Peanut's not doing well

[cheryl]

Ohh poor little Peanut,i feel so sorry for her having to go through all this,it just isn't fair,i was hoping that new medicine would help herbut she does have a great mum to take care of her

i will be keeping Peanut in my thoughts



cheryl

 

[LuvaBun]

Oh Emily, it's such a bummer that the meds aren't having any effect. You must be nearly as frustrated as poor Peanut . I will keep praying for some positive news

Jan

 

[Runestonez]

I was so hoping the new meds would make a difference!

:hug2Poor Peanut! Give her a big hug!

 

[bunnydude]

Oh Emily, this just doesn't seem fair. But Peanut couldn't ask for a better mom to help her through these tough times.urplepansy:

I continue to pray for her recoveryray:ray:ray:

 

[Haley]

Praying for you and your little Peanut. Shes one lucky girl to have such a caring and compassionate mommy.

-Haley

 

[m.e.]

Everything I have read and heard from knowledgeable rabbit people suggests that she wasn't on antibiotics long enough the first time around, and that this could very well be the inner ear infection manifesting itself again. I'm not even sure how to feel about that.

I'm angry that the vet never once suggested she might need to be on antibiotics for longer than two weeks. I'm angry at myself for not figuring that out sooner. I'm very, very sad for my poor bunny who can't even walk across the pen and yet trusts me completely to take care of her.

I need to pick up meds for one of my mice on Monday, and I'll be doing my best to get her in for an appointment. She still has an appetite (likely thanks to the Meclizine, which lessens nausea) but I have to hold her and give her water-soaked pellets by the handful. Hay and veggies are a little easier to eat when you're lying on your side.

It's been a long day :sigh

 

[Pipp]

Poor little Peanut... :sad:

Poor Emily! :tears2:

It's tough to see your 'kid' suffering like that, and frustrating when the vet doesn't seem quite 'with it'in all cases. We're compelled to follow their directions, though, they're the professionals. I would have thought they'd put her back on the antibiotic, surprised they didn't, but they're the vets, not us. Maybe there's a downside. Worth another try IMO, but I'm not a vet.Neither are you. We can't blame ourselves.

Thanks for keeping us updated, it's a learning experience for all of us (vets included).

(Are you sure you don't want to change your major? You'd be such an awesome vet). :hug2

Hang in there Peanut and M.E., we're all behind you :group

Sending out major get well prayers ray:charms :clover:vibes :bunnydance:and magic.:magicwand:



sas and the gang of fur

 

[naturestee]

:hug:

(Pipp- I thought she was going to be a vet? You need an B.S. in something like Biology, Pre-Vet, etc., first.)

Peanut was on Baytril before, am I right? Unless it upsets her stomach (rare but happens) or if she's very young (which she's not), Baytril is usually considered safe even for longer usage. So that shouldn't be an issue. If I remembered the antibiotic right, though.

Emily, was she ever given an EC med? Maybe one should be added since she's having trouble?

 

[m.e.]

I was a Bio major, with the intention of veterinary medicine, but it just wasn't right for me. My passion for animals will have to find another channel I'm an Anthropology major now.

Anyway, Peanut wasn't on Baytril (Enrofloxacin) buta related antibiotic, Orbifloxacin. She will definitely need to go back on antibioticsand possibly Panacur (Fenbendazole) to treat for E.C. as well. She was never tested or treated for E. Cuniculi. The Meclizine seems to be controlling the nausea that goes along with vertigo/rolling, because she still has a voracious appetite, so I'll keep her on that even if it isn't helping with her tilt.

We had to wash her bottom tonight and shave off even more fur. I nicked her with the clippers. It didn't even bleed, but I felt bad The skin around her right eye (the "down" eye) is very red and inflamed looking. The eye itself looks okay, but I think the constant wetness and contact with the bedding are irritating the skin. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must be.

At breakfast and dinner I cradle her and let her eat pellets out of my hand. She eats a full portion and then proceeds to wash her face and wherever else she can reach. It's pretty odd to see a rabbit grooming herself while she lays on her back, but she seems satisfied cleaning her own poopy butt for once, so whatever makes her happy. Veggies are usually given when she's back on the floor of the pen, laying on her side and bracing her legs against mine. She wolfs down parsely faster than Rex. She eats hay throughout the day. This morning she even managed to sit up and drink a good amount of water from the bottle. Her back legs were spread wide, her front legs askew, but it worked and she was very proud of herself.

My whole family is rooting for Peanut. My dad asks "How's my bunny doing today?" and my mom loves cradling her when we have to clean her up. The advice I've gotten here and from other rabbit people has been immensely useful. One etherbun member recommended their vet and gave me the phone number; the vet is just under 2 hours north of where I live. I'll be calling her along with my own vet to get some better ideas for treatment.

 

[naturestee]

Is there anything you can do to clean the eye, or to treat the inflammation? Loki's on an eye version of triple antibiotic ointment for his tear duct right now and it seems to be helping. Maybe something like that could help?

I think the second vet sounds like a good idea, even if it's only through a phone consultation. Has he had experience with head tilt buns before?

