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Z

zombie

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lexington, Kentucky, USA
Ok. Bad things happening. I had three rabbits on a diet of rabbit food/grasses/and timothy hay with the occasional veggie thrown in. But recently my rabbits have started going down hill....and honestly with everything going on in my family with hospitalizations and what not I can not afford a vet bill....i hate it...but i cant. I just don't have the cash. My rabbits are aged 1, 1 1/2, and 4 months. All are females, and prior to three weeks ago very fat and active. Well....about a week ago I walk outside to find my largest rabbit of ten pounds dead. Her ears are filled with some sort of dry gunk (which i now think to be ear mites) and her feet are missing fur and have bleeding sores all over them. I removed my rabbits from the pen which was a secured on the ground pen around 12 by 14 feet. They are now in an hutch which is up off the ground. I only have two rabbits remaining. The 1 and a half year old who is named Peanut butter and my 4 month old named Princess Peach. For a couple days they seemed to be doing better. Putting weight back on that they had lost in the blink of an eye. And even moving around some. Well I have been at the hospital for the last week. But I have had someone feeding/watering them daily. But I go outside today and they are in horrible condition. Both of my remaining rabbits have their ears full of a crusty yellowish stuff and they are very skinny and weak again. Per a recommendation I put some oil into their ears to drown out the possible ear mites....but their feet are still horrible....and their weight is down to practically nothing again. They have normal poopies. I have been looking online and racking my brain to try to see what is killing them. From what I have been told ear mites will not kill them....or take the fur off their feet. So while I know that you can drown out the earmites with oil if you do it day after day...i have no idea what is wrong with their weight/feet. Can anyone help me with this? I fear without an answer soon I won't have any rabbits left....if anyone knows anything that might help or has any experience please post!!!
 
what breed are they? Mini rexs and breeds with thin/short fur tend to get Sore Hocks quite easily and freequently. I believe that's what you're referring to about their feet.

For food, are you giving pellets and hay? Give full pellets, and add in old fashioned oats for them to put weight on.
 
In the pen they were in, is the ground damp or moist? If their feet are exposed to moist or damp or urine collecting in the area they stand or sit can cause fur loss. If they are on wire flooring now that you moved them, get them off of it as soon as possible and supply a softer flooring and even big tubes for them to lay across to take the pressure off of their unprotected feet/hocks or they will definatly get sore hocks. Any cause of fur loss on the soles of the feet (e.g., mange, friction from improper flooring, contact allergies etc.) will deprive the rabbit of the natural padding she needs to protect her feet. Rabbits have little or no fat padding on the bottoms of their feet, they rely almost on a thick pad of wool to protect them from impact and friction. Some rabbit breeds, particularly Rex rabbits, have very fine fur that doesn't hold up well to friction. These breeds seem particularly prone to sore hock problems.

The ears I am not too sure, maybe someone else can shed some light on this for you. Whatever it is must be contagious or something they are all exposed to in the enclosure that they were in. Do you have fly problems in that area? Can you post pictures of the feet and ears for us to see? I now you know this but all in all they do need to go to the vet.

I am sorry to har you are going through what sounds like a really tough time. I wish you and your bunnies the best.
 
Unless they're Dutch or Dutch-marked rabbits, you should be able to get Ivermectic at a feed store, or Revolution. That's the only way to treat the mites.

The mites may be a symptom of something else, though. They will have their resistance down and parasites take hold. It may be another parasite, a virus or bacterial infection, hard to say.

Keep them as well-fed with a nutritious diet as possible and keep them as de-stressed as possible.

Can you post photos of the rabbits and their housing?


sas :clover:
 
One rabbit is a short lionhead mix and the other is a long haired lion head mix. I know I need to take them to a vet...I just don't have the money or I would. Yes they are on a diet of full pellets/hay. I may try to add in the oats to help with their weight,thanks for the suggestion.

I am pretty sure the ear issue is ear mites, but I will try to get images up asap. I have even had a vet tech recommend the oil....so I think I will try that for a few days and see if it helps them any.

The ground they were on was earth, I live in ky so our climate fluctuates often. It had rained quite a lot before their feet issues started. Right now they are in a wire bottom cage but they are staying in the wooden shelter parts which i have cushioned with hay. I have no other cage to put them in....other than the one where they got sick in the first place.Could sore hocks kill a rabbit? Or could the ear mites? I really want to know what killed my big rabbit.....
 
I doubt it's sore hocks. But whatever killed the big one is most likely the same issue/pathogen making the little ones ill.

The mites may well just be a symptom of whatever it is.

Have you checked the vet areas to make sure there's no scabbing or redness there? That would be a sign of rabbit syphilis.

You only need one *part* of one cap of kitten Revolution to properly treat them for mites. (I think they'd take just .1 cc or less (depending on their weight) which is less than a drop at the nap of the neck, but don't let them lick it off themselves or each other).

What brand of pellets are you feeding them? I'd really go easy on the oats but add more variety to the diet, eg: clean dandelion or other safe weeds and fresh grass.


sas :clover:
 
As Sas has already said, it;s likely the ears mites are just a side effect of being in generally poor condition. I would treat them as suggested if they are at the stage where the ears look crusty. Oil is good for cleaning out gunk but it won't kill the mites very effectively.

I would be surprised at lionhead mixes getting sore hocks as the long fur protects their feet. However, if their nails are long or anything effects the fur eg being damp or knotted, that can quickly effect the feet as they have no tough pads. One they have open wounds it's easy for infection to get in and create nasty sores. Really they need painkillers and antibiotics. Cleaning the feet regularly and keeping them of soft clean flooring will help. Don't use a cage with a wire floor.

Is it possible that something is getting into the outdoor pen and eating the food? Lionheads will also need slightly more protein when moulting to keep up body weight. It might be worth worming them too.

It's hard with fluffy bunnies to access their weight by looking so a weekly or twice a week weigh in might help you monitor how they are doing.

Is there someone that could bunny sit for you for awhile so they can have extra attention and you're not trying to focus on so many things at once :)
 
Are you sure the rabbits are getting fed while you are gone for the period you are gone? That could be why they are losing weight. Or they could have a blockage and are in pain. Rabbits in pain will not eat. Is there any way that you can get Care Credit? It is pet insurance for your animals.
 
Ok so it turns out that they do have rabbit syphillis. They are now on a daily dose of penacilin, plus they have their wounds treated with hydrogen peroxide daily. Already i can see a massive improvement in them...they have started eating again, they feel heavier, their ears are clearing up, they are starting to get some fur back on their feet (both have already got fur completly on their front paws) and they are more active now. I have moved them to a small cage with shavings as the flooring until they get better. Thanks to everyone for your input. I am so happy that they are doing better!
 
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