Sunday 11 August 2013

Back on the Banana

Whisky had his first vet appointment for about ten weeks on Friday. Not sure if this is a record or not, but this is possibly the longest he's gone without antibiotics for a long time. He has been very sneezy recently, more so than usual, and the sneezing has been noticeably wetter. He has also had some gunky eye issues, so I thought I'd take him in for a flush and a check-up.

Thankfully no surprises, the flush cleared a lot of gunk out but with the tear duct being blocked it all comes back out the eye. And, of course, he's back on the antibiotics. He mostly gets Septrin which, despite smelling (and presumably tasting) of banana, he's not overly keen on.

The one thing we did learn this week is that I probably need to re-arrange his room until the course is over - the current configuration significantly favours bunny navigation over human navigation leading to a twice daily episode of something resembling Tom and Jerry.

"Oh, so you've regained consciousness now? Next time try ducking under the book shelf."

7 comments:

  1. I don't understand Whiskey's history or anything about bunny eyes or this antibiotic treatment. Could you tell us a little more.

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    1. Whisky is prone to infections around his eye and nose due to serious dental problems earlier in his life (he no longer has front teeth and had serious surgery to remove a corkscrew shaped tooth root). His tear-duct is blocked, so instead of stuff draining though his nose, gunk builds up in his eye. It sort of comes and goes over the weeks as he naturally fights it off, but every now and then it starts to get the better of his feeble immune system and he needs a course of antibiotics to wipe it out and start again. He regularly has cultures done do see what is lurking in there and what it will respond to. Septrin is the currently favoured antibiotic for him. It is also used against coccidia, which he's been troubled with before (and the other coccidia treatments killed his appetite dead).

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    2. BV-H, I am so sorry. I am deleting a few expletives. There is some stuff called liquid chlorophyll in health food stores here. It is heavy on mint, or at least that's what it tastes like. In the past I have used it for an inexpensive and non-toxic ink substitute. I always wondered if it would be beneficial if added to pet water bowls. Isn't mint supposed to have some antibacterial properties? Please give that little cutie a kiss. AJ

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  2. Oh poor Whisky,nothing worse than gunky eye issues,xx Hugs xx Rachel

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  3. Did you know you can get Septrin in Fennel flavour as well? Bunnies much prefer it - and its twice as strong so only half as much to get down them!!

    Teasal used to hate banana septrin so much we reckoned he would swing from the chandeliers to avoid us!!!

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  4. Scout and I had the Laurel and Hardy routine down pat .. she ran, I chased, she would binky as the slow hairless ape tied to corner her, and Sage would watch with great amusement. EVENTUALLY she would take pity on me and let me pick her up and place her on the washing machine (possibly clean laundry for her to sit on, probably a towel. She preferred the clean laundry for getting to shed on it reasons.) I would then sit on a stool so her head was higher than mine and syringe her whatever medication(s) she was was on that week.

    It took us FOREVER to come up with the system she liked. Trying to burrito a 1.7lb rabbit was a nightmare .. and if my head was at the same height or above she found it very intimidating and would put up a fight.

    I will not admit to tasting her meds just to see what I was trying to convince her to ingest. (She once spat critical care back at me. My reaction was 'Good aim.. and bunnies can spit.. who knew?')

    Sage, Dutch Diva extrodinare, was much easier. Put anything cupped in your hand and hold it under her mouth and she would eat it - didn't matter what it tasted like.

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  5. Mr. Mick is generally good about being picked up when out of his cage, but when he's in his cage (and occasionally when he's out) he likes to play a rousing round of Catch-The-Bunneh. You wouldn't think a bun in a cage could dodge much, but his cage is just big enough (and the door just small enough) to make things awkward. Outside of the cage, it's usually a matter of either getting him into one of his hidey-holes that's easier to access or convincing him through tone of voice that it's in his best interests to let his Mum pick him up--he always seems to know when my patience is about to run out and then it's "oh, fine, if it'll make you happy, you can pick me up."

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