i need urgent help

[samixXx]

hey
i cant really say much because my heads all over the place
i kept mom rabbit an older baby rabbit- 7 months and 3 younger babys 3-months together in a big hutch and run.
saturday night at 2am the older baby died suddenly
another off the rabbits in the hutch looked really unwell so i brought him inside and gave him baby drops for wind and fed him water and he started eating.
sunday morning another off the rabbits died. there was no vets open and the other 2 were perfectly fine running around, even so i brought them all into the house.
the sick one seemed ok again not 100% but much better. so i moved the 3 off them back into a seprete bunny room this morning an hour later the other 1 was dead :?
this rabbit had shown no signs off illness was jumping up on the window and couch in there bunny room.
sorry if im confusing ye.
i brought the one that had been sick and the mommy one to the vets, she said they must have caught a virus and there was nothing she could do:cry2
she did some tests and told me the other didnt have it but the baby isv ery sick and she doubts he will last the night, she put him on a drip and give him an injection and said to bring him back tomorrow if he is still alive.:sosad

i need to get more fluids into him and food so if anyone has advice please help.
im worried too about my other rabbits but i had a good look at there hutchs and there is no way they had any contact or could even see each other as i had there runs closed during the cold weather .

this rabbit is very weak but i dont want to take the vets advice of just leave him to die, i want to at least try:cry1::cry1:

 

[aurora369]

Hi,

I have no idea what is wrong, but keeping bun hydrated and eating might help.

Can you get some pedialyte? Or something similar.It's an electrolyte drink for babies that are sick and need to be re-hydrated. Works very well. Get some of that into the bun, as well as some pellet slurry.

Take some pellets and soak them in water or pedialyte till very mushy. Then get it into a feeding syringe and get as much as you can into bun.

Is the sick bunny pooping at all?

--Dawn

 

[samixXx]

i didnt even think off that, i have some here from when my daughter was sick.
thank u so much

 

[samixXx]

and yes she is pooping but its very watery

 

[Haley]

I dont know much, but I was just wondering if any of them were vaccinated? Did the vet know what it was? Could it have been myxi or something..I know that sets in pretty fast.

Sorry for your loss..I hope this one makes it

 

[pamnock]

In some cases, antibiotics are used to curb the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gut brought on by a viral infection.

Keeping the rabbits hydrated is also important.

Good luck and please keep us updated,

Pam

 

[samixXx]

thanks for all the replys. no its not mixi, she said its a virus but doesnt know anything else. she said if the babys had been vaccinated it might have helped but she doesnt think so. its just awful loosing so many pets in a few days.
im feeding her water and that electrolyte drink but theres no improvement yet

 

[naturestee]

So if it's a virus, not myxi, but vaccinations would have helped, does that meant it's VHD?:? What are the symptoms the buns have?

I'd follow Auroroa369's advice and push the fluids and also feed some mushy pellets via syringe. Hydration is very important,especially if the bun is having some diarrhea.

Please keep us updated! ray:

 

[TinysMom]

Would hay or oatmeal help with the diaherrea? (Uncooked oatmeal).

That is a thought....

Peg

 

[pamnock]

naturestee wrote:

So if it's a virus, not myxi, but vaccinations would have helped, does that meant it's VHD?:? What are the symptoms the buns have?

I'd follow Auroroa369's advice and push the fluids and also feed some mushy pellets via syringe. Hydration is very important,especially if the bun is having some diarrhea.

Please keep us updated! ray:

It seems that vaccinations may actually have some immunity or booster effect against other strains of viruses- I believe that is what the vet was most likely referring to.

Unfortunately, it sounds like she is dealing with enteropathy caused by a virus ('tis the season). Secondary bacterial infections can be fatal (the reasoning behind antibiotic therapy).Often, supportive therapy is all that can be offered - there is no cure.

