rabbits ear is drooping

[Victoria]

yeah it is stressful right now. first I was more concentrating on my own problems, as kidney infections with a stone complication can get serious and I had some experience of them getting a bit out of hand before.
After I got a bit better and came home - now he is sick.
I am sure it is because of all of what happened - he is a sensitive bunny and gets GI issues easily. I still dont know why the ear gone like this - could be from past infection, could be from a fall... He is going to toilet doing some poops but not often and they are sometimes smallish but sometimes ok, he lies down most of the time and his legs are stretched back. His ear is sometimes up and sometimes down. I tried to massage his stomach he does not want it touched much but it is soft not hard at all. I tried to check his ribs - they seem ok, his jaw feels fine.
I am reading more info on the net re this- sometimes I am a bit slow with it, I think I said before this is not my first language .
I hope I can help him soon. He still looks sad and we will take him to the vet if he gets any worse or is still is as sad looking as now.
thanks for help , it helps to know someone cares and has advice about rabbits. even some vets dont know much about rabbits

 

[Victoria]

I noticed my rabbits used to pick up on my stress when they were little - one day (when they still could be together - now they cant due to territorial issues as they are not neutered) I was lying the bed one day really upset about some issue with a person or at work, crying and both of them were running around the bed and looking up with worried (if possible with the rabbit thats how they looked to me) look, not playing or even eating much. I thought that they grew out of that, may be they still get stressed like that.

 

[Pipp]

They're such sensitive little critters.

How long ago was the fall and how long ago did he miss his dinner? It would be unusual for a fall like that to bother his ear.

And the treatment for his gas may make him feel better, but that's still only treating the symptom, not whatever is causing the problem.

If he doesn't perk up soon, I'd really think about starting him on the antibiotics again. How long did he take them for before?

At least start phoning around now to see if anybody has some bicillin. The kind I have here stays good for long time as long as its refrigerated, so maybe somebody in your area has some left over.

How's his appetite?


sas :clover:

 

[Victoria]

I was in hospital yesterday. He missed his feed yesterday morning due to me going there.
When we came home, my fiance Rob carried him (after he had his dinner and he wanted to show him to me while I was in bed I guess to cheer me up) and he fell near the bed - he was very flighty as usual and he kicked hard.
After that kick and fall he went really quiet straight away I think, I thought that he had a fright may be, he lied down next to the wall with his legs stretched, lied like that for a while until we put him back into the cage. I noticed that when he was lying his ear was down. I thought that is weird but was too sick myself to analyse or consider options just stayed in bed. Also I dont know what caused him to slow down may be he was like that when we got home but I did not check/notice - only saw him when Rob brought him in to me.
this morning I got up and actually it was 12 in the afternoon and went to look at the rabbits. I gave them their breakfast (they had dinner, thats when he had seeds). He ate but he looked sad and his ear was down a lot. I was in bed most of the day but when I checked him from time to time when I had the energy - I noticed something was odd. I took him out and noticed that he just sits in the corner or lies next to the wall. He did not eat his dinner, only little bit nibbled on things here adn there- he still has coriander greens and a carrot in his cage. He ate a small piece of apple and a small piece of tomato, but he does not want any more veg or green or seeds or hay.

 

[Victoria]

He was on bicillin injections for 7 days, baytril for about 9 days and panacur for about 7 days. He got better within 2 days then (3 months ago).

 

[Victoria]

he strains to poo as well when he does it, but he did alot of it now - some small and some medium sized, but smaller than normal. he (as well as Red Rabbit - they always drink their pee - they do it every day !) may be they need salt lick - I am getting them tomorrow. we have summer now. they ddi not have salt licks since last year and I just took them off most of the pellets (which have salt). They had some pellets still but less in quantity than before the choking incident.
right now he is eating his carrot again as well as some hay.
his ears are upright and then flops again half of the time.

 

[Pipp]

This website has a list of places that carry Critical Care. Its a powder that looks like ground up pellets. You soak it in water, and feed it to him with a syringe.

http://www.oxbowaustralia.com/NSW.htm

You may get some ideas for cheaper vets there, too, like the RSPCA and the Sydney University.

He sounds like a sick bunny. Critical Care is a bit pricey, but it's worth it. It will perk him up, give him the vitamins and strength he needs to fight what's wrong or to straighten out his digestive tract. And once he has that in his stomach, he can have some pain relief -- which also should happen really soon (but only on a full stomach).

If you can't pay the big vet fees, start with the Critical Care and take it from there. After that you can give him pain meds.

After that, if the ear is still drooping, I'd personally do the antibiotics, even just the Baytril for a start.

They can go downhill pretty fast, and being without food involuntarily for a day and now not eating on his own is getting into emergency territory. You really shouldn't wait for it to get worse.

(Do you have canned pumpkin there btw?)


sas :clover:

 

[Pipp]

Victoria wrote:

he strains to poo as well when he does it, but he did alot of it now - some small and some medium sized, but smaller than normal...

... right now he is eating his carrot again as well as some hay.
his ears are upright and then flops again half of the time.

Yay! Pooping and eating hay is great!

Is it one ear flopping or both?


sas

 

[Victoria]

thanks I will know for future he is eating now - sorry I post so many posts u must have read just the first ones cose I noticed he ate minutes later, info is very useful for the future. sorry I am a bit of a panic person when someone gets sick.

 

[Victoria]

only one left ear is floppy at times.

 

[Victoria]

i am reading re oxbow it looks quite good (advice re feed).
All our RSPCA hospitals are too far away and we dont have a car; they are not in our city unfort.

 

[tonyshuman]

It's good to use a probiotic like Bene Bac or ProBios when a bunny is ok antibiotics to keep the GI system ok. In a pinch, something like human acidophilus capsules can also be used (not yogurt).

 

[Victoria]

no yogurt? oops. but I gave another bunny a very small amount just on my finger but I wont again

 

[tonyshuman]

Yeah, bunnies are lactose intolerant so the sugars in milk can cause digestive upset. I'm sure that tiny bit once won't have caused harm, but at least you know now for the future!

 

[Pipp]

I wouldn't worry too much about the yogurt, vets prescribed it for years. Its just not great because of the natural sugars it produces. And I believe bunnies can become lactose intolerant as they age. But it's not awful. The ones TH listed are much better forms of probiotics these days.

How is he doing today?


sas :bunnydance:

 

[Victoria]

he was not sick so it is ok wont give any more. Benebac is also too expensive for us right now, dont know if it is the same where you are. i am looking for a farm shop or pharmacy where I was told it is cheaper. rabbits are not on antibiotics right now. one of my pet rats is on daily antibiotics (baytril) and sometimes if he gets worse an additional one. I am going to try to get benebac for him too (he has a bad case of mycoplasma)
Black is getting better, yesterday he was still a bit clingy but he ate fine, he was not as lethargic and his ears are up.

 

[tonyshuman]

Yeah, Bene-Bac is quite expensive. A cheaper alternative is ProBios that's sold at farm stores. The horse version (paste in a tube, much like Bene-Bac) isn't much cheaper, but they sell a powdered form for all types of animals (even says rabbits, rodents on the side!) that's a lot cheaper per gram. Glad he's bright and alert and his ears are up!

 

[Victoria]

and this morning at 630 am he was shaking the cage when he heard my voice - this is his way of demanding to have his breakfast - back to normal in this regard too, he was not shaking the cage when sick.

 

[Saudade]

Victoria, I don't have time to write a longer reply, but just reading this, if you could drop me a PM, I have some information you could probably use regarding medications.