ShelliJane
New Kit
Morning all! I'm completely new to forums of any kind but wanted to share my first ever experience of the dreaded flystrike with you in the hope it encourages just one person to be extra vigilant & therefore perhaps making the difference between life & death for your bunny...Apologies in advance for the LONG message, but all the detail needs to be put across I think to show the true picture of the behaviour my little bunny displayed & how things unfolded....
I had a day off work Friday. With the awful weather, I was out several times backwards and forwards to my bunny (Olly, 2 years old) who was of course, sat in his hutch feeling & looking v.miserable. I tried everything to get him out for a brief run, but being the pampered little man he is his refusal to get his paws wet did not strike me as odd at all. What did, after a few more visits, was his inability to 'settle'. Cold & wet days mean he normally dozes off much more, but he seemed - I dont know - unable to. This carried on pretty much all day. He was still eating, so again no BIG cause for concern...
In the evening when the rain had stopped Olly STILL refused to come out or indeed even come down the ramp of his hutch on to the garden. I started to think he had some back-leg problem...I picked him up TWICE within the space of an hour & checked underneath him. Nothing, apart from a little amount of poo stuck to him. I carried him over the wet grass on to the dry patio, where he seemed to liven up & had a bit of a run about. He went to the edge of the grass & had a nibble. I convinced myself I was being over sensitive & paranoid. I sat him on my knee & cleaned his bottom, seeing absolutely NOTHING. He did a massive wee on me, something he has never done before. I put him down, let him run back to his hutch to see if he would do the 'normal' thing of darting straight up the ramp where he knows I am knelt beside the hutch ready for his end of day brush before his covers go down & bed time. He didnt. I bought him 'upstairs' in the hutch, brushed him. He normally goes flat out & nods off while I do this but again, I sensed he just couldnt settle. Then I heard him grind his teeth. It was nearly 10pm at this point so covers went down and I went back in the house googling things left right and centre. I knew the grinding teeth was a sign of pain. Flystrike came up on the search but I'd checked him three times and seen nothing! Went off to bed wondering whether I was right to be concerned or imagining the whole thing, waiting to see what the morning would bring. 5:30am Sat morning, he was at the bottom of the hutch, he kinda 'flopped' out on to the grass and I felt he was 'shuffling' along rather than his usual buoyant morning self. I just felt he wasnt his usual hopping/bouncing/pleased-to-see-me personality that I know so well when he greets me in the mornings. He was also tucking his head under him & bringing his back leg forward as if trying to lick or bite/chew, as if something was annoying him & he couldnt reach it. He did this A LOT and I thought that he must be exhausted by it, he was doing it that much. I wondered if he had mites & even tried gently scratching his belly for him, it was clear SOMETHING was irrating him underneath.
As soon as the vets opened at 9am I phoned them & got in for 10am. As soon as I'd made that call however, Olly seemed to liven up again! I saw him go up & down the ramp which he hadnt done for 24 hours! I phoned my mum to report this but she - THANK GOD - insisted I was right to take him & she would come with me for moral support. By the time I sat in the vets at 9:50am, he seemed to be shuddering - not constantly but for a few seconds every now & then. I could faintly hear the teeth grinding. The vet looked under him while I held him & said she believed he had a urine infection, he looked sore so thought his pee was scalding & burning him & I would need to wait while she took him away to be washed & shaved. He is long haired, being a double mane lionhead, pure white with the biggest blue eyes, gorgeous boy. She returned 10 mins later to say the nurses had found maggots when they'd shaved him. Of course knowing & hearing about flystrike, I sat in the waiting room thinking he wouldnt be coming home with me & wondering how on earth this could have happened to my well looked after, spotlessley clean pampered furry friend.
