My bunny is sick...

[Happy Bunno]

So a few days ago I noticed that my bunny was constantly sneezing and there was white discharge coming from his nose. I thought that it might be because of the hay, so I didn't make a big deal out of it. Then today I realised that it was from something else. I became worried and contacted the local vet who specializes in helping smaller animals. Luckily I managed to get an appointment on the same day that I called. The vet gave my bun two shots and said that everything else except the runny nose and the sneezing is okay. He gave me a bottle of eye drops and said that I should put a few drops in his (my rabbits) nose. When I got home my rabbit seemed okay. But then after a few minutes he started acting weird. He didn't move much and gritted his teeth a lot. His ears are slightly cold to the touch and I'm worried about him. I put a small blanket on him and gave him water trough a dropper because he wasn't drinking it himself. I'm really worried...could it be the medicine? When looking through the instructions I found that the medicine was actually meant for humans. Is there any way I could make my bunny feel better? I know that this is a long post but I'm really worried...

 

[Happy Bunno]

A little update: my bun bun actually has gotten a bit more lively. I fed him some warm water and cleaned his nostrils with a cotton swab dipped in clean warm water. He's still gritting his teeth a lot but he did the flop and is hopefully feeling a bit better now. I'd still like some answers to why he was this way and how could I help him.

 

[JBun]

Do you know what was in the shots the vet gave to your rabbit? And what is in the eye drops? Some antibiotics can be dangerous for rabbits to have.

Grinding teeth, not wanting to move, and not eating or drinking, are all signs of a rabbit being in pain and/or a lot of discomfort. I would suspect that one of the injections is likely the cause of this. Hopefully the vet didn't give your rabbit something that is dangerous for rabbits to have, and hopefully your bun is feeling better soon. You will want to keep a really close eye on your rabbits eating, drinking, and pooping. If your bun doesn't start feeling better and eating on his own, it may be necessary to syringe feed some food to keep his digestive tract moving. You don't want a rabbit going more than 12 hours without eating. If you have rabbit recovery food mix you could use that, or make a mush with his usual pellets by soaking in warm water.

Also keep a close watch for watery or pudding like diarrhea, where the fecal poop isn't the normal round balls but is watery or mushy(the fecal poop not the cecotropes). If antibiotic induced diarrhea occurs, this can be an emergency situation and require immediate intervention with the correct medications(metronidazole, cholestyramine, sub q or IV fluids, etc).
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/Clostridial_enteritis_rabbits.htm

Aside from all this going on, the thick white discharge means your rabbit has an upper respiratory infection, which does need to be treated with antibiotics, but the correct antibiotic and one that is safe to be given to rabbits. Bisolvon and meloxicam are also commonly prescribed to rabbits with a respiratory infection, in some countries. The Bisolvon thins the mucous and helps it to be more easily expelled, the meloxicam is for pain relief and will help reduce inflammation in the nasal passage. So if these are available where you are, they may be helpful with the respiratory infection once you get your rabbit past this episode of the injection causing a problem.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Anatomy/Domes_skull_en.pdf
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Safe_drugs_main.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/Unsafe_medication/Unsafe_drugs_main.htm

 

[Happy Bunno]

Thank you for the helpful information. I think that there might've been something in the shots... The medicine that the vet gave us actually seems to be working. My bun doesn't seem to be sneezing as much. I am still a little sceptical about the fact that the medicine is meant for humans. But I do trust the vet. My bunny is a bit more lively now. And seems to be eating more. I still have to give him water through a dropper from time to time. Are the medicines that you listed available in a store or do I have to contact the vet again?

 

[Imbrium]

I don't know about Bisolvon, but metacam (ie meloxicam) is prescription only... however, the vet may be willing to sell you some without another appointment if they've just seen your bunny. I honestly don't know if guaifenesin (an expectorant) is safe for rabbits or not, but I know it's safe for cats (we gave it to one of ours that had a URI) and Dollar Tree sells a liquid version of it with the cough syrup stuff - you could always call your vet and ask if it's safe for your rabbit.

