French Lop

I have taken in a french lop in today that i said i was happy to rehome and i got told he had no health problems
He was brought all the way from Durham to Wiltshire for me and he was taken out of the carrier and my first words omg he stinks
So he has had a bath because he smelt that bad but smells better now
He has watery eyes and loud breathing bless him so im booking him into the vets to get him sorted out
I just wish people would be honest rather than tell you aload of rubbish

Poor Bunny

Is he seeing the Vet today ? Loud breathing is a real cause for concern and bathing him might actually not have been the best idea.

Is he completely dry now and on a heat pad ?

I hope that the Vet can help him.

Im waiting on the vet to phone back as he is not back until 4
Is he going to be okay near my other rabbits?
He is nice and dry
His eyes must be hurting or someone must of done something he is not happy with as he is not happy about his head being touched but you can handle him not problem
I thought i was doing the right thing giving him a bath as i have never come across a rabbit smelling that bad before so thought he might feel better

bugsbunnylover said:

Im waiting on the vet to phone back as he is not back until 4
Is he going to be okay near my other rabbits?
He is nice and dry
His eyes must be hurting or someone must of done something he is not happy with as he is not happy about his head being touched but you can handle him not problem
I thought i was doing the right thing giving him a bath as i have never come across a rabbit smelling that bad before so thought he might feel better

Click to expand...

I would definitely provide him with a heatpad as he could be at risk of hypothermia. Buns that are stressed (ie from travel and/or illness) struggle to maintain their body temperature. The bath will add to the risk, but I do understand that you were only trying to help him.

The important thing now is to keep him warm and definitely keep him quarantined from your own Rabbits.

The eye issues may be a symptom of Dental problems. Or it could be a symptom of 'active' Pasteurella given that his breathing is noisy.
I would try to get him seen by a Vet today if at all possible.

Thanks for the advice ill put him in one of the bedrooms away from other house rabbits

I sent an email to the lady who i got the rabbit from to be told i need to take into account his age which is 4 years old but surely his breathing and eyes should still not be like they are?

bugsbunnylover said:

I sent an email to the lady who i got the rabbit from to be told i need to take into account his age which is 4 years old but surely his breathing and eyes should still not be like they are?

Click to expand...

I'm no expert, but I would say those things sound like neglect to me. To have been left that long to get into that state... I do understand that as the buns get older they do get more illnesses naturally, especially the giant breeds. I'm so glad he is with you now. Good on you helping this poor bunny. Good luck with the vets xx

I hope he doesn't have tooth root problems?

It does sound a lot like neglect, and if there was a problem then she should have got him vet treatment. Either way...neglect! :evil:

4 is going from middle to old age for a Frenchie. I'm sure you'll give him a wonderful retirement!

I rescued a French lop last year, he arrived with runny eyes, dental disease, loud breathing, ear infections and a dirty bottom. It just was quite a shock and the care was overwhelming the first few weeks.

Is your bun indoor or outdoor? Hope it will be ok xx

its all abit of a mess i emailed the lady i got him from and the lady that brought him down because if it is snuffles they both breed so the other rabbits could also have it
Anyway i did say to the lady i got him from i will send the vets bill to her as she said he was healthy and he is not.
She is not emailing me the lady that brought him down is emailing me and i just got one saying that she agrees i should take him to the vets and her husband did say he was smelly and it was put down to his age and 5 hour drive.
But has also said that are willing to pick him up and take him back to where he has come from:roll:
Which i know they are trying to be nice but im just abit shocked that his old owner is not contacting me:?

Lillian said:

I rescued a French lop last year, he arrived with runny eyes, dental disease, loud breathing, ear infections and a dirty bottom. It just was quite a shock and the care was overwhelming the first few weeks.

Is your bun indoor or outdoor? Hope it will be ok xx

Click to expand...

He is going to be an indoor bunny but now worried if it is snuffles about my other 3 house rabbits and how he would deal with travelling to Germany next year

bugsbunnylover said:

He is going to be an indoor bunny but now worried if it is snuffles about my other 3 house rabbits and how he would deal with travelling to Germany next year

Click to expand...

Lots of rabbits carry pasteurella without it turning into anything more sinister. If a bun's immune system becomes compromised then they might get snuffles or a respiratory infection, and some rabbits will get ill as soon as they contract pasteurella.

Don't worry about your lot yet, as it's possible they've already come into contact with it, but I'd take care when going between them to wash your hands etc. just in case.

Just thought id let you know his breathing seems to be better this morning and i went to have a chat with my vet who said to keep an eye on him for a couple of days but just pop him down if i need to
I also got got some Golden eye to see if his eyes will get better if not then a trip to the vets
At the moment he is tucking into some rocket which he really likes

Ok I cant comment on your bun but I can tell you abit about mine.I have had two french lops,thats 11years so far of living with one.Both were very noisy breathers at rest but quiet when playing.Never worried about it but when B went for bonding I think Jill was a little concerned about the noise she made so I asked the vet what she thought & she said her lungs were ok & nothing to worry about.As Will lived almost 7years & always snored,I tend to agree with the vet.She had problems with her eyes most of her life,had many flushes which were clear.She had the opposite to entropian,where her eyelid turned outwards rather than inwards.It didn't bother her so we decided against an operation.We just needed to bathe her eyes daily.Luckily B doesn't have any problems with her eyes.As for her smelling badly,B often smells bad on the short trip to the vets due to her weeing in the carrier or ppoing through stress.
Not that I'm sticking up for this person as obviously I haven't seen your bun or know anything about the person you got from but some buns have their own querky mannerisms that,if not known to someone,like B's snoring to Jill,can look like they are ill when really they aren't.I hope thats the case with your rabbit & if it isn't & your bunny really is poorly then I hope he gets better soon & you have many happy months/years together as french lops are truely wonderful buns & I would never be without one.

Just another thought,could his eyes have been watering from the ammonia of his own urine?If he had been on a long journey I presume he toileted in his carrier?



This is a picture of how Will's eyes looked.She was an old lady here,6years & 5months old.I was told french lops have many eye problems lets hope your buns isn't a serious problem.

Hope everything goes well with your new bun :wave: My male french lop reeks! and i actually have to take him to the vet to get his feet clipped because he constantly sits in his litter tray :roll: (huge big shed and he chooses the litter tray pfft!) his wee is soooo strong smelling, even after hes been neutered.

We went to the vet yesterday just to be on the safe side
He said to keep giving him the eye drops and he was not overly happy with his breathing but did not want to give him anything at the mo.I got told to still keep him away from my other rabbits at the moment until we are sure if he is okay
So its just a waiting game to see if its just the way he is or he does have something wrong.

I have a french lop house rabbit already and he is fab and only 2 years old

bugsbunnylover said:

I have a french lop house rabbit already and he is fab and only 2 years old

Click to expand...

Oh sorry didn't realise you had a french lop already,with the title of the thread being "french lop"I thought it was more about the breed you wanted to know!Ignore my wafflings then,you know the little ways of a frenchie then!:lol:
Hope he is ok.