Please help! Gizmo has heat stroke - UPDATE GIZMO HAD A HAIR CUT>>SEE PHOTOS :(

Please help. Today tempetures reached late 20's early 30's so spent the day wetting down both bunnies and ensured they had plenty of cold water to drink. During the day they had a fan on for when they were in there hutches [not that they were shut in at all today but sometimes chose to chill in there] But gizmo being longhaired we were very concerned about. We decided to put him in the run with a shade over the whole thing which bought the tempeture down to 26-27. Later when he went back in his hutch he just slept which we weren't to concerned about...... untill this evening when we bought him indoors for his evening play. He just wanted to sleep he wouldn't eat any of his favorite foods and wasn't drinking.

I phoned the emergency vet and they said to rap him in a damp towel and siringe 5mls of fluids into him every half hour. Also to give hime 0.5mls of metacam all of which i did and soon he started eatting and pooing like normal.... although still very drowsy [i know not surprising in the heat]

But i just don't know what to do now. He has ate grass, grape, and a peice of apple. He has had 10mls of water so far but how long should i keep doing this for?? do i need to keep doing this through the night? The vet said i could take him in if i was worried but i think that may stress him more.

Also what do i do for the rest of the week in the hot tempetures. I am staying home and trying to ensure i keep both bunnies as cool as possible and yet gizmo still is having problems. I know he has had health problems in the past so maybe more vunerable but i am so worried that this is going to keep happening??? please anyone with ideas please advise. I am worried sick. I can't sleep as i am afriad gizmo will start going down hill again...... it is scary how quickly they can go from seeming fine to looking seriously ill. I know he is picking up a bit now but i am still worried as he is still sleepy... .and i am dreading another hot day tomorrow!!!

Seeing as it's obviously helped, I would keep doing what you're doing, even if it means staying up, the fluids in particular are obviously helping.

As for keeping them cool the rest of the summer, do u have any of those Scratch & Newton Ice Pods? I got one today cos they're on offer at p@h and beau likes to just sit on the edge of it. If you get a few you can rotate them so they've always got one. Or lots of people on here just freeze bottles of water and put that in with the buns, maybe wrapped in a towel?

not heard of the freeze pods but will go get some tomorrow deffinatly.

As for the staying up thats not a problem but is it needed if he is eatting? not a problem obviously i would do anything for my buns just afraid of over hydrating him [if that is even possible]...

I thought at first he had turned into a lap bunny as all he wanted to do was lay down with me but then i realized he was telling me he wasn't feeling well. He would dose off then wake up thump then lay back down it has been a horrible horrible evening. He is eatting willingly now but only drinks if i siringe it into him still..... think this could be a long night :roll:

What about bottles of frozen water?

*Spider* said:

What about bottles of frozen water?

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did that today...well semi froze there drinking water [chilled it well] and kept cooling them down but gizmo still got poorly. Still need to know whether to stay up with him tonight or not as he is eatting happily at the moment but only drinks via siringe.

yoshi&gizmo said:

did that today...well semi froze there drinking water [chilled it well] and kept cooling them down but gizmo still got poorly. Still need to know whether to stay up with him tonight or not as he is eatting happily at the moment but only drinks via siringe.

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Is your house air conditioned?

no but he is a semi out door bunny [his hutch is in a shed with windows which are open] and there is a fan in there. although if needed i can bring the hutch into the house

yoshi&gizmo said:

did that today...well semi froze there drinking water [chilled it well] and kept cooling them down but gizmo still got poorly. Still need to know whether to stay up with him tonight or not as he is eatting happily at the moment but only drinks via siringe.

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If he is eating and seems ok I would get up every few hours to check on him and syringe him water..

louise and Gus said:

If he is eating and seems ok I would get up every few hours to check on him and syringe him water..

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ok will do that. Don't think i am going to sleep to well anyway but will set my alarm for 2am then 4am [providing he is still eatting etc and seems ok at two :?] He has just run unstairs and isn't interested in laying down with me now [which he was earlier] so think i will try him in his hutch for a bit. Will cool him off with a damp towel again too and hopefully he will make it through :shock: I am so scared. But must stay positive. He has picked up loads from earlier :?

