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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
› Forum › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › My roommate left her rabbit behind in bad shape, need some help getting her back to good health!!!
About a week ago my roommate moved out of our house on very short notice and left her bunny behind. Her cage was filthy and I couldn’t find any bedding, so I went and bought some and cleaned out her cage really well. I noticed when I picked up the bunny to put her back into her cage that the fur on her underside and back feet was matted really badly from walking around in her own filth. So I put her in an epsom salt soak, which softened the feces on her fur enough to gently comb it out a bit. This revealed open sores on her feet underneath the matted fur. So I put neosporin on the wounds, and repeated this process daily. The feces/matting is now completely removed, but she still has the sores. I have read that sores on the underside of a bunny can take some time to heal, so I’ve been soaking her in epsom salt daily for about a 10 minute period, followed by putting neosporin on her. 2 days ago I thought it might help to bandage her feet so the neosporin would stay on longer. I left the bandages overnight with plans to remove them in the morning, only to find in the morning that she had CHEWED OFF HER TAIL. I searched online to find that rabbits typically only self-mutilate under high stress situations, which makes sense due to the filthy conditions she had been in on top of being in pain. I just hope that it wasn’t because I bandaged her feet! On top of all of this other stuff, she is very underweight. I can feel her spine as well as her hip bones. I went out today and bought some alfalfa and put a large handful in her cage, which she has been nibbling on here and there. This poor bunny’s condition absolutely breaks my heart and I want to rehabilitate her as soon as possible so she can be a happy, healthy bunny again! One last thing, she doesn’t seem to be terribly miserable other than chewing off her tail. Last night I took her out and brought her into my room, where she laid next to me on my bed and just let me pet her for like an hour. Seems like she just needs a little love. Anyway, does anyone have any other suggestions of other things I should be doing, or anything I should be doing differently than what I’m doing now?! Any help would be hugely appreciated!
You have to take her to a vet, ASAP. Open sores on her hocks need medical attention beyond what you can do at home, the chewed off tail is even worse, she HAS to be looked at by a professional right away.
Go here to find a rabbit savvy vet in your area:
http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html
If you have an emergency vet nearby, take her there if a rabbit vet can’t see her now.
Please don’t wait any longer, she needs medical attention.
I agree with Hazel – she needs to be taken to a vet now. If you are worried about money I would explain to the vet that it is an abandoned animal and not yours and that you are just trying to do the right thing – hopefully that will make them sympathetic to what you are doing.
Take her to the vet. This second. Please don’t wait.
After that, if you don’t plan on keeping her, I would start calling around to see if their is a local rabbit rescue. A lot of them take in sanctuary buns and will give them permanent foster homes. And if you do plan on keeping her it might be a good idea to still locate a rabbit rescue since they are usually full of advice and support – as is the BinkyBunny community!
Thanks for being concerned enough to take in this poor little bun and seek out help and advice. Breaks my heart and I’m not even involved! You’re a good person.
Huge Hugs Kristin, Thank heavens she left the bunny behind who knows what it’s fate may have been if she had taken the bun with her and coontinued to leave it in these appalling conditions. I agree with the others, get the bun to a vet as soon as possible. You are wonderful to care, a lot of people would have put the rabbit out rather than care for it.
Also check out the care and diet list. I’m guessing the bun wasn’t fed properly either. S/he will need hay (unlimited) good plain pellets (oxbow) and a small serving of mixed greens (no iceberg lettuce, avacado or potato, they’re toxic and bad for their tummies) Mint is good for digestion, cilantro, parsley, bok choy, fennel, basil, dandelion greens all sorts of dark leafy greens. There are loads of links on the Binky Bunny home page that will show you habitat, behavior, grooming, diet needs etc.
Just FYI, when you use Neosporin make sure it isn’t the “plus pain relief” variety. It can send rabbits into cardiac arrest. Normal Neosporin is the way to go.
I’m sorry that you’re having to deal with this. The poor rabbit too. I wish there were more individuals like you and less like your old roommate. Some people really need to extend their sphere of who deserves compassion and kindness. Good luck. Please keep us updated, even if she passes away. Thank you for all you’re doing for the rabbit.
Welcome!! How terrible of your roommate, and how kind and gracious of you to help this bunny.
I would strongly encourage you to get her to the vet =open sores and this tail issue could become deadly quickly. Rabbits are very fragile and even a small issue can be fatal. I think it’s best if you see a vet.
Now that’s going to require some phoning around-not all vets see rabbits. If the clinic you phone doesn’t, ask for a recommendation. When you bring the rabbit in to the clinic, mention it’s not your rabbit and they may give you a discount on treatment.
