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gagging bunny

ecudc

Warren Veteran
I've just been to the emergency vet. It's all a little strange. I was giving my four a treat on the sofa and all were 100% ok. Sooty hopped off the sofa and was hopping a little odd. He went of into the kitchen which I thought strange where food was to be had so followed him. I found him gagging in the kitchen. We are talking full on, mouth open wide, retching, mouth filled with saliva. Got straight to the emergency vet where he has stopped gagging but his lungs were full of fluid. He's had steroids and an antihystamine in case it was an anaphalatic shock or possibly he was chocking and obviously I'm keeping a massive eye on him tonight & next few days to see if he needs anti biotics.

He's home now and the lung sounds have gone, he's eating and grooming although still obviously quiet.

The strange thing is though that I though bunnies had no gagging reflex and he was definately making the same sort of reflex that we do when we vomit or I imagine are choking. I'm 190% thankful though that I thought something was up and followed him, otherwise I'm certain that had I gone into the kitchen half an hour later I would have found a dead bunny.
 
OMG that must of been awful... thank all going gods you followed him into the other room :shock:

sending loads of vibes xxxxxxxxx
 
Oh no Lucy !!!!! :shock::shock::shock:

Thanks goodness you spotted it !!! Hope is ok now - bless him !! If you need me to watch him while you are at work just let me know xx
 
thanks julia. Hopefully he'll be ok now. he's a bit cold (me too) so I've put the heating on. don't have a snuggle safe but might try the hot water bottle in a towel. Strangly at the vet he was very hot.
 
well he boffed the hotwater bottle, groomed it a bit and sat down to eat his caecotrophs :roll: I shall keep the heating on all night just in case but fingers cross I think he's going to be ok.
 
well he boffed the hotwater bottle, groomed it a bit and sat down to eat his caecotrophs :roll: I shall keep the heating on all night just in case but fingers cross I think he's going to be ok.

Bless him ! Well if you get worried and you want to make a de-tour on your way to work just carry on ... x
 
How scary for you, and Sooty no doubt. :shock: I'm so glad he seems to be better and hope he's ok this morning. xx
 
Crikey :shock:

I have known this happen in Dental Buns

Did the Vet also give abx cover ? Its just that *if* he aspirated food and has also had a steroid (which will impact negatively on his immune system) a secondary bacterial pneumonia *might* be an issue.

I hope he's absolutely fine this morning.
 
well sooty is this morning acting like nothing had happened at all. I tottered off to bed at about 12:30 when his breathing went back to normal and went down to check at three. When I got up this morning at 6:00 he was waiting at the baby gate for his breakfast looking right as rain.

Jane thanks for your comment. As far as we know he is not a dental bun, I have had him over 2 years now and have not had any problem in that department. Never say never but I'm pretty sure his teeth are ok. We did discuss antibiotics but decided that it would be best, certainly for the night to minimise the drugs he was having & to monitor his lung sounds and temp closely over the next few days and I will be taking him in for a check up tonight with his normal vet and we'll discuss abix again then.
 
I hope he's ok. Must have been scary for you.

It's true that rabbit's can't vomit because of their well developed cardiac sphincter muscles but a presume they still have a gag reflex to prevent aspiration of food.
 
that's certainly very interesting. I do think that it was caused by a blockage rather than vomiting but his posture and action was very similar to a cat with a fur ball + huge amounts of mucus. never want to see that again.
 
It's really odd you posted this as Mack had a similar funny turn yesterday whilst trying to eat his dinner, acting like he was choking and he was pawing at his mouth at one stage. Upon looking in his mouth with an otoscope I couldn't see a dratted thing as he was salivating so heavily. :(

It took him well over a minute to eat a tiny bit of cabbage leaf and I am now scared to let him eat unsupervised. :?
 
That's exactly what happened to Stitch :cry: I'm pleased your bunny made it though, Stitch died a minute before getting to vets in OH's arms :(
 
sorry you had a scare too Tree! & sorry about Stitch. I was reading past threads about bunnies who had choked and was feeling very sorry for eveyone that had lost buns.
 
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