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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Just got done an emergency vet trip

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    • Samicles
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        I was out all day, around 8 hours, I came home to a limp bunny laying in his own pee. I was horrified and immediately took him to the sink to rinse him off. Where I discovered he wasn’t really moving, he was tilting very badly to the left. I gave him some leftover nausea medicine after I concluded his ear was the source of the problem. He refused to drink or eat so I immediately took him to the emergency vet. I was there for almost two hours, and now I’m on my way home. Nimmy has a very bad ear infection, they injected him with some fluids, and gave me some medication along with critical care to take home with me.

        Nimmy is still pretty out of it, his head tilt is really bad, without support he just falls over. He was a totally normal, happy bunny chewing on his cardboard box this morning so this was very difficult and an unexpected event to come home to. The vet assistant gave him his medication but when I get home I’ll give him the critical care. If he’s not any better by morning I’ll have to take him back to the vet. I’m exhausted but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight. His condition was so bad I really thought I was going to lose him.

        Any advice anybody can offer would be very much appreciated. The doctor was thorough but I like having multiple opinions and advice from multiple sources. I’m going to put a few towels in his cage to soften any falls. Should I sit with him or leave him be (once I get home)? Any tips on giving him the critical care? This is what I’m most concerned with. Thanks in advance and please send happy/healing vibes in my direction


      • LBJ10
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          Oh poor Nimmy! That little guy just can’t seem to catch a break.

          Yes, rolled up towels to make bumpers will help prop him up. Are you able to set him up in a small cage or crate in your room so you can be near him?

          What medication(s) did the vet give?


        • Samicles
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            Medications: metacam and Enrofloxacin

            I’m currently trying to give him the critical care and.. It’s not that he’s resisting it, but it’s a very very slow process. He’s showing very small signs of improvement, but still can’t stand on his own.

            WOO!! A tiny little poop! I’ve never been so excited for poop. I think it’ll be a long night, but I have high hopes.

            His cage is right at the end of my bed so I am able to keep a close eye on him.

            Edited to add: I can see little bits of his personality show through his lethargy. With the critical care I’m laying him on his side so I can use the syringe to get a tiny bit in his mouth, then I put him on his tummy while he leans up against my leg (so he remains up straight) he adjusts himself and actually looks like he’s laying normally. This is the part where he actually chews and swallows the critical care. I give him about 1-2 min then the process starts all over again.


          • Samicles
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              WHOA HOLD UP.

              So I’m reading the information they gave me with the bill and in the part of the antibiotics (the Enrofloxacin) it says and I quote “it is also very important you never give this medication at the same time as, or even within a few days of, other anti-inflammatory drugs – including steroid medications or other NSAID drugs such as …. Metacam”

              METACAM. The instructions say I’m not supposed to give metacam and the antibiotics at the same time. But that’s what they gave me! And that’s what they already administered!!

              Should I call the vet??


            • LBJ10
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                I have never heard of an interaction between Baytril and Metacam in rabbits. There are no notes regarding an interaction between those two medications on MediRabbit. And I can tell you numerous members have used both simultaneously with no issues.


              • Samicles
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                  Okay. I’ll keep an eye on him. If there’s any adverse reactions I’ll call the vet. Nimmy has had tons of ear infections before and we’ve gotten the same medication, which is why I’m confused and kinda upset about this new info.

                  Maybe it’s just a warning for dogs/cats. My vet serves all animals so it’s possible.

                  After almost an hour I got almost all the critical care dose in him, he’s locked up in his cage, towels to cushion him. He’s moving around a bit, which is bittersweet. He’s very dizzy. So he’ll turn in circles for a bit then rest. There’s really nothing I can do at this point. Hopefully the head tilt will be gone by morning (I’m terrified of the head tilt becoming permanent). I’m going to try to stay awake, but set up a couple alarms just in case, so I can check on him throughout the night. In the morning I’ll give him another dose of critical care. And depending on how he’s doing I might not go to work. We’ll see how it goes.

                  I’ll update you all in the morning on his condition. Oh and good news! He peed on me (and all over my bed), and pooped twice. They were both ceceltropes or however it’s spelled.


                • LBJ10
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                    NSAIDs do weird things in cats. They don’t metabolize them like other animals.

