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! Possible tooth damage!

Viewing 23 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Jovanna
      Participant
      15 posts Send Private Message

        My adorable dwarf lop Andy is a spunky little guy. He is by far my favorite bunny. Him and I bonded quickly and I love him very much.

        His curiosity (and stomach) often lead him to the fridge whenever someone opens it. My daughter had it open to get something when Andy went in. She didn’t realize it and shut the door on him on his way out. It hit his head/neck area.

        He immediately hopped over to me and I saw that his head was tilted. I put him in his cage where his head remained tilted. He seemed disoriented. Sitting hunched, breathing heavily, eyes fixed on us. After about an hour his head returned to a normal position and he was hopping around like normal.

        The relief was short lived. I noticed he barely ate any of his hay. He didn’t touch the large carrot I gave him, which he would normally devour. When I gave him pellets this morning he would take one and try to chew it. But every time he chews his head turns drastically to one side. Enough to even unbalance him or make his body turn in that direction. I gave him strawberries (his favorite treat) and watched him try to pick it up and eat it. He was able to pick it up, but not get a firm bite. Poor guy There was no way I was going to deny him after all his effort. So I cut them into very small pieces and he was able to eat them all that way.

        The problem is, I absolutely cannot swing vet visits right now. Has anyone ever had a vet arrange payment plans? What could be wrong? Should I wet his pellets and mash them up for him? I hate seeing my little guy uncomfortable. Any advice is greatly appreciated!


      • Gina.Jenny
        Participant
        2244 posts Send Private Message

          Rabbits are very good at hiding pain, and he really needs to see a vet asap. Some vets do offer payment options, I would suggest you ring your vets and explain the situation and hopefully they will be able to come up with a way so you can get him seen today. Rabbits cannot go long without food before GI stasis sets in.


        • jerseygirl
          Moderator
          22338 posts Send Private Message

            Definitely ring around and see who will do payment plans. It may be difficult if you’re a new customer though. Do you have a regular vet you’ve had other pets seen by? 

            Also do a search for low cost clinics. 

            There is also  things like Care Credit but I’m not sure funds could be arranged short notice. Any one you can ask to borrow money from for now?  Or get an advance on wages?

            {{{Vibes}}} for your bunny.  I know how easily things like this can happen. My lop broke off his teeth a few months ago. They did grow back very quickly. 
            I hope the injury turns out to be minimal. Even if he’s just seen now and put on some pain meds would be better then not seen at all.  


          • Jovanna
            Participant
            15 posts Send Private Message

              I tried EVERY low cost clinic in the area. None will take rabbits. The same as my usual vet. There are 2 offices that will take rabbits. None will arrange payment plans. Ugh. I’m really frustrated.

              I just clipped his nails and brushed him. He is NOT happy with me. While I was at it I checked his mouth. No obvious damage. Now he is very angrily eating his pellets and a small piece of cantaloupe I gave him. I guess that’s a good sign?


            • Bam
              Moderator
              16838 posts Send Private Message

                It’s a very good sign that he’s eating. You can support feed him Critical Care or pellet mash (pellets soaked in water and perhaps mixed with baby fruit or veg puree or even better, plain canned pumpkin) if you feel he’s not he’s not eating enough, esp fiber, to keep his gut going and to get him all the nutrients and fiber he needs. As GJ says, they have to have food in their tummy all the time.

                I hope you’ll be able to find a vet., meanwhile try and make him as comfy as you can. He does seem like a spunky little guy. Bunnies in pain often stop eating, so that he has an appetite is of course a great sign.


              • Mykl
                Participant
                68 posts Send Private Message

                  My friend’s rabbit is constantly getting tooth infections that we’ve yet to find out the cause of. She’s able to eat veg if it’s chopped really small. Mashed food would be better if he’s with slimy food.


                • Jovanna
                  Participant
                  15 posts Send Private Message

                    Thank you so much for the advice! I mashed his pellets with warm water and he ate it all. Fruits he will eat if they’re cut into small chunks. I left some greens out for him before I went to work. If he doesn’t nibble at them I think I’ll try pureeing some and adding it to the pellets.


                  • Mykl
                    Participant
                    68 posts Send Private Message

                      It’s possible he’s got a non-displaced fracture (a crack, with nothing actually disconnected) in his jaw, in which case the vet can’t do more than give some antibiotics to prevent infection setting in and maybe a painkiller. It would take two or three weeks for it to heal. I know a rabbit that’s always jumping off stuff and hurting herself like that. The stupid bugger has to be watched all the time she’s out because she doesn’t know how to land on her feet instead of her face!


                    • Jovanna
                      Participant
                      15 posts Send Private Message

                        Well, he has been eating moistened pellets and puréed pumpkin. Today he showed interest in solid foods. So I shredded some romaine for him. He ate most of it. I just noticed he did so very gingerly. He kept throwing his head back like maybe he was having trouble getting the food down…but he is still peeing. His poop is slightly smaller, by still round and hard.


                      • LBJ10
                        Moderator
                        16870 posts Send Private Message

                          Poor thing. Hopefully there wasn’t any nerve damage.


                        • Bam
                          Moderator
                          16838 posts Send Private Message

                            If there is a crack or a pulled tendon etc, it will just have to heal and as LBJ says, hopefully there’s no nerve damage. It’s great that he wanted some solid food, you will probably have to help him a bit with shredding and chopping for some time now. Keep up the pellet mash so he gets fiber and nutrients.

