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Advice for choking bunnies

katie88

Mama Doe
There have been lots of awful cases of bunnies choking recently. Firstly thoughts to everyone who has had to deal with this and particular vibes for Natsusakura's Parsley at the moment :(

I wonder if someone would be able to explain what you should do if a rabbit starts to choke? I have read about them being held upside down but I wouldnt even know how to hold a bunny upside down. It sounds as though this action has saved several lives recently, I'd be really grateful if I could learn what to do in an emergency?
 
Great idea for a thread :thumb: Could this be made sticky please? I am so paranoid, especially as Excel pellets have got so small, I worry about Rupert mainly, choking.... all advice, and diagrams if possible?
 
There are several threads relating to this so I will just copy and paste my reply again here :)


My post just gives details of what I did in an emergency situation when rushing the afflicted Rabbit to a Vet was not an option, he was literally choking to death. It was a case of do what I could there and then, immediately, or watch him die. I am not in any way claiming to be a qualified Veterinary medic and in ALL cases of choking a Vet should be consulted ASAP. In a 'life or death' situation this is what I did

It really depends on what has caused the choke and the precise presentation of the Rabbit

In the case I have dealt with I had to pick the Rabbit up with his back toward me and hold him so his head was much lower than his bum. I then had to do numerous downward/forward thrusting movements with him to try to dislodge the pellet he was choking on. The first time it worked quickly and a load of mucus/fluid came out of his nose/mouth along with the pellet. He was given a shot of steroid and a covering antibiotic (full 7 day course of abx given). His lungs were listened to with a stethoscope every few hours during the first 48 hours after the choke.

The second time it happened it took much longer to clear the obstruction, he very nearly died. I no longer feed pellets to this particular Rabbit as advised by my Vet.

It is obviously important to consult a Vet ASAP, but when faced with a choking Rabbit getting to a Vet immediately is not necessarily going to be possible, not until the obstruction has been cleared. A choking Rabbit is likely to die in transit :cry:

I would not wish dealing with a choking Rabbit on anyone. It is utterly horrific :cry:

Please remember, ALWAYS ALWAYS consult a Vet ASAP. I am not one.
 
There have been lots of awful cases of bunnies choking recently. Firstly thoughts to everyone who has had to deal with this and particular vibes for Natsusakura's Parsley at the moment :(

I wonder if someone would be able to explain what you should do if a rabbit starts to choke? I have read about them being held upside down but I wouldnt even know how to hold a bunny upside down. It sounds as though this action has saved several lives recently, I'd be really grateful if I could learn what to do in an emergency?

Thank you so much for the vibes, this is so nice.
And Jane it's true if I hadn't read what you had done i would't have had a clue. Your thread was the only thing in my mind.
It would be a grand idea to become a sticky.
 
Sorry Jane I obviously didn't look properly when I searched the choking threads before :roll: Thank you for re-posting.

So did you pick him up round the waist, and then flip him upside down? I just can't imagine holding a rabbit upside down but I guess in that situation you just go on instinct?
 
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