Sick bunny

[Hayley411]

I was just over at my aunts house, she has a LionLop buck that lives in the garage. Well aparently he has been loosing wieght the last couple weeks, and then he took a turn for the worse he hasn't beeneating/drinking on his own for three daysand he is not really moving.

Igot him out of his cageandtried to get him to walk but all he did was sway back and forth like he had no balance.

he is really amaciated you can feel every bone in his body and his skin seems to be sucked to his bones.

Whatcould bewrong with him? What can we do to help him?besides taking him to the vet, she doesn't have the money.

~Hayley

 

[Maureen Las]

This has gone on waytoo long a time!!
This bunny really sounds like he is dying
is there any way that you can take him in?
he needs to be syringe fed.

he is presently starving to death and probably extremely dehydrated.
Go to Walgreens or a pharmacy and ask the pharmacist if you can have a couple large syringes to feed a rabbit , they will probably give them to you.

Buy some liquid pedialyte or equivalent generic brand , some baby food without meat (vegetable kinds), some canned pure pumpkin (no seasoning) . You need to gently and slowly feed the bunny with the syringe watching to see that he swallows what you place in his mouth.

You can also wet his pellets , make it into a gruel and water it down enough to place in a syringe.

You should also get some fresh greens like parsleu cilantro and romaine . it's possible that he will eat if given something tempting.
to leave the rabbit as he is right now is not right as he is suffering.

please post back re. this bun

 

[slavetoabunny]

If you have access to critical care, you should syringe feed that also. My vet recommends 3ml three times per day. The more food you can get into him the better.

 

[Hayley411]

Well, she called the vet and they told her that justto bring him in it was going to cost $375, not including whatever care he would need. They told her to give him some Nutri-cal its for small dogs so they don't get hypoglycemic (sp?). About 30 min after that he started eating by himself, he is eating oatmeal as that is what the vet told her to feed him. So he is getting better, but he is still wobbly and just sits there in a strange position. I am infuriated that she didn't even call and tell me that something was wrong. I moved him inside because the vet said that since he has lost so much weight that he can't keep himself warm. I'll keep you all updated.

Oh and he just started pooping again, they are tiny and a very light tan color. Thats not good is it?

Where do you get Critical care?

~Hayley

 

[Haley]

Its good hes getting some food in him. Be very careful bc if he gets too many carbs (like oats) he can get cecal dysbiosis (runny poops) which can be equally as deadly. I would wet his pellets down and syringe him that. Make sure he has unlimited access to pellets (the ones with no colored pieces, preferably timothy pellets) and unlimited hay. Keep up with the nutrical as that will help him put some weight on.

Id also make sure he is hydrated- childrens pedialyte works well for this. You might also try calling around to different vets- thats an outrageous price for an exam. Are you near any rabbit rescues? They might have some recommendations for you. We also have a list of rabbit savvy vets here you can check.

 

[Haley]

Critical care usually is sold at most vets offices or you can order online. He needs food now though, water down his pellets and get him eating that. You can also try some greens like romaine lettuce but dont get carried away- keep things simple for him so his GI tract doesnt freak out. Id stick with loads of hay and watered down pellets if it were my bun.

 

[dquesnel]

Hi, Port Orchard is pretty close to Seattle, right? Can you or your aunt take the Bremerton Ferry to Seattle? There are good rabbit vets there and they won't charge $375 just to see him:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11637&forum_id=9

How old is the rabbit?

There is a reason he stopped eating and a vet could help find a solution. Perhaps his teeth are bothering him, causing him to become anorexic over the past few weeks. Lionheads and lops very frequently have tooth problems due to their face shape. That would be a relatively easy and inexpensive fix for now, if it were his teeth and it would be sad if he were to pass away from that. If he is pooping, his gut is working ok. The tan color could be from the nutrical and oatmeal, if he has no other food in his gut.

The above poster's suggestions are good, I would give him anything he can eat right now that he has had before. Does he eat veggies? Can you give him some grass that has not been sprayed with pesticide/herbicides? Try giving him soft foods- pellet mush, veggie mush. If his teeth are indeed bothering him the soft food will make it easier for him to eat until he sees a vet. Keep us posted on how things go!

 

[Maureen Las]

Sometimes a bun that has dental issues or just is not feeling well will not eat or drink...once the pattern of refusing the food and fluids begin another bigger problem takes hold...
the bunny"s body begins to shut down and needs external assistance (just like a mother caring for an infant)

when food and liquids are once again introduced to the rabbit he has the fuel to fight the problem (whatever it originally was)
it sounds like this bun was shutting down and now it is up to to the caretaker to keep him going until you can determine the source of the problem

Please keep us updated whether you see a vet or not...

 

[Hayley411]

Well good news,she just called me and saidhe got out of his litterbox, walked over to his water dish and drank alot of water aparenty. He has also waked over to his food dish and eaten on his own. So he is getting better......He just escaped from his cage! Imade him a new cage inside thats only oneNIC cube high and he just jumped over that. So he is definatly getting back to his old self. I wonder why hestopped eating?

~Hayley

 

[Maureen Las]

I would definitely watch over him; maybe he stopped eating becaue he is alone and bored
possibly it is a physical problem

If you become his advocate you will be able to learn in time what makes himbehave the way that he does.

Ihope that his appetite continues to improve.

Be sure that he has a healthy diet with lots of hay , a small amount of a good pellet and some greens

 

[Hayley411]

I went out and bought her everything she needs for him, Food, hay, litter, and veggies. I just hope she keeps up on the hay, in the past I have given her bags of hay which really should not last very long (with my rabbits it probably wouldn't last two weeks) but she has them sitting there months after I give them to her. Anyway he is aparently getting better, but we are still wondering about what could have happened. And Ashley (my Aunt) is already talking about gettting Harley a freind, But I don't know if thats such a good idea what if Harley has something contagous (sp?)

