Need advice, please be kind.

[homefree]

My daughter has had a beautiful indoor bunny for years. We have had him 4 years. She is becoming a busy selfish teenager and did not understand the gravity of what she was causing and to be fair... I shouldve have been more conscientious myself. I was constantly reminding her to feed the bunny, give him water, change his litter box. I yelled at her day before yesterday to clean his cage and give him food and water. I saw her get up and feed him and clean his cage and I naturally assumed she was giving him water. Which apparently I assumed a lot, too much. Because she was NOT doing it.

I walked by her room and glanced in to say "hi" to the bunny like I frequently do and noticed him laying in his litter box. I immediately realized something was wrong and ran over, and to be honest I thought he was dead. His breaths were very slow, and he was just limp. I immediately started using a syringe to give him gatorade because I had that on hand and I held him and fed him more all night long. My husband went and bought pedialyte which I have been faithfully feeding him about 5 ml an hour of it. Including organic carrot baby food, and applesauce. I bought him rabbit yogurt snacks, and I put some rabbit vitamin drops in his pedialyte. I recently offered him fresh spinach and kale and he will eat both intermittently. In the beginning he could not even lift his head but I have seen him get better over the last 48 hours. He is now lifting his head, attempting to stand and I see tiny tiny pebbles of excrement.

BUT... no urine. This worries me. His poop is still tiny and hard but it is noticeably softer than the first ones were. Originally there were none for the first 24 hours. This is what concerns me a lot... he is very thin and not peeing with all I am putting in him. I am offering him food and liquids every hour or two but he is totally off balance. He tries to sit up and falls over. He attempts to hop and just collapses. But his eyes are brighter and like I said he is making improvement.

Before you all tell me to rush him to the vet today, I really want to. I have called around and I have not been able to find one that we can afford this week. If I can keep him improving until next week I will surely take him. But for now, what is going on? Anything more I can do?

Please pray for him, I am devastated over this and could just kill my daughter over it! She will not have the opportunity to neglect him ever again! Thank you.

 

[homefree]

I wanted to add he is getting food and pedialyte round the clock. We are taking turns feeding him, petting him, talking to him. I do have some liquid reglan that my younger son was taking. and I know that I can give 0.5 mg but not sure if i should. I am planning to buy some mylicon later today. Originally his stomach was soft and "doughy" and now it is firm but not obviously bloated. I also gently massage his tummy several times a day.

I also wanted to add I am keeping him warm with a space heater near him but not directly on him. He shakes also like he is shivering but he is not cold. Is there any chance he will overcome this with what i am doing? Please help me...

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

All I can say is do you have a humain society or SPCA around you they normally have rabbit savy vets tey are much cheaper then normal vets.

He needs fluids but it could be many things , Does the bunny get hay is there any intest in food.

There are many more people with better knowladge but answer these questions just to make sure everyone that can help can. Thats all I can do to help Just answer these questions.

We are a family and talk to each other like family around here.

Please keep us updated.



-Also how long did the bun go without water

- Location

- Description (Breed, color., weight)

- Age

- spayed/neutered?

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal?
- When did they last use their litterbox?
- Any unusual behavior?

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before?

- Diet - what does your bunny eat?
- when and what did s/he eat last?

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?

- has the rabbit been outdoors?

 

[jcottonl02]

I don't know about your vets, but with mine I don't pay when I take any of my 10 bubs, but they just send me an invoice each month and I pop it on my credit card. Can your vets do that? That way you wouldn't have to wait til next week to take him.

Good luck with everything. At least see if your vets do that. It seems quite urgent.

 

[TinysMom]

First of all - please know that things happen - you thought your daughter was taking care of the rabbit - we understand how this could have happened and you're doing all you can now.

So....:hug: - there is a hug for you. It sounds like you can use it.

It would help us if we can know your location - even the state/country as we may be able to recommend a vet who is good with rabbits.

I would NOT give the reglan without a vet telling you to do so - especially since it seems like he is pooping at least a bit.

Let me share with you a story of what happened to us. We "lost" a rabbit for a few days - when we found her - she was very dehydrated and had dropped a significant amount of weight (for her).

We put her on mostly hay with some pellets - but we wanted to give her system a rest from most other stuff. We also pushed water - a lot.

I do use banana baby food a lot with my rabbits if they are ill - and stuff like that - but truth be told - if he got as dehydrated as he sounds - I don't think I'd want to be pushing stuff with sugar in it like baby food has.

I'd keep syringing the water/pedialyte every hour or two if you can and keep him hydrated.

DO NOT give him Gatorade - it is not good for him from what I remember. He can have pedialyte for children - but Gatorade is sweeter or something (I forget what the difference is).

I'd keep pushing hay - and some people will spritz hay with a bit of baby apple juice (you can get a small container for .50 or so in the baby food section). This will sometimes entice rabbits to eat the hay too.

If he were mine - and I am NOT an infirmary mod - but I would try to offer him some damp greens - like parsley which I try to get my sick rabbits eating as soon as they can. I find they often like the taste and I can let it soak up some water first and thus get more fluids in them.