An hour later we were all back in the consultation room, Olly with a red raw, wet, weeping and bloodied back side like raw meet. I burst in to tears at the sight of him, it looked horrific. This is where the maggots had started munching. The vet assured me that he felt better than he did, they'd removed 15 maggots which told her that I'd been very quick to react as there would normally be three times that by the time the owner realises theres a problem. She said another 24 hours however & it would have been fatal for my little man. I bought him home, crying all the way & unable to believe he was coming home with me. We can only hope it was caught in time so as not to have done lasting long term damage. Olly is spending the next 3-5 weeks indoors until his open wounds have healed & he is past the risk of infection, I have to syringe painkillers and antiobiotics once a day & apply a barrier cream. His bottom is already looking a much healthier pink & yesterday he had renewed vigour, even staging a break out from his indoor pen & out of the open kitchen door into the back garden! The vet did say he can go out for 5 mins supervised on dry patio (no grass, no wet), so he had a few bursts yesterday which he enjoyed as he is not used to being so couped up, usually having the freedom of the entire garden & our huge shed which is his favourite playhouse for exploring. I am so paranoid now though, I have left the back door open for him when I've been in, with it being nice weather over the weekend to allow him to look out as he normally would & to feel the breeze on his face, but we have still had the odd small fly coming in & I have been running round like a crazy woman until I know its been swatted or back out the house. I need advice on his future long term protection. I know I can use flysticky tape etc, I know I probably need to give him dry baths instead of wet ones, as maggots thrive on warm moist areas, I know I can put something sticky and sweet near his hutch to draw the flies in and away from him....I also know I cant be 100& fly proof all the time but I feel like just keeping him indoors forever now, something he is not used to at all & already getting agitated at I think (which makes me think he is getting better!). I just wanted to alert ALL bunny owners to not overlook your instincts - the changes in my rabbit were quite small at first, so I could have dismissed them, or kept telling myself that I'd 'see what he was like tomorrow' - tomorrow might never have come for him. I am SO glad I took the action I did when I did, I know theres the fear of the expense of vets for some people and I totally get it - it cost me £71 for all of the above (inc antibiotic, painkillers and barrier cream, plus follow up appointment this Thursday), which was the figure I had expected and a good job I had just been paid, had it been towards the end of the month when I am usually skint (and if I didnt have brilliant parents and boyfriend who I KNOW would have offered to lend me or even pay), then I have to admit I would have been tempted to leave him just 'one more day'. Feel awful to admit it. I saw leaflets in the vet though that they do payment plans, which I think is a brilliant idea. So please, please PLEASE be aware of the subtle signs my rabbit displayed - you KNOW your rabbits personality, what he/she does when you go over first thing in the morning, what he/she does when you brush them, feed them, what they do at night when you see them for the last time before bedtime. If your rabbit is 'off it', please be extra vigilant and know that you will not necessarily SEE the maggots if your rabbit is light or long haired like mine. Even the vet didnt know at first inspection, so please do not assume that they are not there. Please take to a vets who will shave and bath your rabbit & all will become clear from there. If your bunny grinds its teeth, shuffles, seems lathargic & unsettled, please do consider my experience. I always thought I'd KNOW if my bunny got flystrike, apart from the obvious visual telltale signs I thought my bunny would literally be lying like a dead en' on one side etc but no, he ate normally, he moved around albeit a lot less than normal, he let me pick him up. It was small changes, but also this indicated that it was early stage & made the difference between life and death. So sorry for SUCH a long story, but its been on my mind all weekend that I should get this message out to as many owners as possible and in doing so, I have been shocked & surprised at the number of people who have lost bunnies to Flystrike, the first indication of things being REALLY very wrong have been when its too far gone to save them
Thanks for reading, good luck to all you lovely responsible caring owners who are on this forum becase you care, my little Olly has been treated to a big cardboard castle from Pets at Home which I left him exploring in the kitchen this morning!!! & it was very cute to see him sat on my boyfriends knee Saturday teatime watching the football then boxing! I am a bit worried about long term damage...last night I convinced myself he had gone blind as he was sniffing his way to his food or my hand rather than going straight to it like normal...paranoid and vigilant is what I am!...& also last night I felt he wasnt settling again...& his eyes seems REALLY big! Maybe the medication though...he was fine this morning & managed to creep in & up his new castle toy! So here's hoping.
