help bunbun is sick!

[tristaw.]

He was supposed to be neutered tomorrow but today he started acting unlike himself. Now ( it's 1:35 am ) we have been patting him for hours and wrapping him in a blanket because he is shaking. He will only eat apples and some greens. he is very lethargic and seems so tired. He can barely lift his head but he did drink some water.

I need to get him to a vet but it's late!!! What can I do for the rest of the night until I get him to a vet tomorrow? also I have no idea how much money I will need when I take him. Does anyone know so I know what to expect. I know money is the least of my worries right now but I had some unexpected expenses come up for my daughter.

I am terrified he will die. Please anyone with advice for tonight!

Tristana

 

[tristaw.]

I forgot to mention everythiing I'm supposed to.
He is a Holland Lop, 3 lbs. He hasn't been pooping or peeing this evening. He eats martins extruded pellets and veggies and some fruit. tonight,he will only eat a tiny piece of apple and some greens. he is drinking water. I hope I remembered everything I'm supposed to mention.

 

[Pipp]

It's hard to say, it could be anything, but a lot of times its a gas attack. If he's been perfectly normal before now I'd give him gas medicine containing Simethicone and give him gentle tummy rubs and keep him warm.

Do you have gas meds there? The dose will depend on the brand and strength, but the dose is usually pretty high.

Don't give him anymore apple or greens, just water and hay if he'll eat it.



sas :clover:

 

[Pipp]

PS: If you have a massage tool or an electric/vibrating toothbrush or something like that, the vibrations will help. And even if you're rubbing his tummy by hand, it really takes a loooong tummy rub to make the gas bubbles pass.

Put him on his back on your lap with his bum slightly elevated and massage from his tummy to his tail.

If he appears to like the tummy massage (after the initial surprise and distrust) then he probably has gas.

A little gentle, stress-free exercise will also help. Get him hopping a bit.


sas

 

[Pipp]

Here's the info people need to tell us...

IMMEDIATE INFORMATION:


Location

Description (Breed, color, weight)

Age

Sex

Concise Summary of the Rabbit's Condition:



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / CHECK LIST: (Please fill in relevant info).

Fecal and Urinary Output

- are the bunny's poops and pees normal?
- when did they last use their litterbox?
- any unusual behavior? straining to pee? unusual litter habits?
- what litter and/or bedding do you use?

Medical History

- spayed/neutered?
- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before?
- is s/he on any medications?

Diet

- what specifically does your bunny eat?
- when and what did s/he eat last?
- any changes in the way s/he eats? (ie: not eating a particular food, odd chewing motions, etc)


Other

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?
- is the rabbit molting?
- any weight loss?
- any sign of drooling? wet face?
- runny eyes?
- wet nose? coughing? sneezing?
- is s/he breathing normally

Additional

- any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?
- has the rabbit been outdoors?
- any other pets? if so, have they been ill?


------------------

The cost will depend on the diagnostics. If a vet can tell what's wrong right away, it will only be the exam fee, which is around $50 here, not sure about your area. But most often they need to take x-rays, and that can cost around $130 here, depending on how many pictures they need.

And/or they may want to test his poop for parasites, check his urine or take a blood test, depending on what they see in the initial exam.

How is he doing?


sas :clover:

 

[tristaw.]

I moved him away from noise and my hubby went to an all night drug store and got him timothy hay. I'm not sure if it's the best quality given that it's a drugstore but they told my hubby it was just stocked when he asked how fresh it was.

BunBun ate it like he was starving!! I hope that's ok. I'm assuming his instinct will tell him when to stop?
we got baby simethicone. we got the one that only has simethicone in it. the other ones had other ingredients.

He seems perked up and came to greet me which he didn't do last night. He isn't hunched over today and he laying on his belly again.

Please pray for him. He seems a bit better and was grooming himself this morning. His little paws over his face which is my favourite thing to see besides his happy sideways hops.

Thank you for your advice. If he doesn't continue to feel better and seems to relapse again, I'm taking him to the vet. Unfortunately because I'm a childcare provider I have no one to watch the children (who leave around 6 pm)until my husband gets home from work and can take us.

 

[tristaw.]

and I'm relieved about the potential cost of the vet. I have a 300 dollar bunny reserve fund for him just in case.

 

[Pipp]

They will pop out of gas attacks pretty quickly and the rabbit will be back to normal. Some of mine will go from looking like their dying to happily munching hay and hopping around in minutes.