~Hayley

 

[Maureen Las]

hate to be harsh here but will plow ahead...

if you are buying hay for you Aunt's bun and it "just sits there' then the problem is your aunt and not the bun. She sounds like she is lax in giving him what he needs. She needs to learn a thing or 2 from you before getting another rabbit.

 

[dquesnel]

Hi Hayley, I am really sorry this has become your problem while your aunt is a grown adult with resources and you have your hands full as a student. It sounds like you are doing everything you can for her Harley, but I have to agree with angieluv- it sounds as though your aunt is not doing enough. There are people out there who have different opinions of animals when they are ill, some think the animals will 'get over it' and become well, like people often do. But in fragile animals of prey, like rabbits, your aunt needs to know the severity of the situation when a rabbit shows the signs of being ill. Rabbits will cover their symptoms at all costs, and when they begin looking ill it is often too late.

You and your aunt are wondering what went wrong still- me and angieluv have mentioned a couple things in the above posts:

1) dental issues are a likely culprit- and *can* be a relatively easy and inexpensive fix.
2) boredom/lack of stimuli: some rabbits will get depressed when they feel bored or have a lack of human interaction.
3) perhaps he went through a period of not feeling well due to gastro intestinal pain or slowdown.

Thank you for doing all this for your aunts rabbit- I know how hard and touchy it can be. I am currently in a situation simillar to yours- a relative has a cat that is dying of something treatable and is suffering because they do not want to take it to the vet and spend money on it.

And you are right- it is not a good idea for your aunt to get Harley a friend, especially if she cannot currently afford one rabbit's vet care, and needs to learn more about her current rabbit. Let us know how it goes- I am hoping the best for you guys.

 

[Hayley411]

I looked at his teeth and they seemed normal to me, but by no means do I think I am a vet or could even know if it is a tooth problem as none of my rabbits have ever had tooth problems.

The boredome thing could be possible I guess, he does sit in a cage in the garage all by himself. The only interaction is when she feeds him and then the Hi and Bye when she gets in and out of her car. He has toys I made sure of it but he never seemed to enjoy them as much as Sherbert.

As for the gastro intestinal pain what would cause that?

Oh and I have told her how to take care of him, told her what or what not to feed him but she does not seem to listen. It's like this with all her animals everytime I go over there I clip the dog's nails,give the dog's baths, clean the gerbil cage, do Harley's litterbox, pretty much everything that needs to be done with the animals. I just can't let the animals have dirty cages or unclipped nails when I know I can take care of it. I know this sounds strange to be taking care of Ashleys pets the way I do but it's just... I don't know... I guess I feel like I have to for the animals sake.

~Hayley

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

Hayley411 wrote:

The boredome thing could be possible I guess, he does sit in a cage in the garage all by himself. The only interaction is when she feeds him and then the Hi and Bye when she gets in and out of her car. He has toys I made sure of it but he never seemed to enjoy them as much as Sherbert.


~Hayley

Ok this scares me with the "Hi and Bye when she gets in and out of her car"
That could be a huge problem if bunny lives in garage and she parks her car in there too.... carbonmonxide poisoning be an issue??? Even if the door is open when she starts the car doesn't mean the fumes aren't in the room.
Just wondering any one else think of this??

 

[Maureen Las]

Hayley411 wrote:

I looked at his teeth and they seemed normal to me, but by no means do I think I am a vet or could even know if it is a tooth problem as none of my rabbits have ever had tooth problems.

The boredome thing could be possible I guess, he does sit in a cage in the garage all by himself. The only interaction is when she feeds him and then the Hi and Bye when she gets in and out of her car. He has toys I made sure of it but he never seemed to enjoy them as much as Sherbert.

As for the gastro intestinal pain what would cause that?

Oh and I have told her how to take care of him, told her what or what not to feed him but she does not seem to listen. It's like this with all her animals everytime I go over there I clip the dog's nails,give the dog's baths, clean the gerbil cage, do Harley's litterbox, pretty much everything that needs to be done with the animals. I just can't let the animals have dirty cages or unclipped nails when I know I can take care of it. I know this sounds strange to be taking care of Ashleys pets the way I do but it's just... I don't know... I guess I feel like I have to for the animals sake.

~Hayley

You really can not do a good dental exam yourself. even a vet with proper equipment has trouble unless the bunis sedated.
I think that people like you are :angel:. That 's right, pure and simple, you are an angel for wanting to help those poor animals. People like your aunt probably should not have pets (sorry to be so rough on a relative).

It is possible that carbon monoxide from her car could be toxic to the bunny but in terms of GI distrubances it's possible that she is not giving him your hay and therefore he has no fiber in his diet which can lead to slowdown, GI stasis ( which left untended will cause terrible gas build up, a lot of pain and eventual death.

have you ever thought that maybe there is a place in your home for harley?

just a thought...

 

[Hayley411]

Ihave thought about taking Harley back but she says she loves himand would never part with him. So all I can do is try and make sure he has everything he needs and hope that she takes careof him.

It's really strange Harley is the most freindly people oriented (sp?)rabbit I have ever seen, all without much human interaction. Sherbert took months to gain her trust but withHarley you can do no wrong.

I think his problems might have been a combination of things. No hay, bad food, dirty cage (there were magots in his litterbox), and possibly the cold (once he started loosing weight he just couldn't put it on again)

I will be going over there again this weekend to see how he is doing and to see wether she is taking good care of him. It's kind of hard to ignor a rabbit when it's inside so I hope she is taking better are of him.

~Hayley

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm glad that you are going to help him ..his present situation with her sounds dreadful