Howie's misadventure

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Leowyldemi

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I'm not sure where to put this, because it has to do with Howie's illness but also with the attitude of people regarding it.

it all started when were were cleaning his cage yesteday morning, and we found that he had eaten most of a Wispepac Dessicannt pack that came with a treat basket of wood chews he was given, i don't know how i missed it, and i was hating myself for missing it, i thought i had poisoned my rabbit for sure!

there was also no poos in his cage, i had thought he was burying them, i felt stupid for that too.

we immediately took the basket out andcalled the vet to see what we could do, the receptionist's answer had me in tears,her answer was "take him to the humane society, if they can't help him, they'll put him to sleep"

i started bawling and told her "so what can i do? i'm supposed to sit here and watchmy rabbitdie, or take him there and he'll be put to sleep?"

her reply to that was "that's unfortunately your options"

there was no way i was going to do that if i could help it

so i called a different vet and got him in as an emergency, tried calling my family to see if they could help me so i would have to put off a big bill, the answer i got was" you would acctually be wasteing money to take him to the vet,you should put him to sleep to end his suffering"

i was bawling so hard by this time i was hiccuping and could barely speak, so i hung up and hubby called poison control to see what was in it, it turns out it was activated charcoal, so ok i hadn't poisoned him,istill felt bad, but at least i hadn't killed him, so that was a releif.but i put of the bill anyway and still took him to the vet because of the constipation issue, and to make sure there would be no repricussions from eatingthe dessicannt pack

they discovered there was blood in his urine, so i had xrays and a urinalysis

done,it turns out it was a UTI, no stones, no impaction, i was given meds, and he got his first dose there, they were wonderful with him!

he was feeling better on thw way home, he pooed in his carrier(which was a huge releif)and when he got back in his cage he immediately went first to his water bottle, then to his food bowl, and seemed much peppier than he had been all morning.

so that was his day , he took his meds like a champ in the evening and seems much appier today.

what gets me ispeople have this attitude of "he's just a rabbit, don't waste money on him"

and it infuriates me!

i'm still mad, but at least he will be ok
 
Wow! That's a lot you went through to take care of Howie, but I'm proud of you! I can't believe they told you the only option is to put him to sleep. :shock: Imagine if we said "It's just a dog" or "It's just a baby", a rabbit is a living being and I can't believe they didn't even try to find other options! I'm so glad he's okay though, you had me hooked, I was reading this thing as if it was a book, I was so relieved in the end.
 
Boy so was i, he's still not over it, he has to take his meds 2 times a day for 14 days, but he's already showing improvement in appetite and behavior, pretty soon he'll be back to himself.

it infuriates me the way people treat him, needless to say i will not be taking him to that vet office ever again.
 
The vet receptionist should be fired if that is how she treats customers. I hope you file a complaint and let them know that they've lost you as a customer and that you will definitely deter others from going there. I'm so glad you stayed focused and found a proper vet to help. Put down a rabbit for UTI... *Shakes head* I can't say what I am thinking and remain polite so hugs to you and yourbunner. I hope he feels better soon.
 
i got the same kind of response from people when one of my rabbits had a serious injury. They were all like "its only a rabbit" but that rabbit was like a child to me and if i could help it i was going to do everything i could, i made a commitment when i got it to take care of her. As it turned out she was able to be helped (like yours) and was little worse for wear. People discount rabbits as disposable pets and it makes me really mad. and i am glad your bunny is recovering
 
ive had that experience before. people are like "WTF YOU TAKE A RABBIT TO A VET? BUT A NEW ONE ONLY COSTS LIKE $40???"

as though my babies are as disposable as some sort of inanimate object or something.
 
well he's not pooping again, and this time i don't have the 300$ to take him to the vet, i don't know what to do, i've been massaging his belly throughout the day to try and help him, but i don't know if i'm helping or not
 
Have you run through everything to do...? Bene-bac wouldbe helpful for him if he is taking an antibiotic. Antibiotics disrupt the natural flora in their GI tracts, and the bene-bac works to restore balance in the flora. A tube of bene-bac is around $10.00 to $15.00. Don't forget about canned pumpkin, cilantro or parsely, baby gas meds, and most importantly hydration to keep his tummy moving.

Just thoughts on what I usually do when my kids have tummy troubles. There is no way to OD them on bene-bac, and sometimes doing single doses throughout the day is good to do for them.

myheart
 
imma try to get some things for him tommorrow, going to get him some pumkin and babay gas meds, i'll pic up the benebac too, is that an over the counter med? i can't remember if i've seen it before or not.

i don't think i have to worry too much about hydration he's drinking alot, about half a bottle a day

i've been giving lots of hay and massaging his tummy, hopefully he'll be alright until tommorrow when i can get the stuff for him, poor baby has to be really uncomfortable

also his pee is really really smelly, is that normal? i assume it's from the antibiotic he has to take


edited to add:

about how much is a dose for a bunny? i've never used benebac before
 
Bene-bac can be found as a gel or a powder. I usually get the tubes of gel from my vet, but I noticed that Drs. Foster and Smith was doing free shipping on meds, so I ordered a half dozen since that is my first line of defense for upset bunny-tummies. I know I'll go throughthe tubessooner or later. The tubes have little lines on the plunger for dosage. Like I said, you can't od a bunner on that stuff.

The other option to look at PetSmart orPetco. One of those chains offer it in single-size packets of powder. I don't know the dosage that way for sure, but you could mix it in the pumpkin if he won't take it any other way.

I would guess you are right about how strong-smelling his urine is. It might be the infection coming out as well as the antibiotic. It is great news that he has perked up so much with the first few doses of meds. He must have been one sick little bunny... poor guy. It's so difficult when it's urinary problems because the infection or whatever has to get so far before it's noticable. Glad you found out when you did.

myheart
 
well we scoured the town and found benebac at pet co, they also had an adorable black bunny there

got him pumkin, so he got his meds pumkin and benebac he almost immediately pooped, it was only a little but i have never been so happy to see poo in my life!

he has a messy bum however, he sat in his pee:(

so i had to clean his bum, he's pretty mad at me right now, he hates his bum and tail messed with, but he washed his face and seems better now, more alert and he ate:)
 
I am so glad you found everything you need to make his tummy feel better. Use the bene-bac for a few days until his poo's get back to normal. Small poo's are a good sign and a relieffor you, but it is best to keep up with the bene-bac especially while he is on the antibiotic.

It is so good to hear that Howie is feeling better!!! Keep it up Howie!! You need to feel better for Santa's visit. :p

myheart
 
with luck:)

that would be the BEST christmas present, is if he could be healthy, we're both pretty stressed out over everything he's been going through.

he had a bath today, he was just SO stinky,his entire underside was soaked and his face was all sticky because thelittle stinker decided to fight me on his medicine this morning and spat some of it out.i couldn't stand it any more, so into the tub he went. at first he was a little nervous but he seemed to enjoy the warm water once i calmed him down and got used to the wet feet there was only an inch or so of water, but he actually explored it:)
 
I am so sorry for your loss of Howie. You really tried to bring that little guy back. It must have been a shock that he passed after seeming to perk up a bit. Hope you are able to heal and cherish all of the good memories of Howie.

Binky Free at The Bridge Howie :rainbow:

Hug to you :hug:

myheart
 
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