Chippy was a sick little bunnie with Clostridium perfringens

[Spring]

Sounds good! :biggrin2:

So happy Chippy is on the mend, way to go Chip!! That must be such a huge relief!

:bunnydance:

 

[pumpkinandwhiskersmom]

Hi Jim,

I've been away from the computer for a few days, and was so worried till I read down to the end of the posts......You are a bunny-dad EXTRAORDINAIRE!!!!! I'm soooo glad that Chippy is doing better. We'll keep our paws and hands together in prayer for both of you, and the rest of the crew, too. I know when one of our buns is under the weather, the other one gets his/her sweet little nose out of joint a bit.

How are you feeling? I hope by now you're healing.

Take care and way to go with all you do to keep your bunnies safe, happy and healthy!!:great::happyday::bunnydance::bunnydance: Lots of nose rubs from us here in PA to all of yours in NJ....and stay cool out there....we're at about 92 right now in central PA!

 

[Bunnicula]

JimD wrote:

I'm really starting to get annoyed with MrsD.

I told her that if the dog barks at the buns....even once....I'm going to put her outside.
The dog has the run of the whole house and doesn't need to go in with the bunnies!!

ARRRRRGH!!!:X

Okay, Jim...I was wondering who you were going to put outside...the dog or MrsD?

But I see in a later post that the problem is solved.

Anyway...I worked all day yesterday and am just catching up on RO news. Sorry to hear that Chippy got worse before she got better. But it's great to know she's on the mend.

We went through a diarrhea problem with Pipkin over the Memorial Day holiday weekend...lots of mess and no vet. Ugh!

So I started forcing water, Critical Care and Benebac right away. It kept him hydrated until I could get him to the dr. After a week of force feeding and doing meds things got better. We never did uncover what caused the issue. It was actually the first time I ever had a bun with a case of diarrhea.

Here in SCentral PA, I find Benebac at Petsmart. It's in both the cat and dog areas. Usually you can find it where they keep the infant kitten formula. I keep it and a package of Critical Care on hand at all times just-in-case.

Again, glad to hear that Chippy is chipper again. Hope all is going well with Buckley, too...and the 7 others!

Mary Ellen

 

[JimD]

I had a late lunch after my last post and sat down to rest my eyes.....and woke up 2 hours later:?
This stuff zaps you!

Chippy is doing good, but I don't think we're out of the woods yet.

After my nap, I noticed Chippy's poops we're getting watery. They were kind of normal looking, but the ones that fell to the drop pan onto the newspaper had a little "puddle"....just enough to get the paper wet.

She's actually eating and drinking close to normal. She ate a big handful of hay today and drank a good amount of water. She ate almost all of her pellets & oats.
She looks good and her activity level is good, too.
She's even starting to oink at me if I'm messing with her too much now.

I gave her a dose of Metronidazole and will continue.

I'm going to pick up some Benebac or acidophilus on my way home from work. I'll start that tomorrow (actually later today since it's 3am here).

I'll also make a few calls to see if I can find some Critical Care. It would be good to have on hand.

We had a fruit bowl at the BBQ, so I grabbed a few pieces of fresh pineapple and put them aside for Chippy.

I've also got a can of pumpkin if needed.

I think we're at a point now where she's out of the danger zone, but needs to get things balanced out in her gut and get it moving smoothly again.

I'm glad you guys were around. Having a sick bunnie can be a scary thing to go through alone.

 

[JimD]

JimD wrote:

I'll also make a few calls to see if I can find some Critical Care. It would be good to have on hand.

From the following post by Randy, I assume that we can't just buy Critical Care OTC in a store.
My vet won't have a problem verifying for me, but I was hoping to get it ASAP.

Is it the same for the "Critter Be Better"?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ra7751 wrote:

Hi,

Critical Care can also be purchased directly from Oxbow. You can't do it online...only by phone. Their feeling, and I applaud this, is that if a rabbit (or other herbivore) should need Critical Care, most likely it should be under the care of a vet. When you call, you have to give them your vet info for them to confirm. You will be approved for future purchases but you will still have to call and talk to someone for future orders....just won't have to go thru all the verification stuff again. It is more economical in the one pound tubs...and it can be frozen for long term storage. It now comes in two flavors...the original Anise and they now have Apple/Banana flavor.