I hope some infirmary mods will see this soon - is there any chance you could get him to a vet? I know sometimes finances can keep people from affording a vet - but I thought I would at least ask.

Please feel free to keep posting in here and let us encourage you and support you.

 

[luvthempigs]

Do you have any idea how long he had gone without food or water?

What is he normally fed? Hay, type of pellets (timothy, alfalfa)? Any fresh foods normally included in his diet?

Hopefully one of the infirmary mods will be by soon with something moreto offer but for now if you can answer all the questions it will help to give a more complete picture of what's going on with your bunny.

Good luck ray:

Also, If you have/find a vet and explain the situation before taking your bunny in to see them they may let you make payments.

 

[homefree]

Thank you for replying!

He originally showed no interest in food. Now he wants it. He is not eating pellets at the moment at all. I tried mushing them and feeding through the syringe but it was impossible. I am feeding him only baby food carrots, applesauce, fresh kale and spinach.

I think he went a week without water. Per my daughter. I am in Wisconsin.

We got him from someone a few years ago who was giving him away, he is black and white on his feet and looks a lot like your bunny. He has not ever been to the vet, he has never been sick before.

He has NOT been exposed to anything unhealthy that I know of. Same food, and housing he has had for years.

He is now holding is ears up, He attempts to clean himself, he does eat the kale and spinach willingly after I let him smell it but he is slow eating and I have to hold it. None of which he was doing 48 hours ago. Understand his body is limp except when he tries to move and then we see bursts of energy where he is attempting to hop but falls. Again 48 hours ago he would not move at all.

I have him in a large laundry basket with a baby blanket under him and I have kept him next to me in my room for the past 48 hours. It is big enough that he can lay down in it and when I lay him down on his side he just stays there. Like he cant get up. But if I put him on his stomach he can get up into a sitting position albeit he is very shaky and jerky in his movements and often falls over.

What I dont understand is this... he was fine when my daughter cleaned the cage, an hour later when I checked in on him he was like this..

 

[Flashy]

Is there any chance he has eaten something that could have done this? Did you daughter put anything different in the cage? Could he have got at anything poisonous like chocolate?

 

[jcottonl02]

It sounds like something quite serious is wrong ( I could be completely wrong ). You seem to have done so well with him- rehydrating him etc. and he seems to have shown a lot of improvement, but to still be like this is a little...odd.

The fact that he wants to eat, and wants to hop and play etc. but he can't makes me think perhaps...I have absolutely no idea whether this is feasible, but a stroke or something? Or as Flashy said, managed to snaffle something poisonous? Any plants, packets, chocolate or plastic anywhere near his cage, that he could have whipped closer to him with a paw?

The thing that concerns me is that it seems to be physical- like poisoning etc. He has an appetite, and wants to eat and stand, but his body isn't allowing it.

Good luck and hope he continues to improve.

xx

 

[Maureen Las]

I had a rabbit that was brought to our shelter dehydrated and starved and took him home and did as you are doing. he responded immediately to treatment and grew into a stong healthy boy. The consequences from the severe neglect, howver, exhibited itself several years later when he went into irreversible kidney failure.

Your rabbit needs to go to a vet now ; I think that you could use care credit or a type of payment plan so you would not have to pay at the time of the visit.

Not urinating and also the falling over are totally not normal


What you ae presently doing for him is fine but you don"tknow the extent of the damage ; he needs more assitance

We have a lot of teenagers on the forum. ; many of them have a very highly developed sense of empathy. I hope your daughter can learn from this, and develop agreater sense of empathy for a helpless animal.

if you feel unable to care for the rabbit possibly a rabbit rescue or house rabbit society in your area would be able to help you

If you list your location we can help you find a rabbit saavy vet and also provide links for care credit

 

[jcottonl02]

angieluv wrote:

Your rabbit needs to go to a vet now ; I think that you could use care credit or a type of payment plan so you would not have to pay at the time of the visit

True this. I think the reason I don't have to pay at the time is that they have my credit card details. If you pay by cash then I guess you would have to pay immediately. You would just get an invoice at the end of the month. It's very common.

But I agree, he needs to go to a vet, or get some professional help, before it is too late.

 

[Maureen Las]

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/whycc.html
I also live in Wi.

the vet care depends on where you live

good vet care in Madison, much of southeast Wi and if southwest Wi good care in border towns in MN. or farther up in St paul Mn
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11639&forum_id=9
Please take your rabbit to a vet

 

[irishbunny]

I have no advice to add about the buns condition but I would just say a couple of things about your daughter. I'm not sure how old she is, I'm 15 and I do all the bunny caring myself.

Is she attached to the bunny? Like does she really like the bunny and enjoy having it? If you have to shout at her to do stuff then it doesn't sound like she is, I never have to be made to do something with my bunnies. If she isn't really attached to the bun and no one in the family is willing to be the main caretaker of the bun then maybe handing it over to a shelter would be for the best.

