My rabbit got bit on the nose and now is breathing through his mouth

[ThumpsGirl]

My rabbit got bit on the nose yesterday by my dog. I believe the bite may have penetrated his nasal bone.

Yesterday his nose was bleeding a lot, but we got the bleeding to stop. Today, when he breaths, breaths through his nose and you can hear a lot of snot/blood in the way. He then exhales through his mouth.

There are no vet clinics near me open right now and the closest vet hospital is over 2 hours away! What can I do to help my bunny until tomorrow morning when I can get him into the vet?

[Azerane]

I don’t think there is much to be done except get him to the vet. You can gently wipe the area with a damp cloth, just to clean it up a little, but invading the nostril to remove gunk could do more harm than good. I would be hesitant to do much except monitor his eating, drinking and pooping and make sure he is still doing all three.

I imagine the vet will clean out the area and the wound and put him on antibiotics, since bacteria in dog saliva can easily cause severe infection. If the bite has gone through the bone, there could be a physical obstruction requiring surgery to correct. Please let us know what the vet says after you’ve been.

[Author]

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