• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

U/D He's Gone we're devastated

Boudicca

Boudicca

Warren Veteran
Matilda&Twinks is on her way to the vets with Co-Co (prev Starlights bun) he was out free ranging in the garden and seems to have hurt himself. She didn't see what happened and there are no obvious injuries or blood etc .She says he's not limping but there is something not right about his hop?! He's refusing any treats or food so she knows he's in a bit of pain. If he's damaged, bruised or broken a toe will a vet be aable to tell this without X-ray? and should he have a stronger pain killer than metacam ie an opiate based one? Any other suggestions, ideas welcome!
 
Last edited:
Elf did something similar. Vet tried him on metacam for five days but it didn't seem to help so she thought it was a break rather than arthritis etc. She didn't want to splint his foot so said x ray wasn't needed as it would heal in time. He stayed on metacam another week then stopped limping and is now fine. There was never any redness/sign of infection. :wave:

ETA It didn't stop him eating but he was quieter than normal. Sounds like Coco is in more pain :(
 
you can only ever be 100% certain via an x-ray what is going on with bones. Vets don't like to x-ray buns unless really vital as it is a bit more of a procedure than it is for us humans so I think they tend to feel anatomy to decide what the likely cause is and see if it gets better with treatment as this is best for the bun. There are stronger pain killers available. I hope that once the pain is controlled Co-Co starts to eat again and that he gets back to normal soon
 
Poor ol' Co-Co apparently it's not his toes at all! He's had a bang to the head, and a scrape to his privates and a little nick to the corner of his eyelid :( apparently Matilda&Twinks was in the garden and Co-Co startled and took of at 1000 miles an hour and shot back into his shed! He must have crashed into something as he entered the shed at full speed! Matilda&Twinks ran in to see if he was ok and said he was on the top shelf but tried to flop on one side then the other and his hop wasn't right (no wonder if he'd had a bang to his bits!). The vet was new to the surgery but by all counts was fairly thorough but said a couple of odd things?! He has metacam and fucilthalmic! Now the odd bits, she said he must eat before having metacam because it could ferment in his stomach?! She also said to separate Co-Co from Matilda as she might sense he's not feeling well and hurt him! There's no chance they'll be separated!! Also he will be having metacam if he doesnt eat... her advice doesn't bode well for stasis bunnies needing oral metacam!!
 
I'm glad they found out what happened to him and what his problem is :)

I can see the sense in what the vet is saying. The general advice is similar to NSAIDs in people (Aspirin and Ibuprofen should only be given after food), so I can definitely understand that. For bunnies not eating, an injection is better anyway because it is more effective, quickly. So that's not as off the wall as it sounds.

Likewise with the bonding. That sounds, to me, like something she has semi learnt along the way (maybe she has had a client who had bunnies fight as a result of an injury). It would be more advisable to suggest to monitor their behaviour and warn of the risk of fights.

I hope Co-co feels better soon :)
 
Glad the mystery is solved; hopefully he'll recover soon. My vets always advise giving metacam with food (I guess like ibuprofen with humans) ie not on an empty stomach, so that bit of the advice sounds fine. :wave:

Oops cross posted with Sky-O :D

ETA If I had to give metacam to a non-eating bun I'd syringe feed it to "cushion" the metacam...
 
Last edited:
Tinsel said:
Glad the mystery is solved; hopefully he'll recover soon. My vets always advise giving metacam with food (I guess like ibuprofen with humans) ie not on an empty stomach, so that bit of the advice sounds fine. :wave:

Oops cross posted with Sky-O :D
Click to expand...

:lol: At least we agreed! :thumb:
 
Oh right, thank you! I'd never heard anyone mention that before! I shall add a little note to my bunny medical notes :D Sounds like the vet is quite good then! The reason Co-Co is with Matilda instead of Twinks is because the original bond broke when Matilda had a stasis episode and was separated from Twinks for a day! Co-Co and Matilda are being kept in an unheated kitchen overnight so will be monitored closely!

Tinsel I've just remembered you did the homecheck for Co-Co :D
 
Hmm am now round visiting Co-Co and he doesn't seem right :? No interest in any food just sitting still! He's had 1.4ml of metacam (cat) and we tried to syringe some recovery but he start loud teeth grinding so we've stopped? Not sure what to do? I think maybe he should have had stronger painkiller?! Not sure what to do for him?
 
Cat metacam is notoriously weaker than dog metacam but 1.4ml sounds like a fairly big dose - others should be on to advise you more though. You need to make sure it is a big enough dose, otherwise it won't have any effect. May be worth ringing the emergency vet and seeing what's the biggest dose he could safely have. Personally I'd be inclined to syringe feed regardless of the teeth grinding, otherwise he'll just get more and more uncomfortable, although you don't want to distress him. Again, best to ask vet's advice over the phone at least? :? Do you have zantac? Would anyone use that?
 
Update!! We went to syringe him some more and as I held his held his bum on the table I felt his tail lift saw a little strain thought he was having a wee, moved to check and there was a tiny patch of bloody water!!! flipped him over can't actually see any grazing or nicks in his bits and it clearly came from where he wees from! Could it just be a UTI and we just thought he'd injured himself?? Gonna go to emergency vet but need to go armed with info as they are usually useless!!!
 
Sounds very plausible. Agree you want to gather more questions/info before you go to vets. Eg if he's not eating what's best cocktail to get him started? Metacam> dosage? Zantac? metraclopizide (no idea re spelling - this is where you need someone with more knowledge...:oops:) What antibiotic and for how long? etc etc etc! Hopefully you're not too far from vets?
 
It sounds a bit more worrying now.

I hope you get a really good rabbit vet as the poor soul sounds to be in quite a bit of pain and sounds like more thorough investigations need to be done.

Sending loads of vibes that he's more comfortable and on the mend soon.
 
I'd suggest asking about narcotics. Have you checked his penis?

If that vet is not good, the chances of having a decent vet on at my practice are high because there is only one I avoid, yet another 4 who are relatively good and another two who are top notch.
 
Sky-O I wouldn't know what a rabbit willy looks like to know if things are right or wrong :oops: gonna google them now! I don't suppose you know the name of any of the good ones?
 
Boudicca said:
Sky-O I wouldn't know what a rabbit willy looks like to know if things are right or wrong :oops: gonna google them now! I don't suppose you know the name of any of the good ones?
Click to expand...

At my vets I see Charles or Katherine, but as an emergency have also seen both the Lauras (there are only two), Rachel and.. oh, wait, that might be it. I tend to not see James (JAMES! Not David- I have it in my head he is a David but hreally he is a James). He is excellent with cats and dogs, but not a bunny man. All other vets are very thorough and know their stuff. http://www.orwellvets.co.uk/

ETA- my suspicion would be that they would admit, and they do have a nurse on the premises 24/7. They are also generally happy for bunnies to go with their friends too.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Craig 1965
Henry at vets again - Henry has sadly gone- U/D 6am thread page 20
10 11 12
Replies
233
Views
28K
bunniemum
bunniemum
Compass
When is it the right time to say goodbye :( - U/D Good bye Mr Pickle
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
TheThreeB's
TheThreeB's
B
Bunny with poorly leg. u/d he's gone :(
2
Replies
37
Views
6K
Rab-bit
R
Back
Top