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Bunny Guidance

22 9:53:18

Question
QUESTION: Hi There,
I am feeling terribly guilty that our rabbit died on Christmas Eve.  We noticed he was ill at 11:00 p.m. and I was unable to find someone to treat him at that hour of the night.  I was up with him until 5:00 and decided to get a little sleep before taking him to the vet.  He was dead by 10:00 a.m. in the morning, and he must have just died because his body was very limp.  Although he's gone and cannot be replaced, we have acquired a new baby bunny to love, and I want to be extra careful should I find myself stranded like this with another bunny at a late hour.  

Here is his story:   The night before he became ill, I gave him a few pieces of parsley, his absolute favorite.  The next morning, he seemed absolutely fine.  We were busy wrapping gifts and last-minute shopping all day, but the kids left his cage open so he free roam of our patio room for much of the day.  Nothing, however, seemed chewed on, and he left no trace of of anything out of the ordinary.  About 11:00 p.m. that evening, the kids noticed he was sitting outside of his cage with a big ball of loose stool stuck to his rear-end.  He seemed less energetic to me.  I gave him him a butt-bath and swaddled him in a towel.  When we removed the towel, a few runny drops of poo came out.  I tried calling a vet, no one was available.  Afraid of dehydration, we gave him water in a syringe, which he drank, but I could hear his tummy rumbling as he drank.  From 11:00 p.m. we were checking on him and holding him, and by the time I went to bed @ 5:00 he would only take a little water from me, then turn away.  What could I have done differently?  I feel so terrible and helpless that I wasn't able to get him the help he needed. What remedies could I have given him to stop the diarrhea?  Please be specific with brands, dosage amounts, given the rabbit's weight, etc.  

Thanks,
  Terri

ANSWER: I'm sorry for the delay! I thought this went through.

I'm so sorry for your loss!

First, you did nothing wrong!

He probably had either coccidiosis or an entritis of some type. Both kill quickly and there are few cures for snd even breeders and vets can't do much.

If you ever run into something like that again, you can try a broad spectrum antibiotic such as Terramycin or Oxytatracycline, but there isn't a given dosage as that's a Hail Mary move, an as far gone as your rabbit was, not likely to work.

Rabbits are the bottom of the food chain, so naturally they act well until it's too late. Otherwise, they get picked off by the carnivores. Always keep an eye on behavior--which you did a great job on-- and droppings. If you see any inconsistencies, something is amiss. With an enteritis, there could have been a small bout with bloating last week. Coccidiosis, there could have been some on and an off bouts of diarrhea. Or, in either case, there may have been nothing.

Are you going to get another rabbit? Nothing can replace the one you just lost, but I do hope you get another!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, Karen, for your reply.  We did get another bunny.  Although we still miss our little guy very much, I found an 8 week old lop earred bunny.  She is very cute adjusting well here.  Through learning the hard way with our our previous bunny, it disturbs me that finding help in a hurry for bunnies is so hard.  Plenty of vets are happy to take my money for spaying/neutering, but offer little help when I need them.  I've started trying to find an accessible vet in the MD area. And if I can find someone reliable, I'm feeling as if I need to educate/prepare myself for the next tragedy.  Are pet antibiotics easily accessible in the event this happens again?  Do you have any recommendations for finding a good rabbit vet?

Thanks very much again for your assistance,
  Terri

ANSWER: Terri,

I'm so happy you have a new one!

Can you believe that there is a ARBA Registered rabbit judge in MD who is a Vet? Her name is Dr. Wendy Feaga. She's very straight forward, but knows her stuff! I don't remember exactly where she operates, but it's somewhere in the Carroll County area. If nothing else, give Wendy a call and ask for a recommendation for someone closer.

As for at home First Aid kit, do you have a Tractor Supply near you? They have EVERYTHING you need. Including injectible Meds. Feel free to ask the staff for help, they're really very helpful (though they rarely have a rabbit specialist on staff).

Please feel free to email me whenever you have a question: kjhorn@gmail.com I'm usually very accessible.

Enjoy the new bunny for all her personal new quirks!
Karen

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I will try to look Dr. Feaga up tomorrow.  As far as Tractor Supply, hmmm.  I'll have to do some investigation.    I really want to be better prepared the next time.  Our daughter is still crying over our poor guy.  

As I recant what happened with him, I did notice gassy sounds from his stomach as he was drinking water from the syringe for me, and when I was giving him is butt bath, he was more subdued and did not jump around as much and try to lick himself as he normally did.  He even let out a little whimper at one point during the butt bath, but he didn't flinch or act like I hurt him.  I'm still feeling bad for him and going through all of the what-if situations.  I'm wondering if it was a hair ball.  Ever since we brought him in the house a few years ago, he's shed constantly.  I'm also thinking that maybe he got a hold of a stray poinsettia leaf during the day.  They were on tables that weren't on the floor and they were also on parts of the floor he hated to walk on (uncarpetted).

When I found him in the morning, his body was still limp, so he must have died shortly before I awoke.   

Anyway, sorry for rambling on here... I will try to find Dr. Feaga with the hope she can give me a crash course in emergency situations.

Thanks again!  Best,
  Terri

Answer
Terri,

How is everything with the new bunny going?

It was a traumatic event! You're not rambling. That's a terrible thing to go through.

I don't think it was a poinsetta that would have done this... that's usually accompanied by seizures.

In all honesty, given the onset and time frame, I really don't think there's anything you could have done. Even if you rushed him to the vet.

And for the meds, if not a Tractor Supply, any farm store close to you should have them. It's not a case of you need to buy them--they all have shelf lives--but just know which stores have what you need and when they're open.

Thank you for the great feedback!
Speak soon,
Karen