Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

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.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Help! My poor bun just has one problem after another lately :'(

Viewing 17 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Unlucky Bunny
      Participant
      7 posts Send Private Message

        I’m really sorry to make my first post an emotional wall of text like this, but I’ve got no one else really to tell about, certainly no one who “gets” the rabbit-owning thing. 

        It all started when we noticed Rorschach had some eye goobers, we cleaned her up, and for a few weeks, that seemed like the end of it. Then it came back even more, and the fur around one eye was thinning. On closer inspection, there was flaky skin on her shoulders, but only there and with no sign of mites.

        We took her to the vet. The vet determined it was Pasteurella, and asked if I had other rabbits or if she spent a lot of time outside. We don’t, and she doesn’t. (It was later discovered to have come from a stupid mouse that’s been living in our boiler room and was eating her hay and stuff at night. Her cage etc has been moved somewhere non-mouse-accessible while we work on her infection and our infestation.) The vet said the flaky skin was probably a side-effect of the eye infection, and if it wasn’t we’ll give her something for that after she’s got a handle on her main issue, said eye infection. Started her on ointment and oral antibiotics. Rorschach hated the ointment and did everything she could to get it off, ended up rubbing off more fur from her face. She was switched to eyedrops, and after a week, taken off the oral for a while to give her gut-bacteria a break. 

        She seemed stable for a few days, then suddenly (just after starting her second course of oral antibiotics, so this is three weeks in now) took a turn for the worse: scabs forming at the corners of her mouth. And very fast, too: she gets her oral dose in the morning and night. In the morning she was ok, that night I put a finger under her chin and felt something hard…on inspection, scary-looking dark scabs!

        Back to the vet for a third time the next morning, barely two days after her last visit. The vet verified my thinking that the bacteria in the eye infection had spread to the lips through grooming, but also because the sterile-saline solution I’d been trying to use to clean the discharge from her eyes was wrong for her skin PH, and the more acidic environment favoured the bacteria. I stopped that obviously, about two days ago now. He gave me some gauzes and stuff to use with warm water to clean her face properly. 

        And then today…because her mouth hurts, she’s not cleaning herself properly these last few days, especially after going to the bathroom. So some pee dried on her feet and the insides of her legs, and started causing skin problems down there too–on top of the fur on her face still falling, and some smaller scabs on the bared skin (the vet said these were related to the skin PH and my screw-up with the saline that I feel like garbage for). There was a pretty big patch of fur lost from the pee from the inside of her leg, and thumb-sized spots on her hocks–definitely not there two days ago at the vet!! The skin itself doesn’t look bad, but the fact I can see it at all is scary! 

        So I had to clean her by hand. I took a wet cloth, put her in the sink with no water, and started wiping her butt and hind legs with the cloth. She was ok for a while, then flipped out, and in trying to escape, caught a back toe on the drainplug and the nail tore off (I admit they were overdue for a clipping: when she first got sick, I’d been planning to clip them already but have been putting off because I didn’t want to add to the stress already imposed by everything else lately. I know I’ll have to do at least the back ones if I want those heels to heal, but I’ll have to pick my timing very carefully now…). Losing a nail in-and-of itself isn’t the worst thing, especially compared to all this other stuff. She lost a nail once before, taking a flying leap off the couch not noticing one of her nails was hooked into the fabric…but she didn’t have an infection on her lips that time, from grooming an eye infection. So…this is a big problem.

         And I have no idea what to do. About any of it. I’m doing everything I can, and she’s not getting better and sometimes she gets worse, and the vet and other people keep telling me that it’s good I’m committed to getting her well when he sees most people give up on buns when they’re sick because they’re ‘just a rabbit’, but is it really a good thing if I just keep messing up like this? I feel so terrible, like I’m the worst bunny-owner ever…

        She’s hiding in a rubbermaid box right now, with a towel and some leaf-lettuce. When she escaped the empty sink, she fell right into the bowl of warm water I had on hand to dip her butt-wiping-cloth in, so she’s pretty wet, so she’s staying in the box where it’s insulated and warm and clean, at least until she’s dry (that last part just happened). I put a favourite food in with her to distract her from mouthing her feet. I’ve also given her cage an extra cleaning, and laid out like an extra inch of hay all over her floor so it’s soft. I can’t give her something softer like fabric, she’s too much of a nibbler, and a blockage issue is the LAST thing she needs now. 