                    Sounds like you’re doing all you can. I would make sure he is warm and comfortable. Let us know how he is tomorrow. If the infection is really bad, it can take some time before you see any real progress.


                  • Samicles
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                      Alright I’m up again, giving him his second dose. He hasn’t changed much overnight unfortunately. Though he’s been pooping, but they’re small. He’s peed quite a bit too.

                      I fell asleep almost immediately after posting my previous comment, but woke up throughout the night, checking on him.

                      As long as I get the critical care in him without a problem, I think I’m gonna go to work. It’s only a 5 hour shift, and I don’t really see what staying him will accomplish. I can get my mom to check in on him, if he gets any worse I’ll leave early.


                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                        Sorry to hear your boy is unwell. ((((Get Well Soon))))

                        I’m pretty sure I’ve given both Baytril and Metacam at the same time but if you are worried I suggest giving 1, then some Critical Care and then waiting like an hour before giving the second med.


                      • Samicles
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                          Okay so he’s got a little critical care stuck in his fur on the edges of his mouth. I guess I missed some (I wiped his mouth with a paper towel). Should I wet a paper towel and wipe it off? Should I wait for him to clean it? He’s still pretty out of it but I’m afraid to stress him out


                        • LittlePuffyTail
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                            I would just leave it for now. You can help him clean himself when he’s feeling better.


                          • Samicles
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                              He hasn’t shown any signs of improvement. I’m really heart broken right now. I went to the store yesterday and bought some fresh veggies to try and entice him to eat on his own. No luck yet. His personality is just so non-existent it’s killing me. I don’t know if he’s happy about what I’m doing, sad, annoyed. I miss my happy bun.


                            • LBJ10
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                                Poor Nimmy. When it’s a bad ear infection like that it can take time before you see improvement. So don’t give up. He doesn’t feel well right now, but I’m sure he knows he’s loved.


                              • Samicles
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                                  He’s been grinding his teeth very loudly. I’m not sure if it’s a “ow, I’m in pain” sort of thing or a “you’re pissing me off, stop it” thing. But I’m sitting here now trying to feed him and he’s grinding quite a bit. I can’t give him his pain meds again until 7, so another 6 hours to go. Not sure what to do?


                                • Dee
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                                    I would call the vet, ask whether he can get a higher dose of pain,meds or something stronger. Not sure, that could be a bad idea but might as well ask.

                                    I would be thinking of his belly right now- all the meds and no hay eating might have him feeling sick. Is his belly making loud noises? No noises? If you can, try elevating his hind and a bit and give him gentle tummy massage. Sometimes I kinda of jiggle their bellies in my hand, if that makes sense.

                                    Also If ask the vet if he can have some plain canned pumpkin mixed with the Critical Care.

                                    Obviously none of this will help if it’s not his tummy that’s causing the grinding. I’m so sorry that you both are going through this- very scary and such a helpless feeling when they don’t seem to be improving as quickly as we had hoped. Sending {{{healing vibes}}}}


                                  • Bam
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                                      I just want to add: Keep him warm. Metacam lowers body temp and sick bunnies are already prone to hypothermia. Sit him in your knee and put a blankie on him or if you have a warm water bottle that he can snuggle up to, that’s good too, but he must have space enough to move away if it gets too warm.
                                      To help his tummy you can try and get a probiotic to mix in the critical care. Benebac is one type.

                                      Sending him so many healing-vibes and many hugs for you.


                                    • Samicles
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                                        I’ve been keeping my room at a minimum of 70 degrees since the vet. My space heater can maintain room temperatures. Should I still give him a warm water bottle? When I was at the vet his temperature was a little low, they wrapped him up in a towel and gave me a warm water bottle to press up against him. But he kept trying to move away from the water bottle. He can hardly walk, anytime he does he’s just spinning in circles so I don’t think he’d even be able to position himself up against a bottle to keep himself warm if he wanted. I’ve got two towels in his cage, maybe I should add a fuzzy blanket instead of a warm bottle?

