• 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.

Rabbit afraid of me now

D

denla

Warren Scout
After spaying I had to grab her each night for the past week, place her on top of the table so she can't run due to fear of heights, grab hold of her, and forcefully shove a syringe to the side of her teeth to give her medicine. I tried tempting her, putting it on treats, pellets, water etc but she refused to take it. First night back she was more than willing to drink it! Maybe she's used to the taste and recognises it's awful... So my method to make her take the antibiotics worked but now she's acting scared of me. :( Vet encouraged me to force the medicine because the rabbit won't take it and it's necessary.
 
Try mixing it into Critical Care and serving in a bowl - I've never had my rabbits refuse meds if they are in Critical Care. Supreme Recovery may work as well, but haven't tried it.

If she has finished her course, you just have to gain her trust back, let her come to you and learn that you are not trying to do that anymore. I also find that a treat given straight away after the meds helps.
 
She'll get over it. She was probably easier on day one because she wasn't feeling herself.

For future remember you can add a tiny bit of apple juice or Ribena to the tip of the syringe or mix in a bit of puréed veg and syringe.

I have had many buns who have needed meds, some long term daily meds, you get quicker and more adept at it with practice and bun gets over it. Mine get a treat on the table after the meds.

Don't feel bad.
 
Well her medicine is finished today, and I do have the habit of closing shut her cage's door before grabbing her. She knows I plan to grab her the moment the cage's door is closed lol.

The vet doctor scared the **** out of her today. Kept touching her incision area and the bruises like she's a lab experiment lol. Went talking about the cause of the bruising and how it'll take a whole month at least to heal while my bunny wetted herself several times, either in fear or in pain from the doctor touching her bruises, while flipped over. I flipped her over a number of times in the past but she never wets herself.

Just gave her a slice of carot and she kept trying to run away from me before eating it lol.
 
Why did she have bruises? And come to think of it, why did she have antibiotics? Neither are usual after a spay.

Just so you know, flipping them over on their backs will trance them, which is a sort of fear-induced paralysis, and is terrifying for them, so don't do it unless necessary. Also, I'm sure you know this, but never give them meds or try to syringe feed them whilst tranced, as they could choke.
 
bethepoet said:
Neither of mine did. I'd complain to the vet surgery :?
Click to expand...

The bruising was red surrounding the incision area. The doctor said it's because of the things (can't remember what he said exactly lol) used to keep the wound closed, and rabbit moving is causing it to stretch slightly. Rabbit was also ******* blood which he said shouldn't be anything of consequence - probably because she ate before getting spayed. The rabbit was given ranitidine for the ******* problem and the septrin paediatric suspension antibiotic I've been giving her for the past week.
 
nessar said:
Why did she have bruises? And come to think of it, why did she have antibiotics? Neither are usual after a spay.

Just so you know, flipping them over on their backs will trance them, which is a sort of fear-induced paralysis, and is terrifying for them, so don't do it unless necessary. Also, I'm sure you know this, but never give them meds or try to syringe feed them whilst tranced, as they could choke.
Click to expand...

When I gave her the medicine I didn't flip her like I do to cut nails. I held her front paws and lifted her up to 90% standing up position so she can't move, but even then she kept wiggling her mouth away from the syringe. If I did this on the floor she'd turn her head and still manage to jump off escaping. The vet doctor flipped her over because he needed to see and keep touching her wound lol.
 
So she was peeing blood and now she wets herself repeatedly if you press gently in that area? Has the blood gone from her wee? Did the vet offer any explanation as to why she was weeing herself?

I assume, given the fact that he gave you antibiotics, that he thought that the blood in the wee was due to an infection. I doubt it would be because she ate before the spay, rabbits are meant to continue eating before operations as normal, and I haven't heard of that being a side effect of eating before a GA before.
 
As Nessar said rabbits must not be starved before a GA.

Peeing blood is not normal. Personally, I would ask on here for a recommendation to a bunny savvy vet in your area and seak a second opinion.

Is she eating, drinking, peeing and weeing normally now?
 
Dustyrabbit said:
As Nessar said rabbits must not be starved before a GA.

Peeing blood is not normal. Personally, I would ask on here for a recommendation to a bunny savvy vet in your area and seak a second opinion.

Is she eating, drinking, peeing and weeing normally now?
Click to expand...

Yup. All seems normal now and the bruising has slightly faded. The doc said her fur over the wound will slowly grow back.
 
denla said:
Yup. All seems normal now and the bruising has slightly faded. The doc said her fur over the wound will slowly grow back.
Click to expand...

That's good. Yes I remember it took a long time for Maisys fur to grow back.

Maisy stitches were inside and the wound sealed with glue. Was your rabbits wound single sutures? Staples?

Is your bun a house rabbit?
 
Good that she seems normal now, keep a very close eye on her toileting habits and note any changes - I'm finding the fact that she wet herself repeatedly worrying, as your vet either didn't know why, or didn't think you needed to know, just like with the blood in the urine...

I'm no vet, but I expect my vets to explain the details of my rabbits' illnesses to me, as without that knowledge I cannot make informed decisions about their health, care or treatment.

In my opinion, your vet either is lacking in bedside manner or knowledge of rabbit medicine, the first one isn't too bad as you can get around it by asking questions about everything they do, but the second is very common in vets, as rabbits are classed as 'exotics', and so whilst most vets treat them, only specialist exotic/zoological/rabbit vets will be trained in their medical care. I once met a newly qualified vet who had to ask how a myxomatosis vaccine was done.
 
I agree with Bethepoet, this doesn't sound right at all. I'm glad she's doing better now but if I were you I'd never, ever, take her back to this vet again.

Sounds like your poor bunny has had a really bad time, I hope she's back to herself soon xx
 
nessar said:
Good that she seems normal now, keep a very close eye on her toileting habits and note any changes - I'm finding the fact that she wet herself repeatedly worrying, as your vet either didn't know why, or didn't think you needed to know, just like with the blood in the urine...

I'm no vet, but I expect my vets to explain the details of my rabbits' illnesses to me, as without that knowledge I cannot make informed decisions about their health, care or treatment.

In my opinion, your vet either is lacking in bedside manner or knowledge of rabbit medicine, the first one isn't too bad as you can get around it by asking questions about everything they do, but the second is very common in vets, as rabbits are classed as 'exotics', and so whilst most vets treat them, only specialist exotic/zoological/rabbit vets will be trained in their medical care. I once met a newly qualified vet who had to ask how a myxomatosis vaccine was done.
Click to expand...

A vet doctor would ask that? Maybe a vet nurse but for a doctor not to know this is shocking. I also stopped giving her Wagg Bunny Brunch pellets today and only giving Allen&Page. She's got a lot of soft squishy poops now. Vet said I should stop the Wagg because it's not healthy.
 
Dustyrabbit said:
That's good. Yes I remember it took a long time for Maisys fur to grow back.

Maisy stitches were inside and the wound sealed with glue. Was your rabbits wound single sutures? Staples?

Is your bun a house rabbit?
Click to expand...

Looks like a single line for the closed wound, and no stitches needs to be removed because they'll dissolve.
 
denla said:
A vet doctor would ask that? Maybe a vet nurse but for a doctor not to know this is shocking. I also stopped giving her Wagg Bunny Brunch pellets today and only giving Allen&Page. She's got a lot of soft squishy poops now. Vet said I should stop the Wagg because it's not healthy.
Click to expand...

How much pellets are you giving?

All changes to diet need to be made very gradually over at least a 2 week period, you should not just withdraw one pellet/dried food and replace with another.

Hay is the most important part of any buns diet and should make up 80/90% of the diet, the rest can be an eggcupful of pellets and a little veg (introduced gradually and in isolation if bun isn't used to them).
 
denla said:
A vet doctor would ask that? Maybe a vet nurse but for a doctor not to know this is shocking. I also stopped giving her Wagg Bunny Brunch pellets today and only giving Allen&Page. She's got a lot of soft squishy poops now. Vet said I should stop the Wagg because it's not healthy.
Click to expand...

Did he explain that you have to do it slowly? If you've made a sudden change it will upset her stomach a lot, so give her Wagg but reduce it slowly whilst you increase the pellets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Alicia
Rabbit smelling of urine
Replies
4
Views
297
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
P
Wakally Wabbit won’t sleep in her hutch!
Replies
4
Views
313
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
R
Bonding Troubles
Replies
2
Views
158
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top