Help lethargic bunny

JetFalcon said:

Hi I have a question, maybe this thread is related b/c right now my bunny is "lethargic".

I took him out and there was a dog, the bunny started running and the dog's instinct kicked in, to chase it around. The dog was a small / medium yorkie looking thing, it wasn't super aggressive, but seeing a bunny run around, it wouldn't stop or listen to its owner. I tried very hard to stop the chase, but both animals were so fast running in circles that the bunny refused to be picked up, and the dog wouldn't stop. I finally caught the dog though, and thankfully the dog didn't bite or attack, just scared the bunny causing it to scream while forcing it to sprint for like a minute.

And then, few hours later, the bunny started to droop its head like it was dying, like couldn't pick his head up. I was really scared, it looked like it was dying. But then next morning, it got better, was able to stand up like a normal bunny and hold its head up.

But now its late afternoon, and he is still setting his head down, but at least not drooping to the side like its dying. It just looks very tired. I'll try upload some pics from my phone if it works.

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JetFalcon said:

Hi I have a question, maybe this thread is related b/c right now my bunny is "lethargic".

I took him out and there was a dog, the bunny started running and the dog's instinct kicked in, to chase it around. The dog was a small / medium yorkie looking thing, it wasn't super aggressive, but seeing a bunny run around, it wouldn't stop or listen to its owner. I tried very hard to stop the chase, but both animals were so fast running in circles that the bunny refused to be picked up, and the dog wouldn't stop. I finally caught the dog though, and thankfully the dog didn't bite or attack, just scared the bunny causing it to scream while forcing it to sprint for like a minute.

And then, few hours later, the bunny started to droop its head like it was dying, like couldn't pick his head up. I was really scared, it looked like it was dying. But then next morning, it got better, was able to stand up like a normal bunny and hold its head up.

But now its late afternoon, and he is still setting his head down, but at least not drooping to the side like its dying. It just looks very tired. I'll try upload some pics from my phone if it works.

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button+banjo said:

Update on Banjo, he is acting normal (or as normal as can be without his brother). Eating hay, drinking water. I think i will give him some gas drops mixed with critical care just in case, but he doesn't seem to need any meds.

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Camelia_Eva said:

OMG! Bunnies are very delicate animals and this experience could have killed him from a heart attack. He may be super stressed out still. Something that could help him very much is Rescue Remedy, which is for shocks among other things. If you get the one for animals, you can give him one or 2 drops by mouth every 1 or 2 hours. Add a few drops to his water too. If it's hard for you to give him the drops by mouth, take a drop on your finger and rub it on his ear. It will go to his blood stream in this way.
If you cannot find the one for animals, buy the human version. However, you will have to dilute it with water since it has alcohol. Mix about 15 drops in a 30 ml dropper and add purified water. Give him this diluted Rescue Remedy as explained before. You can add a few drops to his water bowl.
Rescue Remedy is one of the Flowers of Bach. The beauty of it is that it works and has zero side effects.

Do not take him out in the near future because he could get stressed out with the memory only.

I hope he recovers soon and well!

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JetFalcon said:

Could he be stressed out because it really scared him, even though it didn't look scary to the human? Maybe if like a soldier barely made it out alive from an intense battle, but he is still in shock because of all those bombs / machine guns going off?

I'll go get some rescue remedy. You can contact me through instagram DM @JetFalcon and that be super helpful! And the vet opens tomorrow (closed on sundays) so I have that option to see them, there is a 50 percent off exam coupon. And they seem to specialize in bunnies.

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Camelia_Eva said:

precisely! the same thing as if a human has a shocking experience. But bunnies are much more sensitive. Because bunnies are at the end of the food-chain, they hide signs of pain or stress. BUT they can scream if they have lot of pain or they can grind their teeth loud if they are in pain too.
Do NOT take him to a vet that is not an exotic animal vet. Also, I would avoid vets that do not have much experience. If he is OK tomorrow, probably you may be better off NOT taking him to the vet if this does not have experience or is not an exotic vet.

Great that you have Rescue Remedy! Remember to dilute it in purified water. And add a few drops (undiluted) to his water bowl (the water in the bowl will dilute the human-Rescue Remedy).

Hope he recovers soon!

BTW, he is beautiful!

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JetFalcon said:

Well, unfortunately, he died when I went to check on him. Nothing graphic though, his body hardened so I am pretty sure rigor mortis is taking affect. I was about to go to Sprouts, get that product.

I was expecting him to not make it, but I tried my best to comfort him in hopes maybe he forget the traumatic experience. I'm sorry, thank you for helping! I wanted to take him to the vet that specialized in rabbits, but they were closed, and I didn't want to waste thousands of dollars at the emergency clinic where they don't really know much about rabbits. I rather just adopt another rabbit and prevent it from being euthanized if I know my current rabbit is likely to die.

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jess24rose said:

This whole forum thread is so sad I was reading it and I was crying I'm sorry for both of you two's losses

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button+banjo said:

So, it's been over a week since Banjo started eating again. I have not fed him any pellets again, just hay, romaine, and small amounts of critical care. He acts super hungry though. Do you guys think it is safe to introduce pellets again? It is oxbow adult. Maybe if I soak some in water to make it like critical care? Any advice on what to feed him?

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Maki_p29 said:

What had happened to your bunny in the first place? Did they have GI stasis and were unable to eat?

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