Please help, rabbit won't eat or drink!!

[PeytonCara]

I think the fact that he is pooping has been the thing that has kept me calm the most this whole time. I'm not sure how he has energy to run around with the lack of food he has had, I guess the critical care is doing the job though!

So I woke up to call the vets and give him his morning feed, and the vets said our vet isn't in today and no one else can see him..
Should I go somewhere else? I don't think this needs to wait another day.

Also when I woke up, he was eating hay on his own. I saw two or three pieces go down, and then he ran to his water bowl to drink. Should I still syringe feed him? Obviously a few pieces of hay isn't enough to sustain himself on, but when I pick him up and feed him he gets really upset and when he's upset he won't eat and I don't want to steer him away from eating on his own. Even before this if something doesn't go his way he won't accept a treat or anything, it's way of telling you he's not happy.. He'd be like "No I do not except your offering."

And yes, I do talk to him like that! Ahaaha my dad makes fun of me soooo much when he walks by and I'm feeding him I think it makes him feel better too when I talk

 

[Imbrium]

If you can check in on him hourly or so, then I would watch his food intake carefully - there's a good chance you'll have to syringe feed still, but if he's eating even a little bit on his own then maybe you could space the force-feedings a little further apart (which I'm sure everyone would be happy about!).

As for the vet... as the antibiotic continues to work its way out of his system, he may continue to improve on his own and it may not be an issue to wait another day. On the other hand, there's no guarantee of that and the syringe feeding pisses him off something fierce, which (as you mentioned) could potentially delay his recovery.

Honestly, I think you should look for another exotics vet who can see him today - if for no other reason, simply because I can tell what a HUGE weight will be lifted off of *you* once you've gotten him in to see a vet. The uncertainty, worry and constant battles over syringe-feeding are very stressful on a bunny parent; the sooner you're sure he'll be okay, the sooner you can actually breathe freely and start to unwind a little.

 

[Imbrium]

And yes, I do talk to him like that! Ahaaha my dad makes fun of me soooo much when he walks by and I'm feeding him I think it makes him feel better too when I talk

Just wait... one day, when he thinks no one is around, you may just catch HIM talking to your bunny that way!

 

[Furry_Paws]

Like people are saying, some antibiotics can have "affects" such as loss of appetite, like JBun said.

 

[PeytonCara]

He started licking me and he even just ate a few pellets. I think he is heading in the right direction My vet called me and pretty much told me the last vet did that I'm doing everything right and she wants to see him first thing in the morning tomorrow. Now that he is eating a little on his own I think I can wait one more day, unless he starts to take a turn for the worse then I will get him into something else open. I'm fortunate to have maaaannyy clinics where I live. I am gonna give him a little longer, I think I might just do what you said and space them out a little more.

It stinks that this antibiotic has these side affects because he has hardly even sneezed even though he only took it Friday!

And Imbrium, my dad acts like he's all big and bad but he is actually a sweetheart, it wouldn't surprise me if I caught him talking to him too one day I remember when I first brought Crixus home he was sooooo mad, and then a week later I came home from work and he was snuggling with him on my bed. He even texted me from work today asking how he was doing today

 

[JBun]

I'm really glad he is starting to feel a little bit better. That Zithromax must be some pretty serious stuff! It is too bad that it has the side effects, because it sounds like it works really well on certain bacterial infections. I have read of Marbocyl being used successfully for URI's. Sometimes using two antibiotics together, will be more effective too.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

Some things that I've read about being used to treat rabbits with URI's in the UK, are also using Bisolvon(thins the mucous secretions to help aid in clearing the stuffiness), metacam to help reduce nasal inflammation, and nebulizing with sterile saline. Also some people have added Echinacea drops(no alcohol) or dried coneflower, into their rabbits diet to help boost their immune system. And reducing dust from hay and bedding will help as well. You can ask your vet about these things. I believe we don't have bisolvon here in the US, but I'm sure we have a similar medication. If your vet isn't familiar with using these treatments, she may have better luck finding out about them by checking with UK rabbit vets, as some of these treatments seem to be more common over there. The UK seems to be a bit more advanced when it comes to rabbit medication and treatment. I think because rabbits are a much more common pet there.

 

[PeytonCara]

I'll have to ask about the marbocyl. We just got home from the vet, we got a probiotic (benebac) and she said she wants to stay off of antibiotics for a while. She also prescribed me some baytril but said not to use it for a week or two. He's lost 4 ounces since our visit on Friday! She pretty much just told me syringe feed him 3 times a day until he starts eating like he normally does. She said we could talk about alternative antibiotics after we get him back to normal, plus she didn't even charge me for a visit so I saved some money too! That's always a plus.

 

[PeytonCara]

And heck, I've always loved the UK, looks like I might have to pack up and leave with my little guy

 

[Imbrium]

I'm glad the vet visit went well... and especially glad she gave you benebac for him - probiotics are SO good to give when giving antibiotics and they can often be helpful with stasis issues in general.

For what it's worth, there are some vets in the US who treat more like UK vets - my vet in San Antonio stays *very* up-to-date on what's going on in the UK veterinary world .

 

[JBun]

I'm glad it went well, and even better that there was no charge. I'm sure she felt bad that your bun got sick from the meds. Hopefully your bun will be back to his usual self soon.

I'm glad the vet visit went well... and especially glad she gave you benebac for him - probiotics are SO good to give when giving antibiotics and they can often be helpful with stasis issues in general.

For what it's worth, there are some vets in the US who treat more like UK vets - my vet in San Antonio stays *very* up-to-date on what's going on in the UK veterinary world .

Lucky! I wish more rabbit vets did this.

 

[PeytonCara]

Yeah I think she felt bad too. But I'm glad it all worked out. His appetite is pretty much normal now. He just needs to gain his weight back. I would really like to thank each one of you for your advice! I always get such a piece of mind when I come here. Thank you all