There is another option out there. I have not used this product personally...but the company that is offering it has a stellar reputation. The lab anaysis look pretty good on this product....maybe not quite Critical Care....but it might be of help. The product is called "Critter Be Better" and is offered by American Pet Diner. http://www.americanpetdiner.com It might be worth looking into. If I remember correctly, this product comes in both powder and pelleted form.

Randy

 

[Snuggys Mom]

Jim, I think you can order Critical Care directly from here:

http://www.diazrock.com/products.php?cat=145

 

[JimD]

'morning ...again?...I think?

Just updating:

Chippy is still doing ok and looking good.

At about 2am I gave her a big pinch of rolled oats and 3-4 sunflower seeds. She ate the seeds right off.

The oats were gone at 7am when I checked on her.

There were a few poops and they seemed to be drier and firmer that they were. But there still dark and a bit sticky...and not quite normal shaped.

She had also peed. The water level was down, but not as much as I'd like to see.

About half of her pellets were gone from last night, and she's been nibbling on hay and hay cubes.

I gave her a dose of Metronidazole this morning.
They only had the pill form and I have to cut it up and crush it to get the right dose (8 doses per pill :shock.
Yesterday I just mixed it with a little water and syringed it. This morning I tasted it first..... and now I know why she fought taking it.....YUCK! NASTY! EWWW! ACK!.
I added a few drops of vanilla and followed it with a vanilla-water chaser, and she took it a LITTLE more willingly. Tonight I'll mix it with some pumpkin....I didn't give myself enough time to do that this morning.

 

[JimD]

Snuggys Mom wrote:

Jim, I think you can order Critical Care directly from here:

http://www.diazrock.com/products.php?cat=145

Thanks Laura!

I found a few places online that I can get it, but I was hoping someone in my area would have it on-hand so I could pick it up today or tomorrow.

I've got a list of Oxbow distributors in my area, and one is a vet that might have it.

This is something I should have ordered a while ago...when I DIDN'T need it right away.

 

[JimD]

I FOUND CRITICAL CARE!!! :bunnydance:

The pet store right down the street from my househas it in stock!!!!

I can stop by tonight on my way home.
They probably have Benebac, too. They've got a good sized bird section.
Ooooo....I need papaya, too!
I like "one stop shopping".
I used to by my tropical fish & supplies there, but I haven't been there in a couple of years now.
That's also where we bought Binkie....wonder if they'd take her back (jk).

 

[ra7751]

Hi Jim,

A skilledpharmacist should be able to compound the Flagyl into a pleasant tasting suspension. Grape is the flavor of the month here...banana also is popular. Check out this website for possible sources near you. They also have a veterinary section on this site too. You can actually buy the flavoring but if you compound it yourself....and this is for anyone...make sure you know how to get proper concentration on the drug. Compounding is somewhat of an art form. Most of the chain pharmacies won't do it....but the few mom and pop type "chemists" will. And for those of you that use Baytril...it is nasty tasting. Adding flavor helps with administering that drug too if you give it orally.

http://www.flavorx.com/human/default.asp

Randy

 

[JimD]

ra7751 wrote:

And for those of you that use Baytril...it is nasty tasting. Adding flavor helps with administering that drug too if you give it orally.

Randy

Thanks for the info Randy!

When we had Baytril for Binkie, we mixed it up in banana baby food.


I just read online, that Metronidazole is best given with food. I think I'll mix it up in some pumpkin or a pellet slurry tonight.

 

[JimD]

I picked up the Critical Care and some Acidophilius.

I need some guidance on the dosing.

Critical Care says 50cc/kg body wt split into 4 to 6 feedings.
Chippy is 4.5 lbs....about 2kg
So that's like 15 to 20 cc per feeding for a total of 100cc

Did I do that right?



The Acidophilius comes in capsules. It really doesn't say how much is in each....just "for adults take 2"
How much should I give Chippy? And what is a good way to administer it?

Thanks!!

 

[Bunnicula]

Jim,

With the Critical Care I have always used about 1 tbsp of the powder per feeding. I mix it with enough water to make it syringeable, not too thick and not too watery. When Pipkin was sick, though, and not eating OR drinking on his own, I made it more watery so that he was getting some forced fluids, too. That was easier than forcing both CC and water in the same sitting...as he fought me most times. I would just feed him this amount 4 or 5times each day. Pipkin is about the same size/weight as Chippy...and this seemed to work for us. He was not eating anything else at the time. When I've used CC more as a post-operative supplement for another bunny, I just fed it fewer times and probably made it thicker.

