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Wound advice - Last update 02/05

Ellasyn

Mama Doe
I took on a bunny stray, it needs a lot of care. The vets estimate it at 5 weeks ish, and a small breed, poss netherland dwarf or cross. She has a large (about 1.5 inch across) wound on her neck. The Vet beleives probably a predator attack that it somehow escaped from. The wound looks nasty, but vets assure me its only skin deep and just needs a lot of tlc and the bunny will recover. Im bathing morning and night to keep the wound clean and she is having metacam and baytril and will have a check up in 7 days unless I have concerns. The little bunny is very confident and outgoing, a real little fighter considering the damage its had. The wound worries me though, is there anything else I can do for the bun, either directly related to the wound or to keep her as strong as possible to survive this? She is eating well and pooping normally (an absolute miracle) and although a little underweight nothing major else wrong with her. Im hoping at the end to get her neutered and vaccinated and see if she will bond with mine. If not Im sure I can look after her til she can find a nice home with someone with a suitable husbun.

Any tips on helping this bun through this horrible state?
 
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I took on a bunny stray, it needs a lot of care. The vets estimate it at 5 weeks ish, and a small breed, poss netherland dwarf or cross. She has a large (about 1.5 inch across) wound on her neck. The Vet beleives probably a predator attack that it somehow escaped from. The wound looks nasty, but vets assure me its only skin deep and just needs a lot of tlc and the bunny will recover. Im bathing morning and night to keep the wound clean and she is having metacam and baytril and will have a check up in 7 days unless I have concerns. The little bunny is very confident and outgoing, a real little fighter considering the damage its had. The wound worries me though, is there anything else I can do for the bun, either directly related to the wound or to keep her as strong as possible to survive this? She is eating well and pooping normally (an absolute miracle) and although a little underweight nothing major else wrong with her. Im hoping at the end to get her neutered and vaccinated and see if she will bond with mine. If not Im sure I can look after her til she can find a nice home with someone with a suitable husbun.

Any tips on helping this bun through this horrible state?

Poor thing - sounds like she's been through a lot!
Sounds like your doing everything right. You could ask the vet for something like medical grade manuka honey to put on it to help with healing? But don't worry if not.
Sending vibes for a great recovery! x
 
Poor thing - sounds like she's been through a lot!
Sounds like your doing everything right. You could ask the vet for something like medical grade manuka honey to put on it to help with healing? But don't worry if not.
Sending vibes for a great recovery! x

You can get High Grade (UMF) Manuka Honey at Holland and Barrett. I got 25+ from there. Not cheap though ...
 
I took on a bunny stray, it needs a lot of care. The vets estimate it at 5 weeks ish, and a small breed, poss netherland dwarf or cross. She has a large (about 1.5 inch across) wound on her neck. The Vet beleives probably a predator attack that it somehow escaped from. The wound looks nasty, but vets assure me its only skin deep and just needs a lot of tlc and the bunny will recover. Im bathing morning and night to keep the wound clean and she is having metacam and baytril and will have a check up in 7 days unless I have concerns. The little bunny is very confident and outgoing, a real little fighter considering the damage its had. The wound worries me though, is there anything else I can do for the bun, either directly related to the wound or to keep her as strong as possible to survive this? She is eating well and pooping normally (an absolute miracle) and although a little underweight nothing major else wrong with her. Im hoping at the end to get her neutered and vaccinated and see if she will bond with mine. If not Im sure I can look after her til she can find a nice home with someone with a suitable husbun.

Any tips on helping this bun through this horrible state?

If you wanted to try Manuka Honey then rather than forking out lots of money straight away you could buy this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Activon-Med...merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1428586151&sr=1-28

You only need to use a tiny amount. Once you have decided if the Manuka is helping then you may want to go on to buy a larger quantity as in the longrun it would be more economical. I use this one, but it seems to be out of stock atm:

http://manukahoneydiscount.co.uk/manuka-honey/wellbeeing-manuka-honey-25-250g.html

Worth checking back on the site though as they do some good deals.
 
Brilliant, thanks all. The manuka is that used all over the wound?

Yes, if it is not a deep wound then just a thin smear of it will suffice. For an abscess cavity or a puncture type wound more will be needed as the 'hole' needs to be packed with the Manuka Honey.
 
