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Urgent advice needed please - U/D Bunny died!

Sandra

Warren Scout
We just went to pick up a rescue bunny, female about two years old. The person who owned her said that she used to let the bunny run loose outside but that she always came back to the house... Next to the house is a valley with wild rabbits... A woman took the resuce bunny home last week to try and bond her with her neutered male but thought she was very fat and suspected that she might be pregnant so she took her to a vet - the vet said that she was probably pregnant, in her second week. This woman then returned the bunny to the owner because it didnt work out with her bun. I saw that the person was advertsing the bunny again, without telling that she might be pregnant so we decided to take her until we find her a new home.

When we got her home we picked her up to give her a check. We instantly noticed that there was a large poo clump stuck to her bottom... It was about 3x3 cm, and quite thick, really stuck to her fur. We managed to carefully remove the poo - then we saw that next to her vagina, on the sides (in like pockets) there was what looked like clumps of dried blood... quite large clumps, that were almost stuck to the skin... We washed her with sterile water and managed to remove the clumps, but underneath is some redish fluid, and it smells really really bad. What can this be? Some kind of infection? She is eating, drinking and seems fine. We cleaned her cage so that we can monitor pooing and peeing...

And are there any sure signs of pregnancy?

Thanks guys! I will try to post some pictures later!

Sandra
 
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OH no poor girly. I hope someone in the know helps you out asap. Sorry I can't offer any help.
 
Erm, maybe pyometra or another uterine infection? Abcess? Syphillis? Hard to say without being able to see.

I would certainly get her to the vets first thing tomorrow for a through examination, especially as she may be pregnant.

Keep her well away from your other rabbits incase she has anything contagious too, esp. if she has been running with wild rabbits.
 
Oh gosh, sorry no advice here other than take her to the vet tomorrow and keep her warm & dry. Well done for taking care of her x
 
Yes we will bring her to the vets first thing tomorrow morning. I really hate living in Iceland as there are no emergency vets here... (well, there is one that is on call but last time the on call vet told me that it would be cheaper to get a new bun then for her to come out in the middle of the night...).

I really know nothing about rabbit diseases that wild rabbits could be carrying here... there are no vaccinations for bunnies here in Iceland...
 
Here are some pictures, not very good ones though...

dreads035.jpg


dreads036.jpg
 
(well, there is one that is on call but last time the on call vet told me that it would be cheaper to get a new bun then for her to come out in the middle of the night...).

I'm my gosh that is awful :cry: :evil:

Well done on helping this bun :) I don't know what those sore bits are but I really hope the vet will know and she will make a full recovery.

Sending vibes xx
 
It could be blocked scent glands :?

Yep, I'd say its her scent glands. The discharge can form a hard thick brown waxy clump which is very smelly !! This is actually perfectly normal. Most Buns manage to clean themselves enough to avoid a huge build up of the waxy gunk. But Buns who are unable to groom themselves well ( due to things like obesity, dental problems, arthritic pain etc) often get an accumulation of the gunk which dries solid and when removed often leaves the surrounding soft tissue red and inflammed. Applying a little Nappy Rash cream to the inflammed area for a few days usually settles things down.

As this Bun is generally mucky I suspect she may have Dental problems so a Vet check is a good idea

Janex :)

PS I actually quite like the smell of the waxy gunk :oops:
 
I'm going with Jane on this one.

I can remember when I first saw my first bunny's scent glands (only had a pair then) and as it stank took her straight to the vet.

I thought that there was something very wrong as I had never even heard of scent glands. Her's were so bad because when I rescued her, she was like a ball of rabbit - a very fat Netherland Dwarf and so couldn't clean herself. I felt such a twit at the vet, luckily he didn't make me feel any more stupid than I did already.:oops:
 
Oh thanks Janex! What you described is exactly what she has got! Oh I feel so much better now:) My friend just came from the vets with her. This time the vet didnt think she was pregnant, just very very fat and she wanted to wait a month with spaying her... Bunny will go on a diet:) And we will keep the area cleen!

Thanks everyone:wave: Bunnies can really scare you some times...
 
U/D Bunny died

I posted a couple of days ago as you can see above and it turned out that bunny's scent glands were very messy and full of smelly wax (see pics above). Bunny was at this time very lively and eating, pooing and peeing etc. The next night bunny stopped eating and my friend started her on bio lapis and took her to the vet in the morning. Vet said that she had probably eaten something she shouldn't at her former owner and that that was the cause. She got some pain relief and gut stimulant. Bunny got better and started eating. Yesterday morning bunny couln't stand up or hold head up... She was taken to the vet again, vet said she had an infection and got a thing in her ear to give shots through (I unfortunatly dont know what drugs the vet gave her... will ask my friend). Vet told them to come back this morning when they opened at 10 if the bunny wasn't getting better. Bunny wasn't better so my friend was there at 10, but turned out vet didnt open until 11. Bunny died in her arms just after 10 outside the vets...:cry: Any idea what this could be?

This rabbit has most likely been in contact with wild rabbits as the former owner used to just let the rabbit out of her house and she lives across from a valley which is full of wild bunnies... I know another woman who took this bunny home to try her with her neutered male bunny. This male bunny got sick two days (fever etc. ) later and she returned the female... There are no vaccines for rabbits here in Iceland... and I am seriously wondering what this bunny had as I am scared that it can spread to house bunnies or other wild bunnies. My friend will ask vet to do an autopsy...

:cry: She was such a lovely little bun - RIP little girl!
 
Oh I am so sorry to hear your sad news.

Please take some comfort from the fact that you did all you could for her and that she would certainly have known that you were loving her.

Binky free wee girl.
 
I posted a couple of days ago as you can see above and it turned out that bunny's scent glands were very messy and full of smelly wax (see pics above). Bunny was at this time very lively and eating, pooing and peeing etc. The next night bunny stopped eating and my friend started her on bio lapis and took her to the vet in the morning. Vet said that she had probably eaten something she shouldn't at her former owner and that that was the cause. She got some pain relief and gut stimulant. Bunny got better and started eating. Yesterday morning bunny couln't stand up or hold head up... She was taken to the vet again, vet said she had an infection and got a thing in her ear to give shots through (I unfortunatly dont know what drugs the vet gave her... will ask my friend). Vet told them to come back this morning when they opened at 10 if the bunny wasn't getting better. Bunny wasn't better so my friend was there at 10, but turned out vet didnt open until 11. Bunny died in her arms just after 10 outside the vets...:cry: Any idea what this could be?

This rabbit has most likely been in contact with wild rabbits as the former owner used to just let the rabbit out of her house and she lives across from a valley which is full of wild bunnies... I know another woman who took this bunny home to try her with her neutered male bunny. This male bunny got sick two days (fever etc. ) later and she returned the female... There are no vaccines for rabbits here in Iceland... and I am seriously wondering what this bunny had as I am scared that it can spread to house bunnies or other wild bunnies. My friend will ask vet to do an autopsy...

:cry: She was such a lovely little bun - RIP little girl!


Did this Bunny have a fever before passing away?

The two conditions that come to mind are Viral Haemorrhagic Disease ( VHD) if Bunny had a high fever. But I dont know if you have VHD in Iceland :?

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/VHD_UK.htm

Or Encephalitizoon Cuniculi (EC)- given the apparent neurological symptoms you describe

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/ecuniculi.htm

I hope the Post Mortem will give some answers and I am very sorry to hear of Bunny's passing :cry:

Janex
 
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