While looking over the colony rabbits we found a doe with horribly swollen genitals that protrude out several inches. The anus is even forced open some by the swelling. There are no sores, scabs, etc... on the genitals or anywhere else so I'm not sure if syphilis matches. The whole area looks more like it received trauma, they did manage to pull up the edge of some chicken wire, and developed a horrid bacterial infection or a prolaspe. I debated just putting the rabbit down but I decided she could be a learning experience and just in case it turns out to be syphilis or something contagious I'd get a jump start on how to treat it before it shows up in the others. So how do you give rabbits a penicillin injection? I've done intramuscular injections on horses. Where at, what size needle, and so forth do you need for a rabbit? If I didn't just spend $2,100 on a dog, $4000 on new floors, need to get my cat UTD on shots to rehome her, and have some routine parakeet vet bills upcoming I would get the less expensive vet's opinion but vet fund and most other funds are rather wiped out at the moment.
pencillin injections in rabbits?
- Thread starter akane
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you'll need a 22-24 gauge needle.
you make a tent between their shoulder blades and inject it there.
Feed TONS of hay as it will shut down their gut.
you make a tent between their shoulder blades and inject it there.
Feed TONS of hay as it will shut down their gut.
That sounds horrible. I think I'd just euthanize her. I hope in the meantime that you have isolated her from the others, in case it is contagious. I do understand that you want to be prepared if it turns out to be syphilis, but you can still go ahead with the research.
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
ladysown":3ee12ift said:
I was pretty certain that injectable penicillin is okay-- that it is the ORAL medication that messes with gut flora. Off to vet manual land!!!
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medicati ... iotics.htm
Okay, injectable is fine-- just be sure one does not cause other problems
syphilis in rabbits is highly treatable.
I suspect it might be a major case of hutch burn.
I suspect it might be a major case of hutch burn.
Research doesn't require even owning rabbits. Sticking needles in things requires practice subjects and my rabbitry is still just getting started. I don't have a bunch of disposable rabbits to practice on in case I do something wrong.
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
A sub-Q injection is relatively easy and safe to perform- Make a 'tent' of skin in an area where there is plenty ofskin-- such as overthe shoulders or i the loin area, stick needle is the END of the 'tent' (lengthwise into the tent) pusch plunger, withdraw needle, then 'rub' the site to spread the drug under the skin.
IM-- require a bit more expertise, as one does not want to inject directly into a major vein/artery.
IM-- require a bit more expertise, as one does not want to inject directly into a major vein/artery.
I could only get pen g labelled for intramuscular use. The only one labelled subcutaneously was pen duo, which I wasn't sure how the dosage would turn out with multiple types of penicillin in one, and they only had the large $50 bottles in stock. Can you use something labelled for intramuscular subcutaneously? I know the opposite usually carries a big warning not to do it. If not then where do you do an intramuscular injection in a rabbit?
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
OKay-- Im Injection, in a rabbit
You want a short needle-- no longer than one inch.
Place your hand on the front of a rear leg-- so you can feel the bone with your thumb and forefinger (forefinger on inside of thigh) You will be able to feel the muscle mass on the back side of the leg. You can part the fur by blowing on it-- you want the 'part' to be on the thin edge of the muscle mass. Stick needle in towards the bone from the rear--BEFORE you do anything else-- pull BACK on the plunger to make sure you have not hit a vein. If no blood shows up in the syringe, you may press the plunger, injecting the muscle with the antibiotic.
Penicillin must be in the muscle- direct injection into the veins can cause necrosis.
the Pen duo is a better, broader acting antibiotic. the dosage is pretty muchthe same-- follow poultry or cat doses when dealing with rabbits, unless otherwise told by a vet. You can look up antibiotic doses on line-- I have run across a couple good sites, but do not have bookmarks at this point.
You want a short needle-- no longer than one inch.
Place your hand on the front of a rear leg-- so you can feel the bone with your thumb and forefinger (forefinger on inside of thigh) You will be able to feel the muscle mass on the back side of the leg. You can part the fur by blowing on it-- you want the 'part' to be on the thin edge of the muscle mass. Stick needle in towards the bone from the rear--BEFORE you do anything else-- pull BACK on the plunger to make sure you have not hit a vein. If no blood shows up in the syringe, you may press the plunger, injecting the muscle with the antibiotic.
Penicillin must be in the muscle- direct injection into the veins can cause necrosis.
the Pen duo is a better, broader acting antibiotic. the dosage is pretty muchthe same-- follow poultry or cat doses when dealing with rabbits, unless otherwise told by a vet. You can look up antibiotic doses on line-- I have run across a couple good sites, but do not have bookmarks at this point.
OneAcreFarm
Well-known member
Not sure about rabbits, but in people you want to do IM injections in a large muscle, ie. glutes or deltoid. I would think for rabbits you would use the meatiest part of the leg. Just pinch up a mound of muscle, make sure that the bevel (the slanted part of the needle tip) of the needle is facing up (it hurts less this way) where you can see it and insert the needle smoothly (not like throwing a dart). Gently pull back on the plunger to make sure you are not in an artery or vein. If you were, you would pull up blood into the syringe. If not, smoothly depress the plunger until it is empty. Withdraw the needle and massage the injection site to spread out the medicine. Otherwise it will cause a sore spot where the medication stretched out the muscle fibers.
