my 3 yr. old son caught a...

Question
my 3 yr. old son caught a rabbit and asked if he could keep it.we found out it was a neighbors who just didnt care,(what a shame).i dont know the age,but it is half black and half white.it seems healthy and very friendly.when we took it in ,about 2 weeks now, it had a crusty nose and crust around each eye,the eyes seem to be getting worse,its loosing more fur. is this a serious problem? also it likes to eat dog food,is that ok?.  we feed it carrots,grass, lettuce,which it eats,but still keeps drinking and eating out of the dog dishes.it eats alot! thanks for your help,michele

Answer
Yes, he does have a problem, if you can get him to a rabbit knowledgeable vet they could determine the issue and the right antibiotic that is needed.  There is a list at http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/PB_vets.html

It sounds like he has a nasal or other sort of infection.

And no, he shouldn't eat the dog food, if he does, take it away from him.  He should just eat rabbit pellets, hay, and other veggies from this list - http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

If you could have him drink out of his own water dish or bottle that would help also so the dog and the rabbit don't pass germs back and forth.

Good luck and thanks for taking him in.

Kim