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How do you cope?

Martin7

Warren Scout
Hi Everyone..

For everyone whos got sick buns etc, how do you cope with it.. does is take over your life?

I mean, my buns been in and out of stasis for the last 2 weeks, he's eating, drinking and very active etc, but there is only small batch of a few poops maybe every day and one day he's seems fine and whizzing around, then the next he's quiet, then the next he's fine etc.. , I've been backwards and forwards to the vets to the point where it seems he no longer trusts me like he did because He thinks I'm just gonna throw him in his box and take him to the vets.., he fights me every step of the way when trying to get meds in him etc, and runs and hides.. he is pooping but only a small batch every day or so. He has always been an absolute nightmare to help when he was sick in the past but there was 2 of us then, but my partner (well that's a long story) but it's just me now.. it was orginally my partners bun, he used to attack her and seemed to bond with me, and I grew ridiculously attached to him, and she didn't want to take him with her (I wouldn't of let her anyway).

but the last two weeks I've hardly slept and been in an almost constant state of anxiety, I'm emotionally, mentally, physically exhausted... and the vets, arguing with taxi drivers about NOT putting him in the boot, constant struggling trying to get his meds, and trying different things etc, trying to figure out what to do etc, and the cost of treatments etc has pretty much cleaned me out on every level, I havn't been able to relax properly or focus on anything because I just want to see him fully back to normal, but it's reached a point where its starting to affect all other aspects of my life and I'm making stupid mistakes, and starting to feel under the weather myself.

I love him to bits, and he means the world to me, and I would do anythig for him, but after this, as much I love buns I don't think I will ever have another because I just don't want to go through all this.. :(
 
I am sorry you and your bunny are going through so much. I think your reaction is pretty normal for someone who has a sick bunny and truly loves them. I have several very poorly rabbits at the moment which has been going on for a few weeks and it is affecting me badly too. Lack of sleep, stress , exhaustion and making mistakes, dropping things, breaking things :roll:

But I just keep telling myself that it means that I care, as you obviously do too :D

I hope things improve for you both soon x
 
Sigh! Thanks Hugo..

I don't think I've known a stress like it, (as I guess your experiencing too).. I'm really struggling with 1, I don't know how it would be to have seveal omg!.. To be honest I would love to have a bunny wife for him but one thing that's put me off, is the thought of Twice the potential to go through all of this. I just couldn't do it on my own let alone afford it. I do absolutely love him and he means the world to me, he's my best mate,

I feel like a total zombie and literally walking into things,like you said dropping things ,and it just feels like there is nothing good in life... , I've been sleeping on the couch downstairs for 2 weeks because its easier to keep everything in one room, I wake up hoping there is some change, and see no poops etc, and that pretty much seems to set the tone for the day:S.. I think your amazing being able to manage several.. likewise, Hope things get easier for you too, and you finally get a chance to relax.. and buns feel much better!.

Thank You...
 
Hey Martin,

i can completely sympathise. I have found that whilst the illness is all over the place it's almost unbearable (if you wanted to read my blog you would see some of what I've been dealing with and how I've found it so difficult). What I have found is most important is to, wherever possible, gain routine. The routine means you know a bit more where you are and it also aids coping, I find.

Essentially though, it is horrible and draining, and it doesn't get easier with practice or anything, every ill bunny is like the first in that respect. It's just a case of holding on through it.
 
It's become normal for me. Off every few hours to clean eyes, feed, give injections and medicine. Grim has no front teeth so when I first adopted Smoo it was novelty that she could eat whole vegetables! :lol:
 
Hi Sky-O

I would love to read your blog, I'm going to read it after I've replied here. Thank You!, You know sometimes it just helps to know your not alone etc.. easy to forget when things are so stressful, I've tried to establish a routine but the problem with nugs is, the minute he even gets the slightest sense that I'm about to do something, he's gone and hides etc.. so I have to kind of wait a lot of the time till he's chilling on the floor etc or in a postition where I can try and get to him, but then I feel bad because he finally felt safe enough to come back out and the first thing I did was grab him, but if I don't and he needs his meds etc.. soo many catch 22's it seems with buns. but most of the time it's a waste of time anyway, because he just fights me that much I end up taking him to the vets instead anyway and getting them to do it:S.. which is another catch 22 because of the stress of the vets (And the cost).. anyway, I'm looking forward to reading your blog.

