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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.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Warm Compress and Flushing a Wound

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    • BunnyBeth
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        I have the squirmiest rabbit in the world. Vets can’t even get him into a bunny burrito. He very effectively gets his feet under his chin and then shimmies backward until you have to push the towel back until you see his face. At which point he launches himself out of the towel.

        He also has a facial abscess the vet opened up and she wants me to put a warm compress on it and flush it with warm water twice a day.

        Everything else I’ve been able to do with out burrito-ing him. He gets his shots and oral meds through trickery and snuggles. But he won’t let me touch his chin ever, and now it’s especially tender, so I figured restraint might be the only way to hold a warm cloth to his sore chin for several minutes in a row. After three tries I got him into it, it lasted 30 seconds and then he got out. I fed him little teesy pieces of raisin the entire time and used the clicker, which he knows means “Good job! Treat time!” and that was the closest I could get. I didn’t get near being able to insert a syringe and pump his wound full of warm water.

        Does anyone have any tips or tricks for dealing with an especially squirmy rabbit? I live alone, so an extra pair of hands it not an option.


      • Megabunny
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          Sorry no one’s had an answer. That’s tough. I always kneel on the floor with my guys and then they can only back into your, um, V in your legs. Some animals are better with least restraint but for a sensitive chin it probably won’t work. Sorry. Sounds like you’re trying everything


        • Megabunny
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            How’s the abscess ?


          • Kokaneeandkahlua
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              You know what, if your vet can’t restrain him I doubt you can. I would phone the vet and discuss-how crucial is this compress. I’m not sure a compress is crucial (like meds would be) so upsetting your bunny may not be worth it-especially if you can’t get hte compress done even after a bunny rodeo.
              Your vet knows your bunny is hard to handle-discuss and see if they can suggest anything you could do to help which doesn’t involve a struggle.

              As an aside-for a long term goal, get a clicker and some yummy treats and start teaching your bunny to be held Will make the next vet issue easier


            • BunnyBeth
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                Thanks for the support and advice guys.

                The abscess is gnarly. It’s very large right now, though I think some of that is swelling from having it cut open again.

                So, yesterday we managed to hold the compress on for about a minute and I squirted some water on it. Today he avoided me when he saw the towel come out but I got him wrapped up and flipped before he could get out, he only escaped once. I was able to keep hold on him by putting him on his back, cradled in my lap against my chest with my arm on his belly between his hind legs and my hand on his chest with two fingers going between his front legs and then wrapping around his shoulders and the others spreading out on his sides (we ended up in this position because the towel gradually slipped off).

                He had the compress on for several minutes, I was able to use some gauze to remove the scab and used almost all the water I had preloaded into the syringe. So, this might be doable. I think I will still call the vet though because it’s so stressful for him. Also, he got soaked by the flushing process, which, while I’m sure it isn’t lastingly harmful since he’s cleaning himself up right now, does not make him a happy camper. And I don’t have enough hands to restrain him, flush and daub at the same time.

                On the plus side, he doesn’t hump Betty (his brother) nearly as much when he’s all freaked out, so it’s helping with bonding.

                Oh, that’s great advice Kokaneeandkahlua. He’s actually really good at being held. I can scoop him up hand on either side or one arm underneath & cradled against the chest fairly easily. Part of this has been clicker training (we’ve been doing just that for a couple weeks now), part of it’s because they live in a split level home so whoever’s on top for the week can only come out by being picked up. They don’t love it but I think they do fairly well. The vet who neutered them said they were really social rabbits. He just knows the difference between being picked up to be moved and being held down for uncomfortable experiences.

                The other thing I’ve been doing is laying out the towel of doom on the floor for play time and sprinkling part of their ration of pellets onto it. That way they associate the towel with running and playing and eating and don’t run the second they see it.

                Anyway, thanks for the advice. I really will call the vet because this is pretty traumatic for him and me both!


              • Megabunny
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                  I know you wouldn’t want him to ingest hydrogen peroxide, but that would be a good thing for getting the scab off and delaying it from sealing over. Obviously it would be hard in his case to use it as the flushing medium, though I saw that used in cats and dogs all the time and it’s good for keeping things open and draining


                • BunnyBeth
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                    Yeah, I think I’d be more willing to try that if it wasn’t right on his mouth.


                  • Megabunny
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                      Oh darn. I’d hoped it was further back under his chin/neck. Poor thing!!

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                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Warm Compress and Flushing a Wound