Pam

 

[samixXx]

thats what she said there is no cure.
she told me bascially im wasting my money and her time trying to save her.
im going to keep trying anyway it might not do much good but i cant just leave her to die. thanks so much for all your advice

 

[naturestee]

I don't think you're wasting your time trying to save her, and it's very rude of the vet to say that. Just because all that's available is supportive therapy- fluids, syringe feeding, etc.- doesn't mean that it's 100% hopeless.

 

[samixXx]

my boyfriends family have a different vet to mine for there farm, he is going to come here and vaccinate all myy oung babys against vhd just in case,
i have actually never heard off that diesease untill i joined this forum,
my dad always warned us about mixi because when he was young where he was from was full off wild rabbits slowely dying off it :?

 

[Michaela]

Oh Sami, I'm just reading this now, how awful! Binky free little ones :rainbow:

How is your little sick bunny doing now, I am praying she pulls through, I agree with Naturestee, it is definitely not a waste of time trying to save her!ray:

Don't forget, we are all here for you:group:

Michaela and the girls:brownbunny:brownbunny:brownbunny

 

[samixXx]

thanx michaela

ive been feeding her vegtables and fruits throught a syringe. she really doesnt want to take them. i have been syringe feeding her since saturday and she always licked it off rather then forcing it into her mouth but its like she has giving up completlyi have seprete her from her mom because i dont want to pass it on.
the vet just took the moms tempature and said shes ok she doesnt have it.
my boyfriends family have offered to take the rest off the rabbits and house them in there hay barn til im sure were germ free here.
im just thankful it wasnt warmer outside the last 2 weeks because if it was all the rabbits would be out in there runs and it would have spread so fast

 

[Michaela]

Aww, poor baby. Well at least you've caught it before it could spread to the rest of your bunnies, and the mumSending healing vibes your way!:rabbithop

Michaela and the girls:brownbunny:brownbunny:brownbunny

 

[tamsin]

It's definately not myxi as there are none of the symptoms and myxi isn't a quick death.

It does sounds like it could potentially be VHD - they only way to tell for definate is to get your vet to do a post mortum on one of the dead rabbits. Even with that the results are sometimes inconclusive and the test to prove it can be expensive.

It's just as possible it's another virus though so don't panic.

Whether it's VHD or another illness it appears to be contagious so the best thing you can do it be really really strict on hygiene. Nothing that touches one enclosure should touch another. VHD is spread by contact so keep your contact with the animals to a minimum (not even cuddles for the healthy bunnies) . Visit the healthy ones first to feed/water and do the sick ones last. Don't mix up food and water bottles or share cleaning equipment between enclosures. Use disinfectant on your shoes before/after going into runs. Wear an apron for each enclosure if you handle the rabbits. Use disposable gloves/disinfectant soap on your hands. Clean regularly with vet grade disinfectant e.g. virkon - your vets should be able to supply this. Becareful when vaccinating as you'll be moving between enclosures and handling the rabbits - don't forget your hygiene.

Whether it's VHD of something else then it will help contain it.

For sick animals you can provide supportive care to give their immune systems a chance to fight it off. So that means keeping them hydrated and food going through. Adding a little apple juice or similar to their water will encouraging drinking. If they are not eating you'll need tos yringe feed (you can use crushed pellets mixed with water for this or your vet should be able to supply critical care). To help their tummies ask your vet for a probiotic - that helps the bacteria in the gut.

If your vet suggests antibiotics then ask to be shown how to do this by injection as oral antibiotics can upset the gut when a bun is already ill.

I hope the baby pulls though

Tam

 

[samixXx]

she lasted the night but just about
the vet said to bring her up everyday for an injection at a cost of 40 euro a day
the money side doesnt bother me but it just seems stupid to haveing to keep dragging her up to a vet for her shot where she could pick up more bugs from a waiting room off sick pets

 

[cheryl]

Aww i'm sorry Sami..this is just awful and i really feel for you for what you have gone through.

poor little girl..i hope she will be ok

I hope you eventually find out what virus your bunnies caught

many hugs..:hug2:



cheryl

 

[tamsin]

Ask the vet to show you how to do injections and then provide the syringes of meds. That way you don't need to go daily.

Tam