Medicating your rabbit

Giving an enema
Enemas can help hydrate hardened fecal matter when facing a GI stasis crisis. Please contact your vet first before trying to give an enema to your rabbit, as the risk of colon puncture is a real possibility.

Here are some resources on giving rabbits an enema:
 * Georgia House Rabbit Society, Bunny Enema Instructions
 * Dana Krempels, GastroIntestinal Stasis, The Silent Killer (search for Enema)

Giving eye drops
Below are some relevant vidoes about giving rabbits eye drops.
 * YouTube, fostertherabbits, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6tJAvVxUmw

Nebulizing
Nebulizing is a treatment often given for upper and lower respiratory infections. Here is an example of a medical nebulizer for small animals.

The following are some resources on nebulizing rabbits.
 * Ontario Rabbit Education Organization, Nebulizing
 * Bright Eyes Sanctuary, Nebulizing a Rabbit
 * Kirk Lowis, M.A., Nebulizing Rabbits

Here are some videos about placing rabbits in a nebulizer.
 * MediRabbit, Nebulizer
 * MediRabbit, NebulizerChamber
 * missyscove, How to Nebulize a Rabbit

Below are some experiences with nebulizing as a treatment.
 * House Rabbit Network, Lorraine Howard, Case Study: Guinness' Nebulizer Treatment for Pneumonia

Oral medication
While rabbits may enjoy the taste of their medication and eat it directly from the syringe directly with pleasure, most often they do not like having syringes near their face and liquids squirted forcefully in their mouths. Syringe-feeding oral medications can be stressful and a struggle.

Some of the tips below may help you medicate your rabbit properly and make it easier for you and the rabbit.
 * Tricking your rabbit with fruit either by putting the medication in the middle of the fruit or syringing in medication in your rabbit's mouth from the side while the bunny is busy trying to eat the fruit.
 * Drizzle the medication on a lettuce leaf or fruit slice. Banana and apple slices work well at masking most tastes.
 * Dress their pellets with the medication. Often, if they won't consume the pellets immediately, they will nibble on them over the next hour and consume their medication effectively that way.
 * Mixing the medication with baby food or applesauce to mask the taste.
 * Ask your veterinarian to compound the medication with something sweet like apple or banana.
 * Catch your rabbit in a two-door carrier, and use the top entry to corner your rabbit to stuff a syringe in its mouth.
 * Hold your rabbit firmly between your thighs when kneeling on the ground and block the rear entry with your feet so they can't back out of the trap. Bend over your rabbit to put the syringe in their mouth.

The following links have more information on methods to giving your rabbit its oral medication.
 * House Rabbit Network, Suzanne Smith, Giving Medicine to Your Rabbit
 * All Creatures Rescue & Sanctuary, Tips on hand feeding rabbits and guinea pigs
 * Wildpro, Oral Medication and Syringe Feeding of Rabbits
 * BunnyHugga, Nursing rabbits
 * HubPages, smilingmoon, How to syringe feed syringe medicate your rabbit

Here are some videos you may watch about various processes of orally medicating rabbits.
 * YouTube, PESCSanDiego, Administering Oral Medication to a Rabbit
 * YouTube, petcareveterinary, How to Syringe Feed a Rabbit
 * YouTube, Fred Tate, How to Give Your House Rabbit Syringe Medication.

Subcutaneous injections
Subcutaneous injections, also abbreviated as SC, SQ, sub-cu, sub-Q, or subcut, are given in the fatty layer of tissue under the skin. This method is commonly used to inject medications as well as fluids for hydration. Subcutaneous fluids are also known as Lactated Ringer's solution.

Below are some additional resources about giving subcutaneous injections to rabbits.
 * MediRabbit, Naomi Dutch, Subcutaneous Injections in Rabbits. Part 1: Drawing the medicine into a syringe

The following are videos of demonstrations of the administration of subcutaneous injections in rabbits.
 * YouTube, MediRabbit, Subcutaneous fluid administration
 * YouTube, Velveteenlop, Subcutaneous Fluids

Taking temperature
Here are some resources on taking your rabbit's temperature.
 * Georgia House Rabbit Society, How To Take Your Rabbit’s Temperature
 * House Rabbit Resource Network, Body Temperature
 * BunSpace, Taking A Rabbit's Temperature