I'm in tears, so upset and angry at myself... UD post34... UD2 post 38

Somehow, I dont know how, Leo must have slipped through my feet without me realising it, out of the living room into the hallway/rest of the house.

Jemima lives in the rest of the house, so whilst I was making bunny dinners I hear massive banging and scuffling noises. Thinking 'Oh silly Leo, whats he ripping/attacking/falling off setties/running around like a loon now?' I come into the living room to find no Leo and lots of noise in the hallway.

To my horror Leo's fur is strewn across the whole hallway and Jemima is on top of him ripping his fur out. Its HER territory, and the living room is HIS. They were never and never have been until now introduced to each other (apart from through wire mesh or a pen divider).

Jemima is fine and acting like nothing at all happened.
Leo was scared but is back to normal now scoffing his food.

I've checked him for breaks but I cant feel any, but he squirms when I touch a certain point on his body, and when stroked in that spot it makes a little 'popping' noise

Im really upset I cant believe I ruined evrything, it wasnt meant to turn out like this at all! They're going to be bonded away on neutral territory

Leo is only a nethie and Jemima is a massive frenchie.

So upset.

Should I take Leo to the vets tomorrow?

probably a good idea to get him checked over.. bits could turn into infections or abcesses so best to get treated early.. also he could be in pain

*hugs* Sometimes these things happen, please don't feel guilty.

If Leo was mine I would take him to the vets tonight, he may be in pain which could cause him to stop eating. If you cannot get the the vets I would give them a ring and explain the situation.

I'm afraid I don't really know what else to say but if you can hear an odd noise it is probably best to get it checked out.

Hope this helps x

I would never forgive myself if something happened and I didnt go to the vets... just for peace of mind x

Keep checking the fur, Rory and Harley had a fight ages ago, and only a few weeks ago did I notice that Rory's got two sores on his back

The vets are closed, is there anything I can do? Are vets on call? Will they be bunny vets?

UsagiYojimbo said:

The vets are closed, is there anything I can do? Are vets on call? Will they be bunny vets?

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If you ring your vets, they will have an emergency vets details on the message, so you can get to see a vet tonight.

Don't worry that it happened, bunnies are tricky critters and have a habit of getting themselves into trouble no matter how careful we are.


Your vet practise should have an "emergency" vet who is available out of hours. The very least you could do is phone them and discuss what has happene, what condition Leo's in ie what kind of injuries her has, and then take him in if they think it necessary. It's quite late though so will be expensive but worth it for peace of mind!

At my practise, if you phone out of hours there's an answerphone message giving the phone number of the out-of-hours mobile - whichever vet is on duty that night, has it. hope he's ok. x

I agree with Demi. Wounds can take a few days to show up. Try running your hands backwards over his fur and blowing into it. That's your best chance of seeing any wounds.

It won't hurt to call the vets tonight.

Just called my emergency vet, who after doing somethings over the phone and talking to her she says that it would be best to bring him in first thing in the morning to see one of the bunny vets. She said that the popping noise is likely to be puncture wounds and the air escaping from under the skin! It feels like bubble wrap when you stroke his back.

He moves around okay, he has eaten lots, but is just quiet and sore looking i.e. just lying/sitting down tooth purring to himself instead of zooming around.
However he does look uncomfortable moving around.

I have some old metacam in the fridge, from last october, would this still be usable or not?

I am hoping he doesnt have any fractures but the vet said it didnt sound like it over the phone.

Any ideas and advice on the metacam?

Oh Jemima is absolutely fine btw, and we think the fur may belong to her (ther eis a lot of fur)

Glad to hear the vet doesn't think it's a serious emergency. The metacam bottle should have a use by date on it...it might be on the label or on the cap x

Sky-O said:

I agree with Demi. Wounds can take a few days to show up. Try running your hands backwards over his fur and blowing into it. That's your best chance of seeing any wounds.
It won't hurt to call the vets tonight.

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How clever thank you so much!

He wouldn't let me look much but I got a look at one wound, not sure if there are more. It looks like a puncture wound, which would explain the popping noise of air escaping from under the skin

Definately getting him to the vets first thing, does this mean he will develop an absyss? How do I prevent this?

UsagiYojimbo said:

How clever thank you so much!

He wouldn't let me look much but I got a look at one wound, not sure if there are more. It looks like a puncture wound, which would explain the popping noise of air escaping from under the skin

Definately getting him to the vets first thing, does this mean he will develop an absyss? How do I prevent this?

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Actually thinking about it, could it be a hole where a chunk of fur was pulled out rather than bite wound as there is just a small hole/cut, it is red but not bleeding, just a little dried blood

Dont feel bad, at least you spoke to a vet, and taking him to them tomorrow, not sure about how to prevent an abbyss, but i hope every thing turns out ok!

Also, did you find the use by date on the label/cap of the metacam..?

UsagiYojimbo said:

Definately getting him to the vets first thing, does this mean he will develop an absyss? How do I prevent this?

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When my two had a massive fight I didn't notice that Princess Peach had been bitten until I felt the scab a couple of days later. When I went to the vets she had some pus in the wound but it hadn't yet developed into an absyss. I'm not 100% sure but I think for a wound to develop into an absyss it needs to become infected.

By going to the vets tomorrow hopefully Leo will not have time to develop one. The vets will give you antibiotics though to prevent an absyss as well as any other meds and painkiller.

These bunnies love spending our money don't they :roll:

Ouch you've already had all the best advice so nothing to add other than not to blame yourself, I just hope it's not too serious, can you not ring back and check with the vet re the metacam to be on the safe side? They might want to administer something tomorrow so be sure to mention it if you do give any.

Re. the metacam. I'm pretty sure my bottle said that it could only be used for up to 6 mths after opening. In any case, it's a prescription medicine, so you should check with your vet before giving any.

Sending lots of vibes for Leo. xx

I agree with Karen about the Metacam.

You can bathe any wounds with cooled boiled water, or saline. That would be sufficient enough to keep them clean until tomorrow.

Thank you everyone for your advice and support its all really helped!

The bottle is way past 6 months so I've thrown it in the bin. The vets will give it as an injection tomorrow rather than drops. Hopefully they will be able to have a better look at the wound(s) and give him something to stop infection.

Its ironic he is the injured one as I am 99% sure it was him who started the fight :roll:

Sky-O said:

I agree with Karen about the Metacam.

You can bathe any wounds with cooled boiled water, or saline. That would be sufficient enough to keep them clean until tomorrow.

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Thank you again for some brilliant advice :thumb: Suprised vet didn't tell me to do that