Sick bunny - cold ears - not much else (gas? bloat?)

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TinysMom

TinysMom

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, Texas, USA
Mary is one of those bunnies I never talk about - but love to be around.

She's quite contrary - every night she dances at her door for supper and insists on pushing her door open herself. Sometimes she'll even drag her food bowl over (its a plastic child's food bowl). She grabs the scoop out of my hand (if she can) to drag the food to her bowl...and she is just a little brat.

Tonight - she didn't want to open her cage. She didn't want her food - or her hay. She's failed the treat test.

She just backed up into a corner of her cage and sat there.

I'm stumped.....she hasn't had anything new to eat/drink that might cause gas. I can't find any abcesses or sore hocks. I checked her ears for mites or infection, etc - nothing.

I would think it was gas and give her gas meds (I have given her a bit of painkiller) - but her ears are cold to the touch.

That is what scares me - the cold ears. I mean...COLD. The only time I've felt ears getting cold like this has been when I'm losing a rabbit....

I can give her gas meds - but I've looked at the information on gas & bloat and I'm just not sure.

The nearest bunny vet is 150 miles away at night - that's not an option.

She seems hydrated so I haven't done any sub-q.

I'm just confused.

I will say that her tummy feels a bit distended to me right now - but it isn't hard to the touch. I'm not hearing gurgly noises or anything.

Right now she's in Liberty's box with her....which shocks me as Liberty shares her box with NO ONE. But Mary didn't want me touching her - so she hopped in there and Liberty is letting her stay.

HELP?


 
I'd give her the gas meds whether it's gas or not

it won't hur tand may help

also try to warm her up with a heating pad or hold her
you know how to warm her up....
 
Liberty know that she's sick and is allowing her in the box : when Beau is sick all the other rabbits tolerate him doing anything that usually they won't tolerate....
 
angieluv wrote:
were you around her enough today today to know whether she is eating or pooping??
Click to expand...
No I was not and the way her cage is - I can't tell what is fresh and what isn't....

That doesn't sound right I'm sure....but I mean - its hard to tell "fresh" from older poops after a few hours and her cage is on tomorrow's cleaning list.

Right now I'm mainly going by her behavior and her ears...
 
can you take her in the house? ( she's probably already there)

sometimes when they have gas they can really look bad and then just come out of it all at once
we'll hope that's what it is
 
angieluv wrote:
How is she Peg???
Click to expand...
Her ears have warmed up a little bit - but they're not what I would call normal. As I said, this is my biggest concern right now.

She's all cuddled in Liberty's box sleeping beside her and she looks more alert than she did earlier.

The only other thing I can think of is a bug bite that could cause septicimia...this is kind of how Houdini was a day or so before he died and if I remember right - it was the cold ears and his lack of being alert that made me realize he was ill. We started him on antibiotics but when the vet saw him - he honestly didn't feel he had much of a chance (even though he gave me baytril for him).

I'm thinking about leaving her in Liberty's box w/ Liberty on the bed overnight...I don't know.

Stasis...I can handle. Gas...I can handle. Bloat - never handled it that I can remember.

I honestly don't know if her belly felt funny to me though because I was looking for something to feel funny ... if that makes sense. She's a big girl...not fat..but definitely a big girl. She could just have a bigger tummy.

I'm sick at heart....I need to get pics of her as she's such a pain in the rear and so funny...

I don't know what else to do right now other than keep her warm and maybe give her sub-q fluids in the a.m. - she doesn't appear to need them now.


 
I just got back a bit ago from running errands and my thoughts are going every which way today (long story) - so I forgot to update this till now.

I tried to have her sleep on the bed in Liberty's basket with her - but once I went to bed - Mary started hopping around the bed and I was afraid she'd jump down on the floor where Gloria and Juni and maybe even Darla would kick her in the rear.

So I put her in Liberty's NIC pen and left Liberty in her box (ok - so halfway through the night - Liberty slept in my arms for about 3 or 4 hours and snuggled with me).

Since the pens are used for sick bunnies - I don't have covers on them - and hers was in back near the wall. Somehow - she got out.

When I got up this am - she was in the bathroom - behind the mirror that leans up against the wall. Darla was beside her. I couldn't feel her ears without scaring them both but she looked a lot more alert and active. A few minutes later - I went in to give Darla some cilantro and Mary ate some of it too and acted like she was hungry.

I'm going to put Mary back in her cage later and I'll check her ears then - but her eyes are bright and she's looking alert. I wonder if it was gas and all the moving around and jumping out of the NIC pen made her feel better. I don't know.

I am definitely going to watch and see how she acts tonight at supper time...but she's been hopping around a bit and running away from the other girls if she needs to. So she's getting some exercise and doing fairly well.

I'm still a bit concerned though.

Oh - and Liberty? She's just happy she got to sleep in my arms for several hours. She kept waking me up with kisses!
 
I'm glad to hear this
I hope that it was just gas
they can really look sick with it and come around quickly after a couple doses of simethicone.
keep us posted :)
 
Well - whatever it was - she's ok now.

She ate all of her food this afternoon after she got put back in her cage - plus she dug into her supper tonight too.

She didn't try to open her door or pull at the scoop - but she was happy to see supper.

YEAH!
 
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