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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 DIET & CARE Wobbly, tipsy, drunken-sailor bunny

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    • ToffeeTouchstone
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        Hi, bunny friends: my bunny Toffee Touchstone went to bed behaving normally last night, but this morning as soon as I let him out of his rabbitat he was wobbling and listing to the right. Unfortunately, since it’s Sunday, the regular rabbit vets are all closed. I called the two emergency veterinaries in my area (Upstate New York) and neither care for rabbits. I called Cornell Veterinary College, and a student vet could see him today, but it’s a long drive and cars stress Toffee out. The student I talked to said since he’s eating and drinking some (not as much as normal); and since he peed this morning, ate some of his raspberry bum poops (with a steadying hand), and has pooped one pellet poop so far; then it’s probably okay if he waits to see his regular vet in the morning. But I could use any help/advice/reassurance you have in the meanwhile.

        Toffee is probably 8 months to a year old. I got him just over two and a half months ago from a family who didn’t let him out of his rabbitat very much (a Kaytee plastic-bottomed cage, about 4’x2′; they used wood chip bedding, I use CareFresh natural paper bedding and timothy hay), since their dog wanted to eat him. They got him from a pet store around Christmas. He’s either a Holland or mini lop; he weighs just over 4lbs, and has crooked upper incisors that he was just going to get trimmed at the vet for the second time tomorrow! He has a pretty good diet: he has access to timothy hay and a crock of clean water all the time, and loves his kale, bok choy, cilantro, parsley, endive, broccoli, and bananas and apples for treats. He’s also had access to a crock of alfalfa pellets at all times until very recently when I realized they were in fact alfalfa pellets and not timothy pellets; now I just leave them for him at night and when I’m not home until I can find some safe and healthy timothy pellets (which is a struggle right now — the bag I ordered from Amazon may contain peanuts and tree nuts, and I can’t have that around!). He has not been neutered — I was trying to wait until after the semester is over — and he has been spraying pee at me and attempting to eat my arms and feet a lot the lately. But when I took him for his first vet visit at the start of last month, the vet said he was a very healthy bunny, so I’m very worried about him today.

        He’s very wobbly and shaky on his paws, and struggling and failing to raise both forepaws to his face to wash. He has moved around, from the family room to the kitchen and into the bathroom where he’s decided to camp out now. He’s eaten maybe five stalks of cilantro and five stalks of parsley run through water to try to get some extra moisture in him. He drank a little bit of plain water, and ate a couple small strands of hay. He nibbled a microscopic bit off the banana I offered him and then wouldn’t touch it, even after I mashed it on my fingers (which really scares me — he loves bananas). I don’t have any access to the Oxbow Critical Care the Cornell student suggested I give him, since none of the pet shops in my area can stock it. He’s been sleeping a lot, which he sometimes does in the morning, mostly bunched up in his bolster-pillow position. He stretched out his right rear paw twice now to clean it, but this last time he stopped midway with his foot sticking out, sat there sleepily, and then finally tucked it back in to sleep some more. He’s been gritting his teeth on and off, but he does that usually, and again his incisors are getting long and need trimming again.

        Is there anything I should be doing for him? Should he be warmed, cooled? I have the heat on 66F and he’s decided to sleep on the cool hardwoods near the toilet in the bathroom; I know rabbits prefer 50F-70F. Last night he ate some carrot which he hasn’t eaten since he sampled some maybe two months ago, but other than that his diet has been normal until this morning, and as far as I know he hasn’t gotten into anything weird to eat. Any advice for me or hugs for both of us? — Gia

        UPDATE: Toffee seems to be struggling with his front right paw, and it looks like it might be swollen. Maybe he injured himself getting out of the rabbitat? Could this cause his wobbling and lack of appetite/poop?


      • tobyluv
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        3310 posts Send Private Message

          Before I read your update, I wondered if Toffee might have an ear infection. That can make rabbits wobbly. Neurological problems can also cause wobbliness.

          Have you examined the paw to see if there are any abrasions or any sign of an insect bite? Something that could explain the tenderness or swelling that you see in the paw. Lack of appetite could be caused by pain.

          It’s good that he is eating some food. In the absence of Critical Care, you can always mash up some pellets and combine them with water and put them in a plunger type syringe if you have one. Most rabbits don’t like to be force fed, and that mixture won’t be as smooth as Critical Care. But that is always an option if your rabbit isn’t eating. It’s easier to stick the syringe into the side of their mouth, so that you aren’t hitting their front teeth.

