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Daughters rabbit

22 10:53:32

Question
We are keeping our daughters rabbit while they are on vacation. We noticed this afternoon that he has been laying around a lot and thought it was due to the hot weather. I found that some fur was loose and a large hole with worms in it was on his left hip.
What should I do to kill the worms?
Thanks

Answer
Hi Linda,

this is extremely serious.  Maggots are life-threatening to rabbits.  You need to get this rabbit to his regular vet, or an emergency vet as soon as physically possible.  The wound has to be thoroughly cleaned out by the vet, probably under anesthesia.  don't wait, rabbits lose energy to deal with being under gas/operated on.  Call your emergency vet that you are coming in with an ill rabbit with maggots in his left hip.

Again, this is an extremely serious condition and he has had it for awhile.  You just noticed it because he finally couldn't mask/hide the fact it's been bothering him and causing him to act different.  Rabbits' sicknesses are always more serious than dogs and cats, because as prey animals, they instinctively try to mask pain/illness/injury from predators and so when you finally start to see it, it really is more advanced and dangerous than you might think.  I know he's not your rabbit, I just provide this info to you because you should know just how serious it is.

Get to an emergency vet immediately.

You will also need to get rid of all his old bedding and clean the cage and litterbox with lots of vinegar and throw out anything that can be replaced.  You don't want stray maggots anywhere near him.  He should be kept inside and in a fly-free, air conditioned room (if no A/C the coolest room in the house without insects).  His litter should be replaced daily.

Lee