                            sending him many healing-vibes (((((Andy)))))


                          • jerseygirl
                            Moderator
                            22338 posts Send Private Message

                              Posted By Jovanna on 5/26/2016 7:52 PM

                              Well, he has been eating moistened pellets and puréed pumpkin. Today he showed interest in solid foods. So I shredded some romaine for him. He ate most of it. I just noticed he did so very gingerly. He kept throwing his head back like maybe he was having trouble getting the food down…but he is still peeing. His poop is slightly smaller, by still round and hard.

                              These 2 things are concerning. The smaller poop understandable though, if he isn’t eating hay or normal volume of food. 

                              Are you on Facebook? Are there any local pages or groups you could reach out to about vet recommendations? (If you do, do this carefully. You don’t need to give all details. Facebook can be a good network to share information, but unfortunately, you’ll get those who judge from the get-go. 

                              It’s good that you’re getting food into him. One less worry for you!  {{{Andy}}}


                            • Q8bunny
                              Participant
                              6345 posts Send Private Message

                                I just saw this now. I’m so sorry about your bun’s accident – it could’ve happened to any of us in a moment of lapsed attention.
                                I too suggest not giving up on finding a way to get him seen by a vet. Have you tried calling local or not so local shelters that might have an in-house vet or equivalent? If you explain the situation they might be able to help in some way for the bun’s sake.
                                The lifting of the head to swallow was such a huge red flag for me… but I do hope that time will literally heal the dear little guy.
                                Are you able to feed him raw garlic? It’s a natural antibiotic. Please let us know how he gets on.

                                ((((((Andy bunny))))))


                              • Bam
                                Moderator
                                16838 posts Send Private Message

                                  Q(, I’m sorry to say this but garlic isn’t good for bunnies, neither raw nor cooked. No onions for buns , just as no onions for dogs, it hurts their blood cells (a little bit won’t cause any immediate harm, but repeated consumption over time causes accumulation because their bodies can’t break the harmful sulphurous compound down).

                                  There are herbs that have antiseptic properties at least, like thyme and rosemary, and I think lavender too. (My buns won’t eat any of those but they are bunny safe and some buns do eat them happily.)


                                • jerseygirl
                                  Moderator
                                  22338 posts Send Private Message

                                    No garlic breath for Chewie.

                                     

                                    Jovanna, do keep us updated on how Andy-bun is doing. 


                                  • Q8bunny
                                    Participant
                                    6345 posts Send Private Message

                                      Duly noted, ladies. It was recommended by our wolf’s former vet in lieu of Rx antibiotics when he heard that Chewie had been neutered. I hope I didn’t harm my little guy.


                                    • jerseygirl
                                      Moderator
                                      22338 posts Send Private Message

                                        Obviously not. And you curbed any vampire tendencies he may have had. For the record, I didn’t know if garlic was good or bad. Bam’s good with that info.  It’s probably been given to rabbits in different forms before. I use to feed my buns a hay pellet and I believe that had a small amount of garlic. I can’t remember the exact ingredients but the added herbs only made up 1% of the whole product.

                                        ETA: A friend of mine use to feed sage to her rabbit that had some dental issues. 


                                      • Q8bunny
                                        Participant
                                        6345 posts Send Private Message

                                          This vet is into homeopathy like my dad, which is why they’re still friendly, and he said it’s the dose. Even in humans, high doses of garlic can cause stomach problems or kill off GI flora. For Chewie he said no more than a small clove once a day.


                                        • Q8bunny
                                          Participant
                                          6345 posts Send Private Message

                                            Luckily, Chewie is seriously addicted to kisskiss so he prefers mint and basil to garlic.


                                          • Jovanna
                                            Participant
                                            15 posts Send Private Message

                                              Thank you everyone for sending Andy your love! He spent another day eating his veggies shredded finely. The following day he was back to eating giant leaves of romaine and parsley. He is also eating his pellets normally! I am extremely relieved.

                                              He gets pretty irritated by our kitten so I isolated the kitten to the bathroom. That way Andy can have some one on one time with mama and run the house for the day!

                                              I work during the school year and live on a tight budget. In June I get the money withheld from each paycheck during the year as summer pay. I plan on putting some aside should another veterinary emergency arise. I was really disappointed local animal welfare agencies wouldn’t see rabbits. I was also disappointed to find the exotic animal doctor at our current vet had left. Her new office would not do payment plans. Luckily my little buddy is better. Next time (hopefully there won’t be one) we will be prepared.


                                            • jerseygirl
                                              Moderator
                                              22338 posts Send Private Message

                                                Thanks for the update Jovanna. Im pleased to hear Andy is doing better.

                                                I understand your frustration! Someone else posted recently about an emergency clinic that told them they don’t see rabbits. I just can;t understand how they turn people away. All vets should have basic understanding of rabbits and other “exotics” and be able to give emergency care. They have the equipment, meds and resources to find out appropriate measures to take. I feel like it’s liability issues behind why they refuse treatment.

                                                Sounds like a good plan for future funds for your rabbit. Have you looked into pet insurance also? It’s about $12 a month i believe.


                                              • Q8bunny
                                                Participant
                                                6345 posts Send Private Message

                                                  I’m so relieved to hear that Andy’s doing better, Jovanna. ((((((Continued healing for little Andy.))))))


                                                • Bam
                                                  Moderator
                                                  16838 posts Send Private Message

                                                    Happy to hear Andy seems to be on the mend!!

                                                    Garlic does have antibiotic properties, so you have to weigh the benefits against the risks. And Chewie is obviously fine. And as Jersey points out, it’s good to curb vampire-tendencies in a bun, because you can never know. We’ve all seen The Holy Grail, I think.


                                                  • Q8bunny
                                                    Participant
                                                    6345 posts Send Private Message

                                                      Yep. Nasty, big, pointy teeth.

                                                  Viewing 23 reply threads
                                                  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                                                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Help! Possible tooth damage!