# Rabbit not eating on Baytril



## pinupchick (Jun 15, 2011)

Do I discontinue use? She's had 4 doses so far out of 42. I'm not sure if it's the stress of being medicated or the drug itself, but she had really bad gas gurgles last night (gave simethicone) and hasn't eaten since her dose this morning. I called the vet's office and they said she "needs to be on something" for her respiratory infection. 

I'm at a loss for what to do. If the drugs are just going to make the situation worse, I'd rather not give them. Before her vet appointment she was fine, binkying, eating somewhat normally. No outward symptoms of a respiratory infection...


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## pinupchick (Jun 15, 2011)

I called the vet again to ask about probiotics and they're giving me Bene-bac. Should that help minimize GI side effects?


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## Nancy McClelland (Jun 15, 2011)

Did they mention critical care or any other foods/supplements?


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## pinupchick (Jun 15, 2011)

I'm supposed to give her probiotic with a little bit of Critical Care. I guess if she hasn't eaten by that time, I'll give her a full dose of critical care.

I'm worried it's the stress of being medicated that's actually affecting her eating. She really hates it. She's been hiding from me all day. =(


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## JimD (Jun 15, 2011)

Baytril, given orally, can upset their stomach.
My vet usually opts for injectable Baytril to avoid stomach issues.

Baytril, given orally, can also compromise their gut flora. 
The Bene-Bac should help with this issue.

IMO....
My past experience with respiratory infections has indicated that Baytril is not aggressive enough to knock out the infection.


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## tonyshuman (Jun 15, 2011)

I think you're doing what you can but you're dealing with a stressful situation and a medicine that's not the greatest. I hope the probiotics and Critical Care bring her through. If you would have to force feed her every day for 42 days, that's too much stress IMHO.


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## pinupchick (Jun 15, 2011)

Yeah, I've taken her off the Baytril. I'm almost certain her inappetance is caused by stress of administering it. I have a giant exam for my PhD next week and I can't study and write the exam and deal with this at the same time. I'm going to see the vet after and try to reassess a treatment plan...maybe redo the x-rays. 

It doesn't hurt to have the Bene-bac on hand anyway. I was going to give her Critical Care with Bene-bac tonight but I'm afraid it will stress her out more. She's been eating hay all day and is pooping tiny fecals. Not eating pellets though, or treats. She's drinking and urinating normally, so maybe I'll hold off on the Critical Care/Bene-bac til tomorrow and give her a night of rest.


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## pinupchick (Jun 16, 2011)

I think she's traumatized. She is still sulking/hiding. I stopped the Baytril, but gave her Critical Care laced with Bene-bac and simethicone last night (and oddly, she seemed less upset about that than when I give her Baytril or simethicone straight up). She hate some hay last night, poked at her pellets, and ate all her cilantro. There were new tiny fecals in the litter pan. 

Today she ate a baby carrot, some apple pellet treats, and eats hay every time she gets in her litter box. Should I force Critical Care if she's eating less than usual, or is hay and veggies sufficient until the trauma wears off? She's always in defensive mode right now (sits upright and wide-eyed every time I come near her) and she's usually really relaxed around me. That's worrisome to me. Do they make anti-anxiety meds for buns? (half-serious).


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## JimD (Jun 16, 2011)

What prompted you to take her to the vet?


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## pinupchick (Jun 16, 2011)

She was due for a molar trim. They did x-rays to make sure she was a good okay anesthetic risk and found spots in the lungs that indicate a respiratory infection. 

I'm probably going to take her to a different vet for a second opinion on her "issues."


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## tonyshuman (Jun 16, 2011)

I would put the critical care out on a dish and see if she'll eat some of it that way. It's good that she's eating, especially the veggies.


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## pinupchick (Jun 17, 2011)

She's actually binkying right now as I type this. Her fecals have gotten back to normal size due to the quantity of hay she's eating. Still not interested in the pellets, but lots of hay and veggies.

Maybe it was the Baytril making her feel genuinely bad? Her stomach was gurgling crazy loud after the 3rd dose of it, and she was really listless. She had some side effects on Septra but I don't remember it being that bad. Maybe I'm just in super-stress mode and more sensitive right now, but I really don't want to put her back on Baytril. :expressionless


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## tonyshuman (Jun 17, 2011)

It's totally possible that it was the Baytril. Some bunnies have really bad GI effects with it.


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## pinupchick (Jun 17, 2011)

She's still not touching her pellets, but she ate all her cilantro again last night plus a bunch of hay. I'm going to Critical Care her with probiotics tonight (didn't do it last night because she was doing so well)and hope for the best. I hope she didn't permanently lose interest in them. It's been hard enough to get her to eat them in the past. 

I hope her next treatment protocol doesn't involve oral antibiotics. Ugh.


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## pinupchick (Jun 17, 2011)

Okay, she's doing so much better today! She's eating practically everything in sight, and even ate a little pile of pellets I had placed on the carpet where she lounges. She's happy, hopping about, acting like her normal self.

So I'm guessing Baytril was to blame.

If the cure is worse than the disease (an asymptomatic respiratory infection), do I just let that go? Do they go away on their own, or will she eventually become symptomatic? Could it progress to pneumonia or something? What should my next step be? She can probably go a bit longer without the molar trim since she's been eating so much hay and whatnot, but I'm worried about whatever lung problem she may have.


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## JimD (Jun 18, 2011)

Another option you might look into is nebulizing.

My S'more had a respiratory infection andresponded much better to nebulizing than she did to oral or injected.

It can get a bit costly if it needs to be a series of treatments.

I asked my vet if I could do the treatments at home.
I told him what I had in mind and he agreed with the idea.

Imade a chamber out of a large RubberMaid container.....a see-thru one.
I used a portable nebulizer unit and fitted it to the container.
The vet mixed up a large squeeze bottle of medication and gave me detailed instructions on dosage.

Doing it at home was a lot less stress on S'more....and me, too! She could pick up on my stress very well, so it helped when I could be as calm and confident around her as possible.


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## tonyshuman (Jun 21, 2011)

I agree with Jim. Glad she's feeling better in terms of GI.


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