New Rabbit with problems...

[PepperGrl]

Sorry I haven't been around in awhile, we just moved into a new house and things have been crazy. I have been volunteering at the local SPCA and a little while ago they got a bunny in... he was left on their doorstep and nearly starved to death and half frozen. Anyway, they called me because nobody really knew a lot about bunnies. I'm going to be adopting the bunny for my classroom but was waiting for them to get him neutered. After awhile, still no neuter so I offered to come pick him up and have it done with my vet.

Well, I picked him up today and there were some problems. He was curled up and didn't look well. His eyes were draining, nose was moist as well as his chin (a little). Well, this bunny has tusks and I thought it might be a tooth problem so I check them out and one was chipped on the bottom. He hadn't eaten for at least a day so I took him straight to the vet. They trimmed down his teeth and gave him some Baytril for the chest congestion he has.I'm very concerned still. I have given him nutrical and tried making him eat some pineapple, but he still hasn't touch anything and has only drank a little water. He also has an ulcer on his top lip.

I guess I'm wondering if the teeth are going to be sore for awhile and I should just give him time or should I be trying to feed him mush?? I've tried everything I know and nothing seems to be working. So here I am... asking the only people I know have a good handle on bunnies. Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to give you the story and I really want to see this guy make it... he is soooo cute. I've posted some pics below. I think he is an English lop but let me know if you think otherwise.

Thanks,

Jamie

 

[2bunmom]

Hi, You have a very cute bunny there. I am so sorry that he is sick. Do you have any syringes on hand? The nutrical is good but there are other things that can help also. Will the bun eat any kind of greens? Greens add moisture to their system. One thing that you need to try to prevent is dehydration. Sometimes a rabbit will need sub Q fluids at thevet to help with dehydration if they are not drinking enough water.

I have never had a bun with a sore mouth, so that makes things a bit more difficult. I have had 2 experiences with buns not eating and gi stasis. I did syringe feedings in both cases. I used baby food in both cases. I mixed canned pumpkin with baby food squash and pedilyte to make it thin enough to use in a syringe. The pumpkin helps to add fiber. I have used baby food carrots. I have also used baby food apples and oatmeal. I ground up old fashioned oatmeal and added it to the baby food. This also helped to add fiber.

All of this was fed through a syringe. You will need to wrap the bunny up in a towel( kind of like a burrito) for the syringe feeding. Syringe feeding should be done slowly. Put the syringe to the side of the front teeth. There is an open area before you get to their back teeth. This is a good place to place the syringe. Syringes that work the best are small ones1cc-3cc. Make sure they have a nub that comes out over the end of the syringe. This type is easier to put in their mouths than the entire end of the syringe. Oh yes,I make sure I load all syringes before I put the bunny in the burrito. With 2 hands it is very hard to hold feed and reload a syringe.

This is just from my experience and what has worked for me. I hope that there is something here that can help you. I know how frustrating it is to have a sick bunny. It sounds like you have gotten off to a good start with the vet visit.

Also have patience, it sounds like you have a very sick little guy there.
Hugs Beckie

 

[SAS]

That's greatadvice from 2bummon. :bouquet:

I started giving my bunny flavored Pedialyte and pumpkin from a syringe, and she loved it.

'Force feeding' wasn't an issue. She really wanted whatever was in that syringe.

Of course it was a little disappointing when it was only a slurry mix of pellets and water.

The ulcer on his lip alone may be what's making him not want to eat. They're so very sensitive.

Hope he's okay.

SAS ray:

 

[huntress]

I think he is an English lop but let me know if you think otherwise.

It's not an English.They have ears that are suppose to be at least 21 inches from ear tip to tip, also does not have the right body type for an English.

This is a French or Mini. Can't tell from the photo exactly how big it is. French are 10 1/2 lbs and over when grown. Mini's are 4 1/2 to 61/2 lbs when grown.

Hope he starts eating and is on the mend soon! Good Luck!

 

[naturestee]

Oh, the poor thing! Did the vet only trim his front teeth? Did he check the back ones atall? Those could be overgrown too, and have painful spurs,especially since his front teeth were overgrown.

If you can, try syringing fluids into him. He's probably dehydrated, which will make him even less likely to eat. You could syringe water or sugar-free Pedialyte and choose a yummy flavor. After that you can try syringing food into him. I would recommend a pellet mush, maybe with a little pumpkin, so it's food he's used to. Try to stay away from sugary stuff for now so you don't upset his stomach/GI tract.

Did the vet culture his respiratory infection to see what bacteria it was? Baytril works for the most common bacteria, but not all infections are caused by that. The infectioncould beyet another source of his lack of appetite.

The breed will depend on his size when he's healthy. He looks like a holland lop or mini lop. He looks too small tometo be a french lop, and as huntress said his ears aren't long enough to be an english lop.

I hope he starts eating soon!

 

[PepperGrl]

He weighed in at 5 lbs. at the vet so I didn't think that was big enough for a french lop. And from my best guess he is over a year old. His ears are so much longer thanmy mini lop so I though maybe he was something else. Thank you for all your advice. The vet didn't doa culture, he wanted to try the baytril and then check on him again.
I'm going to go to the store and get some of the things you've suggest and see if that will help. I was worried about the ulcer too. I knew it probably wasn't just his teeth that made him not want to eat. They seemed very irritated when we look at them at the vet. I feel so bad for this little guy. Any other advice would be appreciated and I will keep you updated.