Do you not normally feed him Timothy hay? A grass hay like that should be at least half his diet.

If he's still looking/feeling ill, a vet visit is in order for sure. Gas attacks can just be from somehting they ate, but just as often gas/stasis etc is a symptom of something else that's bothering him.

Glad he's better!


sas :clover:

 

[tristaw.]

We're taking him to the vet in an hour. He was doing better but is worse again. please keep him in your prayers.

 

[Pipp]

Please print out our questionnaire and take it with you so you can remember to tell the vet everything they need to know.

But remember, even the slightest change in the way he eats, pees, acts, etc, will be significant. They hide their illnesses well, symptoms can be very subtle.

Random testing can get expensive, the more you can narrow down potential problems, the better.

Also, its usually cheaper to do one test at a time to confirm or eliminate a problem rather than ordering a whole battery of tests at once.

Good luck!


sas ray:

 

[tristaw.]

we got back about an hour ago. bunbun has an infected ear. his temp was very high 42 degrees. the doctor gave him 21 mg baytril by needle and a 0.4 mg metacam as antiflammatory.we have to give him o.4 mls of baytril once a day for 6 days.
He said the next 12 hours were crucial.

Already, he's been eating and drinking. fingers and toes crossed.

 

[pumpkinandwhiskersmom]

ray:

 

[Pipp]

Wow, 42? That's over 107 F, normal is 102.

Baytril isn't the greatest drug for ear infections, I really think he should be getting something like ChlorPalm. How rabbit experienced is the vet?



sas ray:

 

[tristaw.]

the doc suspects cat bite cellulitis. I looked at the sheet ( after I posted)he gave us with his dx on it and what he did etc. he said the infection in his ear looked like a cat injury. our cat and the bun often play so I didn't think anything of their normal play and I thought I had looked him over tip to tail a million times. I feel so guilty that me and my daughter (19) missed an injury. it could have been fatal this morning my bun is soooo much better!!!! I do have him in a cage the last 24 hours so he feels safe and can rest. The little bunny is beside him free range and has been laying by him. this morning she rattled her dish and flipped it and I thought she was hungry so I got up to see what was going on and she was running from the wall to the cage bunbun is in and I noticed her pile of hay was still there for the most part and her dish had pellets in it ( well did until she flipped it but that bunbun had no food. He must have eaten ALL his hay through the night because he had nothing there at all. I gave him more and he devoured it. It was as if little bun was waking me up ( they're in my bedroom)to tell me to feed BunBun. He literally was jumping in the cage. he looked happy. I am soooo releved. We've all cried enough through this, worry, fear, guilt. Hopefully the antbiotic is working.

 

[jujub793]

sounds like a happy ending, i'm glad for you. its a horrible feeling waiting in the night that your furry baby will make it through and you can get him the help he needs. Such a helpless feeling....

 

[Maureen Las]

saliva of cats is full of bacteria; I know that sometimes my cat sort of knaws on my hand in play and I worry about myself ( my hands are all cracked and dried out)

have to be careful with a cat and a rabbit because even if it is just play the bacteria is so toxic

Iam glad this ended well.

 

[tristaw.]

They never had a problem before and it was just before he was due to be neutered which sort of caused this is my guess. he had been a little too interested in her and I think she got fed up.

I still feel very guilty. Right now I have him in the kitchen with a baby gate. He has lots of room and the cat won't attempt to jump over, she is a bit of a sook that way. she wants to be picked up all the time instead and she is overweight ( another story).

Does anyone know anything about soft claws? my daughter mentioned them but I can't remember the exact name. She said that they go over the cat's claws?

I don't want to leave BunBun in the kitchen because all he has known is run of the whole house but I want to keep him safe too especially since he went through this trauma.

I know he is still not 100% better but he is showing his feist. he was taking his meds peacefully but now he refuses and it is a struggle. poor bun, i hope we never have to go through this again.

Thanks for all the support everyone, it helped so much.

 

[tristaw.]

oh and another thing that came out of this, the clinic that was supposed to do his neutering was the place I called for help for BunBun and they told me they were not rabbit savvy and gave me the name of the vet we ended up taking him to.

they were going to NEUTER my bunny yet they weren't rabbit savvy??? i was furious and upset. Glad they didn't attempt to treat him!! they should have told me when i called for his surgery to be scheduled that they don't treat rabbits!