          Oxbow make good pellets. The adult pellets are timothy based. Oxbow can be found in Pet Smart or online at various places, such as Drs. Foster & Smith, and the BB store here.

          Maybe some other people here will have some better advice for you. It is very difficult to get treatment for rabbits on the weekend, when so many of the emergency clinics don’t see rabbits, or don’t really know how to treat them. Keep offering Toffee various food. The temperature in your home seems like it should be fine for him. Unless you see him shivering, I don’t think he needs any heat. Since he is so wobbly, you may want to restrict him to a smaller area, but don’t do that if it might stress him out.

          I hope that Toffee will be better soon.


        • ToffeeTouchstone
          Participant
          6 posts Send Private Message

            Posted By tobyluv on 4/26/2015 2:32 PM

            Before I read your update, I wondered if Toffee might have an ear infection. That can make rabbits wobbly. Neurological problems can also cause wobbliness.

            Have you examined the paw to see if there are any abrasions or any sign of an insect bite? Something that could explain the tenderness or swelling that you see in the paw. Lack of appetite could be caused by pain.

            It’s good that he is eating some food. In the absence of Critical Care, you can always mash up some pellets and combine them with water and put them in a plunger type syringe if you have one. Most rabbits don’t like to be force fed, and that mixture won’t be as smooth as Critical Care. But that is always an option if your rabbit isn’t eating. It’s easier to stick the syringe into the side of their mouth, so that you aren’t hitting their front teeth.

            Oxbow make good pellets. The adult pellets are timothy based. Oxbow can be found in Pet Smart or online at various places, such as Drs. Foster & Smith, and the BB store here.

            Maybe some other people here will have some better advice for you. It is very difficult to get treatment for rabbits on the weekend, when so many of the emergency clinics don’t see rabbits, or don’t really know how to treat them. Keep offering Toffee various food. The temperature in your home seems like it should be fine for him. Unless you see him shivering, I don’t think he needs any heat. Since he is so wobbly, you may want to restrict him to a smaller area, but don’t do that if it might stress him out.

            I hope that Toffee will be better soon.

            Thanks, tobyluv. I haven’t noticed anything obvious around his paw — he’s been keeping it pretty well hidden or wobbling away from me when I try to look or feel. I tried very gently touching his right front foot and comparing it to the left front foot while he was lying flopped on his right side, but then he freaked out and changed positions when I tried to touch his ankle — that might be the injured site, or it might be that he still doesn’t like any of his feet touched. I’ve blocked off some of his more precarious hidey-holes and I’m trying to discourage him from jumping onto the hearth, but he’s an adventurous rabbit. At least he’s accepting help down.

            He still hasn’t pooped or peed any more, but he’s eating soaked cilantro and parsley on and off when he’s awake, so I hope we won’t have to resort to syringe-feeding. He ate a bit of apple, but wouldn’t touch the part of the apple or the parsley I dipped in pineapple juice to see if that would help him poop. I talked to the Cornell student on call again and she said that if it’s an injury, he should be okay till he gets to his regular vet tomorrow even if he doesn’t poop until then; but if he poops and then stops eating, that’s a sign to take the trip down to bring him into the hospital. I just find it so frustrating that we live in a world where rabbits can’t see an emergency vet on a Sunday!

            Thanks for the pellet recommendation — I’ll have a look for the Oxbow.


          • Little Lion Head
            Participant
            1706 posts Send Private Message

              It sounds like you are doing what you can right now. It’s good to offer the soaked greens to get some moisture in. I was going to suggest the mashed up pellet mixture as well. If you do this try to find a small plunger/syringe to force feed. We had to force feed our first bunny a lot and it was usually two person job. You could also go out and get some baby food or organic canned pumpkin. Your bunny might actually eat this on his own or you can force feed it.

              Let us know how the vet goes!


            • ToffeeTouchstone
              Participant
              6 posts Send Private Message

                Thanks, Little Lion Head! He pooped a dozen big poops and probably two dozen tiny poops when he decided to take a tipsy wander this afternoon, and then ate some more soaked herbs. Still no pee, though. I do have some tinned pumpkin in the cupboard — that’s a good idea — but I’m guessing the little poops mean he mostly needs more hay fiber right now. I’m trying to offer him by hand different pieces of timothy to see what he’ll like — he ate several more strands but now he’s napping again. (Poor little guy! It’s going to be a long night for both of us.) I might need to give him water by syringe when he wakes up.

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            Forum DIET & CARE Wobbly, tipsy, drunken-sailor bunny