Scenario
Tofu was sick. He was weeing on himself and spending a lot of time in his litterbox which could be due to several reasons. He was smelly and pink underneath and his fur was missing in patches where the urine burned away the fur. It can be uncomfortable and even be painful. Rabbits have sensitive and elastic skin.
We trimmed away the really dirty, dreaded bits and gave Tofu daily baths with a medicated shampoo which soothed and helped to clean it up. But all we were doing is washing away a reoccuring symptom, so a week and a bit ago, we took him to the vet.
Diagnosis
The best diagnosis was a simple infection, treatable with a course of antibiotics. Best case scenario.
If the antibiotics didn’t work, we were advised that Tofu may have to go back for x-rays and further tests. Sitting differently while weeing can be a symptom of arthritis (he can no longer sit comfortably in the position required) and the doctor also mentioned the possibility of diabetes. Thankfully, the vet said that the urine burn that Tofu suffered was minor. He had seen much worse in rabbits so it was good that we came in when we did.
Medicine
I’ve never had a cat, but I’ve heard anecdotes of medicating cats. It sounds comical and unpleasant. Well, medicating a rabbit can be an ordeal too. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it as a one person job.
As well as the obvious flavours adored by rabbits, Tofu will happily chow down on his own poop, rubber jandals (thongs) and rotten fruit. But Tofu absolutely hates the antibiotics. The Koala describes the smell of the antibiotics accurately: “band aid”. Yes. It smells like a box of band aids. It must be the medicated glue or something. Not the nicest flavour. Why don’t they make the medicine taste good? Rabbits have a very broad sense of what tastes good. How hard could it be?
Method
I’ve tried the “bunny burrito” method, which entails wrapping him tightly in a towel and holding him down with one hand, while I inject the medication into his tiny mouth with the other hand. But it’s far easier to have 2 people on the job. One to hold Tofu’s body down against something and the other to hold his head, stretch back one cheek so that one side of his mouth is exposed, poke the syringe in and squeeze.
The first few days, Tofu started off bucking and struggling but now he has figured out a different solution. No struggling, but also no swallowing. He holds the medication in his mouth and lets it dribble out. It’s infuriating! So we’ve been tricked to give him a treat immediately after medicine. At least he eats what medication is in his mouth.
Result
We are happy to report that the antibiotics showed signs of effectiveness within one day and Tofu is much better now. He still has a few more days of antibiotics to go but at least he won’t need to be tested for arthitis or diabetes
He’s even gone back to jumping up onto the couch for cuddles. I’ve been sick too so it’s nice to have a clean bunny to snuggle up to in the evenings. I wonder if bunnies know when we are sick?
Bunny Eats Design 
Oh Tofu 😦 when Flatpac needs antibiotics I put her on the bed, wrap her under my arm and push it into the side of her mouth. It smells like ear wax to me. Disgusting, but apparently tastes like honey. Glad Tofu is feeling better. I feel terrible whenever Flatpac gets sick so I can understand how you feel. Hope he is all better!
Honey would be nice. I am taking honey at the moment for a cough. I wish Tofu liked the taste of this stuff. It’s comforting to know that others go through the same ordeal with giving meds.
They are so slippery and slim line with their down ears! Flatpac is a great escape artist but she kind of admits defeat once she has had a little taste. She starts licking it, but does the dribble trick too. Gross! They feel much better for it though 🙂
Sending love Tofu’s way! Hope things look up.
Im all too familiar with medicating buns! Both of my girls had bad reactions to being spayed and had to be both medicated AND syringe fed. Lots of nibbled fingers on our end! I ended up being sneaky and putting the medicine on the end of carrots when they got their appetites back!
Thanks for the support Kris. Meds in carrots! That’s some sneaky spy tactics right there.
Poor Tofu. You should also give him yogurt or Bio-K http://www.biokplus.com/ (which I am certain he will LOVE 😉 to get back his good bacteria in his belly (very important particularly for bunnies as this type of illness can turn very bad very quickly). Also, I wanted to mention our vet (specialized in exotic pets) had recommended Super Papaya Enzyme http://www.zooscape.com/cgi-bin/maitred/GreenCanyon/questp100455 as it helps digest the fur that bunnies will accumulate in their gut from all that grooming (they can’t throw up like cats, so the hairball can cause blockage problems). I know a week doesn’t seem like a long time to wait, but a bunny’s system is very delicate and can turn very bad very quickly…I would wait 24-48 hours and take him to the vet. I am very glad Tofu is back to almost normal and that he is getting and giving cuddles to you. Here is a link to our old vet that might be helpful to you: http://thelinksroadanimalclinic.com/pet-health-resources/sick-pet-helper/
When my bunny, Dustie got sick and I had to administer medication to her, it was usually only the first two times she resisted; as she got better she realized that I was helping her and she actually allowed me to give it to her without a lot of fuss.
Let me know if you would like any more bunny info, I have a diary of my last bunny where I kept very good notes about her health (I may have learned a thing or two over the 20+ years I’ve had the honour of parenting a bunny!).
Thanks for the links Eva. I have read about using papaya for bunnies but haven’t seen it for sale here. Online may be the way to go. Sounds delicious in any case!
Tofu knows we are helping, but I guess he really doesn’t like the taste of the meds. He loves his baths these days. They must feel so soothing on his bottom.
Tofu’s vet is an exotic specialist and even though they are further away, it’s worth it. We have been using them for years and they really are miracle workers. Sadly, local vets just don’t have the same dedication or knowledge.
I commiserate. My cat got a urinary tract infection last week. I managed five days by mixing the vile smelling medicine in her food. Then she wouldn’t eat it. Now I have to dissolve the medicine, fill the syringe and get her after she’s eaten (or she vomits). I kneel behind her so she can’t back away and squirt it in. The first one was successful. Subsequent doses have left chalky residue everywhere and it’s not making her feel that great. Two more days and we’ll be over this.
Much love to you kitty! I’m sure she knows you love her. What we do for our pets. People without pets don’t understand.
Poor Tofu! He must have been miserable. I hope that the antibiotics continue to do their job and he will need no more band-aid-y smelling medicine after this course.
I’m glad that you were there to cuddle him. Sounds like he needed it as much as you!
Thanks bacon biscuit for your kind words.
Tofu sounds like quite a trooper! It’s always terrible when pets and babes are ill because they can’t tell you how they feel. Hooray for fast working antibiotics (that you only need a smidgen of!).
I’m sure it’s even more heartbreaking for babes! But until I sprout them, our fur baby is our number one concern. Isn’t it funny though, we’re much less likely to take ourselves to the doctor than our children or pets?
Hope you’re feeling better soon. Glad to hear Tofu’s on the mend. I used to have similar problems medicating my cat Tessa. Aside from being incredibly inventive about not taking meds (or coughing them upagain if I did manage to get them in her mouth) she was also incredibly perceptive about what I was up to. I could never sneak upon her. Unfortunately her condition was terminal and after a while I gave up on the medication (with the vet’s approval) because we couldn’t cure her and while we might have prolonged her life a bit it would have been at the cost of making her miserable in the meantime. Essentially I settled for giving her the best quality of life I could in the time she had left. (That was a few years ago, I now have two cats, both of whom are deranged in their different ways. I seem to have a knack for taking on the cats no one else would have anything to do with).
lol. Deranged is a very strong word! Tofu is super easy to sneak up on. Even before cataracts, he is pretty chilled out. But then again, he’s never been prey so is less jumpy than some rabbits.