Rescued Rabbits-2 Lops. Could use some advice.

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cloft

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I just rescued 2 Holland Lop rabbits from someone who did NOT take care of them well. They lived in a crate that has probably never been cleaned. Boy is neutered. Girl has cataracts I think. I’ve been putting some eye wash in her eyes, and his too because they’re a bit gross. He has a scab in the corner of one eye. The girls eyes, Evie, are super bloodshot, and cloudy. She barely keeps them open and is running into stuff. She seems super tough and holds her own pretty well. She seems malnourished too. I cal feel every bone in her body and she probably weighs 2-3 pounds. Any advice for helping her gain weight and muscle? They’re living outside in a big hutch and in a fenced in area so they have access to grass and sunshine and exercise. Feeding them unlimited amounts of Timothy/Alfalfa hay and Timothy hay pellets. The boy, Boots, is round and a good size. He seems healthier than her but still not in great shape. Any advice for the situation would be great! Should I take her to the vet or would that be too traumatic. She is 3 and he is 4. I have 3 other rabbits and all are healthy, so I e never had to go but I’ve called and they have a vet experienced with rabbits. I’m afraid it’ll be traumatic for her. She was hardly ever held or handled so she’s real skittish. He is too.
Thank you!
 
She may not have cataracts. She might have corneal ulcers that need treatment with the appropriate antibiotic eye drops. I would suggest taking her to be seen by an experienced rabbit vet right away. Even though it might be difficult for her, it seems necessary to see if her eye condition is treatable. If it is corneal ulcers, there is a chance that with prompt treatment she could regain her sight again.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Eye_diseases/Disorder/Ulcer/Ulc_en.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Eye_diseases/Disorder/Cat/Cat_en.htm

If she is underweight from not being fed properly, if she is eating well the diet you are feeding should help her put on the weight gradually, which is what you want. If she's underweight due to a health problem like dental problems, particularly if she is showing any signs of dental problems(drooling, dropping food, selective eating, reduced appetite, chewing difficulties), then that would first need to be treated by the vet, before she will be able to put weight back on. So make sure the vet also does a thorough dental exam.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
 
Thank you!
I’ll try to get her to my vet on Friday. Thank goodness, my vet is 3 minutes away and has a doctor experienced with rabbits.
She has been eating fine, just not a whole lot. Neither one of them are very interested in the hay. I have a really green and grassy Timothy Alfalfa hay that my other rabbits love. Her teeth are fine. I think that she doesn’t have a huge appetite because she’s been malnourished. She has a distended stomach as well. The previous owner said that he took her to the vet and the vet said that her distended stomach wasn’t an issue, and the only thing they could do for her eyes was extensive allergy testing.
The pellets she has been on aren’t Timothy hay based, just those cheap pellets from Walmart. She loves the pellets I have and she eats them pretty good. She ate some spinach, cilantro, and a little piece of a sweet pepper last night so I feel better about that. She also ate a little bit of grass. Her eyes look a tad better today too. She just doesn’t move a whole lot, probably from the lack of muscle and not a very nourishing diet. She’s tough though! I think that after spending some time here with me, she will start to perk up. I’ll get her to the vet to see about her eyes and ask about her weight and diet. Thank you so much for your advice!
 
You will need to have the distended stomach checked as well. A common cause of weight loss, wasting along the hindquarters and back, as well as a pot belly appearance(stomach distention), is hepatic coccidiosis. The distension comes from an enlarged liver and fluid buildup. So that is essential to have that checked, which means you may need to have blood tests done to check liver function, as well as having a fecal float done. I would bring a poop sample from 3 days(preserve in fridge) for the best results.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Protozoal_diseases/Cocc_en.htm (contains medical related photos)
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Parasitic/Hepatic_coccidiosis_rabbits.htm

Since the problem with the teeth can be in the back molars which aren't normally easily seen, you'll need your vet to check those to make sure they aren't a problem. Dental issues could be the cause of not wanting to eat hay, it could have to do with possible hepatic coccidiosis, or they could just be picky. But since there are several health issue that need to be checked with her, might as well have her teeth checked too.

Keep in mind that the vet the previous owners took her to may not have been an experienced rabbit vet, and may not have known what they were doing in making a proper diagnosis. So all of these health issues could have been improperly diagnosed and not treated correctly.
 
Took her to my vet and he said he doesn’t know much about rabbits but that he’d take a picture of her eyes and ask his vet friends and connections. A week later, he gave me antibiotic drops and anti-inflammatory drops and wow oh wow! She looks SO much better. He didn’t seem concerned about her stomach. Her eyes are so much clearer and aren’t leaking so much. Definitely think that she’s been living with conjunctivitis for 3 years, poor thing. Thank you for the advice!!! ❤️❤️
 
I'm glad you were able to get the proper diagnosis and treatment for her eyes. Hopefully that will help get her feeling much better.

One more thing I wanted to mention, is that scab in the corner of the bucks eye, if it doesn't seem to be healing and going away and/or is getting worse, it could be a case of rabbit syphilis, and that needs to be treated with pen g procaine/benzathine injections(injection only, never oral), so you would need to ask your vet about that if it's not healing. They both would need the treatment if they have contact with one another. So just something to keep an eye on.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syphilis.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syph_gen.html
 

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