Big hugs x x x x thanks for reading x x x x x x
I had a day off work Friday. With the awful weather, I was out several times backwards and forwards to my bunny (Olly, 2 years old) who was of course, sat in his hutch feeling & looking v.miserable. I tried everything to get him out for a brief run, but being the pampered little man he is his refusal to get his paws wet did not strike me as odd at all. What did, after a few more visits, was his inability to 'settle'. Cold & wet days mean he normally dozes off much more, but he seemed - I dont know - unable to. This carried on pretty much all day. He was still eating, so again no BIG cause for concern...
In the evening when the rain had stopped Olly STILL refused to come out or indeed even come down the ramp of his hutch on to the garden. I started to think he had some back-leg problem...I picked him up TWICE within the space of an hour & checked underneath him. Nothing, apart from a little amount of poo stuck to him. I carried him over the wet grass on to the dry patio, where he seemed to liven up & had a bit of a run about. He went to the edge of the grass & had a nibble. I convinced myself I was being over sensitive & paranoid. I sat him on my knee & cleaned his bottom, seeing absolutely NOTHING. He did a massive wee on me, something he has never done before. I put him down, let him run back to his hutch to see if he would do the 'normal' thing of darting straight up the ramp where he knows I am knelt beside the hutch ready for his end of day brush before his covers go down & bed time. He didnt. I bought him 'upstairs' in the hutch, brushed him. He normally goes flat out & nods off while I do this but again, I sensed he just couldnt settle. Then I heard him grind his teeth. It was nearly 10pm at this point so covers went down and I went back in the house googling things left right and centre. I knew the grinding teeth was a sign of pain. Flystrike came up on the search but I'd checked him three times and seen nothing! Went off to bed wondering whether I was right to be concerned or imagining the whole thing, waiting to see what the morning would bring. 5:30am Sat morning, he was at the bottom of the hutch, he kinda 'flopped' out on to the grass and I felt he was 'shuffling' along rather than his usual buoyant morning self. I just felt he wasnt his usual hopping/bouncing/pleased-to-see-me personality that I know so well when he greets me in the mornings. He was also tucking his head under him & bringing his back leg forward as if trying to lick or bite/chew, as if something was annoying him & he couldnt reach it. He did this A LOT and I thought that he must be exhausted by it, he was doing it that much. I wondered if he had mites & even tried gently scratching his belly for him, it was clear SOMETHING was irrating him underneath.
As soon as the vets opened at 9am I phoned them & got in for 10am. As soon as I'd made that call however, Olly seemed to liven up again! I saw him go up & down the ramp which he hadnt done for 24 hours! I phoned my mum to report this but she - THANK GOD - insisted I was right to take him & she would come with me for moral support. By the time I sat in the vets at 9:50am, he seemed to be shuddering - not constantly but for a few seconds every now & then. I could faintly hear the teeth grinding. The vet looked under him while I held him & said she believed he had a urine infection, he looked sore so thought his pee was scalding & burning him & I would need to wait while she took him away to be washed & shaved. He is long haired, being a double mane lionhead, pure white with the biggest blue eyes, gorgeous boy. She returned 10 mins later to say the nurses had found maggots when they'd shaved him. Of course knowing & hearing about flystrike, I sat in the waiting room thinking he wouldnt be coming home with me & wondering how on earth this could have happened to my well looked after, spotlessley clean pampered furry friend.
