Please somebody help U/D BACK FROM VET

Hiya

As you may know, Beau has a wound on his back that was originally quite superficial, but he won't stop chewing it, so now it's bald and sore. The vet prescribed fuciderm gel (which has steroids in it, so a few people have warned against using it) and gave me a collar to put on him:



We modified it so it was thin on one side so he could get to his cecals and walk about without tripping over it, but he just kept pulling it round so he could get at the wound, so it was getting worse.

So then we tried this (modified dolly's baby-grow):



Which worked great, he couldn't reach to pull it off and it didn't get in his way when walking or to eat his cecals. But I got up this morning to find this:



...not only ripped off, but also "and this is what I think of ur stupid baby-grow"

So now he's chewing it again, and I'm so worried it's gonna get worse and worse and never heal, cos every time it starts to scab he starts chewing it again and makes it sore again, and I don't want to take him back to my vet cos she prescribe the steroid cream and collar so clearly doesn't know what she's talking about, despite being a RCVS accredited small animal practice - should I get a new vet? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGH!!! *breathe, breathe, breathe*

Ahh bless you, I know how determined rabbits can be and if they do not want it on that's it. Hopefully someone on the forum can come up with a solution for you and your little man. xx fingers crossed he leaves his little wound alone.

Thanks for at least replying. I know it's just a little wound and people on here have much bigger problems with their rabbits, but my partner took a long weekend so we could do some nice things together, and we've spent the whole time chasing Beau, worrying about Beau, being grunted at by Beau, backwards and forwards to the vet with Beau. I'm exhausted and miserable.

Sorry, thought I replied to this but its dissappeared!

I would try the babygrow again - maybe after a wash!

How about some Vetrap, (vet-wrap) its a stick to itself only bandage made for horses, think there may be something similar for humans too.

Dustyrabbit said:

I would try the babygrow again - maybe after a wash!

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That's what I thought, but when I go near him with it he puts his ears back, grunts and lunges. Maybe if we do what we did yesterday and throw a towel over him, then someone holds him while the other person puts it on him.

Dustyrabbit said:

How about some Vetrap, (vet-wrap) its a stick to itself only bandage made for horses, think there may be something similar for humans too.

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Where could I get this from, would I need to ask the vet? I know I can get it online, but that means waiting.

Alas I don't really have any experience of wounds like this so I can't help on your immediate enquiry, but:

Lib_n_bunny said:

despite being a RCVS accredited small animal practice - should I get a new vet?

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This is exactly one of the issues I have raised in my letter to the RCVS - because rabbits are still classed as exotics, 'small animal' really just seems to have any relevance to cats and dogs, yet most people in the country probably wouldn't realise that and would of course assume that any RCVS accredited small animal practice is competent to treat rabbits.

I appreciate you've got more immediate issues to deal with at the mo, but if you feel able to write to the RCVS about these concerns, that would be helpful. The more specific examples they get, hopefully the sooner they will sit up and take notice. Please pm me if you'd like some help drafting something once Beau is feeling better xxx

You would get the Vetrap from a horsey place, feed store type place, maybe look in your local yellowpages under Equine or Equestrian supplies but you will of course have the problem or getting it on him.

I am wondering though if the wound is just small, I know he appears to be stopping it from healing but maybe he knows best and it will heal gradually. Maybe ask what others would do to treat the wound and healing expectations.

Santa said:

Alas I don't really have any experience of wounds like this so I can't help on your immediate enquiry, but:



This is exactly one of the issues I have raised in my letter to the RCVS - because rabbits are still classed as exotics, 'small animal' really just seems to have any relevance to cats and dogs, yet most people in the country probably wouldn't realise that and would of course assume that any RCVS accredited small animal practice is competent to treat rabbits.

I appreciate you've got more immediate issues to deal with at the mo, but if you feel able to write to the RCVS about these concerns, that would be helpful. The more specific examples they get, hopefully the sooner they will sit up and take notice. Please pm me if you'd like some help drafting something once Beau is feeling better xxx

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Have PM'ed you

I see you are in Stevenage (we're just outside Watford) how about Titmus they might have it.

I am sure when ours have had a wound or something sore our vet has given an injection of something to "just calm it down" don't know if that was a steroid but seemed to do the trick of taking the sting out of it and getting them to leave it alone.

In my experience the veterinary nurses are better at advising how to actually manage the healing process so maybe give the vets a call and just ask if there is a nurse available to give you some advise.

Dustyrabbit said:

I am wondering though if the wound is just small, I know he appears to be stopping it from healing but maybe he knows best and it will heal gradually. Maybe ask what others would do to treat the wound and healing expectations.

