Ripped toenails

[Spring]

Hey! Yesterday, I went to pick up Pepsi and she struggled a bit but nothing out of the ordinary and when I tried to calm her down, so I did. She was fine until I saw a bit of blood on the floor and a few quiet squeeks from her so I quickly picked her up and at first I saw blood on her tummy so I immediately thought "Oh no blood!", then I saw blood on both back legs. The toenail on her left foot (on the outside) was ripped off (I managed to find a nail and it looks like it's been torn out. And on her right foot it wasn't bleeding that bad, just her toe was a bit bloody.

I didn't have any cornstarch so I put flour on it (was this a good thing??) and it stopped bleeding withintwo minutesof when I first noticed it. I put her on an old pillow case for a few minutes so I could monitor and see if she'd stop bleeding, and there was no blood on the cloth so I guessed she was alright. I put her back and immediately gave her some oats and she gobbled them down so I wasn't too concerned. Today she seems a little off, sitting a bit funny, andnot eating normally but still pooping and peeing and seems a bit sleepy (could be the time I went down there).

The only stuff I know for sure she's eaten is some more oats, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples and some celery leaves and a tiny bit of alfalfa hay so I'm not overly stressed/concerned out, just keeping an eye on it. She's cleaning it and isn't bloody, but I'm concerned about it getting infected.

What should I look out for? Should I put anything in her cage? She still comes to see me whenever I open the cage and is fiesty when I was putting some cilantro in her face so this is a good sign. Just what should I look out for?

 

[Nadezhda]

My rabbit sorta did that once. She had a nail that grew a bit crooked, and it bothered her so she chomped it down to the blood vessel. I noticed because there were drops of blood on the window next to her cage (from her flicking her paws before she cleaned her face)

I would watch and make sure bunny is eating enough hay to push through any nail that bunny might have ingested. If you're worried, or if bunny is still sitting funny, I would see a vet.

If anything, the vet might be able to tell why the nail came out or why bunny ripped it out. Over-zealous cleaning? The vet can also make sure that no infection is in the toe wound.

I hope Pepsi is doing fine! When Oreo (RiP) got sore hocks from sitting on top of her cardboard hutch all the time, we padded the top with lots of layers of wool fabric. Spoilt bunny she was. An idea, if you have any fabric handy.

 

[naturestee]

It probably stings a little now, but she'll be okay. Flour works pretty well. Mocha ripped out one of her nails when she jumped over a barrier and fought with Fey through her cage bars. Sooooo much blood! But it healed nicely and she has a little nub of a nail there again.

I wouldn't be too concerned about infection, as she's keeping it clean and it is a very small wound, no matter how much blood there was. You can put a little regular Neosporin (not Plus!) on it. She's probably sitting funny because her foot is sore. Give her a day or so, and if she's still sitting funny then you could take her to the vet. Mocha was running and jumping the next day.

 

[JimD]

S'more did the same thing when she caught a nail on the carpet.
I think we were more upset than she was, but I'm sure she enjoyed the extra attention.

Keep it as clean as possible. Maybe a little neosporin as naturestee mentioned. Keep an eye on it for a few days. She should be okay, but if it starts to swell, drain, or show any signs of infection... I would plan on a visit to the vet.

 

[Spring]

I doubt she had enough time to ingest the nail because as soon as I heard the funny noise and saw the blood I immediately picked her up to have a look. It was one of the nails that was bent that came off, and I also think that she landed on it funny and broke it off for her other foot, or could have caught it on my shirt I'm not for sure.

It's clean, just with the missing a nail and she'll let me touch it it just seems like when she sits up she does this stretch thing and either comes over or slumps back to the ground. She hasn't touched her pellets and hasn't eaten any oats since I offered her some this morning, but is eating romaine lettuce half hearted when I wave it near her face then eats it on her own a bit then leaves it until I wave it in her face. There's about 10-15 dropping about 1/3 of the size they normally are and about normal pee. Could the change in droppings because she's not eating her pellets and eating less? She still goes crazy when I gave her the papaya treat. She bites the pieces of hay in half if I don't dip them in water, adn if I do she still chomps it in half but nibbles a bit on the end. She was nudging through her hay last night and ate a bit of alfalfa hay.

I left from romaine lettuce near where she was sitting about half hour ago and it's gone now. This morning, her poops were a tiny bit mushy and darker and smaller then they usually are but I want to keep her eating what she doeseat (romaine lettuce). Her poops are still poop shaped but not as hard as they usually are so is it ok to keep feeding her the romaine? Also, I've always fed her the "quick oats", not the old fashioned kind, so I was wondering if anybody has had any problems with it? I've read it can clump up and become hard to digest but I haven't come across any problems?

 

[JimD]

It might still be a bit sore. Poor bunnie

Keep an eye on her eating and drinking, as well as her "output".

The Romaine is good if nothing else, but not too much. You don't want to end up with runny poops right now. Don't worry too much about pellets as long as she has lots of hay to get to.

You could try some parsley. I've had good luck with it in the past. It helps prompt the bun to eat. Dip it in water first for the extra fluids. Just don't give her too much, as it's high in calcium (and the runny poop thing, too).

I've had buns act this way for no apparaent reason at all (or not one I've been able to identify before they bounce back:?), however you should still keep a close eye on her. It sounds like she might just be a little stressed and needs a little time to recoup.

Give her lots of extra TLC.

Keep us updated.

~Jim

 

[Spring]

She was eating bits of hay from around her cage but wasn't eating it from the pile I gave her (Silly bunny :?) and her poops have seem to be more and larger. She ate two baby carrots and romaine lettuce with some cilantro last night and I haven't seen her sitting funny. Nails are still clear.

I've had this kind of thing happen (I've lost track) but I think this is the 5 time. The first one was a blockage that got fixed with some papaya tablets and some cat hair ball remedy. The second one was the stress from me getting her out and clipping her nails, and I just offered her lots of veggies and then in a few days she came out of it.The third one was when we had strong winds and I did the same. The fourth one was the less severe one and it only lasted a day and a half when my brother was operating a new kind of grinder. Now this one!

I think she's almost over it now because it looks like her pellets have been missing and the oats from there are gone too.I don't think she can tolerate stress too much .

 

[naturestee]

Poor girl. She's really sensitive, isn't she. It's good to hear she's eating again.You're doing a great job with her- give her a snuggle for me!

 

[Spring]

She sure is! My mom always says not to worry until something really happens but how can you not? I want to fix the problem BEFORE something to worry about happens. :?

I'll be sure to give her a cuddle for you!