Sick bunnies! Support & advice?

Hi all, I guess I am posting here because I feel very down about my two buns!
Rosie & Ralph, Ive had since they were babies. They are house rabbits, who have a lovely bedroom in my house. Rosie got sick around 6-9 months with a constant runny eye/nose issue. This has progressed over the last two years and now means monthly (if not more) trips to the vets. (No insurance and cant get it as now this is classed as a pre existing condition!!) She has just had her front incisors removed and back teeth trimmed down as they were growing into her cheeks. This was very expensive, she had to be put under anaesthetic twice to complete this procedure. She has been very bad twice when the vet told me I needed to think of her and maybe I should consider... you know!
She seems to be doing fine at the moment however.
Her brother Ralph has been fine until 6 months ago and he is starting to have an eye issue that results in needing eye drops or antibiotics. His teeth have been checked and they seem fine. He also seems to 'give up' in a way when he gets sick. Refusal to clean himself, which has led to urine infections as he will not move much and will just sit in his stools.
He's going to the vets tomorrow to get his eye treated.
Once one is better the other gets sick... I don't know what to do.
Money is becoming an issue... I roughly worked out that in their 3 years of life I have spent £2000-£2500.
I guess I'm just posting for support?
Its just so draining emotionally and financially.
Thanks in advance.

Hi Hayley & welcome to RU. You certainly are going through the mill with your bunnies. I find they seem to require loads of veterinary treatment or barely any. I'm not very experienced in your rabbits specific health issues but others on here are .

Do you feel your vet is supportive & competent ? That really is the biggest hurdle for many bunny owners

Ralph was my first boy rabbits name, he was very special

I would maybe get a second opinion. Whereabouts are you? I would put a post up something to the effect of "exotic vet specialist needed (then your area).

Lots of people on here have had terrible vet advice and spent a fortune and also been told to put their rabbit to sleep when it hasn't been necessary. Your vet may well be very good but I would try on here first to find someone recommended.

This is my second vet practice and at my current practice, which I'm quite happy with, I have seen a couple of different vets. In regards to the one person that said I should put to sleep, Rosie was very sick, the worst she has been, luckily I waited as I wasn't ready to make that decision then and she got better. I have found one vet in particular recently that has offered my more advice and options than any other before. This is why it took so long for Rosie to have her teeth sorted as before the other vets shrugged it off, treated the symptoms rather than get to the route cause. I still don't have a definitive answer to what is causing these issues but we are hoping with this recent dental it may solve it. If not the vet has already told me that it may be root issues, in which case I need to see a specialist as they don't have the equipment to carry out procedures involving this.

I would see a specialist anyway since there are so many issues. Doughnut sees a specialist all the time and he doesn't charge more than other vets but you definitely notice a difference in expertise. What area are you? I'm sure someone on here could recommend a specialist for you and get to the route cause.

I'm in Southampton, Hampshire.
Vets I have seen before always lead with "are you insured?" My reply no. "Maybe not a specialist then" have they been having me on ?

I wouldn't say having you on but it seems you've paid a lot out and haven't got any answers and your bunnies are still unwell. If you find a good specialist they will find the route of the cause and hopefully it will be treated. My specialist never asked if I was insured in fact he has kept my costs down so much. He had to do initial tests but afterward when I had to see him for follow ups he didn't charge me and still doesn't always charge me. I've started a thread and for you, you can go and see one of them and see what you think. You have nothing to lose.

Thanks for the advice. Definitely made me feel more positive. I will look into specialists, seems like yours is very nice!

He's brilliant and like I say you don't pay more. There have been so many bad vet experiences on here, rabbits suffering unnecessarily and being told to be put to sleep when they seeked better advice the rabbits are now fine. I would get both your rabbits checked out by a good specialist since they are both having problems.

Can you get to Andover ?

John Chitty there is highly recommended by lots of people.

http://antonvets.co.uk/

I'd like to second that specialists are not necessarily any more expensive. Mine worked out cheaper by getting to the root causes quicker & understanding what care I could administer at home

joey&boo said:

I'd like to second that specialists are not necessarily any more expensive. Mine worked out cheaper by getting to the root causes quicker & understanding what care I could administer at home

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Absolutely second this. Tragedy occurs when vets try to cope with things that they can't confidently deal with.

Thanks for all the advice. I will look into getting to the specialist in Andover. Thank you for all your help

I would cancel your appointment today if possible and go to the specialist instead, at least you won't be spending more money!

John Chitty seems to be one the best specialist around.

Just found this thread. Whilst seeing a specialist will not be necesarily cheap, John wil get to the route cause and treat, rather than paying out for other (perhaps cheaper) vets who don't know what they're doing and don't get to the real problem. So in the long run you'll probably end up paying less by going to a specialist.

I'm local to you, in Chandlers Ford, and know John reasonably well, so if you ever need some help/someone to chat to let me know

I know she is too far away from you, but FHB's charges were roughly the same as my regular vet. So a rabbit specialist may not necessarily charge more. The first referral visit was about the equivalent of 2 or 3 standard vet visits - but worth it for the time spent going through everything in detail. Other treatment was of a comparable cost to what I normally paid. My rabbits are not insured, either.

I have known JC for more years than he or I care to remember! He is, of course, an excellent exotics specialist and very down to earth. My rabbits are no longer insured, but I still go to him and would agree to treatment he recommended.

Any news on your little bunnies

Just got back from the vets now. I still went as his eye needed treatment and we won't be able to get to a specialist in the evening due to work etc.
My poor boy has a bad infection in his left eye (the other is absolutely fine) and also a skin infection around it. He had an injection at the vets. He has tiacil eye drops three times a day, batril and meloxidyl to take once daily.
The vet said even though his teeth seem fine, his may also be a root issue on his left side causing this. She thought we should think about removing teeth. This is a vet i haven't see before so I thought it was a bit hasty to suggest it when we don't know if that's definitely the issue.
I am going to get his meds out of the way and get him feeling better, then speak to the other vet who advised me on Rosie. Rosie has been doing brilliantly after her teeth removal and shows no signs of weepy eyes/nose. She's also put on a ton of weight!!!
I am going to talk to her about specialists (especially the one in Andover) and get refered from there. My issue is I can't do all of this too fast, I only have so much spare a month to pay for vet bills.
Thanks for all the help.

Have you had any skull x-rays done? It sounds like the vets are guessing what is wrong, rather than actually doing x-rays to see what the tooth roots are doing. Tooth removal is a major issue and may still leave the need for other dental procedures in future if it involves molar teeth. Often the roots are treated by removing more of the crown to relieve the pressure on the roots.