I was going to advise how to make a "cool house" from the hutch, but it won't work in a shed.

Could try cooling down the whole shed if you've got some help. Sacrifice a duvet, soak in water, put on shed roof, & keep hosing water on it, as it dries out. A dark duvet cover over the duvet will get a better temp drop. (When water evaporates it takes in heat.) Pin old white sheets on walls of shed exposed to sun if they're a dark colour etc.

Then there's everyone else's good advice. Bless him Gizmo sounds a darling,How clever how he told you he was poorly. Everything crossed for you all.

How hairy is he? If he's angora style then I would trim him like a poodle. A lionhead shouldn't make too much difference as although they have longer fur it's fine so not much thicker than normal.

I would shade the whole hutch/run permanently over summer. Shade stops an area getting hot but shading after it's already hot isn't particularly effective.. it doesn't make the air cooler just stops it getting hotter.

spray cold water on your bun's ear (the fur side). They use their ear to radiate the heat. Do it many times a day. The cold water helps the heat to dissipate

I also like watermelon for heat stroke. Although water melon is a fruit, Chinese medical doctors see it as a medicine as well, specifically to offset heat stroke. Get a slice of cold water melon in the fridge, and let your bun eat it.

I give mine melon too as a treat on really hot days - also in a similar way to the duvet someone mentioned I drape damp towels over the runs. It provides an area for shade and helps cool the air around it. Freezing empty lemondade bottles filled with water is a fav with mine also. Although I use bottles I also give them a big bowl of water when its hot. Some of mine like to stick their feet in it and my lop drapes her ears in.

if he is long haired you are going to have to clip him during the summer if he is outdoors. Also make sure they have plenty of shade over both the run and the hutch. Pop an umbrella or similar over the hutch to provide shade or place a white sheet over it (reflects heat). make sure they have both a water bowl and a bottle. Put some ice in the water bowl and you can have extra water bottles and keep them in the fridge until needed. Dampening down any towles/sheets you use will keep the space cooler than otherwise as it takes energy to turn the water into vapour. Also place some lemonade bottles or hot water bottles which have been frozen in a towl and put them in the run.

Tamsin said:

How hairy is he? If he's angora style then I would trim him like a poodle. A lionhead shouldn't make too much difference as although they have longer fur it's fine so not much thicker than normal.

I would shade the whole hutch/run permanently over summer. Shade stops an area getting hot but shading after it's already hot isn't particularly effective.. it doesn't make the air cooler just stops it getting hotter.

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Gizmo is very long haired i will post a pic of him see below He looks like a dulux dog... we are forever trimming his face so he can see but i don't believe he is angora he is supposed to be a lionhead lop. i am taking him into the vets in a bit to see what they reccomend. At the moment we are afraid to leave them alone incase they over heat. I am so worried I don't know what to do for the best
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I used to have old english sheep god slippers that looked EXACTLY like that!! Bless him, no wonder he's hot!! Good luck at the vets!

:lol: yes we have said in the past we have a new campaign for dulux....get rid of the dog and bring in GIZMO.... taking them both down to the vets as they are both flagging a bit.... i know its hot and they are sleepy but they are panting so hard i am afraid to just leave them be so to speak

Lots of good luck vibes - my buns are struggling today so I have left them in the crate.

Good Luck x x x

Bunnies Both In The Vets

well bunnies are BOTH in the vets now both are dehidrated [yoshi not too bad gizmo was a little bit more so....] they are both having hair cuts... i can't imagine what they will look like but if it keeps them cool i am happy.. We give them plent of fresh water 24-7 and cool them down by spraying them both and still they dehydrate so just beware all bunnies are not doing so well in this heat. I love this weather but right now would love it too cool down for my bunnys sakes..... tempeture in our garden is 29 at the moment!!

The vet said the problem is because are garden is a sun trap it is not too bunny friendly at the moment We love our bunnies so much... .they are mine and Oh babies I will do anything for them. Going to try and make a new shelter area for them and move the hutches out of the summer house and see if they do any better..... is it possible to care for the bunnies too much :shock:

Anyway will post pics on when i get bunnies back

Poor bun buns... tho I am kind of looking forward to piccies