Hi Jenova

eek, I don't know how you manage, I can handle the having to administer meds et, if only he let me do it and realised I'm just trying to help but the struggle that ensures is draining emotionally for us both, and he spends all night under the table then just giving me evil looks:s..
 
Hi Sky-O

I would love to read your blog, I'm going to read it after I've replied here. Thank You!, You know sometimes it just helps to know your not alone etc.. easy to forget when things are so stressful, I've tried to establish a routine but the problem with nugs is, the minute he even gets the slightest sense that I'm about to do something, he's gone and hides etc.. so I have to kind of wait a lot of the time till he's chilling on the floor etc or in a postition where I can try and get to him, but then I feel bad because he finally felt safe enough to come back out and the first thing I did was grab him, but if I don't and he needs his meds etc.. soo many catch 22's it seems with buns. but most of the time it's a waste of time anyway, because he just fights me that much I end up taking him to the vets instead anyway and getting them to do it:S.. which is another catch 22 because of the stress of the vets (And the cost).. anyway, I'm looking forward to reading your blog.

Hi Jenova

eek, I don't know how you manage, I can handle the having to administer meds et, if only he let me do it and realised I'm just trying to help but the struggle that ensures is draining emotionally for us both, and he spends all night under the table then just giving me evil looks:s..

what I have found works for meds is to not force it into them, but find a way for them to take it for themselves. for some of mine that is on a basil leaf rolled up, for others I give it in baby food, which they LOVE. Then it actually becomes a pleasurable experience for them and not stressful for eother of you. Maybe start trying to offer him baby food in a syringe without the meds to find out if there is anything he likes, and go from there?

I have 5 on meds for the rest of their life, and the others go on and off sporadically. Out of the five on for life, two have them in basil leaves, one has his in baby food and loves it, another has to be syringe fed, but is easy so I just syringe him, and the other in a turdbrain who used to be so unco-operative so I had to syringe it into him and then give him his favourite treat after, so he now knows that if he tolerates the meds he gets the ultimate treat, which works brilliantly for him.

My blog has been better recently, but the start and middly of April was horrible due to taking on a very needy bunny and not coping at all with it.
 
*hugs*
It's so hard when your bun is so sick. When Malteser was sick at Christmas I was up every 2 hours with him to give him food ant water. The night of his abdo pain when he was finally pooing again was horrible. The worry I had when he wasn't pooing was awful and I don't think I've ever been, or will ever be, so happy to see poo in my life! I would hate that to have gone on much longer, as a bun owner it is one of the biggest worries there is!
You worry when you sleep incase they get worse, you worry when you wake incase you find them 'gone'. Every moment you worry if you are doing the right thing by them. I was an emotional wreck when he was sick, we were at the vets every week/every other week for about 3 months! When your bun is a true member of the family you are bound to worry like you are, it is totally normal. I hope things improve soon, hopefully when they do your bun will provide you with affection everyday that screams "THANK YOU FOR GETTING ME THROUGH THE BAD TIMES!!"
Good luck and I hope you too can have the excitement and releif of healthy poo soon xx
 
what I have found works for meds is to not force it into them, but find a way for them to take it for themselves. for some of mine that is on a basil leaf rolled up, for others I give it in baby food, which they LOVE. Then it actually becomes a pleasurable experience for them and not stressful for eother of you. Maybe start trying to offer him baby food in a syringe without the meds to find out if there is anything he likes, and go from there?

I have 5 on meds for the rest of their life, and the others go on and off sporadically. Out of the five on for life, two have them in basil leaves, one has his in baby food and loves it, another has to be syringe fed, but is easy so I just syringe him, and the other in a turdbrain who used to be so unco-operative so I had to syringe it into him and then give him his favourite treat after, so he now knows that if he tolerates the meds he gets the ultimate treat, which works brilliantly for him.

My blog has been better recently, but the start and middly of April was horrible due to taking on a very needy bunny and not coping at all with it.