Are the Acidophilus capsules a powder or gel? I would think you could add either to some pumpkin or Critical Care...whatever Chippy is willing to eat all of. The how much part I don't know about as I've never used it.

Hope Chippy continues to improve!

Mary Ellen

 

[JimD]

Thanks Mary Ellen!

I think I'm going to see how Chippy does in the next day before treating her any further.

She's eating and drinking on her own. And she's pooping and peeing as well.
Her poops are just a bit on the mushy side.

She looks pretty good, too! She was running around and acting a lot more like herself tonight.

 

[Bunnicula]

Jim,

Did a little on-line reading/research last night. 1 acidophilus capsule = 1cc.

Most of what I read about it's use with bunnies was about using it as a supplement to orphaned cottontails...but at 3-4 wks of age they recommended supplementing with 1cc acidophilus (younger than that was smaller amounts). I could not find if this was 1x per day or more often. I'll continue to read and let you know what I find out.

Did Randy speak to the acidophilus in this thread? He's had tons of experience with domestics and wildlife. He may know more about dosage.

When Pipkin had his bout with diarrhea it seemed like FOREVER until his poops were normal. It was probably more than a week. So hang tough...sounds like Chippy is getting there.

Mary Ellen

 

[JimD]

Hi Mary Ellen!

Chippy is doing well!

Thank you so much for researching that stuff for me.

Randy has also given me some excellent information and advice on this thread and in PM (BIG THANKS, RANDY!!!).

I'm so tired and am starting to have trouble focusing in on things a bit. It was about 3am by the time I got to bed.

I got home late after picking up all the supplies that I thought I would need.
Then it was time to feed the crew and clean litter pans.

Everytime I got ready to do something with Chippy's meds she'd foil me.
I'd get the syringes filled with water...she'd hop over and take a drink from her waterbottle.
I took out the Critical Care and went over the directions and info that you and Randy gave me....I look up and Chippy's got her head buried in her food bowl chowingdown on pellets.
I started to get something going with the Acidophilus.....and she promptly left a nice little pile of near perfect poops in her litter pan.
Munchinga piece of hay hanging out of her mouth she looks at me as if to say; "Whadda you looking at? Never saw a rabbit eat hay?"

Go figure!!:?

We ended up skipping meds completely...nada.

So there I am at 11pm vacuuming the run area so Chippy can get some exercise.
Once she got out she was so much more like herself. I love to watch her run & binky around....AND LEAVE POOPS ALLLLLL OVER!!!!
It took almost an hour for her to wear herself out and flop next to MooShu's cage (her new bestest friend!)

Once I got everything cleaned up and the buns tucked in, I was able to grab something to eat, watched a little TV while I surfed the forum, and before I knew it.....3am.
I gotta quit watching "How it's Made" in the middle of the night. Last night it was aboutmaking boots for firemen....so cool!!

 

[Eve]

JimD, I'm glad to hear Chippy is doing better!

 

[JimD]

Hi Eve!!! Thanks!

Give Layla a big hug and some nose-rubs from me!!

Chippy is doing very well. It's been a loooong tiring week of it.
This morning her food bowl was empty and her litter pan was full of near perfect poops. And she drank a lot of water during the night, too.

I've been keeping her confined to her cage (except for run time) just in case she had another bout of diarrhea. She made such a mess of herself the first time, and ended up laying in it. I'm going to have to burn her blankie! At least with the wire bottom cage it would fall through to the drop pan.
I can tell she getting anxious to have her exercise area back (all the buns now have NIC add-ons to their cages). I think I'll set it back up for her tonight.

 

[pumpkinandwhiskersmom]

Hi Jim,

I was so excited when I saw the "was" in the thread, I almost did a binky of my own...figured I'd probably put a hip out if I did, so decided against!:biggrin2: Hope you can get some much-needed rest now. I've said it before, and I'll say it again....you are an awesome bunny dad!

 

[JimD]

Thanks Grace!

Yep....Chippy's definately back on the right track.

Eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing like a bunny should.
She just about pulled her bowl out of my hand at breakfsst time this morning.
And the litter pan almost runneth over!!

I didn't get a chance to hook the pen back up to her cage last night.
I got a call from the lady that will be helping out with fostering Buckley.
She's coming to pick him up tonight, so I was busy getting everything cleaned and together for her.