Update on Yuki

[Sakura6267]

I just got back from the vet, and I'm pretty disappointed. The vet that I always trusted before didn't really do much more than the 2 new vets. She said there was a tooth growing crooked into his gums, but she refused to do a nasal flush. She said it was impossible, and if he had something up his nostril, it would have to come out on it's own. She was in such a hurry and wouldn't even put him under GA to check his mouth thoroughly like I wanted. I never liked that she clipped his teeth when he was awake, or that she clipped his teeth at all. I would much rather she filed them down while he was under GA. They never want to bother with it at that clinic, though. I am looking into 2 more exotic vet clinics in the city. Yuki is eating a bit better now that the Baytril is kicking in, so that stuff in his nose may be caused from a mild infection. I'm going to keep an eye on him for the next few days and if he doesn't start eating normally soon, I will try one of those other exotic clinics. But the thing is I'm really out of money now. I spent another $200 today.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Poor Bunny

I suspect his snotty nose is caused by elongated tooth roots that have penetrated his nasal passages.
I do hope the Vet prescribed some analgesia aswell as Baytril ?

 

[Sakura6267]

No, she just prescribed Baytril. I'm not sure if it could be tooth roots since he is eating more on his own now. His energy level is pretty good too. I think that it must have been some sort of infection since the Baytril is helping. I hope it clears up completely. If he is not totally better or significantly improved by Thursday, I will take him to a new vet that I found that hopefully have more competent doctors who are more experienced with bunnies. It is so hard to find a rabbit savvy vet around here.

I have a suspicion, and it makes me pretty upset and made up my mind to start taking Yuki to a different vet. About 3 weeks ago I brought Yuki in because he sneezed a bit and I was concerned it was the start of Snuffles (he hasn't sneezed since then but I'm really paranoid when it comes to my pets.) This new, younger doctor was in, and she said he didn't have Snuffles, but he had one tooth she thought was loose, and it had a spur on it. She said she would clip the spur. I felt nervous right away because she never had done his teeth before and I didn't know how experienced she was doing it. I always asked for my regular vet when it came to teeth because she's been doing it for 3 years with no problems. But I thought because it was just one tooth it would be fine. When she came back she told me the tooth wasn't as loose as she had thought, and she had pinched his cheek a bit when clipping the tooth because it was so far in the back, and told me to give him Metacam for a few days. About 2 days later is when I noticed that bit of dark green stuff in his nose. I can't help thinking these 2 things are related, and that he got an infection on the left side of his mouth, and that's why only his left nostril gets that green stuff. I just can't see it being something stuck in his nose because if it was something like hay, I would think it would come out on it's own by now. It just seems suspicious since the green stuff only showed up after she cut his cheek. If that is the case, the Baytril should clear it up now since it clears up infections pretty good. But I will not allow this vet near my bunny's teeth again!

I always didn't like it that they didn't put him under when they clipped his teeth, and that they clipped instead of filed them down. I just don't think these vets are as competent as I thought. They may be at an exotic clinic, but their expertise on exotics, at least rabbits, seems to be limited. My baby bunny deserves the best care, and I will search until I find a more experienced doctor. I did find one that seems to be promising. In her profile it says she has a lot of training with exotics, and in her picture she's holding a bunny. Hopefully she's as good as her profile claims, and she will become Yuki's new vet.

 

[prettylupin]

:shock::shock:

Yes NEW vet definitely! I also fear that the two may be related in some way. IMO molar spurs should be burred properly under a GA not clipped. I personally don't think clipping is ever a good idea as it does nothing to restore the anatomy of the tooth and is a risk of longitudinal fissure and fracture within the tooth itself. I wouldn't be surprised if bun had got an abcess around this tooth root post clipping or the cheek had got infected. Not good at all.
This new vet sounds much more promising! Good luck and I hope Yuki feels better soon. I would suggest he needs ongoing pain relief for the time being, certainly until acute issues have been resolved.

 

[Sakura6267]

Thanks. I'm still so worried because even though he's eating, he's not pooping that much. He used to poop up the entire floor, now I'm lucky to see at least 2 normal looking droppings. This is all so stressful and tiring, and it doesn't help that I'm really sick at the moment too.

I'm going to give the Baytril more of a chance to work, and if there is no improvement by tomorrow, then I will make an appointment for Thursday. Hopefully my mom will be willing to loan me some money. I think the hardest part is getting her to drive me there. It's always such a fight to get her to drive me into the city with him. I can't get my driver's because I get major dizzy spells, and she's the only person I can depend on to drive me, but she always gets so angry and starts yelling which stresses both Yuki and me out even more. It's going to be extremely difficult to convince her to drive to this new vet clinic, especially that it's much further than the other one.

