this thread
Sending S'more good vibes, Jim ray:

I sure hope she will feel better soon... If you need her to eat some hay/parsley, sometimes my guys will lunge and snap for it if I tease them a little bit (then they cram the rest in their mouths).

Will be thinking of you both :hug:

 

[JimD]

S'more hasn't improved.
I'll be taking her to the vet this evening.

She finished her script of Baytril Saturday night.
That was also the last time I forced food and liquids....and last time I gave her ibuprofen.

She's still sneezing/coughing and still has some nasal discharge.

She hasn't eaten any of her pellets, and only drank a very little bit of water.
She has been nibbling at her hay.
She's still pooping and peeing, but not much....only enough that I know her GI is still moving.
She must be eating enough hay and drinking enough water to keep her going.

I bought a new bag of pellets in case the others were stale or something, but she hasn't touched them. She'll run over to her bowl when I give her fresh feed, but then doesn't eat anything. She's not even eating her treats (dried papaya).

She won't eat fresh veggies....never really did.
I tried tempting her with fresh parsley & dandelion greens.....no go.

She has a water bottle and a bowl to drink from. She hasn't touched the bottle, and has only drank a little from the bowl.

She's still alert and affectionate.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

It sounds just what Pebbles went throughbefore she pasted.

I gave her everything to eat, all her favorites, alfalfa hay, parsley, pumpkin, carrots, oats,Critical Care, and Nutrical, but she kept losing weight. In the end I was Sub-Qing and syringing Critical Care,but I knew she was going as sherefused to take anymore food.

Please S'more, you have to eat.

Jim, there are different flavors (regular and apple/banana)of Critical Care available. Keeping S'more hydrated is important as eating. You might want to ask the Vet to set you up with the Sub-Q.


ray:

 

[JimD]

Thanks, Stan.

Somewhere, deep inside me, there's a little voice saying; "This isn't looking too promising."

I have the feeling that we're just holding the inevitable at bay.

I'm taking her to the vet in a few hours. Unfortunately, it's not my regular vet.
Dr Cattiny is out of town until next week, and we'll be seeing his backup...Dr. Shimmel. We've never seen him with any of the rabbits. He treated one of our dogs, but I wasn't all that impressed with him.

I've been forcing pellet slurry and Pedialyte for almost a week now. I think the Critical Care would be more beneficial, but nobody carries it....hopefully the vet will have it. SubQ would be the best way to hydrate her, but I don't think he'll be willing to set me up with it.....or if I have the skill to administer it, at that.
I also need some more syringes for feeding and oral liquids.....S'more bit the tip off of almost every one I have. I bought some at the pet store, but they were junk and only lasted for one use.

 

[Maureen Las]

You could try a little Nutrical , Jim

How is she doing tonight?

 

[JimD]

Thanks, Maureen.

NutriCal is on the list...amongst a few other things I need to pick up.
Pedialyte
Grape jelly (to mix with the liquid Baytril)
Canned Pumpkin

The vet was good....very rabbit savvy.
He did all the right things, asked all the right questions, and offered a couple of different options.

The prognosis is not that good.
She's lost over a pound since her visit two weeks ago.
He's thinking that whatever is going on inside her has probably triggered Pasturella to rear it's ugly head.
He also reminded me that S'more is getting to be a senior bunny, and these things are bound to happen as age progresses.

He's prescribed liquidBaytril to be administered orally, and a step more aggressive than before.

He also recommended putting a drop of Baytril in each eye. He said that way it will enter directly to her sinuses thru her tear ducts and hopefully treat any infection that has spread there, too.
Any thoughts or comments on this one??

But, ultimately, we're just prolonging her life as long as there's still some quality left.....and as I mentioned before: "Holding the inevitable at bay."


On a brighter note...she just wrestled three sprigs of parsley and a baby romaine leaf from me.