bunny sick? RESOLVED! :)

[dezbun]

Hi i am new here and scared
i have 2 new rescues- clean bill of health when adopted
but Petey (small male about 8mos. old) started sneezing
when i brought him home so i took both new bunnies
(bonded pair) to an exotic vet emergency room-
very (supposedly) reputable vet (expensive ta boot!)
they prescribed antibiotics administered by a very
nervous me 2 x's a day for 2-3 weeks!! this seems excessive
i am not a fan of antibiotics for human or animals but
i submitted to this since i am not a doctor and i want
my Petey to stop sneezing (i mean bad sneezing attacks
where his whole body was shaking!)
his sneezing has seemed to calm down a bit after 3 days
of antibiotics but my vet told me of NO SIDE EFFECTS from
the antibiotic and Petey will not eat - not even his
special treats - i am worried- should i have him x-rayed for
GI statis or i did read somewhere that antibiiotics can cause
decreased appetite- his tummy feels very bloated
he does not run around and he just lays down and wants
me to pet him - but no joy in his eyes- i am so sad
i feel like crying histerically for him but i am not a crying type
person- is he in pain- i am not a big fan of my vet now!:grumpy:

 

[tonyshuman]

Hi and welcome! A moderator might want to move this thread to the Infirmary section, or you could repost the question there so that you get a good response.

The medicine the vet gave you sounds about normal to me, but I might expect him to prescribe a probiotic as well--something that will help the rabbit's internal bateria in the intestinal tract. Just like when your doctor tells you to eat yogurt when you're on antibiotics, rabbits need somthing with the "good bacteria" that live in their digestive tract to keep them healthy when they're on antibiotics for a long period of time. I would be worried that this could be the cause of his digestive upset.

The best option is to find another emergency vet in your area (there are listings in the library section http://rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9) that some members have had good experience with, and take your bunny there ASAP. When a rabbit stops eating, moving, and/or pooping, it becomes an urgent situation.

Anyway, I'm no expert, but there are some people who regularly check infirmary threads who kind of are, so you'd get a better response there. It also might help to put your location (at least a country and a state/province or region) since some vet care varies from one place to another.

Best of luck to you, Petey, and Molly.

 

[dezbun]

thank you so very much!
wow these forums are so comforting
yes i will post in the infirmary sec.
and will also post my loc.
luv and peace!
thank you so much for your love and reply!:biggrin2:

 

[naturestee]

Welcome to the forum! I wish it was under better circumstances.

Here's our list of rabbit vets in New Jersey (and please put your location in your profile, it helps a lot): http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11620&forum_id=9

What antibiotic is Petey on? How long has it been since he ate? If it's over 24 hours he needs veterinary treatment because his intestines have probably stopped and he'll need a lot of care to get going again. Here's an explanation of stasis and what to do:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28622&forum_id=10

I would try to find a non-emergency vet to take him to because you'll pay a ton less and will have a better chance of finding someone that actually knows what they're doing with rabbits.

ray:

 

[dezbun]

hello and thank you so much for your reply
thank you for the vet refs. i am slowly finding
my way around the website- i appreciate your direct link
-it will take into account your suggestions- i mean
i see him sniff the greens and pellets and then just
hop away but when i walk out of the room i see him chewing
something?- he wouldn't spite me by not eating right?

 

[naturestee]

I'm so glad he's eating! He might be shy about letting you see him eat since he's not feeling well. One of my buns was doing that to me lately since he had a bad bout of stasis and I had to syringe feed him, which he hated.

 

[Haley]

Glad you found us!

Are his poops normal? Does he run around and act normal?

What kind of antibiotic is he on?

Does he also have access to unlimited amounts of timothy hay?