Some medicines used for rabbits originated as human medications; that's not necessarily cause for concern as long as it isn't on the "unsafe" list. JBun covered most stuff... the one thing I'd like to add is that it's never a bad idea to give a probiotic when a pet gets antibiotics, as antibiotics can really mess with the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. BeneBac is a good brand; I know Petco sells it online and some of their stores carry some version of it for small animals (it can come in a gel or powder). I've always gotten the gel - some rabbits will eat it readily by itself... if they won't, I mix it in with some sort of fruit or veggie flavored baby food (or apple sauce) and they gobble it down.

It can't be emphasized enough that not eating for 8-12+ hours is a medical emergency (known as GI stasis) for rabbits because of their unique digestive tract. As long as the bunny is pooping some (no poop can potentially mean a blockage, but that's generally an issue with hairballs or foreign object ingestion rather than not eating from an upset tummy), syringe feeding is one of the go-to remedies. Critical care for herbivores is the best option... if you don't have that, you can boil pellets/water in the microwave or grind them up in a coffee grinder and mix with water until they're the right consistency. Your vet can provide a gut motility drug like metoclopromide or cisapride if need be.

 

[Happy Bunno]

Thank you! I am still a bit worried because I live in a different country and I don't know if it's available here.

 

[Imbrium]

Hopefully he continues to improve! As long as he's eating/drinking/pooping normally and seems to be getting better, don't stress too much about things not being available in your country. Oh, another tip I forgot to mention - you said you were worried about his ears being a bit cold; sometimes sick animals like to be a little warmer... a good DIY heating pad is to put uncooked rice in a sock, tie it off and warm it up in the microwave if you have one. If it isn't too hot to hold in your hand, it should be fine to offer your bunny to lie against .

 

[Happy Bunno]

Hopefully he continues to improve! As long as he's eating/drinking/pooping normally and seems to be getting better, don't stress too much about things not being available in your country. Oh, another tip I forgot to mention - you said you were worried about his ears being a bit cold; sometimes sick animals like to be a little warmer... a good DIY heating pad is to put uncooked rice in a sock, tie it off and warm it up in the microwave if you have one. If it isn't too hot to hold in your hand, it should be fine to offer your bunny to lie against .

Thank you! He seems ok so far. I made him the DIY heating pad and he loves it! He seems happy and is moving a lot more then he did before. I have a question that seems a bit dumb but... is it ok for a bunny to eat spruce branches? I googled it and got mixed results....

 

[Imbrium]

Evergreen trees are on the 'toxic' list (the one exception is kiln-dried pine), so I would avoid spruce branches.

 

[Happy Bunno]

Evergreen trees are on the 'toxic' list (the one exception is kiln-dried pine), so I would avoid spruce branches.

Oh no....that's worrying...

 

[Happy Bunno]

He seems happy but lies down a lot... could it be that he is just tired?

 

[Imbrium]

Rabbits spend most of their day loafing/laying around (and eating/pooping, lol). I don't think it's cause for concern that he's laying down a lot. As for the spruce branches, if he's had a little bit, he's most likely fine - just don't give him any more and monitor for signs of a tummyache (signs of pain, not eating, etc.). They don't necessarily swallow things they chew up anyway, so a little bit of branch chewing is unlikely to cause any serious harm.

 

[Happy Bunno]

Rabbits spend most of their day loafing/laying around (and eating/pooping, lol). I don't think it's cause for concern that he's laying down a lot. As for the spruce branches, if he's had a little bit, he's most likely fine - just don't give him any more and monitor for signs of a tummyache (signs of pain, not eating, etc.). They don't necessarily swallow things they chew up anyway, so a little bit of branch chewing is unlikely to cause any serious harm.

Alright, great to know! But is it possible that the spruce branches make my rabbit move less (less willing to move or something...) because at day when my rabbit runs around in the living room he chews on branches and then the liveliness disappears. He doesn't want to run around and play. Of course this could be because they're nocturnal but I find that my bun is less willing to run or move after he is let into the living room....

 

[Imbrium]

Not sure, to be honest. I would remove or block off access to the branches just to be on the safe side.