 

[thumps_]

I'm so sorry. IMO if Yuki is only pooping a couple of poohs, it sounds as though her gut is stopping working = heading for stasis.
Abcess is now top of the cards, & won't clear up with just AB's. It's painful & that alone can cause stasis. It's painful for her to eat so she won't eat, & this also stops the gut from working.
If you are too ill to get her to a new vet now, can someone else do so for you?

 

[Sakura6267]

It's not that I'm too ill to take him myself, it's that my mom is the only one who can drive me and she will have a total fit if I asked her. It's gotten to the point where I'm scared to say anything about taking him to the vet. I have stressed over and over how important it is to get him to a rabbit savvy vet, and I talked about this new vet clinic and all she says is that she doesn't know where it is, and won't bother to look at the map! Whenever I say I want to take him to the vet, she freaks out and starts yelling. I guess the only choice I have is to take him to our local vet. They may not be rabbit savvy, but if it is an abscess, they could probably locate it and do something about it. I know they have the safest anesthetic, and I know they'll take the time to put him under, unlike my vet yesterday even though I wanted her to. She said she had no time, and thanks to her not taking the time to find out the problem, it still exists! I am so furious right now! I spent at least $400 the last 3 times I've brought him there and they won't figure out the problem! Now I have no money left and the problem is still there! I just need to get out right now and think for a bit. Will update when I come back.

 

[Sakura6267]

I went with my mom to the city this morning because she had teeth surgery and talked to her about Yuki's problem on the way there. She surprisingly was in an agreeable mood. When I told her how Yuki was still having problems eating, she said we could make an appointment at that other exotic clinic for tomorrow and that she would have to talk to them on the phone so they could explain to her where the clinic is located. I'm going to call them after 6:00pm since long distance is free on my mom's cellphone then. Until then I'm bringing him to the local vet for an x-ray. They told me they don't do dental x-rays there, but I was thinking they could do one of his head, just to rule out tooth roots growing into his nose. I might get them to put him under and take a close look inside his mouth too. We'll see how it goes from there. I am literally sick with worry. I just want my baby to be better.

 

[thumps_]

I'm so pleased that you've got a plan sorted out to get Yuki to a different vet tomorrow, & that your Mum is more understanding.
I really do empathize with the worry of a poorly bun, & "unhelpful" vets. So many of us feel the same way - utterly distraught, helpless, & with the financial worries too.
Well done. Everything crossed for you.

 

[Sakura6267]

I decided to cancel the x-ray at my local vet today because I don't think it'll prove much. If he needs one, I'll get it tomorrow, even if it costs more. I really think this one vet I found is a rabbit expert, and she'll do a better job with x-rays and such. I don't want to spend extra money because I'll need whatever I got for tomorrow.

I suspect an abscess, and it's terrifying! I read that they keep coming back no matter what you do. And because I'm so far away from an exotic vet clinic, that makes it even worse. What should I do if this is the problem? Should I have it surgically removed? There are no visible bumps on his face, I guess it's in his tooth root or something.

Yuki is doing a bit better. He's eating all his veggies, some pellets, hopefully some hay too (he's surrounded by it so I never really see him eating it), and he pooped quite a bit just a few minutes ago. The poops were smaller, but not tiny, almost normal size. I really hope the Metacam is dulling the pain. He's not sitting hunched up or anything, and he's quite alert, so hopefully that means he's not in pain.

 

[thumps_]

It 's sounding good! Poops coming out, but a bit smaller size sounds as if the metacam is helping the pain, he's eating, & his tummy has started to pick up.
I think you've made a wise decision having the XR done at the new vets.
I also suggest that you try to leave the diagnosis in their hands now you know the possibilities. I've everything crossed that it will turn out to be something more easily treated than we think.

I now see a rabbit expert. It's a bit more expensive per visit, but works out cheaper because the problem is sorted out effectively & immediately.
That apart, I worry less, because he's getting some of the best treatment going. No one can ever do better than their best!! I so hope you get some sleep tonight!