 

[dezbun]

please don't hate me bcuz i'm stupid
i pledge to learn but i'm still a newbie bunny
mom- the antibiotic is CIPROFLOXACIN
- plese hav patience with me- i have 2 buns
and i can't tell who is pooping what
i am away at work all day so by the time
i get home i can only play with them for
about 2 hours and only about 1/2 hour in the mornin
so i have not actually seen either one poop
but there are very very small poops on the floor
(the female who is healthy seems to like the litter box
so i suspect these mico-poops is the sick patient
since he seems to not care where he poops
but i have not actually seen him poop??)
i am strapped for money - can you
give me some advice on financial help or
insurance to take care of him too - i will
take him to the emergency vet tonite but
its gonna be on my credit card like everything else
so i'm a po' single mom too!- i mean i love him
and he comes before money but any infoz on pet
insurance or assistance i would appreciate,thank you so much:biggrin2:

 

[dezbun]

OH how i hate drugs - i just read these ar the side effects
of this med. my poor poor peteypie!:grumpy:
nausea
vomiting
stomach pain
indigestion
diarrhea
headache
nervousness
agitation
anxiety
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
nightmares or abnormal dreams
feelings of not trusting others or feelings that others want to hurt you
vaginal itching and/or discharge

 

[Haley]

Well no need to panic just yet if he is pooping (I also assume the small ones are his) and eating a little. You will want to make sure he is hydrated well. Have you seen him drinking? If not, you can buy some children's pedialyte and give it to him in a syringe. Also, make sure he has lots of access to timothy hay. You can also go out and buy some canned pumpkin (the kind for pies, but make sure its the 100% pure one) and try giving him that. That will give him some extra fiber to help get his gut moving.

Another thing to think about- what rescue did you get them from? If its a rabbit rescue they may be able to help by directing you to a good/cheap vet.

You can google care credit for info on financing vet care. Veterinary Pet Insurance is available for rabbits for like 10.00 a month as well but you have to wait 30 days.

 

[dezbun]

ewe r awesum!!
thank you so way much, i appreciate yer pashuns with my stoopid
queschunz- cuz i new bunne lubber!!!javascript:emoticon(':happyrabbit:',%20'themes/default/image62.gif')

 

[dezbun]

it was so cute this morning i was pouring water into his bowl
and he would only drink the stream as it poured out
of the container- he wouldn't drink it from his bowl of
course but he thought it was fun to drink from the
fountain mommy holds so i will do again 2nite
i really appreciate all of you who maintain this site
these little fuzzballs add so much to our lives and
it is a comfort to me to hav you help me with making
them happy bunz!:biggrin2:

 

[Haley]

No problem

Another thing I was just thinking when you said the thing about him drinking from the stream of water but not the bowl- does he have a water bottle as well? Some bunnies prefer a bottle to a bowl and visa versa. If he doesnt already have one I would get him that so he has two choices. You can buy a cheap water bottle at most stores that carry small animal products (even Walmart). Also, if you buy some pedialyte you can try putting some in his water, if you get flavored pedialyte they like the taste and will usually drink more.

 

[dezbun]

ooooh yep good advice,thanx again!!!!- you have
an enormous brain - i will like to ask questions to
thnx!!!! will go to store after work today!!:biggrin2::biggrin2:

 

[dezbun]

i guess since i am getting so much good infoz in
the infirmary area i guess i could say this is resolved
for now.....????:biggrin2: thank you again!!!!ink iris:

 

[maherwoman]

Quick note: I merged this thread with the one that was in the main Rabbits Online section of the forum, so we wouldn't have a double thread going on.

Prayers for your bunny...ray:

Rosie*

 

[dezbun]

awesome thank you:biggrin2:

 

[pla725]

I wonder if he has allergies to the hay or to the high pollen content in the air. I know Goobie was sneezing up a storm earlier. She is fine otherwise. Smitten also sneezed but not as much as Goobie. Just a thought. I might discontinue the antibiotics if it were my rabbit.

 

[dezbun]

amazing you said to discontinue the antibiotics
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT DAWNED ON ME LAST NITE!and
i was feeling so inccredibly guilty about it
i was not even sure if i should confess to all of you
that i was thinking about it - but he has one of the
most high anxiety levels i have ever seen- Everything
and i mean anything and everything makes him stressed
so giving him the syringe every time was a horrible experience
for both of us- and i think his tummy troubles were just
because he was so confused/stressed/sad/scared
he barely knows me - i've only had him 1 week and
the poor thing is still adjusting so it dawned on me
to just stop the antibiotics- boy i can not tell you
how relieved i am to hear you suggest it - i just
would not stop beating myself up about stopping them....
luv u!!:biggrin2:

 

[dezbun]

oh and the most important thing HE STARTED EATING THIS MORNING!!!
THANK GOD!!!!!!:biggrin2: