poorly thumper

Hi ive not been around for a long time due to work etc...
anyway.. had my poor rabbit back & forth to the vets over last couple weeks..
it started out as having back teeth problems, had same problem 2 yrs ago, got infectious, blind in one eye.. vet assured me over & over its not my fault cos thumper never showed any illness (to which rabbits hardly ever do) he ate & drank as normal & played, it was through a routine check up the vet noticed the teeth problem,

Anyway after having them fixed he is now soooo congested with that damn horrible infection again, came from his tear duck, then his nose but hasnt been any signs of it in the last week, hes about 6-7 yrs of age, dwarf lopear (male), been told its in his sinus not on his chest (thank god), he makes these awful noises sometimes (that horrible snotty gurgling noise) i could cry sometimes as it sounds so sad.
he was an outside rabbit, but no longer, hes got te freedom of our home & a lovely cage with removable tray with hay/straw/water/nuggets
hes on anti biotics/vitamins & recovery food oh & Bisolvon to help with his congestioness..
I know rabbits live all diff ages cos of various reasons & the vet said hes never seen such a fighter in a rabbit as through his 35 years experience as a vet he said they normally give up..
he drinks from anywhere of 50ml to 100ml water every 2 days & nibbles at his nuggets & recovery food (sachet mixed with water) mixed into his nuggets..
He doesnt run around the home, 90% of the time he likes to be in his cage, hes not frightened, i think he likes to be near his water, he likes his cuddles in his bunny fury bed from me on my lap & talked to..
he is very thin, boney, he has never been a big bunny at all, he never liked grass or hay to eat, but has always had the best foods via nuggets & fresh foods & oats..

So im asking anyone is there anything more i can be doing for him? the vet is kind, weve known him for about 15 yrs now & is brilliant with all of our animals, always have time for them & never rushes appointments & i believe he gives the very best aproach with treatments...
so tis is mainly for my piece of mind, do you think he can recover from this dreadful infection that his teeth has caused?

i nurse him morning & night with anti biotics/eye drops/ & Bisolvon.. to those who dont know what Bisolvon is, its what are given to cows to help with their congestion/mucas problems they get & helps them to breath a little better through their nose

Thank you for any response & for reading this on behalf of myself & Thumper xxxx

I haven't got any particular advice, but when my rabbit was ill (E.C not dental) my vet told me that as long as she was eating and drinking (even with help) that this was a good sign as it showed she wasn't ready to give up. You sound like you are doing a great job (I'm sure there are people who would have given up by now!) your rabbit knows that you are doing your best, you are giving him his medicine to help with his eye problems etc.

I know how hard it can be, it is exhausting look after a sick bunny, and the worry makes you feel even worse. Sorry I haven't much advice but I hope your bunny gets better soon, please keep us updated.

Sending lots of hugs and vibes for you both xx

The Hay Experts have lots of different hay / oats which may entice him to eat. Mine love the green oat hay, and the barley oat hay, although that seemed to give mine a bit of diarahea. Good luck sorry I don't know any more.

What antibiotic is he on for the infection ?

Is he on pain relief? (Sorry if I missed that bit :?) A long term course of NSAID's like metacam should help reduce any inflammation and swelling along his respiratory tract, and also make him feel more comfortable.

Daisy-may

Thank you sooo much for your comforting words (just had a few tears)

Thumper is the one on my avator pic.. I keep asking the vet is he in ANY pain at all & he said NO, hes just poorly with the infection & its like us humans having a terrible cold, after a while it gets you down, but he said alot of rabbits just give up
I will NEVER give up on him, only he can do that,
The noises he often makes are what i can describe as gizmo the gremlin makes, or a little squeeky toy with a snotty nose lol

I had to move him from my bedroom at night time, cos i wasnt getting muc sleep as i would constantly keep waking up to every noise he was making & getting myself too upset, so in the evening hes in his big cage with a little lamp on in the front room & with heating on if needed & in the daytime he likes it in the conservatory with me sunny & warm but not too hot..

sorry just seen the other replies....

tried ALL hays, even grinded down & put on his food, he just leaves his foods, so the vet said hes not too concerned about that, as he is getting his nutrients from the nuggets & the recovery foods...some hays also gave thumper dihrea too & i dont want to add any more problems to him with what hes got already, or hes going to dehydrate

the antibiotics hes on are Baytril 0.2 morning & nights, hes also on a vitamin with steroids injection once a week along with an anti inflammitery for swelling etc, can not give more or it starts to not help fight the infection
all the swelling has gone from his gums,mouth, vet is happy about that

I know in some cases vets can drill a hole through their skull & drain the infection that way but thumper wouldnt survive being given an anaesthic as hes too weak
last time it was drained through his tear duck, but this is mainly in his head/sinus not behind his eye

sending vibes your way! x

Thumper, gave him a wash earlier, sometimes the eye drops run after & thefur can go hard

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Awww what a darling bunny.
I have 2 suggestions,
a) adding a non steroidal ant inflammatory EG metacam (provided that his kidneys work well) is not just a pain killer, it reduces swelling in infected inflamed tissues, making more space for the secretions to drain, & also to breath. It tastes quite nice to most buns.
b) if the tear duct is still open, CHLORAMPHENICOL EYE drops are safe to use for buns. (Much to my surprise). They will help the discharge from the eye, AND if the hole to the sinus is still open will act as a powerful antibiotic inside the sinuses. It will also help the nasal problems.
At his age I think that it all depends on whether the additions would stress him unduly - I don't think we would want that.
{If you have the time PLEASE could you tell me how you got enough fiber in his diet & kept his molars worn down without hay. - we're getting desperate?}