Jamie

 

[AmberNBuns]

Oh Jamie, what a darling you have. Bless you for working so hard for him.

You have already received some great advice but I was wondering, is he peeing or pooping? Keep an eye on his output and make sure you keep things moving. I have used vanilla orsugar free cranberry juice to encourage my buns to drink water - I just add enough to give it a little flavor and they love it. And if they are refusing, I will use the syringe for water as well. Just go nice and slow with it.

Make sure he has access to hay all the time, because even though he is sore and is not eating it, he may be inclined to try occasionally, and that would be a good thing for him. If nothing else, it gives him something to interact with which might take his attention off of any pains he's having, and that would help him heal.

I can see he's not feeling well just from the pictures... poor sweetie, it will be better soon.

 

[PepperGrl]

He is not peeing or pooping right now, but I'm not too worried about stasis just yet. I'm keeping a careful eye on him but if he is not eating, he probably wouldn't be peeing or pooping. Some good news though, I just gave him some romaine lettuce and he is eating it so I will give him as much of that as I can. I know lettuce has a good amount of water in it too so hopefully that will help hydrate him. I bought some baby food and pedialyte so when my husband gets back with a syringe, I will start force feeding him gently. I hope the eating of the lettuce is a good sign

Thanks again.

 

[AmberNBuns]

That is a very good sign.

I would be very excited to see him pee a bit again.

I would keep nursing him every hour or so with mushy foods and even more often with fluids. Small amounts often saved my bunny's life last December.

If he is willing, try offering him his food in a small dish before using the syringe. It might be less stressful if he is able to take it on his own.

 

[PepperGrl]

He does really well being syringe fed.But I will try the mush on his own first. How much should I be feeding him of soft pellets, baby food, and pedialyte a day? I have a 3 cc syringe that I just gave him two of full of pedialyte.

 

[AmberNBuns]

I wish I knew - *sigh* All I can say to answer that is trust your instincts - I had the same question, and it is so hard to say exactly because every bunny is different.

They way I figured it is liquids will pass through pretty fast so I was pretty liberal with water. (I didn't use pedialyte or nutrical when I was nursing my bunny - I was too scared to leave him to go to the store)

As far as the solids go, I would squirt a little warm mashed pelletsin his mouth and he usually ate it up pretty well. I was giving him about 1 CC every hour, but he is a netherland dwarf -2.5 lbs. I would bet your bunny could take more if he his heavier...

I was concerned about overfeeding him because he had a blockage and I didn't want him to burst. I figured that any food I was feeding him was more than he would have had on his own.

I was giving him tummy massages as well. This gave me a chance to feel how full he felt. If he felt really tight and full in the tummy, I laid off the solids for a while. He really enjoyed the tummy rubs. I just sat him on my lap and slipped my hand under his belly, gently squeezing and feeling around.

 

[PepperGrl]

Well I will start out with about 2cc's every hour and see how his tummy is feeling. I just want the poor guy to get better.

 

[JimD]

Hi Jamie!

You've gotten some good advice so far.

It certainly sounds like it's more discomfort than anything else.

My only suggestions would be.....

#1) Some Nutri-cal might be a good idea. It will help boost his system and may prompt him to eat as well. About 1/2 inch daily would do.
You can try mixing it in something, or put it directly into his mouth, or smear it on the insides of his front paws and he will lick it off.(Most bunnies don't like the taste so be prepared to get the butt.)

#2) Try grating up a small amount of carrot for him....it might be easier for him to chew if it's grated.

#3) Parsley has always worked to prompt my bunnies to eat. If you wet it down with water it will also help hydrate. I use the flat variety.

~Jim

 

[edwinf8936]

Get some parsley and hold the rabbit and start pushing in his mouth past the front two teeth. He will have toc hew it. A few pieces at a time is best, just to keep his digestive tract working.

I would ask the vet about a vitamin shot for him. If he is not hydrated he should have a IV of some fluids. You can do this yourself if the vet shows you, it is kind of easy.

The vitamins and fluids should perk him up and help his appetite.

Ed

 

[2bunmom]

So glad to hear that the little guy is eating some greens!!! He must be just miserable with an infection, tooth problems and a mouth sore. I am so glad that he found you!!!
It sounds like you will help him get back to good health and show him the love that he deserves. I am so glad that we were here to help you with what to do for him.Just be patient. That is the hard part for me when they are sick. I just want them to get better NOW!!!! Keep us posted.
Hugs Beckie

 

[AmberNBuns]

How's he doing today?

BTW, do you have a name for him yet?

 

[PepperGrl]

He is doing better today.... drinking water on his own, eating greens and a few carrots... he also likes craisins. Still not eating hay or pellets so that still worries me. Also, when I went to give him is medicine last night, I turned him on his back and he had a load of poop smooshed into his butt.... I had to give him a small bunny bath because I couldn't get it all of... it smelled so bad (he still isn't neutered yet).

He doesn't have a name yet because my students want to name him but they haven't met him yet with him being sick and all. I just hope the veggies will sustain him for now. I'm going to give the vet a call tomorrow and see what they think about him not eating much this week. Thanks for all the advice again, and I will keep you updated.

Jamie