If your going to keep the bun and make your daughter care for it then I recommend you keep a very close eye on the care the bun gets, check everyday that the bun is getting what it needs, but if it was up to me I would not let your daughter be the main caretaker of the bun because if she is failing to even give it the neccesitys then she is most likely not giving it the love it needs, if it's an only bun that would make it miserable. It's probably best that someone else in the family becomes the main caretaker or if no one wants to commit to it then a shelter or rehoming would be best.

This is a perfect example of how a rabbit doesn't make a good kids pet, unless the parents are willing to be the main caretakers of the rabbit and care for the rabbit when the child gets bored of it, but whats done is done and it was a mistake, and hopefully you will learn from the mistake. Good luck little bunny and good luck homefree, it must be very stressful for you right now :hug:

 

[homefree]

Listen, my daughter is very empathetic and caring and has always taken good care of her bunny. This year she started high school, she has epilepsy and has has gotten somewhat distracted and selfish. I do not think she thought, "oh he doesnt need water", she was feeding him! She just wasnt regularly refilling his water. I agree it is HORRIBLE! I am ashamed, very very angry and disgusted myself. But my daughter is not an axe murder, she is not going to grow into a serial killer and I do not need the lectures!

I need advice. If you cant offer it then maybe you should question your own agenda in regard to the self righteous attitude while offering no help!

To everyone else who has offered help, thank you very much! I am taking it all in and making telephone calls like crazy!

 

[irishbunny]

No one is saying anything about your daughter being a monster, I just gave advice, like you asked for, it's the whole point of the forum, relax.

 

[Maureen Las]

The advice is to take the rabbit to a vet and to continue to do as you have been doing until you get there.

if the rabbit is not urinating he is in pain...

 

[TinysMom]

I want to remind people that the point of the infirmary is to help rabbits with the situations they are in - not critique how they got in that situation.

We've had rabbits that needed help due to all sorts of things - bunnies getting into a fight - or other accidents.

Things happen - life happens and whether we agree with the things that happen or condone it or not - the point of the infirmary is to get the rabbit help and to get it help ASAP.

I know I've made mistakes that I would hate to post on this forum because of the flaming I would receive. Sometimes they were due to inexperience - sometimes to non-intentional neglect (as in I missed a symptom or something).

The infirmary isn't a place to flame others for what they've done - it is a place to get help for the rabbit now.

So let's focus on the rabbit and the situation it is in now - and the help it needs now.

Thanks.

 

[tonyshuman]

I will go on the assumption that what's wrong here is lack of water and possibly food. I am also assuming that vet care is out of the question.

It is good to push pedialyte (syringe feed), wet greens (soak parsley or romaine in water for a few min before giving it to him), and hay. Soaking pellets in a lot of water for a long time can make them able to go through a syringe. If you are nearby, there is a pet store here in Madison that sells a product called Critical Care for Herbivores--it can be rehydrated and given via syringe. The pet store is Animart. This product is usually available only through a vet, so getting it at the store without seeing a vet is a benefit. Only syringe feed pellets of Critical Care if he is not eating anything on his own. Sryinging him water and pedialyte is very important right now. Hold off on carrots, baby applesauce, yogurt drops, and all other sugary foods. Mylicon is a good thing to give. He can probably have 1mL (1cc) per hour, give up to 3 doses in a row. Do not give reglan without a vet's supervision.

I know a vet may be out of the question for you, but I know of a vet here in Madison that only charges around $40 for a bunny exam. They would be able to give him injections of fluid under the skin, which to me is the #1 thing your bunny needs right now. These injections are probably not very expensive. This vet is called Healthy Pet Veterinary Clinic. We also have an emergency vet in Madison called Emergency Clinic for Animals, but it is going to be more expensive. I think if he does not improve with oral rehydration in the next 24 hours, he needs to see a vet for sub-q rehydration.

We are not trying to be judgemental, but please remember that if a humane law officer knew about this situation, there is a high likelihood of legal consequences and/or confiscation of the rabbit. It is an extremely serious situation, and I don't think your daughter can be trusted to take care of the rabbit anymore. If you do not want to assume responsibility for the care of the animal yourself (ie once it gets better you're in charge of taking care of it, not your daughter) it may just be better to surrender the animal to the Humane Society so they can provide it with the medical care it needs. It may be better for you and for the rabbit for it to be rehomed.

 

[Maureen Las]

When you go to the vet and/or the humane society you can tell the vet or humane society that you found the rabbit

We know that you are trying to help him now.

 

[Lover_Of_Lopz]

angieluv wrote:

We have a lot of teenagers on the forum. ; many of them have a very highly developed sense of empathy. I hope your daughter can learn from this, and develop agreater sense of empathy for a helpless animal.

I am so sorry for your bunn.....I don't want to sound mean but I could not find myself forgetting my bunnies that is the first thing I do in the morning is feed, water, and clean the bunn cages I have to get up early to do this.And like angieluv wrote I love my buners and can tell what they are feeling and some times thinking to (I am a teen).Not every one has this gift...please don't think I am getting mad at you, and please don't be offended but if your daughter dose not like to take care of the bunn than you should, or you should give it to the shelter.
~Nicky