Dexter choked!!! Vet appt. tomorrow AM

[mrmac]

Hi all. I know I haven’t been on much recently but I know I can always come to BB when I need it!

New years eve my husband and I went out and came home, fed the bunnies, and later I went to go give them their bedtime treat. Their normal routine. I went to see them and Dennis ran up to the pen door as usual for attention but Dexter was not right, Something was VERY VERY wrong. He was, I think, choking. He had his head straight up in the air, his face was covered in snot, mouth hanging open, a horrible sight. I ran him upstairs to the bathroom, and syringed out his mouth and throat, wiped all the snot and slime off and called and emergency vet. Neither of us were in a position to go anywhere. I sat with him in the steamy bathroom for a while, per their recommendation (I was already one step ahead of them with the syringe), and tried to keep his face and airway clear. He slowly started to relax, his breathing started to even out and he wasn’t gasping or struggling anymore. He kept getting better. After a few steam sessions, it was 6 am at this point, I brought a carrier up and put him in the bedroom for the night. I got him to drink some water from the syringe and decided it was time for bed. All that water had really went through him and when I picked him up I apparently hit his bladder and he peed all over me and the rug. I sat him in the dog bed in the bathroom while I cleaned the rug and picked him up to go to bed only to find he had peed in the dog bed too. After cleaning that we finally went to bed and he slept. He is still acting a bit off today, refusing food or water. I do think he ate a few pellets earlier and I got him to eat a crasin last night. He just wants to be left alone. Doesn’t want touched or messed with or he moves or runs away. He is peeing, I have seen him go a few times today, not sure on the poop though. He has an appointment first thing in the morning. Poor Dennis (his buddy) knows something is up and also didn’t eat all his pellets tonight, which is odd for him. Dennis is just acting a bit off, he knows something is wrong. I am hoping I don’t have to put him to sleep tomorrow but I just have to wait and see. Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. I just don’t know what else they could do for him, besides some fluids, that I haven’t already done. Any thoughts or advice is welcome, I’ve never ahd to deal with anything like this with any of my bunnies! I just hope he pulls through this.

[Quantum]

How scary that must have been!  Dexter’s very lucky to have someone who knew what to do and that you were able to get his airway clear.  I’m so sorry that you and Dexter had to go through something like that.  It sounds like he ate a little something though, and that’s always a good sign.  It’s possible he has the snuffles and that’s something that can be treated with antibiotics–has he been sneezing as well?  Is your vet knowledgable about buns?  If not, you may want to print out the rabbit-safe antibiotics page from the House Rabbit Society which you can find here.

Thinking about you and Dexter and hoping for a quick and easy diagnosis…

[mrmac]

We just moved so I am having to find a new vet. The vet I am taking him to tomorrow specializes in exotics and rabbits. He has not been sneezing, just the choking incident. I just got him to eat a piece of hay. It was only one piece but it is something.

[Quantum]

Poor guy! Continuing to send good vibes to you all.

[MimzMum]

He’ll need covering antibiotics and possibly metacam to reduce swelling in the airways. Good thing you have an appointment tomorrow, he definitely needs to be seen.

Had he been eating pellets?

[Monkeybun]

Poor little man Sending good vibes your way!

[peppypoo]

Oh no, poor Dexter! My thoughts are with you all. Props on your clear-headed emergency thinking, and for scheduling a vet appointment right away!

[BinkyBunny]

Ugh…that is scary! I have heard of incidents like this happening before to other, but I have never experienced this first hand. I have heard many different reasons for something like this happening, something simple as food getting stuck, or tooth problems, or some sort of illness that contributes. Dexter is very lucky to have you take such good care of him. I am sure that episode scared him and that the stress probably caused him to shy away and not want to eat or drink. It’s great that you were able to find a exotic vet that sees rabbits. Let us know how that goes.

Sending healing and recovery vibes for Dexter!

[mrmac]

I assume it was the pellets because it was the only thing he had been eating and when I was suctioning his throat and mouth out mixed in with some of the mucus it looked like little flecks of dissolved pellet. He just seems weak and exhausted, I can’t blame him for being standoffish after the whole ordeal.

[jerseygirl]

{{{{{Dexter}}}}}

[LittlePuffyTail]

Poor Dexter. I hope he feels better very soon. Please update with what the vet says.

Bindi had choking episodes similar (though not as severe, it sounds) with pellets. He eats them like a piggy and doesn’t chew them properly. The last episode lasted about 5 minutes and he was open-mouthed gagging, drooling and visibly swallowing really hard. Scariest 5 minutes of my life. He was fine when he worked it down, just a bit shook up. I now feed his pellets wet with warm water so this doesn’t happen again. Maybe that’s something you might want to do from now on. Is Dexter a pellet piggy? Bindi eats them so fast, in a total panic, like they are gonna disappear. When you think about the size of the pellets, if they swallow one hole, that can be a pretty bad obstruction.

(((((Feel better little Dexter))))

[Sarita]

How scary – sending vibes – please keep us updated.

[mrmac]

We are back from the vet. I took Dennis with just for comfort and if something bad needed to happen he was there. They listened to Dennis’ breathing and Dexter’s is still a little labored, he likely aspirated something. They gave me some antibiotics, gut motility meds and some pain meds. They prescribed me baytril, rimadyl, propulsid, and probios. He said he also is starting to get some little points on his bottom teeth that at some point may need to be ground down but for now it should be ok as long as he is eating.