I found that Malteser has to sniff the syrine first, then he takes his meds with no issue at all. He might just be alone in this behaviour tho? There was one med that I couldn't deliver easily as it came out of the syringe too fast, I put that on cellery and he took it that way instead.
 
I agree with getting them to take it like a treat.
Grim has his baytril (the worst tasting rabbit medicine) on a little bit of bread and he thinks he's getting a treat. :D
The less stress the rabbit has the better your relationship is and it will probably help their recovery too, Well snuffles is aggravated by stress so I'm a master at keeping Grim's stress to a minimum. Find a food he absolutely cannot resist and put the medicine in there. Then he only gets that food when he has the medicine.
 
If it's something like Metacam I put it on a tiny piece of bread. If it's something like Panacur I make a mint or basil sandwich with it. That fools most buns! :lol: I hope he improves soon. Sending lots of vibes xx
 
Thanks Everyone ,it's good just to be able to share...

I've tried pretty much everything suggested in the forum, and unfortunately nothing seems to help.. I wish there was a service where you could pay a vetinary nurse to come round and do it, I would definately use that, for what it costs for taxi up and down to the vets etc, it would be worth it and less stress for him and I etc..

he's soo fussy he hates most of the stuff other buns seem to love, I can get metacam in him easily enough, because he loves that.. and metaclopromide.. (anything sweet) but hates banana and any fruit really, the only veg he will eat is dandilon, carrot and spring green...

I just tried to get some fluids in him, I ordered a new 20ml syringe, because the one I had was old and I only had a 10ml one, but I managed to get about 2ml in him, then he had enough and tried to run off, but I couldnt hold the needle still, and sryinge and hold him at the same time, so I just had to pull it out and let him go..I suppose 2ml is better than 0ml, though he is drinking a lot as well.. but if needs be, looks like I might take him back to the vets for another gut stim and as much fluid as he can have..

he's eating, drinking, and active, there is plenty going in, just not much coming out. but what I don't understand is, when he wasn't pooping he seemed happier, but since he's been doing a few small batches he seems more fed up...

Meant to say* the only thing which I havn't tried him with is bramble leaves, I went looking for some but I'm a bit worried because they were right on the roadside, and I'm not sure if council spray things etc, as theyre always cutting stuff down.. I wonder if I can buy them online.. gonna have a look.

(I love your blog, still reading it.. but wonderful website, and great info)

Still reading the replies but just want to say thank you, feels good to be able to talk about it, as I kind of locked myself away for the last two weeks other than supply shopping and vets as I just havn't had the energy to deal with anything/anyone else.. ((Sending Vibes to all your poorly buns)) and wishing them all a speedy recovery too.
 
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I cope by thinking of the end result: a happy and healthy bunny! I just try to remember why I am putting myself/him through all the stress and believe that eventually we will get there. I really hope you bunny is feeling better soon, you are obviously worried and love your bunny very much :love:
 
Your Right..

I guess because it seems to be kind of 2 steps forward, then 1 step back, so the constant highs, followed by a low, followed by a high etc, takes it's toll too.. I long for the day he's back to full misheif and there is a tray full of golden poops..

I was a full time carer for my partner, so I was with nugs pretty much 24/7 for the last 3 years and still am really, I absolutely love him to bits..which is why I think it's so difficult when I have to stress him out with vet, or trying to treat him etc too. because it feels like I'm betraying his trust in me. but I know your right, and at the end of the day we have no choice, we have to do whatever we have to do to get them through it, and were only doing that because we Love them.. :love:
 
Sending hopeful vibes that your bun is doing better today. (((((((((Vibes)))))))))))
My minirex, Fiver, is not only difficult to handle but also doesn't care for sweet things like banana slices or apple to take his meds with. He has a cecal dysbiosis problem as well so I can't really give him treats. But one thing he does like that helps the medicine go down-plus helps regulate his gut-is plain canned pumpkin puree. NOT the pie filling, as that has spices and other additives that are not good for bun.
Plain canned pumpkin is a cross species home remedy for poorly animal tums and appetites. It will slow down diarrhea and kick start a constipated bowel. Fiver only gets a teaspoon when needed but he never sees the meds mixed in. He loves it so much that his rump skin twitches with delight while he eats it. There's no sign it was ever in the bowl when he's done...except for the telltale orange lipstick. ;)
Ask your vet first. Mine recommends it for all my pets. :) You don't want to give him too much though, especially if he's never had it before.
 
