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Drama at the vet.

luna

Mama Doe
As some of you know I had to bring my bunny Percy to the vet yesterday as he had a weepy eye. I thought I might as well bring in Bobby for a nail trimming seen as I was making the trip anyway. Oh im soooooooooooo sorry I did now. It was a disaster. He had only been to the vet once before and that was for his neuter about 6 months ago. When we went to open his carrier before we knew it he catapulted himself out and across the room onto the floor. I had never seen anything like it before. He was out like a bullet and there was nothing we could do to stop him. He must have been completely overcome with panic, the poor thing. My vet said he hadnt seen a reaction like that in over five years and put a note on his chart for future notice.

The vet was very good and told us all just to stay calm and let Bobby explore the floor and calm down before we went ahead with anything. I was terrified he had hurt his back or broke something. But on examination he seemed fine and he got a bit of a fat lip from it and it was bleeding but nothing too bad compared to what could have happened.

I was so worried for him on the way home. He thumped for a whole 40 mins on the trip back and he ran in under the couch when we got back and wouldnt move for about 3 hours. I was really eager to get him eating as i was concerned he might get gi stasis. Eventually he took some pellets but and i noticed he did lots of poo's so i was relieved.

Im still worried about him though. He has been so withdrawn since coming back and he is just sitting up on the window sill and not in his usual spot. I feel he doesnt trust me anymore as he thinks it is all my fault.

Does anyone else have a bunny that has a vet phobia? I know that no rabbit or animal likes the vet but his reaction was so extreme and it was such a huge flight response. I dread having to bring him near the place again and he is due his vaccine in less than two months. :(
 
Gosh poor little lamb, that is unusual to have a reaction so severe! Hopefully he will settle down and forgive you very soon :D

Does his carrier form part of his normal house? If it doesn't, I would perhaps consider having his carrier somehow incorporated as a little 'den' if you can. That way he may feel less panicked when you pop him in the carrier if he recognises it and it smells of him.
 
Bit different but Mischa always jumped from the table to my arms, I found putting a towel or blanket that smelled of home on the table helped greatly to keep him calm.
 
Yes, Ludo did the same. He hurt his paw though and had a limp for about 4 days rather than a bleeding lip.

The only thing we found that works is to have the vet appointments sitting on the floor, luckily the vet is ok with that. It's a bit embarrassing for me, I have to sit with Ludo between my legs and the vet has to lean in and peer at what he can see of Ludo there :oops:

In Ludo's case, its the table and the height rather than the vet.

He's fine with both at home though. :roll:
 
Hi :wave:
My bunny Harry also has information on his vet records as he hates going and ran round the room, luckily he did'nt hurt himself.He now gets examined on the floor so there is no chance of jumping off the table and hurting himself. He too is not not happy when he gets home, I give him space and is usually fine after a while.
 
I'd like to second the advice already given. Our vet let's Jenson run around the floor and sits on the floor to examine him. We also leave the carrier out at home so it's familiar and not scary. And I packed a small towel for him to have when he had to go in for the day (he hates newspaper).
After vet visits I usually drop him off at home then go and buy him some basil. Gives him a quiet few minutes quiet and something tempting to eat.
 
We have had Bobo fly off the vet table before...he turns into a demon when handled and vet ignored our warningss:evil:

He gets examined the floor now...and vet (different one) gets the vet nurses to help as well as he's a wee bit difficult:oops:

It takes Bobo a bit of time to get over a vet trip...we just carry on with the same routine as usual and don't make to much fuss of him...I think they can pick up when you're worried and that can make things worse.

At least next time you'll know what to expect and can plan accordingly.

Hope bunny is okay today:thumb:
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys. Much appreciated:) I will definitely start to incorporate his carrier into his area, that sounds like a good plan. Also I will suggest to my vet about doing the examinations on the floor in future and see how he feels about that. Im sure it wont be a problem. Bobby is still quite off form and had a freaker lastnight when i was in the other room. I heard lots of clattering coming from the living room and when i went in he was really spooked and thumped in the same spot for about 10 mins. I dont know what scared him, but he had been up at the window so maybe a cat went by. Poor fella, I hope he starts to feel safe again soon.

Hopefully, the next time we take a trip to the vet Bobby and Percy should be bonded so maybe Percy can keep him calm :)
 
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