        At least she’s eating the food pretty enthusiastically (has been through this whole ordeal, she’s a great eater), and seems less upset about her toe than she was a few minutes ago, and the toe has stopped bleeding and–for now, at least–seems clean. Also, when she was at the vet two days ago, he checked her heart and respiratory system, and said that they sounded strong and clear, and no sign of infection in the respiratory area, so the infection is currently confined to the eyes and lips. (Again, for now.) For now she’s eating and drinking and pooping and rabbit-ing as normal; she mostly just looks sick more than acts like it (aside from the recent lapse in personal hygiene that caused todays events). The vet says all those at least are all good signs. 

        Again, I’m really sorry for this endless wall-o-text, getting all wordy and upset when I’ve never posted before. But I just really had to write this all out, somewhere where people know about rabbits. Thanks for reading this far. I’ll stop bothering you now.


      • Roberta
        Participant
        4355 posts Send Private Message

          Oh UB, it never rains, it pours. Firstly, stop blaming yourself these things happen and they usually happen all at once when we are least equipped to deal with them. My Pascal hae scholiosis and several vertebrae had collapsed, he got a dirty bottom and has to be handled so carefully. I got a simple spray bottle and filled it with warm water and a drop of soothing rinse for his skin. I would spritz each spot and gently work it with a comb and cloth, drying off as I went. He would sit in my lap on the floor during the process. To keep dry I folded a big towel across my lap.


        • lorree
          Participant
          206 posts Send Private Message

            Aww ur poor bunny. I too know the feeling
            My rabbit was having all sorts of strange cecals and gut problems and I found out it was cos I was giving her spinach which was disagreeing with her. At the same time I had just been about to go see the vet about another poop problem, then her eyes got infected and I took her in to clear that up and then I found out she also has an ulcer I didn’t know about
            It does seem sometimes everything happens at once

            But u are doing the right thing, u are trying to help. That’s all u can do
            Good luck
            I hope it all works out well


          • jerseygirl
            Moderator
            22338 posts Send Private Message

              I’m really sorry to make my first post an emotional wall of text like this, but I’ve got no one else really to tell about, certainly no one who “gets” the rabbit-owning thing. 

              That’s what this place is for! Welcome. Hope your rabbit with be healthy and happier soon! 

              The vet determined it was Pasteurella

              How did the vet determine this? Did they do some tests? Sometimes the term “pasteurella” and “snuffles” is over-used, like a blanket term.

              The vet said the flaky skin was probably a side-effect of the eye infection, and if it wasn’t we’ll give her something for that after she’s got a handle on her main issue, said eye infection.

              The flaky skin on the shoulders? From what Im reading so far, Im thinking you should seek a second consult…

              Started her on ointment and oral antibiotics

              What was she prescribed?

              From your description of her symptoms, I think its possible she’s suffering from 2 (possibly 3) different things. This sometimes happens when the immune system is stressed dealing with one thing and then opportunistic bacteria and/or parasites take advantage.

              The flaky skin could be fur mite, they are not always visible to the eye. The other type of mite is Mange which can form crusts and scabs on face and around the toes. Both can be safely treated with ivermectin injections. (Fur mite alone can be treated with selamectin (Revolution) put on between the shoulder blades). The other possibility is Rabbit Syphilis (treponema cuniculi). It often forms crusty scabs in the genital region which is then transferred to the face. But there are cases where the scabs will just present on the face only. It is treated with series of penicillin injections

              and some smaller scabs on the bared skin (the vet said these were related to the skin PH and my screw-up with the saline that I feel like garbage for).

              To be honest, I dont know what to think about that or that you were made to feel that way. I don’t think saline can be that harmful. And I certainly hope not, as Ive been using it to clean a rabbits eye this week!  My vet didnt tell me not to either. 