best wishes for you and your bun.

tabby rabbit was ill after her spay - and what a horrible experience it was. i sympathise fully re taxi drivers! it was a horrible time, especially as i felt i'd made her ill by arranging the operation, and that she didn't know why and was so poorly. it cost a fortune in vet bills and extraneous expenses, like taxis, and gave me problems at work because you can't take even an hour off to deal with sick animals.

hope your bun is better soon.
 
I can totally empathise with you aswell Martin :(

My bun Mimi had head tilt severely for 6 weeks, she was completely disabled couldnt move, couldnt even stand up without rolling. I had to nurse her 24/7 during that time. Meds, injections, washing, feeding and up every 3 hours in the night. Ive never felt so drained and stressed, and I had my OH to help.

Its always stressful because of the combination of worrying about them and the guilt of treating them
against their will. And of course lack of sleep doesnt help!

But one of the best moments of my life was the day Mimi took her first clumsy steps since she got ill :love: I have a video of it and I still watch it 2 years on if I need a boost, it was all so worth it :D

Sending loads of vibes that your bun feels better soon. Even thoigh you may feel like he hates you right now, somewhere deep inside he knows youre helping him and your bond will be stronger for it :love:

Let us know if we can help in any way, I found the support I got on here invaluable xxx
 
Thanks Everyone, and Thank You for the VIBES, sending ((((Vibes))) to you all and your buns too. heh, they sure show us what stress is.. (and then some),

@MimzMum, Pumpkin puree is something I've seen mentioned before, and it's something he''s never tried, I would love to try him with that, as it's meant to be great for Stasis buns, for some reason it doesn't seem readily available in the UK though, so will have to source it online.. but thanks for the reminder, I'm going to try and find some

@Happybun.. pfft, indeed.. I always have to get a taxi and the same firm, but the amount of times a driver has turned up and refused to take him, or asked me to put him in the boot.. even though I explained on the phone when booking I have a clean rabbit in a carrier etc.. just adds to the frustration and makes just getting there and back a drag, and an expense.. sheesh!.

@GemmaPookie, Thank You.. and wow you did amazing! I can only imagine how harrowing that must of been, to see you bun like that:( noooo.. but what you said about his recovery is amazing! and a testimony to our efferts (and everyone on here who dearly loves their little menaces, I mean buns..) so glad to hear how she recovered..

Thank You everyone on here for your kind words, and well. it does help to just vent it out, and to know there are others who you can share the experience with

((((Vibes)))) to all of you and your buns:love:

Thank You..

Martin
 
When we had our last two bunnies we had no problems at all with their health for four years. It was so easy, I never had to worry about them being looked after by friends or by Ian when I was away. They always got on well so if we had to board them we could without any worries.

But now we have Sprocket and Widget. Sprocket has had two bloat episodes one of which required taking him to the emergency vet late at night. Both have suffered with snuffles but have now recovered fully (touch wood). But now Widget has to have eye drops twice a day. Ian has had to administer this when I am away. He really is not comfortable with this, sometimes he's fine, other times it's hard to get Widget to stay still and he gets really stressed out about it. Widget also has been aggressive in the presence of other rabbits, so that also makes boarding them difficult. I'm going away at the end of July for two weeks so it's a bit of a worry.
 
Yeah Kitty,

I hear you.. Tha'ts the other worry of course, if you need to go away etc, and being away from them, there is only 1 time in 3/12 years I was away from mine for 5 days as I was in hospital and he had to stay with my aunty, she must of thought I was completely nuts the amount of texts, and information I left for him etc.. and it's not always easy to find a bunny savvy person and even then there is always the worry they don't know our bun like we do etc.. eek.. it goes onnnnnn......

and then if course with buns having such unique personalities, what works for one bun might totally not work for another etc.. sheesh!. I'm glad your recovered and theyre doing well. and well.. maybe we could have some kind of retreat for stressed bunny owners..:O.

m
 
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