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Ill bunny

chen2305

New Kit
Hello, last Friday my rabbit started to urinate blood. I took her to the vets and she said she thinks its Cystitis and prescribed her some baytril. I went to a different vets the following Tuesday to get a 2nd opinion and she more a less said the same thing and prescriped her some ?Metacam? Yesterday I noticed she wasnt pooping and she is urinating little bits quite frequently. Shes also lifting her tail up and it almost looks like she has a hairball and is trying to throw it up with the movements she is doing and is also grinding her teeth. I took her to the vets today and she said she can't feel any gas or poop but i'm still not convinced so I bought some infacol and giving her little bits at a time and it almost sounds like she is releasing gas. Just to add, she has a 2 story hutch and normally sleeps upstairs but now she is only staying down which is very unusual. Any advise would be great right now


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What age is she? Is she neutered and what diet is she on? Also has she had any health problems in the past? Has her wee been milky or with bits in at all and is she drinking more than usual? Just asking questions for when someone more experienced comes along.
 
Rabbits can't physically vomit so the straining is most likely her having trouble urinating.

Baytril is an antibiotic and metacam is an anti-inflammatory pain reliever.

Is she spayed?

Is she still not pooping and is she eating?
 
She is quite old roughly about 7-8. Her wee has been very limited and a cloudy looking colour with no bits in but does have blood in it. I know its blood and not just 'red staine urine' because the vet took a sample and confirmed this. However the urine has started to become less cloudy with the antibiotic baytril but is still limited. Yes she's neutered and is normally on Timothy hay, veggies and pellets but recently she wont touch her pellets but seems to still be eating her veggies and hay. No she seems to have stopped drinking but is still having a decent amount of water.


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Your rabbit looks very ill to me, might be wrong. Is your Vet rabbit savvy, if not post a thread on here asking for a Rabbit savvy vet in your area. I hope she can be made more comfortable very soon, tonight if possible. Sorry but it looks urgent to me.
 
She also seems to be making little squeeking noises every now and then and her tummy is making funny noises


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Thanks, she has seen 3 different vets now (been to the vets 4 times in 6 days) and they have all said the same thing except one who said he can feel something and then today the vet said she doesnt know what hes talking about as she cant feel a thing! Shes has been given injections not to sure what they was. Dont think either of the vets knew what they was talking about either that or they arent interested because she's old. Tried to google rabbit savvy vets and nothing comes up in my area. Thanks everyone for your help


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What area are you in because googling "rabbit savvy vet" may not actually bring anything up - word of mouth is usually the best way. My vets are brilliant with my rabbits but literally just putting that into the search engine doesn't bring them up.
 
I have searched for in my area i'm in Oldham in Manchester if anyone knows of any? Will be willing to travel but not to far as dont want to upset my bunny


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Squeaking and grinding teeth are indications of significant distress from pain. To me your rabbit sounds like she could be very ill. If it was simple cystitis from a bladder infection, you should be seeing improvement by now. The fact that she isn't getting better and is in pain, indicates to me that there is likely something else going on. Blood in urine can also be caused by other things such as bladder/kidney stones or bladder sludge. If xrays have not been done to rule these out, that is a likely next step for a vet to take, along with getting your rabbit on a stronger pain med to help control the pain that is causing her so much distress.

If you are hearing loud gurgling sounds from your rabbits belly, it is possible she could be having a bad reaction to the baytil. Loud gurgling is not good to be hearing in rabbits as it often indicates serious digestive upset, many times caused by harmful bacteria and/or gas. This doesn't usually happen with baytril as most often it is well tolerated by rabbits, but it does happen with some, and when it does you immediately want to stop that antibiotic(upon discussing with your vet) and find one that is better tolerated by the rabbit that won't cause a serious digestive upset. This has just been my experience, but of course is something you need to discuss with your vet right away, immediately if you can as dysbiosis with rabbits can be extremely serious in some instances. Septrin might be one antibiotic that your rabbit may tolerate, and is often used to treat UTI's.

You actually have a rabbit specialist near. Aidan Raftery at Ashleigh vets. I've seen him recommended here on RU by other members. If this isn't one of the vets you have been to, I would suggest giving them a call.
http://ashleigh-veterinary-centre.com/staff-by-departments/veterinary-surgeons/
 
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I find that Septrin can work quicker for urinary issues. It is also banana flavour so my buns tend to take it direct from the syringe rather than having to fight to get it into them. I usually give metacam alongside it too for 2-3 days, this acts as anti-inflammatory and painkiller.

I have also heard of Aiden being recommended on here many times so hopefully you will be able to see him.

I hope she feels better soon.
 
I'm in Oldham and I use Aiden at Ashleigh vets. Your bunny seems very poorly and needs to be seen as soon as possible. Ashleigh vets is approx 45 minutes away depending on traffic.
If you can't get there try Briar Dawn vets is on Manchester rd in Shaw.
Really hope your bun gets the help she needs x
 
I have just read the whole thread, and to be honest Chen, the only and I believe best advice I can give is for you both to see Aidan tomorrow. You will not be disappointed, he's an excellent specialist.

From the photo your rabbit looks to be very poorly indeed. It's unlikely that any of the antibiotics have caused pain and distress, although this can't be ruled out. It's more likely that the bladder/kidney issues are causing the problems.

I don't know what dose of Metacam she is on for her weight, but it doesn't seem to be hitting the mark. Rabbits can often have a much higher dose than most vets often prescribe. Especially for short term extreme distress, which it sounds like your little one is suffering at the moment.

If she isn't eating or drinking, it's important that you syringe her something soft and tasty (pureed veg or baby food is good, if not Critical Care - they don't all like this!). She should be kept hydrated so that her bladder issues don't worsen and cause her even more pain in the meantime.

I would suggest going to an emergency vet to have sub-Q fluids administered, but it will make you very tired and be expensive. Hopefully you can get an appointment with Aidan first thing in the morning.

Wishing you and your little one loads of good luck xx
 
I'd just come to recommend Ashleigh, pleased that I've been beaten to it. Aidan is good. There are other vets at Ashleigh who are decent if he's not available but if you can see Aidan then do.
 
was going to say aidan at ashleigh vets aswell (also have michelle and shiva who work with exotics but we always see aidan if possible) - if you want a local one, then the best is briar dawn. but they send any more complex cases to ashleigh vets anyway though so best just to go there from the start if possible. good luck.
 
Thanks i'm going to give them a call, anyone know if ashleigh vets is expensive or reasonable?


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