            • jerseygirl
              Moderator
              22338 posts Send Private Message

                Oh! The other thing I had thought was if she had urine infection, but it is possible shes just stressed from the vet and medicating. What age is she? Has she had health issues in the past?
                Apologies for my barrage of questions.


              • Unlucky Bunny
                Participant
                7 posts Send Private Message

                  Nobody’s been making me feel bad about stuff, I’m just getting paranoid I guess, in fact the vet is very encouraging and I can see he’s doing his best. We’re looking into rabbit specialists, but won’t be able to afford to switch vets until the end of the month, and also have to figure out transportation (the specialists are all pretty far and we don’t drive). She has a less-expensive check-in visit with the current guy on Monday, and that we can manage, but that might be the last one this month so that we can save up for the exotic specialist to do all the tests at once two weeks from now. We’re looking for ways we can get her to one sooner, but that’s what it currently looks like.

                  I don’t have the names of the anti-biotics on hand (I’ll post them when I get home tonight) but I seem to recall three weeks ago when they were first prescribed checking the danger lists and didn’t get any red flags. He diagnosed it based on the look of the milky discharge and wet fur around the eye, which was originally the only symptom (the scabs are new in the last few days, none on her lower half). I read some stuff about rabbit syphilis, and it sounds like the progression and looks of that illness seem a little different than hers, but it’s probably still on the table. I want the specialist we pick to do the tests, though, since this guy was basically an emergency choice made when we had no other real options at that moment that we’re stuck with for now for money reasons. He’s doing his best, and has clearly been doing a bunch of research into rabbits since he took Rorschach as a patient, but the inexperience is becoming an issue. This vet did do some examinations for fur mites, though, and Rorschach has white fur (on her shoulders, at least) but there was still no staining, ‘grit’, etc. There’s nothing around her toes, except for the pulled nailed (which seems to have calmed down and started healing already).

                  Rorschach hasn’t had any other health issues before as long as I’ve had her. She was a rescue about five-ish years ago from Craiglist (her people were giving her away for free and if they couldn’t home her, would try to release her), and was a young adult at that time, so now she’s maybe about 6 or 7? The family that was trying to get rid of her didn’t speak a lot of English, so details of her early past are fuzzy, but I’m almost certain she’s spayed (no libido, no heats, etc). She’s not my first bun, I had one before her I got when I was in gradeschool, Kosmo, who lived to be 13 (she even moved out of my parents’ house with me). My parents bought me baby Kosmo from a lady in Niagara falls who shows bunnies, so for my second bun I wanted to rescue instead of buy, and until just recently everything’d been great with Rorschach. That’s just about her entire history. Oh, and she’s deaf, or at least hard-of-hearing, from birth. And seems to be a holland lop.

                  I’m still really feeling like that mouse is part of this equation some how, because after the first trip to the vet, when he suggested this is something she’d usually have to get from other rabbits or rodents, I inspected her area basically with a magnifying glass, and found mouse poop in her timothy hay. The mouse itself was spotted a few days later, running around confusedly in the spot Rorschach’s cage used to be, then disappeared down the hall into the boiler room, where we’re still trying to trap it.

                  Also, after posting last night, I saw her rocking uncomfortably on her feet, and had the idea to paper her cage floor with a layer of folded paper towels, and she seems a lot more comfortable. It’s easier to switch them out if they’e dirty, too. When I checked her back-half again in the morning, she had given the bare spots on her feet “comb-overs” basically.

                  I think that covers all the questions? Thanks so much for responding, by the way. A lot of the reading I’ve been doing the last few weeks has been on various threads on this site, and you always seem to have great advice and ideas. Like I said when I get home tonight I’ll post the meds she’s had so far.


                • Unlucky Bunny
                  Participant
                  7 posts Send Private Message

                    update, the meds she’s had so far are ciloxan (the ointment she hated), tobrex /tobramycin(the eyedrops, actually seem to be doing fairly well I think?) and chlorpalm for the oral (I think. the label is cut off on the bottom line but 90% sure it says that. I don’t still have the empty one from 2 weeks ago).