Brilliant, thanks all. The manuka is that used all over the wound?

Yes, I would use a cotton bud and smear a thin layer all over the wound. It may be that where it is it can't be reached, because the honey does get warm with body warmth, so will become 'runny'. If bunny can access it, she can lick it off. It's no problem, but obviously not too good in large quantities for teeth and digestion!

I would stick with a very small amount, so buy the smallest pot you can :thumb:
 
Thanks, I think it will need quite a bit as its a nasty looking wound. Ive ordered some for next day delivery so hopefully I can start tomorrow with it.
 
Manuka in the wound, bunny is doing very very well although poos are tiny, but Im just glad food is going through tbh. Ive popped some yummy dried dandelion and a fenugreek crunchie in to see if that tempts her. Im surprised at how well she takes her meds and how clean the wound is staying, no sign of pus or anything, usual wound healing round the edge. Its not pretty but it could be so much worse. I have great hopes that this little girly will recover and be a very cuddly bunny.
 
Manuka in the wound, bunny is doing very very well although poos are tiny, but Im just glad food is going through tbh. Ive popped some yummy dried dandelion and a fenugreek crunchie in to see if that tempts her. Im surprised at how well she takes her meds and how clean the wound is staying, no sign of pus or anything, usual wound healing round the edge. Its not pretty but it could be so much worse. I have great hopes that this little girly will recover and be a very cuddly bunny.

Fabulous !! :D I have just put a blob of Manuka an the spot that has appeared on my nose !!
 
Manuka in the wound, bunny is doing very very well although poos are tiny, but Im just glad food is going through tbh. Ive popped some yummy dried dandelion and a fenugreek crunchie in to see if that tempts her. Im surprised at how well she takes her meds and how clean the wound is staying, no sign of pus or anything, usual wound healing round the edge. Its not pretty but it could be so much worse. I have great hopes that this little girly will recover and be a very cuddly bunny.

Glad the wound is looking so good :thumb:
She is lucky to have found you x
 
Glad the wound is looking so good :thumb:
She is lucky to have found you x

Thanks, but Im only doing what anyone with a heart would do and helping an animal in need. Shes doing so well, although her poos are still dark and small, she doesnt seem to eat much hay but Im going to get her some different yummy hays on monday. She seems to be healing well though.
 
Bunny has gone into the vets again today for her checkup. They are very pleased with her progress. They seemed far less concerned than I am about her being slightly underweight and said as long as she is eating and pooping shes ok and the wound healing is just taking it out of her. Any tips on increasing her weight a bit? Shes not too fussed about pellet, loves her green but is too young for much (or any really but needs must). They are going to try and clip the fluff round the wound to make it cleaner and see if they need to do anything to the edges of the wound to improve healing.

Overall shes a bright and energetic little bunny that loves cuddles. Hopefully the news later from the vets will be that the wound edges are doing ok and the fluff clipping has been good so she can come back home for more cuddles.
 
Glad to hear that she seems to be doing well. Hopefully the wound will not require too much intervention from the Vet today.

With regards to weight gain, what is her exact diet at the moment ? I would be reluctant to try to bulk her up with carbs (eg porridge oats) as that has the potential of causing gut dysbiosis. If you list her daily diet, including approximate quantities fed maybe we can make a few suggestions as to what may help.
 
Bunny has gone into the vets again today for her checkup. They are very pleased with her progress. They seemed far less concerned than I am about her being slightly underweight and said as long as she is eating and pooping shes ok and the wound healing is just taking it out of her. Any tips on increasing her weight a bit? Shes not too fussed about pellet, loves her green but is too young for much (or any really but needs must). They are going to try and clip the fluff round the wound to make it cleaner and see if they need to do anything to the edges of the wound to improve healing.

Overall shes a bright and energetic little bunny that loves cuddles. Hopefully the news later from the vets will be that the wound edges are doing ok and the fluff clipping has been good so she can come back home for more cuddles.

I'm glad she's had a good report from the vet. That must be a bit of a relief :D

Increasing weight - many of us on here (including Tamsin) have recommended using porridge oats in small quantities. They are very valuable in increasing a bunny's weight and contain a lot of B vitamins and so support the nervous system. You could add a few sunflower seeds too (not in their shells) as these provide vitamin E.
 
