Subcutaneous injections

[Kristen13]

My rabbit clover was diagnosed with gi stasis today, she has 2 oral medications and 1 injections medication. I struggle with needles myself and was in absolute tears just trying to grab her scruff, I couldn't see. After 2 failed attempts to get the medicine into her, I'm going to call the vet in the morning to have them do it and show me. But I simply cannot grab her scruff, I'm getting almost no skin it's mostly fur. She was given iv fluids for dehydration, could she still be too dehydrated and that is why I cant get it or am I simply not doing it right? I tried at least a dozen times just to grab her, I watch various videos from rabbit owners to veterinarians doing these injections but I still cant do it. I cant take her to the vet every 8 hours for these as they are not open long enough, that would be awful having that many car rides and I simply cant afford it. I honestly wish I could just have someone else do it because she is now scared to come to me, but just 12 hours ago she was curling up in my lap. I just want my happy and healthy bunny back.

 

[JBun]

Could you just ask the vet to switch to an oral medication instead? That's probably going to be the best route to go if you aren't able to manage giving injections.

 

[Kristen13]

She is already on 2 oral medications for this, I don't believe this can be an oral medication. For her gi stasis she is supposed to get an injection every 8 hours, an oral medication ever 12 hours and they had me pick up a specific human medication for gas that is also every 12 hours. They knew I had no one to help me with injections and that I was also not comfortable and afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, so I think if they could have made it an oral they would. I just don't know how I'm going to do this, I've really tried to get her scruff but I just cant get anything.

 

[JBun]

What medication is it? If it's a gut motility med, most of them are usually given orally. I've never heard of a vet asking an owner to give it by injection, and every 8 hours at that. In fact when injections are required, it's almost always because it's an antibiotic that is only safe to give by injection, and that is rare for a vet to go that route first.

Can you list all of the medications you are giving? I have never heard of a knowledgeable rabbit vet asking any owner to give injections when they aren't comfortable doing it. Let alone ones that need to be given every 8 hours. That's not a common thing for a good vet to do. Which makes me wonder how knowledgeable a rabbit vet your vet is.

 

[Kristen13]

The injection medication is metoclopramide
The human oral medication is mylicon
The other oral medication is cisapride
Please any help and info is appreciated, I'll be going to the vet within an hour or so, if her injections mess can be switched please let me know and I'll request it. We tried again this morning, but I swear it's like this little girl has no scruff to grab.

 

[JBun]

Metoclopramide can also be given orally, I would ask the vet about just giving it orally instead. It's really not worth all the hassle and difficulty of having to give it by injection every 8 hours. But with you also giving cisapride, I would even consider skipping the metoclopramide if it's too much of a problem and just give the cisapride. It can work just as well. The links below explain both drugs use in rabbits.
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/GI_stimulation/cisapride.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/GI_stimulation/metoclopramide.htm

Normally a pain med like meloxicam should also be prescribed for cases of gi stasis. A rabbit in pain is less inclined to want to eat. So if you think your rabbit also needs pain meds, you should ask your vet about having it prescribed and picking some up. But if your rabbit is already doing better, I wouldn't bother.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/

 

[Kristen13]

An update, I took her in and they showed me how to properly give her the shot, I'm going to try it again tonight. They told me I could not switch this to an oral medication. Idk why, but they just said it needs to be an injection. She had a blockage but they cleared it out yesterday so she need all these meds until Saturday/Sunday when they finish out. She was back to her normal happy and playful self last night and has been eating very well too. So I cant really complain, she is alive and doing well. I feel a bit better about the injections now that they walked me through it thoroughly.
But do you have tips on how I can prevent gi stasis in her again and my other buns? I've been doing internet searches and it's just overwhelming. I've had rabbits for about 3 years now but I've never had to go through this and I don't want to ever again if I can help it.

 

[JBun]

What is your rabbits exact diet and has your bun been molting recently, or could she have ingested a foreign object like carpet, excess cardboard, etc? I had one rabbit that was very prone to gi stasis and once I changed his diet he never had it again. But of course that will depend on what the exact cause is for each rabbit.

There's also the occasional odd occurrence when something they eat just upsets their stomach for some reason. Usually when I have a rabbit that is initially not wanting to eat and it seems to be from an upset stomach of some sort, if it hasn't been more than 12 hours since they last ate, and they aren't suffering from severe bloat, I will first try baby gas drops for 3 doses an hour apart(dosing info in the links I shared). Then if that doesn't work or the conditions worsen, then I will get my rabbit to the vet. But most often the gas drops have worked out and within the first or second dose the affected rabbit is back to normal.

 

[Kristen13]

She had a blockage but they didn't say what it was, we searched the room and there was no evidence of her chewing the doormat/rug that is used under her litter box, she doesn't have any other carpet in the room and no cardboard. So I'm not sure what I was. I feed my rabbits pellets, fresh greens, veggies and fruits as treats and they get hay every day added to their baskets. They haven't had any changes in food for months, and with clover specifically the only change shes gone through was her first vet visit for just a simple wellness check last Thursday in order to Schedule her spay.

 

[somebunnylovesme]

Did the vet show you the x-ray of the blockage?

What brand of pellets are you feeding your rabbit, fresh veggies, greens and fruits. It maybe something out of one of those. Some buns have very sensitive tummies.