Eh some of my penicillin squished back out so it didn't go deep enough but the needles are not a good length. I just told my husband I needed 22 gauge needles without specifying a length so I had to guess how far to insert it with lots of fluff making it difficult to judge. After thinking about it though I guess getting pen g intended for IM injected subq wouldn't really do any harm. I'm just not sure it would absorb properly. I might see if the vet will sell me some more 1cc syringes and smaller needles since I'm not sure they come any smaller at the feed store. I have to get my 1 cc syringes online or from the vet and my penicillin is pretty concentrated. I was measuring out 1/10th cc on the 3cc syringes and that was the higher end dose suggested.
On the plus side we rechecked all colony rabbits including in the other colony and even after several more days there are no signs of illness. We even have a new healthy litter of 8 kits in that colony. I'm still not entirely sure what this doe did to herself though. Hutch burn doesn't seem like it would make sense on a rabbit in an indoor colony with no wet spots. I would think the rabbit would have to be sick in the first place to sit still enough for that. Although this is the rabbit that failed to get counted until they were 8 weeks old because it was always sitting in a corner hiding. Sadly it's the only doe of that color and I can't repeat the breeding. I'll have to pick one of the black ones if she doesn't start improving. They'll still throw all the colors I want but there will be a lot of extra blacks that I don't want. Maybe I'll have to plan an all black and silvering black rabbit fur blanket.
On the plus side we rechecked all colony rabbits including in the other colony and even after several more days there are no signs of illness. We even have a new healthy litter of 8 kits in that colony. I'm still not entirely sure what this doe did to herself though. Hutch burn doesn't seem like it would make sense on a rabbit in an indoor colony with no wet spots. I would think the rabbit would have to be sick in the first place to sit still enough for that. Although this is the rabbit that failed to get counted until they were 8 weeks old because it was always sitting in a corner hiding. Sadly it's the only doe of that color and I can't repeat the breeding. I'll have to pick one of the black ones if she doesn't start improving. They'll still throw all the colors I want but there will be a lot of extra blacks that I don't want. Maybe I'll have to plan an all black and silvering black rabbit fur blanket.
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
the Sub-Q and IM deal is about how the medication interacts with tissue as well as the absorption. That is one reason why I like the Duramycin--it does not seem to 'burn' or otherwise irritate the animal in either application. Another plus-- it is broad spectrum, and not as dependent on refrigeration to stay viable.
reminds me-- I need to dose up Connor-- I am considering injecting directly into the abscess he has- did that with a rooster-- things cleared up so fast it was amazing!
reminds me-- I need to dose up Connor-- I am considering injecting directly into the abscess he has- did that with a rooster-- things cleared up so fast it was amazing!
OneAcreFarm
Well-known member
akane":2l249u2r said:
I would not go smaller gauge with the needle, penicillin tends to be thick and a smaller gauge needle will make it hard to administer. Also, draw it up with a different needle than the one you will give the shot with. It dulls the needle somewhat. Definitely get 1cc syringes, it is hard to accurately dose 1/10 cc with a 3cc syringe. You have to inject it slowly as well, or you will get that "squish back" effect.
Now, keep in mind that all my experience has been on people, but the concepts are still the same!
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
Also-- using a small gage needle with a thick medication-- you can actually blow the needle off the syringe unless the syringe is a luer lock--(twist the needle on)
eventually, a person dvelops a feel for the medication viscosity, the animal being injected, and the type of injection, tomake thebest choice of needle and syringe combinations.
One bad thing-- is skin texture/strength Males tend to be harder to break through the skin, and males that are actively used for breeding even harder! Testosterone-- it sure affects a lot!!!
eventually, a person dvelops a feel for the medication viscosity, the animal being injected, and the type of injection, tomake thebest choice of needle and syringe combinations.
One bad thing-- is skin texture/strength Males tend to be harder to break through the skin, and males that are actively used for breeding even harder! Testosterone-- it sure affects a lot!!!
OneAcreFarm
Well-known member
Frosted Rabbits":4o1psgso said:
Yup, thus the reason not to draw up with the same needle you inject with! :lol:
Well I was going to put the doe down friday because the swelling had kept increasing and I figured we'd gotten to it too late but found she had inhaled all her food. When I flipped her over the swelling had broken open leaking puss and blood. I scrubbed her genitals with betadine and gave her the next dose of penicillin. Today she's still swollen with some blood coming from somewhere (I can't find an opening) but she's eating better and was very active. She saw me with the syringe and lunged and grunted. There was much squeaking and thrashing around instead of just sitting there while I injected her. No matter what I did I could not get her to sit sideways or backward to me and still long enough. I finally had to leave her with her head tucked against my shoulder, pin her shoulders with my elbow, lift her backlegs off the ground by one leg with one hand, and inject with the other. My husband has a huge dislike of needles so he's no help. I guess so long as she's eating, drinking, and active I'll keep giving her penicillin for now.
Glad to hear she's doing better!
If she's eating well and struggling like mad when you treat her, I'd say she has the will to pull through this. :goodjob:
If she's eating well and struggling like mad when you treat her, I'd say she has the will to pull through this. :goodjob:
playsmartcasino
Member
I hope that the Depocillin continues to hold the infection and prevents any further spread. With a bit of luck the Depocillin will be effective against the newly identified bacteria too.I really don't want to give it to him for the rest of his life. I'm wondering if there could be side effects from it if given for too long. Even a year seems too much for me, especially since I haven't successfully given him an injection by myself yet. I hope at least once a week injections will be good enough. I don't know if I'll be able to do it twice a week for a long time. I just get this nervous feeling in my stomach whenever I think about giving him a needle, and I'll dread the days I have to give him a shot.
