My rabbit is ill and limping, Im so worried and i dont know what to do

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cutie1608

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My rabbit is 8 years old this year. About a year ago, i noticed that he was having sneezing fits and wheezing when breathing. It was lockdown and I took him to a vet. They informed me that he had some respiratory issues and looked like he had a dental issue with the growth of his teeth which may be causing him to be uncomfortable and was also a factor which led to his blocked tear ducts and sneezing problem. They gave him some antibiotics, medication and eyedrops. We tried giving it to him but after some time he stopped wanting to take them and refused to eat the medicine, even when we hid it in his favourite vegetable stems, he knew and would refuse to eat. We decided to stop feeding him the medication since it seemed like he was getting better and sneezing less. This year about a month ago, I noticed his sneezing came back and his eyes were always teary with fur coming out in patches near his eyes. Brought him to another vet and they said he did have some respiratory issue, along with an ear infection and eye discharge. They also said he had fur mites, for which we had been given revolution for dogs to put on him. They said his kidneys and liver looked fine though. They gave him some ear drops, eye drops, oral anti-inflammatory and some saline solution and antibiotics for him to be put on nebulisation. One night when my mom was trying to burrito him to administer the ear drops, he got scared and started running away. My mum tried to stop him and ended up causing one of his nails to rip out and it bled for maybe about a minute. Called an emergency vet and they said since the bleeding had stopped, it wasn't such a pressing issue. The next day, we brought him to our groomer to get the rest of his nails trimmed and for a "checkup" to ensure our bunny was okay. Came home and realised our bunny was limping. It has only gotten worse and now he isn't moving as much and does not eat his hay. He is still drinking water and eating pellets or his fruits and veggies when we feed it to him. I am so worried sick and I am taking him to the vet tomorrow to get him checked. We aren't even guaranteed an appointment because they are fully booked until next month. I called numerous rabbit savvy vets but all are booked. I feel so guilty for even bringing my rabbit to the vet in the first place because maybe he would not be limping and suffering so much right now. I cry almost every hour because im so scared of the thought of him growing old and his health deteriorating. Would anyone be able to take a look at these videos and advise me on what to do right now to make him feel comfortable? Sometimes he breathes really quickly too, such that it looks like he's shaking slightly. I tried to put towels and mats on the floor because maybe his legs are weakening and he is unable to grip the floor anymore, because he's always sliding on it. But the problem is that he is not potty-trained and pees/poos everywhere. Will there be a good solution for this too? Help is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
 

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Vet tomorrow sounds good, if there is an injury it could get worse untreated and permanent damage is possible.
Not moving and eating less due to pain can spiral out of hand, adding more immediate problems - so keep an eye on his food and water intake, and on his poops. I tend to incourage eating when something seems wrong by persistently holding food to their noses now and then.

My boy is on permanent painkillers due to athrosis in the hip, quite likely caused by a fall (he climbed everywhere). Most used is Meloxicam (Metacam, Loxicam...), but I helped him over a weekend when it was really bad with Ibuprofen when I didn't have the right stuff.

Good luck :)

The other issue - giving meds: He has no say in that. What needs to be done, gets done. Ask the vet to show you how to put medicine into his mouth with a syringe. He may not like that, so always give him a treat right after every ordeal he has to go through.
i can't burrito mine, I put them on the bed with a heavy blanket olding them in place, so I have two hands free to hold the head and administer whatever they need, or into cardboard box, front open, where they just fit in backwards and cant go anywhere.
 
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Vet tomorrow sounds good, if there is an injury it could get worse untreated and permanent damage is possible.
Not moving and eating less due to pain can spiral out of hand, adding more immediate problems - so keep an eye on his food and water intake, and on his poops. I tend to incourage eating when something seems wrong by persistently holding food to their noses now and then.

My boy is on permanent painkillers due to athrosis in the hip, quite likely caused by a fall (he climbed everywhere). Most used is Meloxicam (Metacam, Loxicam...), but I helped him over a weekend when it was really bad with Ibuprofen when I didn't have the right stuff.

Good luck :)

The other issue - giving meds: He has no say in that. What needs to be done, gets done. Ask the vet to show you how to put medicine into his mouth with a syringe. He may not like that, so always give him a treat right after every ordeal he has to go through.
i can't burrito mine, I put them on the bed with a heavy blanket olding them in place, so I have two hands free to hold the head and administer whatever they need, or into cardboard box, front open, where they just fit in backwards and cant go anywhere.
Thank you so much for the advice!
 

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