I would also encourage you to contact the local animal authorities or police and lodge an animal welfare claim against your former roommate. Allowing an animal to suffer is illegal in almost all countries, states etc. I’m certain any vet you go to will help you connect with whomever you need to press charges. I would strongly advise that you do, at least so that she thinks twice next time or perhaps is not legally allowed to own pets in future.
Welcome and kudos, and please keep us posted on this little one’s progress.
Thank you all so much for your advice. I will not be able to get her in tomorrow, obviously, but I’ll see what I can do about getting her in to see a vet Friday. Money is an issue because I’m a college student so hopefully they will be sympathetic, but if not I’m willing to pay what I can given my financial situation. I’d really like to make her my own pet once she gets better. Roberta, I have been feeding her the alfalfa combined with timothy hay, giving her rabbit pellets, and feeding her occasional treats of carrots and apples. I will be sure to include some fresh greens next time I feed her. Equalsign, it is normal Neosporin, thankfully. I had no idea that the pain relief kind could do that, so thanks for the info!!! I’ll be sure to keep you all updated. I put more Neosporin on her just a short while ago, and she seems to be getting better. Her tail looks painful, but better than it did last night, and her feet are looking better and better each day. Hopefully I can get her into the vet Friday or Monday and they can help her with the pain and all of that.
So terrible. : (. Thank you for all you are trying to do. Sending some {{{healing vibes}}} for the little bun.
I have to echo the suggestion to report the room mate.
Sounds like you are giving her excellent care.. If she is not used to greens be sure to introduce them slowly and one at a time so if she gets an upset tummy you know which veg is the culrpit and can restrict it. As to vets it might pay to contact some of the rescue’s in your area, explain that you are keeping the little bun but want to get urgent treatment. They may be able to recommend a vet close to you that has reasonable rates or will give discounts for a welfare situation.
Just wondering…There is no chance that your ex roomie may return at some stage and try to reclaim the bun is there ? It might be an idea to change a few locks. You can save money by just changing the inner chamber not the whole lock. If by some remote chance she does come back I would tell her you sent the bun to a rescue and gave them the cage or some similar story. Or did she make it very clear she was leaving the bun and not taking it with her ? Either way the bun is yours now so I agree with the others about making a report just in case.
That poor little bunny! How awful for someone to treat her like that! Thank you for helping her. Please keep us updated on the vet visit.
((((((Get Well Bunny))))))
Oh wow! I’m so glad that person left her behind and you are going to be giving her some much needed TLC.
I don’t know if I’d recommend any kind of bedding right now because that can be irritating. Can you give her some clean, soft fleece blankets and replace them each day?
Oh my, lucky she has you know. I would be worry about the wounds – it could become a sore hock (or an infection) but now that she has clean living quarters this will help alot.
Sometimes rabbits chew on themselves when they have nerve damage so that may be the case with the tale.
Please keep us updated.
She is so lucky to have someone to take care of her. I would try really hard to get her in on Friday. Rabbits are very good at hiding the pain that they are in, and when they are hurt, you don’t always have much time. I would not wait the weekend to get her in (like others have said, try to find an emergency vet if you cannot get an appointment for Friday). Good luck, hugs to you and bunny.
Oh my goodness, I just found the entry. I am so sorry that you found the bun in such poor condition but glad you are there taking care of this little guy (or gal) Sending healing thoughts to your new bun.
I second the emergency vet if you can’t get an appointment for Friday. I hope he makes a speedy recovery…and I also would consider changing locks and reporting your former roommate.
I commend you for taking on this poor lil furball and all of his health problems. I know he appreciates what you are doing for him.
((healing thoughts))
Just want to send some healing vibes and some thanks for taking this little girl. It’s amazing to know there are still good people out there, like yourself, willing to help animals who are stuck in such terrible situations.
Hey all, sorry for the delay in an update! Just thought you should all know that Delilah is still doing well. I was able to get her to the vet this past Friday, who gave me antibiotics for her and told me basically what you have all said: make sure she is getting the right nutrition, keep her in a clean environment, continue soaking/applying Neosporin. Her feet and belly seem to be healed, and it even looks like fur is growing back! The only sore left on her is her tail, which also seems to be looking better by the day. Before, she was spending most of her time in her litter box. I assume this is because it was the softest on her feet. Now she is moving around her cage much more. She is still very social and will now run to the side of her cage for attention when she hears me coming. I am SO excited that she is doing better and that it seems she will make a full recovery! I will keep you all updated as her tail (hopefully!) continues to heal and as she (again, hopefully!) starts to gain back the weight that she should. I appreciate all of your help and advice that went into my mission to help her!
