DonnaN
New Kit
I want the best for my bunny but I feel I can't trust the vet to be straight with me on whether treatment is prolonging my bunny's misery or whether they are just looking for an excuse to charge me large amounts of money.
I took Pumpkin (7 yr old french lop) to the vet on Monday as soon as I noticed he was uninterested in his pellets (very unusual for him) and had not appeared to have touched his hay since the previous day. He was diagnosed with respiratory disease and I was given medication to syringe feed to him, as well as a sachet of what looks like mushed up pellets which I mixed with water and syringe fed him.
His snuffles (which I had not noticed before taking him to the vet) got worse though he seemed to be in better spirits with slightly more energy. By Tuesday night he was even spirited enough to growl at me as I gave him his meds. His appetite has not really improved - since Monday morning, apart from the pellet mush I fed him in the syringe, he has only willingly eaten two carrots. Won't touch pellets or hay.
Now its late Tuesday night and I can definitely see he his holding his head up as if looking up. I thought I noticed it earlier, but now it is more obvious. According to what I have googled this points to breathing difficulties, particularly "snuffles" ie his respiratory disease turned into pneumonia.
Please tell me - is my rabbit dying? Is it even worth taking him to the vet? I have already paid £50 on Monday and nothing seems to have improved and I can't afford to pay much more than say £50 more - and I might just be prolonging his misery anyway!
My parents think I'm mad even taking a rabbit to the vet as apparently "a sick rabbit often is a dead rabbit" (they grew up on farms) which might be true, I don't know, but I have a responsibility to him.
EDIT: meds= Baytril 0.6ml twice a day and metocloprymide syrup 0.4 ml three times a day
EDIT: poos - slight improvement - tiny bits of black sludge have progressed to larger, harder pellets, though still black, still 1/4 of normal size and not rounded.
EDIT: I am happy with my vet choice its just that vets in general have a reputation for being all about money. I'm told that it is policy not to recommend euthanasia as it means the owner will stop spending money on treatment which is more profitable.
EDIT: I will continue with medication anyway and give it a few days to work. But if he seems very bad tomorrow or gets much worse I will take him to the vet again.
I took Pumpkin (7 yr old french lop) to the vet on Monday as soon as I noticed he was uninterested in his pellets (very unusual for him) and had not appeared to have touched his hay since the previous day. He was diagnosed with respiratory disease and I was given medication to syringe feed to him, as well as a sachet of what looks like mushed up pellets which I mixed with water and syringe fed him.
His snuffles (which I had not noticed before taking him to the vet) got worse though he seemed to be in better spirits with slightly more energy. By Tuesday night he was even spirited enough to growl at me as I gave him his meds. His appetite has not really improved - since Monday morning, apart from the pellet mush I fed him in the syringe, he has only willingly eaten two carrots. Won't touch pellets or hay.
Now its late Tuesday night and I can definitely see he his holding his head up as if looking up. I thought I noticed it earlier, but now it is more obvious. According to what I have googled this points to breathing difficulties, particularly "snuffles" ie his respiratory disease turned into pneumonia.
Please tell me - is my rabbit dying? Is it even worth taking him to the vet? I have already paid £50 on Monday and nothing seems to have improved and I can't afford to pay much more than say £50 more - and I might just be prolonging his misery anyway!
My parents think I'm mad even taking a rabbit to the vet as apparently "a sick rabbit often is a dead rabbit" (they grew up on farms) which might be true, I don't know, but I have a responsibility to him.
EDIT: meds= Baytril 0.6ml twice a day and metocloprymide syrup 0.4 ml three times a day
EDIT: poos - slight improvement - tiny bits of black sludge have progressed to larger, harder pellets, though still black, still 1/4 of normal size and not rounded.
EDIT: I am happy with my vet choice its just that vets in general have a reputation for being all about money. I'm told that it is policy not to recommend euthanasia as it means the owner will stop spending money on treatment which is more profitable.
EDIT: I will continue with medication anyway and give it a few days to work. But if he seems very bad tomorrow or gets much worse I will take him to the vet again.
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