                                        I rub his belly as I feed him, read about it somewhere online. I haven’t heard any noises from his belly. I gave him half his pain medicine dose, I’ll give him the other half later. If he’s still doing the loud chewing thing by tomorrow morning I’ll call the vet. The dose they gave him is the same from the previous ear infections he’s had, so I don’t know if they’ll increase the dose. I heard metacam is bad for bunnies after a long period of time or something?

                                        When I took him to the emergency vet (which is also his regular vet) they didn’t have any rabbit savvy vets on duty. Kinda unnerving. I’ve been reading tons about GI Stasis and ear infections and I’m not exactly happy with the care that he received, they didn’t really do a thorough exam. Just kinda took my word for the ear infection. So hopefully I can get a hold of the regular vet. And honestly if he’s still showing no signs of improvement by Saturday I’m gonna try to set up an appointment with his regular vet. The fact that Christmas is on Friday is really throwing some stuff off.


                                      • StachesMommy
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                                          OH nooo. *sends healing vibes*


                                        • Bam
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                                            Medirabbit says this about metacam/meloxicam: “Long-term use appears to cause little adverse effects in rabbits”
                                            Enroflaxin (Baytril) is standard first-choice for ear-infections. You can’t do a culture of the bacteria in the middle/inner ear since those spaces are closed off by the ear drum, so you have to treat with the antibiotic that’s effective against the most common causative bacteria. If that doesn’t work, you try another one.

                                            A bunny with head-tilt is likely to be very nauseous, since the balance organs are in the ear. If he doesn’t want a hot water bottle, don’t make him. It is still important to keep him warm, they get cold “from the inside” as their metabolism slows down, and that’s dangerous. A fuzzy blankie or keep him in your knee I’d think be good.

                                            Is he pooping? If he isn’t, you could get a motility drug from the vet. You can also give him a probiotic to help his tummy. He must eat, or he will lose his strenght.


                                          • Samicles
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                                              He is eating, I syringe feed him every 6 hours with critical care. Poop-wise he IS pooping. But the poops are small, same texture and consistency of his normal poos, just much smaller. Hopefully they start getting bigger soon. I know that’s a sign of not eating enough.

                                              I put a fuzzy blanket in one side of the cage. It’s not taking up much space, so he can avoid it if he likes. I check his ears regularly, they don’t seem cold at all so that’s good. I’m feeding him right now, he’s still the same. I sit with him for about an hour every night, he lays down on my lap and I gently pet him. So far he’s always fallen asleep during this. I don’t think he’s sleeping much since he always dozes off during his feeding times


                                            • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                Sending some more ((((Healing Vibes))))… You can get through this, little buddy!!!

                                                ((Hugs))) for you. I know how hard it is to have a bun in this situation.


                                              • Samicles
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                                                  Thanks, it’s difficult but I’m trying to remain calm for Nimmy. I just scheduled a doc appointment for him for Saturday morning with his regular vet. He’ll be out of his pain meds by Sunday night, and without any signs of improvement so far, I’d like to get with the vet sooner than later. Plus I’d like him to have a more thorough exam, I’ve got some questions about his behavior, and if there’s anything more I can do to help his recovery. I’ll keep you all updated on him. But there’s still no signs of improvement, he’s still the same since Monday.


                                                • Bam
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                                                    Sending more hugs to you and more vibes for Nimmy. It’s very difficult to remain calm when you have a sick pet. I hope the abs will kick in soon.


                                                  • Samicles
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                                                      Thank you. I had a dream that Nimmy got better so it was ultra heartbreaking to wake up and find him in the same state. The vet visit on Saturday is lifting my spirits a bit, but I still feel terrible for him.


                                                    • Samicles
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                                                        Unfortunately Nimmy didn’t make it through the night. I’m very heartbroken. I was so sure that he was gonna pull through this. I believe he may have had some undetected blockage in his digestive tract that just built up. Though I don’t know for sure. This was probably the hardest few days of my life, He was my best friend and I miss him so much.


                                                      • tobyluv
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                                                          I’m very sorry to hear about Nimmy.


                                                        • Sr. Melangell
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                                                            Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear this news.


                                                          • LBJ10
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                                                              Oh no, so sorry to hear about Nimmy. I know you loved him and he obviously loved you.


                                                            • hiskatey93
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                                                                Oh I’m so sorry about Nimmy passing!

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                                                            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Just got done an emergency vet trip