Loads of vibes for poorly Thumper. xx

keeping his molars down were visits to the vets & things like nuggets/hard vegetables & oats helped, even the vet used to be quite suprised by this, but for some reason it worked for thumper, i must have a very strange bunny? lol..

weve tried the metacam, it is a good medication, my dog is also on it, but for thumper it wasnt doing too much for him, & the vet says the swelling has gone down & his in no pain, & theres only a slight discharge of the infection in his sinus, the vet said he could have it now for the rest of his life & its a case of trying to keep it under control, his breathing sounds a little better this morning, though i did haveto give him another bath as i think hes urinating on him self instead of going out of the cage like he normally does,

i hold him in my arm & he likes the warm water from the tap (trickling) on his lower part of his body, i talk all cooey to him & he liks that very much, doesnt kick up a fuss or anything, then i give him a gentle wash with the scrub wash (from the vets) & towel dry him then use a hair dryer to make sure hes completly dry..
i swear he loves it he lays there with his legs wide open & lets me wash & dry him & he starts going to sleep on me..lol..(must be a male thing i guess? lol)

just cleaned his cage out, with nice new newspapers & straw from my local farmer
i dont use woodshavings as its too dusty & it would make hes sinus worse..
fres water & burgess nuggets & recovery food...with lots of love thrown in it xxxx

ps ty for all your lovely vibes for Thumper, each day is special for me to have this lovely time with him

A nebuliser may be helpful

Sorry, on my way out now so will post more later

:wave: I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to say what a wonderful job you are doing to keep your little bunny comfy. Sending him lots of vibes xx

I am very deeply moved by the special relationship & love you & Thumper have for each other. I now know why he is such a fighter. He's a very happy bunny despite his illness.
I think that you have attended to every detail to improve his symptoms.
Thank you for your advice re diet.
You are both very much in our thoughts.
Judy & (believe it or not a different Thumper)

Please forgive me for turning "academic". I am not in disagreement with Jack's Jane or Prettylupin.
I may easily have misunderstood the situation. It seemed to me that the original problem was that the "holes" draining the maxillary sinuses into the nose had blocked, & the secretions had built up inside the sinuses & become infected. Over time there is a high chance that this block would become permanent because of scar tissue. So Thumper had an operation to drain the sinuses into the tear duct. The problem area is draining the sinuses. I just wonder whether a nebulizer would reach that area. Any small amount of additional fluid to the nasal secretions would help him to clear them & breath more easily.
I feel that the decision depends a lot on what is least distressing to Thumper, & gives the most benefit of symptom relief.
This is why I suggested human eye drops, having checked with a vet that it is safe for buns. I would still add that even that depends on whether it is distressing for Thumper, because it cannot cure, only relieve & buy a little more time. It's all down to judgment really.

wow ty for the responses from everyone..

metacam was given to him in all doses but the injection inflamation ones works better for him & quicker (in his case)

the eye drops are called : Maxitrol

nebuliser: i shall ask my vet about this, as Thumper is sooo good at taking oral medicaton, i sit him in his fury bunny bed & he seems to know the routine, washed, eye drops, then with a small syringe, hes antibiotic then his congestion powder in another syringe with a little water mixed with it,
he sits there & drinks it bit by bit from them

When i asked the vet if thumper was in pain, he said he wouldnt be eating or drinking if he was (esp eating) im no vet but i know when im in pain, i dont eat or drink, so i guess it makes sense? & he grooms himself too..

for the past week or so, he just sits in the same spot for hours on end, turns around for water/feed thats about it...i take him to the vets every 3 days for check ups & injections

The operation he hd this time was his back teeth fixed on so there short again, he couldnt drain the infection from his tear duck as it had closed up & had dificulty finding it, so thats why its stayed in his sinus for longer, then 2 weeks ago it came out from his tear duck & his nose, but nothing has come out for the last week, but still in his sinus (& tear duck is not blocked)

Its killing me to have to write this, but do you think he is hanging on just for my sake?, what kind of a life is it, sitting in the same spot for hours & hours, hardly drinking/eating, im i kidding myself hes going to recover & run around the house like my other rabbit does?
im i being selfish?

In the last few yrs, i have lost a dog, 1 cat, 2 guinea pigs, 1 rabbit, & now Thumper is poorly & my other dog is 13 yrs old & i still have another 2 dogs, 1 rabbit & 1 cat still alive..
so you can see i am a huge animal lover & it breaks my heart to have to be forced when the time is right to let them sleep forever

It is with very much sadness to let all those concerned that Thumper is now in Heaven
Last night he got worse, he was urinating on himself & had hardly any strength, the vet assured me 100% i had done everything possible for him & i had nursed him very well

My hubby buried him under the rabbit hutch (on very tall legs) & he put couple big slabs down to, we live in the countryside & dont want no foxes digging him up,
i wrapped him up in his huge towel, with a rose & some of his favourite oats..
im missing him so much, im keeping myself busy to help with the pain
i will bring in my other bunny later & have a cuddle

Ty for everyone who showed me their kindness towards Thumper

I am so sorry to hear your sad news. I have been so deeply impressed by the wonderful relationship you had with Thumper, deep care & consideration you gave to his needs, and his response to your love.
I know that you miss him sorely, yet I hope the time will come when you will be filled with many happy memories. You did amazingly well to give him such a wonderful life until he was 8 which is a good life span these days.
RIP much loved Thumper.

I'm so sorry you had to let Thumper go. It's a difficult but very brave decision xx