[Sarita]

More vibes to Dexter. Did the vet think the cause was the teeth or an upper respiratory problem?

[mrmac]

He thought it was the choking thing. He said the teeth didn’t seem bad at all just the start of them.

[LittlePuffyTail]

How is Dexter doing today?

[mrmac]

He’s doing ok. Still pretty standoffish. Still not really eating. I’m just hoping this medicine makes him feel better.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Me too. (((((Dexter)))))

[MimzMum]

The chief concern about aspiration of any food is pneumonia. Did the vet get a good listen to his lungs or take an xray?
On my wanderings on the web I am seeing a scary amount of pellet related chokings. I’m not sure if it’s just the size and shape of pellets or something going wrong with the feed going into them. Often it’s a bun who likes to quaff his food but not always.
Even if the teeth aren’t a major concern it’ll be a good idea to get them whittled down. Once Dexter is through this crisis and back to his old self perhaps speak to your vet about a dental. A GA is too dangerous if his lungs are still compromised.
Poor bub. And I can only imagine how terrifying this was for you. You reacted very well, I would’ve been a nervous wreck and probably still would be had that happened to one of mine.
I hope Dexter feels better soon. (((((((((Huge hugs)))))))))))) for both of you.

[Sarita]

More vibes to Dexter.

[mrmac]

Oh no, his teeth cannot be done yet. It was good I brought Dennis with because he was able to listen to him and then listen to Dexter. Dexter sounded rough and labored still so he thought he did aspirate something. He does well getting his medicine, and is on the antibiotic to prevent pneumonia. It was scary at first but, I am pretty good at vet/medical things. After the initial “OH GOD! SOMETHING IS VERY VERY WRONG!” it kind of just kicked in, ok get his airway clear and now!

[MimzMum]

Continuing to think of Dexter and sending healing vibes.

[mrmac]

Thanks! It’s so very appreciated

[mrmac]

He is still not back to normal! I went and bought some critical care last week and have been trying to give him that but at a certain point he just starts spitting it out. He still just isn’t eating on his own (that I’m seeing) and is not really excited about food like he used to be. He has lost quite a bit of weight. Towards the end of last week, I went downstairs to check on him and his eyes were clear, perky ears and he had some of his personality back. He took a treat, willingly, from me a couple days ago which was a big step and he is moving around quite a bit more. He is still getting his medicine and even took a couple pieces of hay from me after, one morning. I just don’t know what else could possibly be done for him. He is slowly making VERY small milestones. Dennis has finally started approaching Dexter and they have been laying together again. I’ve even seen Dex groom Dennis a bit. It is still very day by day.

[MimzMum]

Do you think perhaps he needs to be seen by the vet again? I wonder if there was some damage to the esophagus or windpipe that may have been missed?

I’m supposing that it was equally traumatic for him to choke and perhaps a bit of his bunny confidence has been lost. I know this was the case with Mimzy and his head tilt. For a long time he wouldn’t even move about because you could see he was afraid he’d start rolling.

Or there may have been an underlying health concern that the choking was a result of. If he’s losing weight I would have him seen again. Perhaps a different or additional antibiotic needs to be prescribed.

More vibes for Dexter. I’ll keep him in my prayers. (((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m sorry he’s not back to himself yet. I think if it was my bun, I would go back to the vet. Strange situation. (((((Feel Better, Dexter)))))

[mrmac]

Yes I am planning on taking him to his follow up appointment after his medicine is done, as the vet recommended if he wasn’t back to his normal self. It is a little hard to see such a food motivated boy so uninterested. I think he is nervous to eat, I’m sure it was traumatic. He is taking small bits of soft hay and an occasional treat, but may not finish it. It still isn’t enough food though.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Are you giving Critical Care? Have you tried wetting his pellets with warm water?

[mrmac]

I am giving him critical care. It just seems like so much though. There is no way he will eat even the recommended 3 tbs per pound of weight. He will barely eat one tablespoon of the slurry a day.

[jerseygirl]

More {{{vibes}}}. How is he doing?

I hope you’ve been able to revisit the vet. Like MimzMum said, aspiration and consequent infection can be a concern with choking episodes.

Really hope he improves so you can get his teeth done soon too. Even little points can be enough to cause issues for some rabbits.

[MimzMum]

I’m also hoping for a good update on Dexter. And although there is a recommended amount for slurries, I’d say anything you can get him to eat at this point is a plus.
Does he show interest in veggies at all? Any favorite herbs?
((((((((((((((((((((((((more vibes for Dex)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

[BinkyBunny]

I sure hope he his recovering and doing better! How’s he doing?

[mrmac]

His medicine ended this week. He is back to his normal self. Gets excited for pellets, still a little picky with treats but back to normal. I am going to give him a little bit more time to see how he does and then see if we need to go back to the vet. Thanks for thinking about him!

[MimzMum]

Oh that’s good news!
I hope he stays well now. Please give him snuggles from me.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yay, glad to hear it!

[mrmac]

Thank you for thinking about him! He is back to chasing Dennis when there is food around.

[Author]

Messages