Advice please. Really worried about my bunny

[lauraloo]

I'm not sure what's wrong with him but my bunny seems off.

He keeps sneezing, 4-5 times in a row and the e just flops over into the death pose. He seems a little grumpy but otherwise ok. He has plenty of hay and water and a few pellets. But I'm worries he might have eaten something.

Or might have something up his nose. He runs it after a sneeze session. His nose is warm and there is no sign of discharge.

Any advice please would be really helpful. I will be calling the vets in the morning and making him an appointment ASAP but is there anything I could do in the meantime?

Thank you

 

[JBun]

Is he eating, drinking, and pooping normally? Any other odd behavior?

Have you introduced anything new to his environment: new litter, hay, new detergent that you wash his blankets in, new cleaning products used in his area? Have you checked the inside of his front paws for crustiness from wiping his nose?

 

[lauraloo]

Thanks j bun. Thought of everything, only the Christmas tree really that is different, but that's too high up for him to reach.

All poop seems normal and firm, no crusty paws.

I removed all pellets and left him with just hay and water. All day he has been fine but I've just tried to stroke him and he really bit me. He's laid down again he just seems very grumpy compared to usual. Bramble keeps trying to hump his head and he is going for her too. It just seems out of character for him

 

[JBun]

If you haven't already called your vet, you should do that right away. A sudden change in behavior like that, especially uncharacteristic aggression, is often because the rabbit isn't feeling well or is in pain from some sort of medical issue.

Since you are only giving hay, you just need to make sure he is eating it alright. You just want to keep him eating until you are able to get him into the vet, so that he doesn't also develop stasis.

 

[Imbrium]

Uncharacteristic biting, especially when you're reaching out to touch him, is definitely an indication that he may be in pain, though I can't really guess at what would be causing it based just on sneezing.

Have his eating habits changed at all (recently or even gradually over a few weeks)? Like maybe being more reluctant to eat certain types of food but eating others normally? One common cause of pain in bunnies is dental problems - a toothache, overgrown tooth, abscess, etc. I know tooth problems can cause watery eyes... not sure if they can cause sneezing, but I suspect it's possible. Changes in eating habits, not necessarily accompanied by a reduction in appetite, can sometimes be a tip-off as different types of food (hay, veggies, pellets) require different chewing motions - depending on the problem, not all foods would bother a bunny with tooth issues.

Of course, it may be something else entirely - I was just throwing out one possibility. Regardless of the cause, the fact that he may be in pain needs to be addressed *immediately* as pain can easily cause a rabbit to stop eating, which can lead to GI stasis.

 

[lauraloo]

Thank you. He is still eating, I'm hand feeding hay and he is eating a little, he also has eaten half a green cabbage leaf. I'm going to keep a close eye on him tonight and call our vet first thing in the morning. The biting isn't constant he does keep letting me tickle behind his ears but I'm trying to leave him alone as much as possible

 

[lauraloo]

I checked Larry's litter tray and after discovering no poop I got him an emergency appointment with the vet.

He had some antibiotics for the sneezing and some more meds to get his gut moving. They checked his glucose levels and they seem happy there isn't a blockage. He needs a follow up appointment in the morning so hopefully he will be ok.

Now he is back home and back with bramble he is running around and he's pooped a little so hopefully he is on the mend.

Thanks for the advice and support.

Love Laura, Larry and Bramble

 

[JBun]

I'm glad you were able to get him to the vet. And that's great he's pooping. If they didn't give you any metacam for pain, you may want to ask about it in the morning. It's an important medication, as controlling pain also helps keep a rabbit eating. But discovering the source of any pain is essential too. Hopefully the vet will be able to figure out exactly what is going on with your bun.

It might be good for them to also give his teeth a check, to make sure that's not part of the issue.

 

[lauraloo]

Thanks jbun yes he has returned into the little poop machine we know and love. There is plenty of fresh hay, veg and pellets out for him tonight.

I will mention the pain relief to the vet tomorrow, and I'm sure she checked his teeth but I will ask her to check them again. She seemed pretty rabbit savvy so we were lucky.

Thank you again

 

[lauraloo]

So after a visit to the vet this morning they have put Larry on baytril and will see him again on tues.

The problem is, I feel like we are back to square one. He seems grumpy, off his food and because he free roams I'm not sure how much water he has drank. There seems less poops around (not many strays or in his tray).

I'm worried about phoning the vet again, because I've read that antibiotics can cause a bit of upset tummy in buns.

I'm pretty worried. Any ideas???

 

[JBun]

Sometimes rabbits will react badly to certain antibiotics. I wouldn't hesitate to give your vet a call. You may need to change antibiotics. Hopefully he's still on the gut meds, as those will help, but you have to make sure he is still eating and drinking enough, or you will need to syringe feed. You don't want him to stop eating and have this develop into stasis.

 

[JBun]

You may also want to pick up some fibreplex, and give that a couple hours after the antibiotic, to help with any gut disturbance from the meds.

Did the vet mention what the antibiotics were being given for, or a reason for your rabbit not feeling well, or are they just guessing? Have any xrays or tests been done?