Amputated right hind leg

[Lhucky]

Good day,

We have a rabbit brought home by our helper last October 2022, she said they rescue the bunny at a car park. he had mites then and loosing weight. Despite his situation, he's a funny and happy.

Saturday just this week, he's right hind leg got stuck at the open cage, and had broken his bones. Since I can't open the app . Monday Feb. 4, we had his hind leg amputated. Now, it happened on Saturday afternoon, we cannot find a vet, so we waited for our appointment
Just this Monday. We did not give any pain meds then as he's not showing any pain then. We let him stay at the hospital for 3 days, we came home yesterday.

Now, I honestly don't think that my bunny was fed right. When we reach home yesterday night, he did not eat. He drinks a mouthful then it was late, we left him to rest. Because the days he was left at the hospital vet, they told me my bunny was eating and drinking and have formed poop and he pee's.

Today, Thursday 4pm, I forced feed him already. He's in a lot of pain, I can see and feel. He's ears are cold, doesn't fit with the vet updates that he's eating well? Or did we get our bunny gi stasis from traveling 18 km about 1 hour travel?

Anyway, I am now forced feeding him. He weight 2.5kg. He's pain meds were supposed to be .4cc once a day. I'm asking the Vet if we could give more, at least until he's eating on his own.. but he said to just give .2cc 2x a day. Will it be enough? Cause they give meloxicam that's good for 7 days for .4cc a day.

 

[JBun]

There are different meloxicam suspension concentrations, so check which suspension concentration you were given. Is meloxicam the only pain relief your rabbit was prescribed?

If you're giving a 1.5mg per ml/cc meloxicam suspension, then 0.4cc/day(0.6mg) really isn't a sufficient amount for a 2.5kg rabbit, based on the usual recommended dosage for rabbits. Which is 0.3-0.6mg/kg twice a day (the higher dose is short term for up to 5 days) according to the BSAVA and 'The Textbook of Rabbit Medicine' .

https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm
For a 2.5kg rabbit, the dosing would be 0.75-1.5mg twice a day, which is 0.5-1ml twice a day, of the 1.5mg/ml suspension. At 0.4ml once a day, your rabbit is getting less than half of the recommended lowest dose for rabbits.

0.4ml/cc per day, is more in line with the recommended dose for dogs, which is entirely insufficient for rabbits and unlikely to provide much(if any) pain relief at all to your rabbit. To give you a comparison, my 1.7kg rabbit was on a daily maintenance dose of 1ml(1.5mg). Rabbits have a much faster metabolism than dogs, and so need a much higher dose of meloxicam for it to be effective.

The average dose for a rabbit short term, is 1mg/kg/day, or 2.5mg/day for a 2.5kg rabbit. This would be 1.7ml per day, about 0.8-0.9ml twice a day. So you see 0.2ml twice a day is far below what is usually prescribed to rabbits by knowledgeable rabbit vets. I would recommend bringing this up with the vet. Minimum a 2.5kg rabbit should be getting 0.5ml twice a day, but for a rabbit just having a limb amputated and likely in severe pain, 0.8-1ml twice a day would be much better at providing the necessary pain relief.

Once your rabbit is on a more appropriate pain medication dose for rabbits to help control the pain he must be feeling, this should then help him want to start eating again on his own. Until he does start eating again on his own, regular syringe feeding every 4-6 hours minimum, is usually recommended.

https://rabbit.org/2013/02/the-importance-of-analgesia-pain-control-for-pet-rabbits/
This is my opinion based on my own experience with my own rabbits, and what I've learned through my own research. Always do your own research regarding what the recommendations are for rabbits.

Also, I've moved your thread to a more appropriate subforum, to 'Health and Wellness '. The 'Rescue Me' subforum is for rehoming a rabbit.

 

[Lhucky]

We lost him just now .

 

[Lhucky]

We don't know the concentration, the vet put the medicines in a tiny bottle written only Meloxicam. As well as his antibiotic, enrofloxacin 2cc 2x a day.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[JBun]

I'm so sorry. Binky free little bun

 

[Mom to Minx]

We lost him just now .

How tragic! I’m so sorry

 

[ElfNugget]

We lost him just now .

Oh, I was just reading your post and I m in tears over the tragedy. I m soo sorry to hear that is has passed. RIP little one. You are no longer in pain. So sorry we were not able to save you.