rabbit doing something like vomiting saliva

[crystal]

we got home not long ago and my dad let one of the rabbits out. she is doing something weird that looks like vomiting... but what comes out looks sort of like clear or saliva. she then seems to wipe it around on her face like she is cleaning. but she is doing this every 10 or so seconds... it might have got a bit less now but it still seems worrying!

any help? has anyone seen something like this before?

she seems to have stuff coming out her nose as well.

help! please someone! I just got back from my poppa's funeral, this has been a bad enough day already... now I am really worried about this rabbit.

 

[Flashy]

I think you need to get her to a vet now.

This is exactly what Summer did (hers was caused by choking on a pellet) and by the time we got her to the vets (15 or so minutes later) she was drowning in her own fluid and needed some oxygen, a diuretic to clear it and also some anti biotics.

 

[pamnock]

Choking, toxins or tooth problems are possibilities.

Pam

 

[crystal]

thanks for replying...

but it is 10:30 at night here... there won't be a vet open :S

 

[Flashy]

Emergency vet?

It's the last thing you need after your awful day, but she may not live to the morning if this is getting into her airway and lungs.

 

[crystal]

she seems to be able to breathe. and she has stopped the vomiting thing...

I googled "emergency vet melbourne" they are some over the other side of the city (about an hour away).

 

[Flashy]

What happens at your vet if there is an emergency out of hours?

Personally, I would get the bunny checked out because I saw what a mess Summer got in, really quickly. When we got to the vets she too had stopped coughing it up but when they listened to her chest it all in her lungs and they were very crackly.

Essentially you have to do whatever you think is best. I hope your bun is ok whatever you decide to do. Any idea what triggered it?

 

[crystal]

I don't know what happens out of hours.. I have only been to the vet once with a rabbit. I took her to the vet last week and he said she is healthy.

she had eaten a few pellets (literally two or three) and a few family members had been trying to pat her etc so she had been running away. this was all in the space of about 5 minutes I guess. so maybe something was stuck? but she seems okay now. she is breathing and there doesn't seem to be stuff coming out of her nose any more.

I guess I will just go to bed and hope for the best. assuming there is nothing I can do myself to help...?

 

[Flashy]

Maybe and option might be to call your vets and ask what they suggest?

I'm glad she seems to be breathing ok at the moment. I hope she's ok until the morning.

 

[crystal]

the vet will not be open now, no use trying to ring now... I live in a suburb where even the police only work 9-5 haha

I will call in the morning if she is alive and still seems to be unwell. today has been a bad day

 

[Flashy]

If you can, maybe have her inside (if she is an outside bun) and maybe also give her a heat source (like a rice sock) in case she starts to go into shock or something.

The only reason I said about calling the vets is because most vets in this area will, at the least, speak to you out of hours, that's why I thought it might be worth a shot, that's all.

I'm sorry today has been so rubbish, I hope that tomorrow is a better day for you.

 

[tonyshuman]

Yes, here at least the University vet hospital has a line staffed 24/7 and you can get some advice on whether or not they think it is an emergency. I would personally take her in to the emergency vet.

Edit: moved to Infirmary.

 

[Maureen Las]

A bun will also salivate when he is extremely overheated . How is he now?

 

[Numbat]

D you live near the Lort Smith Animal Hospital? They're really good and do emergencies. Is he okay? Good luck!

 

[Amy27]

It is probably to late for this now, but my regular vet, if you call after hours you can page the vet. He/she will call you right back and be able to give you advice on what you should do.

I hope your bunny is ok. That sounds very scary.

 

[crystal]

thanks everyone for your comments and concerns.

she is doing fine this morning! she is her usual cheeky self, sticking her nose through the bars of the cage. my dad couldn't sleep in the night (because his dad died 5 days ago, not because he was worried about the rabbit) and he got up at around 1am and she was eating grass then. when I went to bed at 11:30ish she wasn't eating her fresh grass so that was a worry.

oh yeah I realised that I put this in the wrong section... at the time I was worried and not thinking! thanks for moving it.

 

[Amy27]

I am glad she is doing better. That is weird, I wonder what was wrong with her.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Just as a side note- rabbits can't vomit. So if they're really doing anything like that, it seriously needs to be checked out by a rabbit savvy vet, asap!

 

[crystal]

Hmmm could she have got a bit of pellet stuck in her throat? and maybe with all her vomiting/sneezing/coughing she was able to get the pellet to go up or down with no intervention from us? her nose is clear this morning too.

it happened very suddenly (she was being cheeky just before we let her out) so I'm assuming it's not an ongoing condition.

I will keep a close eye on her, especially since I was planning to get her spayed next week. I want to make sure she is healthy before the surgery.

edit to add: oh that's interesting. I didn't know rabbits couldn't vomit. since she seems perfectly fine now, does she need to see a vet?

 

[tonyshuman]

It probably was something like a stuck pellet. It's really hard to look down a rabbit's throat (they don't open their mouths and say ahh) so when they intubate her for the spay surgery, they can get a good look down her thrat. Definitely tell the vet this before you have her spayed, so they can determine if they think it's safe to spay her or if they want to take a good look down her throat when she's knocked out.