 

[RaspberrySwirl]

Hey Emily, So sorry to hear that Peanut is having such a tough time. We will send up plenty of positive thoughts and happy heart songs from our end. Give Peanut an extra ear rub from SLG.

Raspberry

 

[m.e.]

Peanut is going to see the vet at 10:20 this morning (little less than two hours from now). I'll update when we get back

 

[Bo B Bunny]

onder::waiting:

 

[mummybunny]

Sorry to hear about Peanut, sounds like you are doing a fantastic job looking after her. How did you both get on at the vet? Hope everything's okay...

mummybunnyxx

 

[m.e.]

I had a notepad on which I wrote down all of the suggested meds, etc. and completely forgot to bring it with me. Oy. But it turned out alright, for the most part. The first thing Dr. G said was "We need to pull out all the stops."

He prescribed antibiotics (Doxycicline/Orbifloxacin combo) and Panacur. He also prescribed ear drops to dissolve excess wax and make sure that an infection doesn't take root in the "gunk" that builds up because she can't clean her ears.

He mentioned that she'd be on meds for the next thirty days, and she'll have another check-up in a week. But when I got the meds, it was only the Panacur that was prescribed for thirty days. The antibiotics were for two weeks. When we go back for a check-up I'm going to ask (read: strongly encourage) that she be on antibiotics for at least another two weeks. I'm not one to overmedicate (hate taking abx myself) but to me, "pulling out all the stops" means "let's stop this thing dead in it's tracks". I can be a mean momma bear when I need to

He checked her eyes (they look great). Said putting Terramycin (an antibiotic oinment) on the skin around her right eye couldn't hurt (I already have some on hand), but it's likely to get rubbed off. He recommended I rinse her eye with saline and dab it dry with a cotton ball at least once a day. Hopefully it will get better as she does.

Dr. G was very encouraged by her appetite and attitude. We'll keep her on Meclizine since it seems to help control her nausea. I didn't get a chance to call that other vet (I've barely had time to sleep) but I'll call her this afternoon and see if she'd recommend anything else for Peanut.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Awesome! at least he is working with you on this and not just letting her suffer.

Keep us posted on her progress. I sure will keep praying for her.

 

[naturestee]

That's pretty encouraging! I'm also surpised that the vet only prescribed two weeks of antibiotics. I'm glad I'm not going to be on the receiving end of the "mama bear" routine!

Lots of love and vibes,

Angela

 

[LuvaBun]

Sounds like no holds barred as far as the treatment goes, which is very encouraging. Peanut is being such a little fighter, bless her. Sending positive thoughts your way

Jan

 

[m.e.]

I am one WORN OUTbunny momma. Peanut's care alone requires a lot of time and energy, butthere are a lot of other things going on that have me stretched in amillion different directions. Classes start next week. How sad is itthat I need a vacation from my summer vacation! Anyway...

We saw Dr. G this morning. He said basically what he told me beforeeanut isn't improving, she's adapting. And he's right. Peanut is nobetter than she was two weeks ago. I'm not expecting her to be healed,I'm not even expecting significant improvement, but aside from herlearning to lean on things (and therefore stay mostly upright) she'sthe same as she was when she got sick almost four weeks ago.

She's lost two pounds since the beginning of June, most of that beinglost just these past few weeks! For the past two weeks she's beeneating Critical Care (with a little Ensure mixed in) three times a day,in addition to unlimited hay and whatever pellets she manages to eat(probably around a couple tablespoons a day). She's drinking on herown, and her hydration is fine. I can't get her to eat more than shealready's consuming, so why is she losing weight?!

He repeated what he said before about some bunnies handling this reallywell, and some not handling it so well, and that there may come a timewhen I have to make a decision about her quality of life. Like Ihaven't been thinking about that every minute of every day for the pasttwo months... He said that an x-ray or MRI will likely do little tohelp us prognostically.

I asked him about keeping her on antibiotics for longer than two weeks,in case the infection was still there. He said given that her initialinfection cleared up (or appeared to) with a relatively commonantibiotic, if this was another infection, putting her on one of themost powerful antibiotics available (Doxy) in combo with Orbax, shouldhave produced some change, however small. If that were the case, he'dkeep them on her longer. In this situation, he's concerned that keepingher on Doxy any longer could really mess up her GI system, and hedoesn't think it's helping.

He wants to see her in 30 days for a weight check. That's all.

I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm stretched thin, both emotionally andfinancially. So when I recapped the visit with mom, I started to cry.It can't keep going on like this. There's no light at the end of thetunnel. The vet has offered *nothing* that would give me hope to see myrabbit better. I know, I know, even good vets can get it wrong. He'sone of the leading rabbit vets in the area. Other vets love him,patients love him, die-hard-knowledgeable rabbit people love him. Sowhy can't he help us??? Why isn't he doing more?

*sigh*

 

[jordiwes]

Oh Emily, I feel for you.

I wish I were knowledgable enough to give suggestions.

Is there an expert you can call somewhere else in the country?

All I can do is send prayers your way (which is what I'm doing).