Sammy&Patch
Warren Scout
I had my bunny Hazel at the vets today, they are only doing emergencies but they did see her for me. Bacground: on another thread I have been detailing my bonding problems with her and shadow. She is now settled with him being around. I had been swapping litter trays but the last few weeks I swap their rooms each day and they got outside in a run and swap sides of that too. They fight if they are put together but are now fine with each other through the mesh and will sit next to each other. Hazel does not like being in shadows room, every morning when she has been in there she has seemed subdued / quiet but is fine very quickly. I had been debating whether to continue swapping or not but if I stop she is likely to be terrotorial of her room when (and if) I manage to get them to bond and she needs to share the space with him. also she has got used to the birds outside but she hates being taken in her carrier to the garden and back (shadow lets you just carry him in your arms no problem).
So today she didn't come over to the gate when I called her. I went in and she was sitting in a hidey hole she likes and was shaking breathing fast. She didn't move to see me. My partner got some cabbage for her and she wouldn't eat it. I tried lifting her and she struggled and rushed off to the litter tray. She lifted her tail like she was peeing but then she just flopped in the tray and was doing the same. Her eyes were closed at some points and almost bulging wide at others. Stroking her she would curl up her feet like maybe it hust. Her litter tray was completely cleaned out yesterday around 4pm. There are lots of good sized poos in it and wet litter from pee. I thought with her symptoms it must be a blockage anyway. I phoned the vets and they said the vet would phone me back whether they would see her or not or maybe just give medicine. She asked if there are any changes right now. I explained about the swapping rooms, also about both of them digging tunnels in the garden (just grass with earth which has had nothing added to it for the 15 years we have lived here) but I did add that shadow had done pee that turned the litter white that it looked like paint and I worried it was something to do with something underground where they have dug. She didn't really comment on that. Anyway she took hazel in and examined her. Good vitals, good condition, good constant weight, no blockage. She said she has a small bladder so couldn't feel that very well. Just to add when we put hazel in the carrier she livened up a bit so I don't think the vet saw her like we did when we phoned. It was at least 20 minutes we saw her in that state. She suggested it was probably stress. She added that we could do another xray as she had cancer in her uteris when she was spayed in december and she was due another xray at the end of this month. We went ahead (not putting her under) and the xray was clear, her lungs are good etc. So again she thinks it is just stress. We took her home and she is still stressed, she ate a bit of kale (her favourite) but nothing else and didn't finish it. As she can be stressed when she gets back from the vets anyway, it normally works best to leave her for a while then she is fine again. I am leaving her alone for an hour to see (looking every now and then from a distance), with some tasty treats in front of her. She is back in her room in her favourite safe place. I wondered if anyone else had experienced this, it was just like the way my old bunny behaved with a blockage and seems extreme for it being stress as she was fine last night. Maybe something really scared her overnight. But I am now going to stop swapping her rooms as I guess it could be a stress build up as we have done that for a couple of weeks. I just find it stange that I had no warning other than her being a bit subdued when she has been in that room overnight. But she has been eating, running around, pooing etc all normally. Does anyone know of any other reason this could happen or do people agree it is likely to be stress? I have dealt with many bunny illnesses but never stress so I know little about it.
So today she didn't come over to the gate when I called her. I went in and she was sitting in a hidey hole she likes and was shaking breathing fast. She didn't move to see me. My partner got some cabbage for her and she wouldn't eat it. I tried lifting her and she struggled and rushed off to the litter tray. She lifted her tail like she was peeing but then she just flopped in the tray and was doing the same. Her eyes were closed at some points and almost bulging wide at others. Stroking her she would curl up her feet like maybe it hust. Her litter tray was completely cleaned out yesterday around 4pm. There are lots of good sized poos in it and wet litter from pee. I thought with her symptoms it must be a blockage anyway. I phoned the vets and they said the vet would phone me back whether they would see her or not or maybe just give medicine. She asked if there are any changes right now. I explained about the swapping rooms, also about both of them digging tunnels in the garden (just grass with earth which has had nothing added to it for the 15 years we have lived here) but I did add that shadow had done pee that turned the litter white that it looked like paint and I worried it was something to do with something underground where they have dug. She didn't really comment on that. Anyway she took hazel in and examined her. Good vitals, good condition, good constant weight, no blockage. She said she has a small bladder so couldn't feel that very well. Just to add when we put hazel in the carrier she livened up a bit so I don't think the vet saw her like we did when we phoned. It was at least 20 minutes we saw her in that state. She suggested it was probably stress. She added that we could do another xray as she had cancer in her uteris when she was spayed in december and she was due another xray at the end of this month. We went ahead (not putting her under) and the xray was clear, her lungs are good etc. So again she thinks it is just stress. We took her home and she is still stressed, she ate a bit of kale (her favourite) but nothing else and didn't finish it. As she can be stressed when she gets back from the vets anyway, it normally works best to leave her for a while then she is fine again. I am leaving her alone for an hour to see (looking every now and then from a distance), with some tasty treats in front of her. She is back in her room in her favourite safe place. I wondered if anyone else had experienced this, it was just like the way my old bunny behaved with a blockage and seems extreme for it being stress as she was fine last night. Maybe something really scared her overnight. But I am now going to stop swapping her rooms as I guess it could be a stress build up as we have done that for a couple of weeks. I just find it stange that I had no warning other than her being a bit subdued when she has been in that room overnight. But she has been eating, running around, pooing etc all normally. Does anyone know of any other reason this could happen or do people agree it is likely to be stress? I have dealt with many bunny illnesses but never stress so I know little about it.