Urgent-No RAbbit VETS available on the weekend or NOW...Please Help!

Question
My flemish giant rabbit Rudy, stopped eating today, and he has a high fever, 105.9.  I did do what you said to others, ice packs, rubbing the belly, rubbing alcohol on his ears.   I have injectable Banamine for horses, but I don't know the dose.  There are not vets available on the weekend to help rabbits in m area....What Can I do..? Please help...We are a "forever" home animal sanctuary...I did give him 100cc of Lactated Ringers Solution IV, at 6pm....My phone is .  I have no one to help me....Please call.....or tell me to call you Dr. Dana...Thanks, I need help....for my sweet boy...He wont' eat or drink and can't go do his business.

Answer
Dear Kathryn

Banamine dose for rabbits is 1-2mg/kg every 12 hours.  If you have the 50mg/ml solution (which is what I have), then the dose for a 12-lb rabbit (I'm guessing here) would be 0.2ml (=cc).  If he weighs more, then note that this is the high end dose.

What's more important is that the fever likely indicates infection.  He needs to be on antibiotics.  What do you have on hand?  If you have dual-acting Penicillin-G Procaine/Benzathine (feed stores usually carry this), then you can dose him at 50,000IU/kg every 48 hours.  The Procaine component acts quickly, and starts killing bacteria very shortly after injection.  Injection must be subcutaneous, and be sure to pull out on the plunger after the needle is under the skin, to be sure you have not hit a blood vessel.

Ringers is good.  Keep him calm and cool.  Don't worry about the not eating right now.  

Note that a high fever will often result in ileus, even after bun feels better.  So keep these protocols handy, just in case:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

I hope he will be fine soon.

Dana