                  • jerseygirl
                    Moderator
                    22338 posts Send Private Message

                      She’s not my first bun, I had one before her I got when I was in gradeschool, Kosmo, who lived to be 13 (she even moved out of my parents’ house with me).

                      Wow! I hope mine live that long. 

                      I read some stuff about rabbit syphilis, and it sounds like the progression and looks of that illness seem a little different than hers, but it’s probably still on the table.

                      It can present in atypical manner. I guess that’s true of other infections also.

                      I wonder is Staph is another possibility? (In which case, the chlorpalm should help) It can cause conjunctivitis, dermatitis and sore hocks. 

                       
                      If the vets do suggest a culture and sensitivity test, ask if the current abx she is on will affect the test or not.

                      {{{Rorschach}}}


                    • Bam
                      Moderator
                      16838 posts Send Private Message

                        (((((Rorschach)))))

                        Scabs around the mouth sounds like rabbit syphilis. Like Jersey says, it is possible for a rabbit to be a healthy carrier of some diseases and then when something challenges the immune-defense really bad, the “sleeping” infections get thier chance to emerge. It’s tricky because you often think it’s the first illness that became manifest that is still the culprit, but that may not be the case.

                        Fur mites is a typical thing that can be carried asymptomatically for a whole long rabbit-life until they suddently get the opportunity to multiply. It’s extremely common in bunnies and not difficult to treat, luckily. Both my buns had fur mites when I got them, and all that could be seen was dandruff and a little bit of fur coming loose. The mites never “walked” and there was no mite-poop to be seen.

                        I think you are doing a great job. I understand this is very stressful for you. I’m glad her nail is starting to heal, it means she still has resources left to draw on.


                      • Unlucky Bunny
                        Participant
                        7 posts Send Private Message

                          The flakiness looks a little better today, not gone but lesser. Ideally, maybe it’ll clear up soon while we’re getting ready to switch vets, and it’ll be one less symptom to worry about. 

                          I also noticed her being reluctant to drink from her water bottle, presumably because of the sore mouth, so it might have to do with that. I’m giving her extra-juicy treats, and a some water in a dish instead, and she seems to be sipping from that already. 

                          The chloropalm probably is helping a bit, when she’s on it, she seems to be very very slowly improving, she just can’t safely stay on it long enough at one time to quite beat this. Hopefully the new vet will have some more options. Hopefully it won’t be too late, I literally just finished washing her face and eyes with the gauzes, and they’re already all milky again, poor thing. 


                        • jerseygirl
                          Moderator
                          22338 posts Send Private Message

                            I hope you’re able to get further diagnosis soon. Keep up updated.


                          • Unlucky Bunny
                            Participant
                            7 posts Send Private Message

                              Yes, she had her last visit with the general vet the other day and I asked him about any good certified exotics/small animal vets in the city, since otherwise we’d have to take her all the way to Niagara Falls to the vet that used to treat Kosmo. Luckily, he knew a good one not to far off, and I called them for a quote on a visit and relevant tests. I also explained that since we’d already been working with her at the general vet for three weeks+, we would most likely have to come in at the end of the month when we’d have more money for vet bills. I checked with them that she could wait that long. They said as long as she’s eating and pooping and hopping around and energetic, she should be alright until then. And so far, so good.

                              Now we just keep applying her eyedrops, make sure she stays clean and dry and stable, and save up for her first visit to the new vet.

                              There might have been something to the saline thing, since the red spots near the eye seem to be clearing up since I switched to cleaning her with warm water only. Or maybe she’s just feeling a bit better in general, or just has especially sensitive skin.

                              Her toe is coming along well, it looks like. It looks just like her first pulled nail did (the one that got caught in the couch fabric) right before the nail started growing back. Her other nails have now been trimmed, much to her tiny, fluffy annoyance.

                              Also, it turned out the exotics vet we’re going to see is the same doctor one of my friends takes his guinea pigs too, which seems like a good sign.


                            • LittlePuffyTail
                              Moderator
                              18092 posts Send Private Message

                                I just want to add that you’re not the only one with a problem-prone bunny. My sweet little Bindi is incredibly high-maintenance. With him too, it’s seriously one thing after another, including chronic runny eyes. So (((((Hugs))))) for you.


