Medications Coaxing meds into piggie

Mousewife · Aug 15, 2020

Does anyone have any suggestions on coaxing 1mL of antibiotics into a little pig twice a day for the next 7 days when he is really quite completely over it?

My little pig Ginger developed an upper respiratory infection a few weeks ago. We took him to the vet where he was given a shot of antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory shot along with a 10 day course of baytril (0.7mL).
He rapidly improved and was great until the last day.

After the last day, he started to get worse again. He went downhill fast and was markedly worse within about 3 days post meds.
We went back. We were given a 3 day course of oral anti-inflammatories and another 10 day course of antibiotics at a higher dose.
He started to improve after the 2nd dose of anti-inflammatory.

He's completely over the antibiotics!! He has 7 more days.

He's improving, but his nose is still crusty. Whether he likes it or not, he has to finish it.

I had to hold him still and it was a bit of a fight to get the syringe into his mouth tonight. He spat it back out on my leg and hand. I could use some advice on getting the meds into him when he really doesn't want to take it.

ItsaZoo · Aug 15, 2020

If the Baytril is the injectable kind it is very bitter. Some vets prescribe that to give orally and it tastes nasty. You could check with the vet to see if they can add flavor to it. I had the bitter Baytril from one vet, and at a different clinic they gave me meds that were butterscotch flavored which my guinea pig loved.

Mousewife · Aug 15, 2020

I was given a fruit flavour for him both times. According to the vet, it’s the one that goes down the easiest with guinea pigs.
Nevertheless, Ginger is very much over having me shove things down his throat.
He is rejecting his fruit meds. &#55357;&#56862;

bpatters · Aug 16, 2020

He doesn't get to "reject" the meds. He's a three-pound guinea pig, you're an adult human. You can win this battle.

Sit at a table, put a towel on it for traction for his feet, and him on the towel in the crook of your arm. Snuggle him close to you, and hold his head firmly with your non-dominant hand. It will help if you can also cover his eyes with your hand while doing that.

Insert the syringe in the side of his mouth, behind his front teeth, in front of his molars. Turn the syringe toward his throat and squirt the medicine in. That way, you don't have to fight your way through his front teeth, and because of the gap in his teeth, he can't keep you from getting the syringe in.

Mousewife · Aug 16, 2020

bpatters said:
Sit at a table, put a towel on it for traction for his feet, and him on the towel in the crook of your arm. Snuggle him close to you, and hold his head firmly with your non-dominant hand. It will help if you can also cover his eyes with your hand while doing that.

This is the part I was missing! Thank you so much!
I was putting it in the side, behind his front teeth. It got spat back out or dribbled down his chin. He wasn't swallowing it all.
I know he *can* swallow, because he is otherwise eating just fine, and he was taking his anti inflammatory meds just fine. It was specifically the antibiotics that he was spitting back out.

I was holding him on my lap while I was doing this.

I held him on the table this morning and this evening, covered his eyes, put the meds in. I gave him 0.25mL at a time. He still didn't love it. He made lots of whiny irritated noises, but it went straight down. There was no real spit up option available to him.

He did get lettuce immediately after his meds both times.
Fingers crossed that expecting a treat immediately post meds will also help make him a little easier to deal with.

He still has a snotty nose. 6 days left of antibiotics.

At least his breathing is quiet and not laboured anymore and his sassy, bratty attitude is back.

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Medications Coaxing meds into piggie

Mousewife

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