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Yes, I did wonder that. So maybe that should be my question instead of how to stop him chewing it, whether I need to stop him chewing it. Anyone?

I was also wondering about putting a soft dressing on it and then putting vetwrap right round him.

I buy mine of ebay quite reasonably and some buyers offer an express delivery service so if you order this morning it could be with you by tomorrow morning

My vet gave me a gel that contained a small amount of steroids for treatment of a neck wound and it caused no problems at all. It's supposed to help stop the wound from irratating the rabbit as well so it may help in your case.

Dustyrabbit said:

I am sure when ours have had a wound or something sore our vet has given an injection of something to "just calm it down" don't know if that was a steroid but seemed to do the trick of taking the sting out of it and getting them to leave it alone.

In my experience the veterinary nurses are better at advising how to actually manage the healing process so maybe give the vets a call and just ask if there is a nurse available to give you some advise.

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They gave us the fuciderm gel, and because that's a painkiller they wouldn't give us anything else, but I'm reluctant to use it after people on here have said rabbits shouldn't have steroids. Plus cos it has to be applied to the wound, rather than being an injection/tablet, etc, it irritates it and make him chew it more, so he probably licks it off before it gets chance to work :?

I spoke to a nurse, she said the only option might be to put a dressing on it, but she said she'd prefer to see it before giving advice, so iv got an aptmt for 12:10.

Fingers crossed it's one of the vets who knows what they're doing, not one of the ones "studying for a certificate in small animal medicine" - DON'T PRACTICE ON MY BUNNY!!!

I hope you get some help today.

Did you explain that he had already been seen and prescribed the Fuciderm but still wouldn't leave it alone and that you'd tried covering it to no avail?

Are you seeing the Nurse or a Vet?

Dustyrabbit said:

I hope you get some help today.

Did you explain that he had already been seen and prescribed the Fuciderm but still wouldn't leave it alone and that you'd tried covering it to no avail?

Are you seeing the Nurse or a Vet?

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Yes, I said we'd had the gel and the collar and he still wouldn't leave it alone, and that was when she said maybe a dressing. We will be seeing a vet.

I see - good luck, let us know how you get on.

I have a friend in Harpenden who has an excellent rabbit savvy vet - don't know if that would be convenient for you for the future? I think she's in the Batchwood sort of area - sorry my geography is not good! will have a look on the map to find Stevenage!

Dustyrabbit said:

I see - good luck, let us know how you get on.

I have a friend in Harpenden who has an excellent rabbit savvy vet - don't know if that would be convenient for you for the future? I think she's in the Batchwood sort of area - sorry my geography is not good! will have a look on the map to find Stevenage!

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It's not particularly near, but I'm more than happy to travel for a rabbit-savvy vet. If you could get the details for me, I'd really appreciate it

sorry didn't read through all your posts but just wondering have you tried mauka honey? ralph had deep wounds on his rectum after petal bit him and the manuka has healed them completely, he also had a wound on his back which was all pussy but the vet squeezed it out and i applied the manuka honey to it and within a week it healed. Ralph chewed the tops off his sores constantly but i applied the mauka honey day and night. it really worked wonders for me. i hope you can get your little man sorted. it is very stressful for them and they just don't understand we're trying to help them.

Lib_n_bunny said:

It's not particularly near, but I'm more than happy to travel for a rabbit-savvy vet. If you could get the details for me, I'd really appreciate it

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Guy Carter used to be a fab rabbit vet at Medivet in Watford. Watford's not on your doorstep but I wouldn't have thought it's more than half an hour away. Mind you, it's years since I've been to Medivet so not even sure if Guy's still there. Sure someone on the forum will know.

I am a much relieved bunny mummy. The vet said altho the wound isn't healing as we'd like, it isn't too bad, and he hasn't broken the skin so rather than try and stop him lick and chew it, to focus on pain relief and antibiotics She also said (without me having to say anything) that it's better for him to have oral meds, seeing as he licks the fuciderm off. So she's given me baytril and metacam both of which I recognise from off here, so I was

She also thinks that maybe he has mites that are making the itching worse, cos when she spread his fur his skin looks kinda dandruffy in parts. So she gave him treatment for mites, right on the back of his neck, so he can't lick that off :lol:

The problem now is getting oral meds into him. She said "Wrap him in a blanket like a baby". You try wrapping him in a blanket, lady!! Does everyone else have buns who just let them pick them up and wrap them up and prod and poke them? But I wasn't worried cos I thought I would mix it up with pineapple juice in his bowl (I checked with the vet if this was ok), cos usually he laps that right up, but this time he's not interested at all :roll: Think I will have to wait for OH to get home and help me!