                              • Unlucky Bunny
                                Participant
                                7 posts Send Private Message

                                  She went to the new vet today…and the news was…well, I wasn’t prepared.

                                  They did xrays, found a mass in her chest. The doctor said it’s a thymoma. Not cancerous, but putting pressure on her cardio system etc, and almost certainly causing all of her issues. They did a skin scraping to check for mites, and she’s parasite-free. Blood work finals come back tomorrow. It all cost over three times what I thought it would, and I didn’t have enough for the biopsy, but the vet thought they’d be able to tell from the bloodwork and skin test.

                                  The doctor said after the bloodwork comes back, we’ll have to decide what to do. There’s meds for it, and she’s kept other bunnies with thymomas going strong for several years before on said meds, but they’re controversial since they’re steroid-based and I think she said they might not work for all rabbits. There’s also surgery, but it’s risky because it’s inside the thorax and because Rorschach’s not that young. But on the other hand, if she does pull through, she should be fine from then onwards.

                                  Thing is, the doctor doesn’t know of any vets in the city who’ve done such an operation on a rabbit before, so we would have to take her all the way from Toronto to Guelph, to get it done at the Ontario Veterinary College over 60 miles away.

                                  And having just paid several hundred–almost a grand–in a single day just to find out what’s wrong, I’m not sure we’ll be able to do either treatment option. Maybe my boyfriend and I can get a credit card or something…

                                  I…I don’t even know what to say.


                                • jerseygirl
                                  Moderator
                                  22338 posts Send Private Message

                                    I’m sorry to read this update. {{{Rorschach}}} Have you received the blood results?

                                    Any possibility it could be an abscess rather then tumour? I ask as I just read a small story on a rabbit that has a mass in the chest that turned out to be abscess. They were able to shrink it using various antibiotics.

                                    There are a couple skin conditions that can coincide with thymoma so I guess why they think that is the closest diagnosis?

                                    There’s meds for it, and she’s kept other bunnies with thymomas going strong for several years before on said meds, but they’re controversial since they’re steroid-based and I think she said they might not work for all rabbits

                                    Use of steroids often comes down to choice of the vet and owner. Whether the benefit out weighs the risk.

                                    Finance wise, maybe check out CareCredit.


                                  • Unlucky Bunny
                                    Participant
                                    7 posts Send Private Message

                                      She had her follow-up on the tenth. The blood showed no infection. Rorschach had some more xrays, and the thymoma got almost a cm longer in just those few days. The xrays also revealed some not yet identified other problems in the abdomen, and considerable increase in a shadow she saw in the first xray that the doctor was hoping wouldn’t become another problem but apparently has. So it’s looking like Rorschach’s not even really a candidate for the surgery.
                                      And on top of that, she keeps getting pee on herself and pulling fur from the insides of her legs (itchy?), and the vet has no real idea about this, even though she’s apparently *the* doctor for small animals in Toronto. Rorschach’s also started to kind of wheeze when she breathes hard. There was another med added, for controlling fluid build-up, and we’re giving it some more time, but it’s basically turning into a “make her comfortable until it’s time” scenario. Rorschach’s still eating well and interacting with people at home, and you can only really hear/see the emergent breathing issue when she’s breathing heavily, like being anxious at the vet. At home and relaxed it doesn’t bother her too much and she’s not wheezing. She has another vet appointment coming up in about a week.


                                    • LittlePuffyTail
                                      Moderator
                                      18092 posts Send Private Message

                                        I’m so sorry for the bad news. ((((Rorschach))))) Give her lots of love.


                                      • redbunbun
                                        Participant
                                        202 posts Send Private Message

                                          So many vibes for poor Rorschach! I know what it’s like to have a sick bunny and not really know what’s going on – I hope you and your vets find a good diagnosis theory and some treatment options for her. At least she’s eating, which is always good and definitely not a given for a sick bun.

                                      Viewing 17 reply threads
                                      • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                                      Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Help! My poor bun just has one problem after another lately :'(