She has at the moment a fussy appetite and although she is picking at all sorts, she probably only eats about the following:
half an eggcup of pellet foods - excel with mint
half eggcup of rabbit royale (trying to persuade her to eat, no idea what she was on before)
about half a fenugreek crunchie
minimal hay no matter what I try to tempt her with
dried herb mix (mainly dandelion) about half a handful
fresh dandelion (i give her 3 leaves)
fresh hawthorn (she has one fresh bit about 3 inches, thorns removed, leaves on)
fresh grass, about 2 handfulls
fresh parsley about half a handful

Thats all Ive got into her at the moment. She has had very good poos for the most part, as long as I dont go more than that on greens. Shes drinking minimal but as fresh greens are the majority of her diet im not surprised. Shes eating her relevent poops too, seen her.

Behaviour wise she seems well, hops about the cage (4ft guinea cage, tall) on her box and hay cube. She wont eat alfalfa bales, isnt interested in the herby treat wheel thingy (its not a sweet sugary one just herbs and stuff), isnt fussed about carroty treats or apple treats that my others have. She does binky about the cage and does like a good snooze so seems content. Shes still on daily baytril and ive restarted her metacam as she seemed uncomfortable again. She is tiny. I'll check the weight with the vets when i collect her as they may have to adjust her medication quantities. Shes smaller than one of my hands, on 0.18ml baytril and 0.3ml metacam if thats any help.
 
She has at the moment a fussy appetite and although she is picking at all sorts, she probably only eats about the following:
half an eggcup of pellet foods - excel with mint
half eggcup of rabbit royale (trying to persuade her to eat, no idea what she was on before)
about half a fenugreek crunchie
minimal hay no matter what I try to tempt her with
dried herb mix (mainly dandelion) about half a handful
fresh dandelion (i give her 3 leaves)
fresh hawthorn (she has one fresh bit about 3 inches, thorns removed, leaves on)
fresh grass, about 2 handfulls
fresh parsley about half a handful

Thats all Ive got into her at the moment. She has had very good poos for the most part, as long as I dont go more than that on greens. Shes drinking minimal but as fresh greens are the majority of her diet im not surprised. Shes eating her relevent poops too, seen her.

Behaviour wise she seems well, hops about the cage (4ft guinea cage, tall) on her box and hay cube. She wont eat alfalfa bales, isnt interested in the herby treat wheel thingy (its not a sweet sugary one just herbs and stuff), isnt fussed about carroty treats or apple treats that my others have. She does binky about the cage and does like a good snooze so seems content. Shes still on daily baytril and ive restarted her metacam as she seemed uncomfortable again. She is tiny. I'll check the weight with the vets when i collect her as they may have to adjust her medication quantities. Shes smaller than one of my hands, on 0.18ml baytril and 0.3ml metacam if thats any help.

How old is she ? Sorry if you have already said. I assume the Vets have checked her teeth ?
 
They think about 5 weeks now and her teeth are all aligned etc. apparently. She weighs 270g. Shes tiny.
 
They think about 5 weeks now and her teeth are all aligned etc. apparently. She weighs 270g. Shes tiny.

Oh bless, I had not realised that she is so young. In that case I really would avoid feeding her high carb foods to try to get weight on her, especially as she's also on abx. The mix of a 5 week old GI tract/high carb diet/abx would not bode well.

I think if you could get her onto a pellet feed designed for growing Rabbits that will contain more protein which it sounds as though she could do with. Have you ried her with a small amount of Readigrass ? I'd speak with the Vet about giving her some Avipro Plus too. I am on a repeat loop going on about this prebiotic ( it's NOT a probiotic), prebiotics assist in the absorption of dietary nutrients and as prebiotics are not destroyed by digestive enzymes (unlike probiotics) they can also help establish a healthy balance of flora in the cecum.
 
Thanks, she wouldn't touch Redigrass, I've just got the excel junior pellet to see if that helps at all. I'll give the vet a call in the morning and see if they will give me some. Is it a pom? Or can it be purchased elsewhere?
 
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