Widget has a strange illness. Help! .....UPDATE post 28

Hi everyone, Widget aged 4, has been poorly now for nearly 3 weeks, it started off with him making funny noises, vet said it sounded like an upper respiratory infection. So then comes a week of Baytril and some metacam. After a week we go back because he's now making a funny clicking noise. I took him in on Monday, with his pal Ginny, she needed her ears checked having had drops. Vet decided Widget had lost a third off his bodyweight and needed immediate admission. I pop him over to the hospital and am told vet will call me. So now they are both in the hospital, Ginny for company. Vet rang me and said Widget too poorly for GA , but he had bloody saliva at the back of his mouth and they were changing his meds to Alamycin. They have to stay in overnight. Next day I get a call that Widget has very slightly improved and had a GA. He has abnormal tissue in his throat and around his larynx. His throat is very swollen and sore, hence the clicking noise, because he's struggling to breathe. Vet says it looks like some of the nerve endings have died, it doesn't look like tumerous tissue, more like damage caused by a deep seated infection. There's nothing stuck in his throat. He had to stay in another night. He was eating a little and had perked up a bit. I took him in this morning for another antibiotic injection and we have to go back on Monday. I asked if he's got the RHD2 but they are pretty sure he hasn't. He's eating parsley, coriander, kale, apple, hay, although not much of anything. I've tried wizzing fruit and veg with soaked pellets, but he's not impressed. I can't syringes feed him as he could choke. He's happy chewing away on his veg and hay. His body feels better, I suppose he's more hydrated. I'm very worried what if the meds don't work. I'm still giving him his Metacam. It's very worrying as the Alamycin can be lethal to rabbits. Has anyone got any suggestions, please?

No suggestions, but want to send vibes for little Widget x

Thanks Beau Belle. We've been able to avoid the vet since June. I was getting a bit blasé, but now it's been panic, panic and emergency. Widget , Ginny, Heather and Rosie are down the garden eating their supper pear. Widget is quite bright but a bit weak. He's enjoying the pear though.

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Sending loads of vibes for Widget.

Sending vibes for Widget xx

Thanks for the vibes. I'm trying to leave Widget and Ginny alone tonight because they're getting a bit paranoid with me keep checking up on them. As you can imagine I sleep an hour at a time and have been getting up at 5 am. I probably shouldn't have pets because it screws up my emotions!

Good morning, I got up at 6 and went to check on buns. Widget is quite bright and bouncy. I've just fed everyone with some sweetheart cabbage, parsley and coriander which I'd washed under the tap. I topped up their pellets. Widget dived into the cabbage and was soon having a good munch. I also gave them some Readigrass, which he decided to chew on. He popped into his litter tray and contemplated for a while, then popped out. He looks bright eyed and is looking out, watching the world go by, whilst munching. There wasn't much food left over from last night but it's difficult to know exactly how much Ginny is eating. She's a bit like Wall-E, cleans up all the mess!
I have no idea how this is all going to go but I have my fingers crossed.

In between the showers Widget and Ginny have been out in the garden. Widget has been having a dig and a little bounce around. Got to give him some metacam in a minute. Hopefully the improvement will be permanent. It's all a bit weird though.

Aaah poor Widget.

Sending lots of vibes xx

Hiya any update on Widget? :wave:

Hello, Widget has been eating parsley, coriander, sweetheart lettuce, rocket and spinach which I soak in water. Not a lot. First thing this morning I gave him some very diluted Recovery which he took from a syringe. I also gave him some metacam. He's quite alert but still quiet from normal. He did some little golden poops earlier (18 of them). He's very thin.
I lost a Belgian Hare, Teak, in 2001, with a disease whereby the nerves in his gut died. He couldn't poop. The vet was giving him enema's and I had to give him Propulsid. The medication was ordered especially for him, but he got so thin and he was sadly pts. I had to have a week off work, I was so devastated.
Tomorrow, Widget will be seen by vet and I'm concerned about the outcome. At least he's eating, but not much. He will have been on the Alamycin a week. I'm scared about it all.

Fluffybunny54 said:

Hello, Widget has been eating parsley, coriander, sweetheart lettuce, rocket and spinach which I soak in water. Not a lot. First thing this morning I gave him some very diluted Recovery which he took from a syringe. I also gave him some metacam. He's quite alert but still quiet from normal. He did some little golden poops earlier (18 of them). He's very thin.
I lost a Belgian Hare, Teak, in 2001, with a disease whereby the nerves in his gut died. He couldn't poop. The vet was giving him enema's and I had to give him Propulsid. The medication was ordered especially for him, but he got so thin and he was sadly pts. I had to have a week off work, I was so devastated.
Tomorrow, Widget will be seen by vet and I'm concerned about the outcome. At least he's eating, but not much. He will have been on the Alamycin a week. I'm scared about it all.

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Sorry I have missed this til now. Did Widget's symptoms start during the time that Ginny was on ear drops ? Also, what were the ear drops called ?

It sounds as though poor Teak had Dysautonomia I am really sorry

Fluffybunny54 said:

Hello, Widget has been eating parsley, coriander, sweetheart lettuce, rocket and spinach which I soak in water. Not a lot. First thing this morning I gave him some very diluted Recovery which he took from a syringe. I also gave him some metacam. He's quite alert but still quiet from normal. He did some little golden poops earlier (18 of them). He's very thin.
I lost a Belgian Hare, Teak, in 2001, with a disease whereby the nerves in his gut died. He couldn't poop. The vet was giving him enema's and I had to give him Propulsid. The medication was ordered especially for him, but he got so thin and he was sadly pts. I had to have a week off work, I was so devastated.
Tomorrow, Widget will be seen by vet and I'm concerned about the outcome. At least he's eating, but not much. He will have been on the Alamycin a week. I'm scared about it all.

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Do you have a good trusty vet, Fluffybunny? I am glad he's eating, but you really need some specialist advice.

Lots of good vibes xx

Hello Jane, Thanks for your reply. Ginny's eardrops were called Surolan. The a is a back to front s. He was poorly the week before her drops. I miss Teak loads. He was pts on 9/11, so I'll never forget that dreadful day.

MightyMax, I have a fantastic vet. He has a PhD in animal immunology. He was the top graduate for the year, when he passed out of uni in the 1980's. He also specialises in exotic birds and reptiles. He has been fabulous over the years. I'm hoping Widget has more improvement tomorrow. Hopefully we can keep him on the antibiotics.



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Good luck for tomorrow. Will you be seeing Ian?

Hello tonibun, yes Kerry did Widget's injection on Friday and has booked me in with Ian tomorrow. I don't think anyone else knows what to do with poor Widget.

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Is Ian a rabbit specialist?

Sending loads of vibes for Widget. I hope his vet appointment goes well tomorrow.

Thank you so much Omi. I'm hoping his weight has gone up a bit. He feels so thin and boney. He looks very small when he sits in his litter tray.

Tonibun: I think Ian is empathetic with any animal. He has saved several bunnies of mine in the past. Particularly my late Snowy, who was a nethie dwarf, when he had a bladder stone jammed in his penis. Snowy was aged 4 at the time of the op and lived on until he was 10. The other vets tend to refer difficult cases to him, which is what has happened with Widget. I've been going there 16 years. He saved my African Grey parrot too. He is highly respected. The trouble is, everyone at the surgery wants to see him. He has always got a full list. Do you go there too?

Fluffybunny54 said:

Thank you so much. I'm hoping his weight has gone up a bit. He feels so thin and boney. He looks very small when he sits in his litter tray.

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Oh that's such a worry. Sending loads of vibes.

Really glad you have an excellent vet