Wonderful news Kristin, I have been thinking about her and how you both were doing. We’d love some pics of beautiful Delilah
I’d be happy to post some if you can tell me how! I tried to look the other day in my downtime at work, but I couldn’t seem to find where to do so.
If you look at the bottom under the posts before the quick reply you’ll see a reply tab with a green circle and plus sign, if you click on that you’ll get the reply box with the photo upload tools underneath. I’ll get you the step by step from the tech forum.
Here it is… It’s got pics to so it makes it easier to follow. https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/120334/Default.aspx
Well I figured out how, but the file size is too big because the pictures were taken by my HD camera. No pics tonight, but I’ll borrow my neighbor’s regular camera tomorrow and get some good pictures of her!
You can reduce the size of your pics using the paint accessorie on your computer too, or photobucket also has a feature that works very nicely.
Ideal size is about 400×600, generally one of the default settings on sites and computers. Check your camera settings too, as it is the optimum size for printing and emails it should have that option available on the actual camera. Most people simply do not realise it’s there. When I first started taking digital photo’s I spent ages trying to figure out how to reduce uploaded pics that were so big you’d need half a dozen A3 sheets to print them.
Thank you, Roberta, for helping me upload a picture! This is all I have as of right now, it’s a picture I took today. I know I have a million of her when she was healthy because I used her for a photography project I did at the beginning of Summer. I just can’t find them right now. But this is what I mean when I say that she runs to the side of her cage for attention when she hears me coming. So cute, isn’t she?
Or maybe not…. I’ll keep trying =/
You’ll get there. The first few times I managed to load the pic and then deleted it when I hit enter to move the cursor.
taking more pictures on a reduced resolution setting should fix that problem. (I think??????)
There we go! Hopefully this works. Same picture I tried to upload last night, but it’s the best I have right now.
She is absolutely gorgeous!! I cannot believe someone would leave her in such a state, it is really upsetting and I am sorry for you too, to have to see that. But also, I am very glad she left her behind because now she has a loving Mum and goodness knows what state she would be in if your roommate took her.
If this happened to me (I’m in the UK), I would immediately have reported your roommate to the RSPCA, whether we were friends or not because that is just unacceptable. They would then hopefully prevent the roommate from having pets like the little bun again.
Well done for being so caring! That little bunny is extremely lucky to have someone like you and I wish you the best with her
I have been thinking about her as well and hoping she was doing better and so glad she is. I know she is in very good hands. Again, thank you.
She is such a pretty little girl. I just wanna snuggle her!
Delilah is simply gorgeous. So glad she has a new bunny mummy that loves her.
What a beautiful girl!!!! I’m so happy she has you now. All bunnies deserve love and kindness.
Wow. She is REALLY gorgeous!!!
She must be quite happy to have someone who cares now!
Shes such a beautiful bunny! It’s so horrible that it got treated like that…
I’m very glad shes found you too!
WOW What a looker!! I’m glad you got the photos figured out-she’s so cute!!
She’s lucky she found you!
That is the most gorgeous rabbit i have ever seen. I think my breath actually caught in my throat
You guys are so great! All of the “pretty bunny” and “she’s so lucky to have you” comments make me such a proud bunny mom. I found this community by chance, but I’m so glad I did.
She looks like an English Spot mix breed, FYI. My rabbit Daphne looks like yours. You can’t really see it, but she has similar markings on her back.
Awwww she does look like yours, equalsign! I didn’t know what she was. I went to my roommate to get her from a farm that said they ate the bunnies they didn’t sell and my roomie just HAD to save her. Unfortunately she kept the bun in her room and apparently didn’t “save her” very well. Your Daphne is gorgeous.
Thanks! I found a better pic:
Her black is actually very deep like Delilah’s. My cell phone’s camera washes out the colors pretty badly.
Aww, she’s gorgeous!
I agree, it’s pretty ironic that your roommate saved her from getting eaten and then neglected her so badly. I assume she didn’t get her fixed either? Do you know?
She’s so lucky to have you, thank you for being so great with her
Oh my GOODNESS! What a beautiful bun! I’m so thankful you found her and are looking after her so well!
Oh wow, she REALLY does look just like her. And no, my roommate never got her fixed..
› Forum › HOUSE RABBIT Q & A › My roommate left her rabbit behind in bad shape, need some help getting her back to good health!!!