An hour later we were all back in the consultation room, Olly with a red raw, wet, weeping and bloodied back side like raw meet. I burst in to tears at the sight of him, it looked horrific. This is where the maggots had started munching. The vet assured me that he felt better than he did, they'd removed 15 maggots which told her that I'd been very quick to react as there would normally be three times that by the time the owner realises theres a problem. She said another 24 hours however & it would have been fatal for my little man. I bought him home, crying all the way & unable to believe he was coming home with me. We can only hope it was caught in time so as not to have done lasting long term damage. Olly is spending the next 3-5 weeks indoors until his open wounds have healed & he is past the risk of infection, I have to syringe painkillers and antiobiotics once a day & apply a barrier cream. His bottom is already looking a much healthier pink & yesterday he had renewed vigour, even staging a break out from his indoor pen & out of the open kitchen door into the back garden! The vet did say he can go out for 5 mins supervised on dry patio (no grass, no wet), so he had a few bursts yesterday which he enjoyed as he is not used to being so couped up, usually having the freedom of the entire garden & our huge shed which is his favourite playhouse for exploring. I am so paranoid now though, I have left the back door open for him when I've been in, with it being nice weather over the weekend to allow him to look out as he normally would & to feel the breeze on his face, but we have still had the odd small fly coming in & I have been running round like a crazy woman until I know its been swatted or back out the house. I need advice on his future long term protection. I know I can use flysticky tape etc, I know I probably need to give him dry baths instead of wet ones, as maggots thrive on warm moist areas, I know I can put something sticky and sweet near his hutch to draw the flies in and away from him....I also know I cant be 100& fly proof all the time but I feel like just keeping him indoors forever now, something he is not used to at all & already getting agitated at I think (which makes me think he is getting better!). I just wanted to alert ALL bunny owners to not overlook your instincts - the changes in my rabbit were quite small at first, so I could have dismissed them, or kept telling myself that I'd 'see what he was like tomorrow' - tomorrow might never have come for him. I am SO glad I took the action I did when I did, I know theres the fear of the expense of vets for some people and I totally get it - it cost me £71 for all of the above (inc antibiotic, painkillers and barrier cream, plus follow up appointment this Thursday), which was the figure I had expected and a good job I had just been paid, had it been towards the end of the month when I am usually skint (and if I didnt have brilliant parents and boyfriend who I KNOW would have offered to lend me or even pay), then I have to admit I would have been tempted to leave him just 'one more day'. Feel awful to admit it. I saw leaflets in the vet though that they do payment plans, which I think is a brilliant idea. So please, please PLEASE be aware of the subtle signs my rabbit displayed - you KNOW your rabbits personality, what he/she does when you go over first thing in the morning, what he/she does when you brush them, feed them, what they do at night when you see them for the last time before bedtime. If your rabbit is 'off it', please be extra vigilant and know that you will not necessarily SEE the maggots if your rabbit is light or long haired like mine. Even the vet didnt know at first inspection, so please do not assume that they are not there. Please take to a vets who will shave and bath your rabbit & all will become clear from there. If your bunny grinds its teeth, shuffles, seems lathargic & unsettled, please do consider my experience. I always thought I'd KNOW if my bunny got flystrike, apart from the obvious visual telltale signs I thought my bunny would literally be lying like a dead en' on one side etc but no, he ate normally, he moved around albeit a lot less than normal, he let me pick him up. It was small changes, but also this indicated that it was early stage & made the difference between life and death. So sorry for SUCH a long story, but its been on my mind all weekend that I should get this message out to as many owners as possible and in doing so, I have been shocked & surprised at the number of people who have lost bunnies to Flystrike, the first indication of things being REALLY very wrong have been when its too far gone to save them
Thanks for reading, good luck to all you lovely responsible caring owners who are on this forum becase you care, my little Olly has been treated to a big cardboard castle from Pets at Home which I left him exploring in the kitchen this morning!!! & it was very cute to see him sat on my boyfriends knee Saturday teatime watching the football then boxing! I am a bit worried about long term damage...last night I convinced myself he had gone blind as he was sniffing his way to his food or my hand rather than going straight to it like normal...paranoid and vigilant is what I am!...& also last night I felt he wasnt settling again...& his eyes seems REALLY big! Maybe the medication though...he was fine this morning & managed to creep in & up his new castle toy! So here's hoping.
Big hugs x x x x thanks for reading x x x x x x
