Should I take Rufus to a vet?

[BLovesBunnies]

Hi everyone, I’ve just joined BB because I have a question about my bunny to other fellow bunny lovers.

My bunny is about 4 years old and i’m not quite sure on it’s breed but i’m trying to find that out.

My question however is not about his breed, yesterday my rooster bit him in the ear and it gave him a nice scratch, it was red and warm at first and it bled a little bit but the bleeding stopped quickly.

I cleansed his wound with a saline water solution and that was it for the day, I called a vet clinic and asked if it was normal that the inside of his ear was warm and red and the lady told me that it was most likely due to the newly inflicted wound.

That made me feel more calm, but today I was checking on his ears and its left ear is still pretty red and warm, the other ear isn’t red inside its white and the normal temperature.

He also doesn’t put his wounded ear up (he usually has both ears up unless he’s relaxing) even if he is startled by some sound, he only lifts his right one.

I cleaned it again this time with more water than salt and mushed some garlic and rubbed it lightly on his wound to avoid bacterial infection.

My biggest fear is that he might die from a fever or infection, this has never happened to me before and I’m wondering if it is normal for him to still have his ear warm and red (it’s not blood red but it is noticeably inflamed), when should I worry? He still eats and behaves normally from what I’ve observed, but I can see the ear hurts him a little, otherwise he would lift it right? 

The reason I haven’t gone to a vet yet is because I don’t have money at the moment, it’s very hard for me to not take him to a vet immeadiatly (i’m usually the one who’s at the vet for the most ridiculous reasons) but I really can’t afford it..

If you think I should worry then I’ll borrow money from a friend or family…but for now I want to know what I can do.

[Bam]

Don’t rub garlic on it. Clean it with a little soap and water and rinse it. Pat it dry with a clean towel. Do it very gently.

Signs of infection are redness, swolleness, moisture (liquid or pus leaking from the wound). Generally wounds on the outer ear heal well but there may be scarring.
You can put neosporin ointment on the wound, plain neosporin not the kind with painkiller.

[BLovesBunnies]

What exactly is neosporin? I don’t have that where I live but I’ve seen it get mentioned before.

I shouldn’t put garlic? I already did it once do you think it will be harmful?? i won’t do it anymore thought…

I’ll try to clean it again with a bit of soap and water, thank you for your reply!

It isn’t oozing any pus or anything but it is red and warm…how long should I wait before I take him to the vet? 

(sorry if i come off as annoying I’m just really concerned)

[BLovesBunnies]

also the wound is not on the outer side of the ear it is inside! 

Not really near the ear canal but more on the tip of the ear…maybe I should take him to the vet?….I can’t afford it

[Bam]

By outer ear I mean the whole soft floppy part of the ear as opposed to the parts that you don’t see, that are inside the head.
I’d say if you don’t see any improvement for 24 hours, contact a vet. It’s rather normal for redness and warmth to occur after a wound because the body sends an army of white blood cells etc via the blood in order to help heal the wound.

Neosporin is an antibiotic ointment that you don’t need a prescription for. I looked it up and it seems you can get it at Walmart, it seems to cost like 4,17 dollars. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Neosporin-Antibiotic-Ointment-Original-1oz/10294303

It’s very good for small wounds. Remember you want the original Neosporin, not the kind that has a pain-killer.

Also, if you could get us a picture of the wounded ear, it would be helpful. 

[BLovesBunnies]

Once again where I live there is no Walmart either… I’m not in the usa I live in Portugal, Europe, I need to check what is neosporin made of maybe there’s something similar here..

I’ll try to post a picture tomorrow, he doesn’t really like being handled at night time and I’m trying to keep him as relaxed as possible.

Thank you for your help and I’ll reply again tomorrow with a picture maybe that will help you helping me, I hope he gets better quick..

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yes I would get some neosporin or polysporin-its a topical cream. However if it’s red and warm, that sounds like an infection. If you usually go to the vet, you should have a relationship with one-can you call your vet and just ask them to phone a prescription for you? This doesn’t sound like it absolutely must be seen-perhaps they can just prescribe you some vet strength cream & antibiotics?

[BLovesBunnies]

He doesnt have a usual vet, there was a “trend” here where most vets had a bunny savvy vet and i had a really good one where i neutered Rufus and gave him is shots, but that was a while ago (nearly 2 years ago) yesterday i made the terrible discovery that the “trend” has passed and the closest bunny savvy vet i’ve Found is an hour drive away, i called them and she told me that they couldnt do much without seeing him and that a Check up would be 45€ (50 dollars maybe?) without the costs of whatever medicine it might need, i explained my financial situation but still no help from them, when i arrive home i’ll post a pic of his wounds, but yeah i guess my main worry right now is getting the money to take him to the vet. Im so nervous, he started tilting his head to the left its very subtle but i can notice it… I’m feeling so bad.. I hope he makes it till i can take him to a vet

[Bam]

Neosporin is an ointment with neomycin and polymyxin B Sulfate. If you go to a pharmacy and say neomycin and polymyxin B, write it down for them if you have to, I’m sure they can find an equivalent antibiotic ointment for you. If not, try Fucidin. It’s also an antibiotic ointment that’s bunny safe and I think it’s available in most places in the world. My brother has bought meds in Spain with no problem, he just knew the names of the active substances in English.
I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were not in the USA.

If the infection doesn’t subside you need to take your bunny to a vet so the infection doesn’t spread. But I know you know this. Get us a photo if you can.

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