 

[Sakura6267]

Thanks. I am really hoping that it is something easily treatable and will go away completely. He is pooping quite a bit now, and most of them are normal size so I don't think he'll go into stasis. I saw him eating his pellets for longer than before too. I don't think he's in pain because I can usually tell if he is. He's alert, happy, doing binkies and everything. I'm about to phone the vet to make an appointment in half and hour (then it will be 6pm here). I hope the vet that I want to see him is working tomorrow. If not, I guess I'll have to settle for another since it's already been too long. I think all 6 vets at this clinic are trained with exotics. I just hope this nightmare is over very very soon.

 

[Sakura6267]

Bad news

The vet I wanted to see is only working on Saturday. I told the receptionist I couldn't wait that long, and she said there was another vet that's not as experienced as the one I wanted, but does work a lot with rabbits and is very good. But the earliest appointment I could get with her is Thursday at 9:20am so I took that one. I just hope he'll be ok until then, and the Metacam will last. He is eating well on his own now, and he's pooping, so hopefully we'll get through tomorrow with no problems. He's sick, I'm sick, my dad is sick, and my cat is sick, I just hate this awful bad luck already. I think this takes the cake for being the worst days of my life.

 

[thumps_]

I'm so sorry you are having this run of illness in the family. It sounds an absolute nightmare for you. I can only hope for a miracle that everything starts to resolve itself for you & yours.

The really good news is that Yuki is eating & pooping, which means that he is getting over his tummy problems on his own, with the help of the metacam. Everything crossed for you over here.

 

[Sakura6267]

Thank you. It has been an extremely difficult time. I just hope Yuki's problem is resolved tomorrow. I can handle myself being sick, but I really can't handle it when my family gets sick. I just want my little Yuki to be completely back to normal again. He seems the same, but I can still tell his eating habits are off, and he's not pooping as much as he used to.

I researched abscesses in rabbits, then felt around Yuki's head and jaw, but felt no unusual lumps, and nothing is visibly different on the outside. I know I can't rule out an abscess since it could just be small right now and not noticeable, but I truly hope this isn't the problem because it sounds just awful to treat. I was thinking if he does has a tooth root abscess, which would be the most likely if he has one, then I would want to get rid of it fast and make sure it stays gone forever. What would be the best option for that? I read that surgery is the most effective, then there's draining it and injecting antibiotics into it, but with that option it is likely to come back. I just want a quick fix and recovery. I can't stand seeing my little sweetheart like this any longer.

 

[thumps_]

I find it difficult to answer you honestly. There are several treatments for abscesses. So much depends on whether the bone has become infected. I honestly think that we need to find out exactly what is going on, before I can pass comment. We have yet to establish whether there is an abscess present even!

Perhaps a way forward is to ask the vet what treatment they advise & ask the why they prefer that approach, what their success rates are for this situation, & what the long term outlook is.

I do agree with prettylupin who posted earlier that a short GA & burring the teeth is the method I ask for for my bun. There are strong differences of opinion on the matter. I can only comment that 2 rabbit specialist vets who post on this forum strongly support a GA & burring the teeth to improve the contour.

The 1 thing you might do, is to boost Yuki's immune system with herbal meds. Echinacea may be helpful here.

 

[Sakura6267]

I'm not sure if those herbal meds are available here, but I can ask my vet about them. I wish I could just go to the vet right now, but the earliest for a rabbit specialist is tomorrow morning. It's driving me crazy not knowing what's going on!

He's not neutered. I couldn't get him neutered because of health issues he had in the past. I really don't know if he's a candidate for surgery if he has an abscess. Anyway, he was completely hormonal last night, jumping around and acting all crazy. I was wondering if he can act like this still, could he be in that much pain? He usually sits still and hunched up when he's expressing pain.

 

[thumps_]

I agree with you that he doesn't sound like a poorly bunny at all now!
What is the discharge from his nose like now?

 

[Sakura6267]

I haven't seen any of that green stuff in his nose since last Saturday.

Unfortunately he's not doing so good right now. He stopped eating again, even his carrots which he always ate before. He ate his lettuce, but that's about it. He's not pooping at all. I don't know what else I can do. There is no rabbit specialist working today, just regular cat and dog vets and I doubt they will be able to help him. All I can do now I guess is force feed him Critical Care and try to get him through today. I can't believe he took this turn for the worst! I just can't take this anymore! I want to help him, but I can't. It's so extremely frustrating!

 

[thumps_]

Can you give him some metacam? & do you have any Infacol (Simeticone 40mg/ml)/gripe water from the pharmacist for babies with colic = wind? Can you encourage him to hop about a bit? Tummy massages?
Keep waving his favourite foods in front of his mouth. (They'll sometimes take a bit in annoyance.)