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  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

URGENT: please help with advice

L

Lalaloves

Young Bun
My bunny has started sneezing a few days ago but I didn't think it was anything serious. Now she has started peeing all over the floor, opening her mouth, breathing heavily (her nostrils are wide open) and sometimes she looks like she's chocking. I don't know what to do, no vet on-call where I live. :((
 
Oh dear. Bun definitely needs to be examined and treated by a vet as a matter of urgency.

Where do you live?
 
Get to a vet asap, mouth breathing can be indicative of heart problems or lung problems.
hope bunny is ok sending vibes xxxx
 
are there no emergency vets open anywhere? :( it sounds serious.

i'm not sure what you can do other than see a vet. maybe make sure she is comfortable on a thick blanket and if she's cold, maybe put a heatpad/hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, close by (make sure she can move away from it though if she wants to) and maybe some towels aswell so you can change them when she wee's there.

is she snuffly from her nose aswell? maybe taking her in a steamy bathroom might help loosen any mucus in her nose.

other than this, i'm not sure. is she eating and drinking?

i hope you can find a vet somewhere. x
 
Depending on what is causing the problem depends on what can be done.
i really hope you can find a vet to see tomorrow or tonight.
but if needs be and Monday is the soonest then i hope you can keep her comfy till then.
a steamy room may help, and make sure she is continuing to eat and drink.
sending lots of hugs to you and vibes for bunny xxxx
 
Nope no. My country is very small (population of 2 mil) and there aren't that much vets that are specialized in small/exotic animals + that really know what they're doing. There are only 3 really good vets for rabbits in my country (I researched that thoroughly). However not even one is open on weekends. Emergency vets for dogs and cats - yes, but not for rabbits.

Thanks for your advice! Should I keep her in cage so that she's safe? I have another bunny and she (the other one) bit her early in the evening. :S


EDIT: Yes, she eats pellets and hay and veggies...

Thank you both!
 
Ohh if the partner is being aggressive might be best to seperate.
sometimes rabbits partners can become aggressive and try to dominate a sick bunny, maybe keep an eye on them and seperate if you need to.
i take it dog and cat vets wont treat a rabbit at all?
i know in other countries there are different rules and regulations for vets.
poor you :(
deffo get to the vets on Monday if you cannot get there sooner. I wish i had more advice xxxx
 
If one of the cat or dog emergency vets will see a bunny but might not be as good then it would be worth a shot to get them to listen to heart and lungs and see if they would be able to prescribe anything. I know this may not be possiblexxx
 
Yes, I will separate them. Better safe than sorry.
We once called an emergency vet for dogs and cats and they said that the only treated dogs and cats. ˇˇ
I will monitor her tomorrow and take her to the vet on Monday first thing in the morning.
I will keep you posted! And really thanks for all the kind words and advice!
 
Lalaloves said:
Nope no. My country is very small (population of 2 mil) and there aren't that much vets that are specialized in small/exotic animals + that really know what they're doing. There are only 3 really good vets for rabbits in my country (I researched that thoroughly). However not even one is open on weekends. Emergency vets for dogs and cats - yes, but not for rabbits.

Thanks for your advice! Should I keep her in cage so that she's safe? I have another bunny and she (the other one) bit her early in the evening. :S


EDIT: Yes, she eats pellets and hay and veggies...

Thank you both!
Click to expand...

are they a bonded pair? if she's only nipped her once than perhaps keep an eye for now. or if you decide to separate, then make sure they can still interact through the bars/mesh.

if she's still eating and drinking, you could try the steamy bathroom idea to loosen any mucus. this will make her airways feel clearer hopefully. :wave:

eta: just keep her eating and drinking and keep an eye on if she becomes cold. sometimes the shock of being unwell can cause a drop in temperature. so maybe have something on hand ready incase. lots of luck x
 
Sorry, I have only just caught up with this thread. Excellent advice has already been given, so I will sen my support and hope that your bunny is better very, very soon.
 
Could it be a piece of hay or hay seed stuck in her throat/nose? are you able to check her yourself? do you put sawdust in her litter tray? it could be irritating her airways. ...Sorry for asking so many questions. I once had a rabbit chew on a willow basket and got some bits stuck up her nose, which made her breath strangely.

Hope you can get it sorted very soon.
 
Thanks for your replies.
Yes she has sawdust in her cage. I put her on her back and tried to see if anything was in her nose but I couldn't see it. I will empty the litter and put something else in it. She was in her cage through the night and apparently didn't lie down at all (the litter looks intact). She ate a bit of hay and her breakfast. She still breathes with her nostrils wide open and sneezing here and there. And I forgot to mention yesterday - she also has hiccups. I tok a video of her an hour ago (you can see her breathing + having hiccups).

http://youtu.be/-xuq-N4z53E
(I hope it's working.)

The other bunny has become very agressive in the last few days (I would say they are bonded, but sometimes something like this can happen :S).


I will clean the cages, change the litter and try the steamy bathroom idea.
 
I know you had to this time, to check her, but please don't put her on her back again unless absolutely necessary, as it very stressful for them (they will lie still and play dead) and stress will make her worse.

Try to keep her calm and make sure there aren't any loud noises or visitors that may cause stress. If you can, keep her so that she can see and interact with her friend through the bars or mesh of her cage, but make sure they can't bite each other. Sometimes when a rabbit is very ill, their friends can be aggressive towards them.

Try to keep dust to a minimum - you could put her in a steamy bathroom whilst you are cleaning her out. Just make sure she can't get to the water from the shower/bath. Instead of sawdust you could use newspaper, towels or blankets.

Some vets may be willing to bend the rules and treat your rabbit, so make sure you call them all if she gets worse.

Do you have any pain killers or anti-inflammatory medicine at home for rabbits, that she has had before?

The most important thing is to make sure she keeps eating. Make sure she has access to hay at all times and give her some of her favourite foods.
 
I would try to put her on blankets so that you know that there will be nothing to irritate her rather than on litter in case she inhales any dust from it. Better to be safe.

Fingers crossed she will improve with the steam etc.
 
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