Worrying problems with 10/11 week old bun (Vet app already made) advice?

Hey everyone, having some worrying problems with a 10/11 week old bun. He's not eating pellets, nibbling only a tiny bit of hay and will not drink (i filled water up yesterday 10 hours ago and looks exactly/nearly the same) Also... Hes quiet and hudddled up most of the time and his poos are few and tiny. very small and a little darker than normal. There is also cecatropes (sp?) not been eating, i have seen eat them yesterday though, there has been a lot of them being left around the cage ignored the past week and i put it down to changes and the baytril making it taste different..

Ive already called the vet and been told to go down, 5pm app (i cant get there sooner.. partner has bank card and car UGH)

Hes been on baytril for 6 days as he was sneezing, no mucous, just sneezing.

Has anyone had this type of thing happen on baytril with thier buns? Any advice or ideas on whether it could be dehydration and or a way to help hydrate him as he will not take any water from me.

Also, would you offer greens? I'm worried if hes sick it will make things worse.

Thanks in advance

Shayne_ said:

Hey everyone, having some worrying problems with a 10/11 week old bun. He's not eating pellets, nibbling only a tiny bit of hay and will not drink (i filled water up yesterday 10 hours ago and looks exactly/nearly the same) Also... Hes quiet and hudddled up most of the time and his poos are few and tiny. very small and a little darker than normal. There is also cecatropes (sp?) not been eating, i have seen eat them yesterday though, there has been a lot of them being left around the cage ignored the past week and i put it down to changes and the baytril making it taste different..

Ive already called the vet and been told to go down, 5pm app (i cant get there sooner.. partner has bank card and car UGH)

Hes been on baytril for 6 days as he was sneezing, no mucous, just sneezing.

Has anyone had this type of thing happen on baytril with thier buns? Any advice or ideas on whether it could be dehydration and or a way to help hydrate him as he will not take any water from me.

Also, would you offer greens? I'm worried if hes sick it will make things worse.

Thanks in advance

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Oral Baytril can sometimes cause a reduction in appetite, usually on about day 4-5 of treatment. However, in a baby Rabbit any GI tract disturbance needs to be treated as potentially serious, so you are certainly doing the right thing in taking him to a Vet ASAP.

The Vet may want to admit him as it sounds as though he now needs intensive nursing care. This may include additional medication given by injection, fluids given either IV or subcutaneously and heat therapy. Hypothermia is a real risk to a sick baby Rabbit so I'd advise you to make sure that he is currently in a warm (but not too hot) area. He is also likely to require syringe feeds.

I hope the Vet can help him feel much better very soon x

Jack's-Jane said:

Oral Baytril can sometimes cause a reduction in appetite, usually on about day 4-5 of treatment. However, in a baby Rabbit any GI tract disturbance needs to be treated as potentially serious, so you are certainly doing the right thing in taking him to a Vet ASAP.

The Vet may want to admit him as it sounds as though he now needs intensive nursing care. This may include additional medication given by injection, fluids given either IV or subcutaneously and heat therapy. Hypothermia is a real risk to a sick baby Rabbit so I'd advise you to make sure that he is currently in a warm (but not too hot) area. He is also likely to require syringe feeds.

I hope the Vet can help him feel much better very soon x

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Thank you so much for the advice!

I'm so worried about him, at 3pm i cleaned his cage so its totally fresh so i can see if he poops or pees before 4:45pm..If so what its like.. I went through ALL last nights bedding with the siv and found a bunch of tiny poos ...



The biggest ive put centred, normally bigger than that one and perfectly round. Thats it from around this time yesterday.

He just isnt interested in anything atm, sitting hunched up with squinty eyes and fluffed up fur looking "grumpy".

Shayne_ said:

He just isnt interested in anything atm, sitting hunched up with squinty eyes and fluffed up fur looking "grumpy".

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Poor lad, he is obviously feeling quite poorly He may have some tummy pain as well as feeling unwell due to his Respiratory tract problems. I am sure that the Vet will address all this when he/she examines him.

Shayne_ said:

Hey everyone, having some worrying problems with a 10/11 week old bun. He's not eating pellets, nibbling only a tiny bit of hay and will not drink (i filled water up yesterday 10 hours ago and looks exactly/nearly the same) Also... Hes quiet and hudddled up most of the time and his poos are few and tiny. very small and a little darker than normal. There is also cecatropes (sp?) not been eating, i have seen eat them yesterday though, there has been a lot of them being left around the cage ignored the past week and i put it down to changes and the baytril making it taste different..

Ive already called the vet and been told to go down, 5pm app (i cant get there sooner.. partner has bank card and car UGH)

Hes been on baytril for 6 days as he was sneezing, no mucous, just sneezing.

Has anyone had this type of thing happen on baytril with thier buns? Any advice or ideas on whether it could be dehydration and or a way to help hydrate him as he will not take any water from me.

Also, would you offer greens? I'm worried if hes sick it will make things worse.

Thanks in advance

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Hi Shayne :wave:

Hopefully you will have seen the vet by now and have some answers. I hope your little one will be OK.

Certainly not eating in any rabbit is a serious emergency and you're doing the right thing.

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits/

Good luck xx

Hey again, back from vets and so glad went.

Hes had an injection to get his gut moving as she said it was really slow (cant remember the name of it) and ive been given recovery food to syringe feed every half hour plus water as not drinking. She said "around every half hour "... i was wondering if anyone else has syringe fed before and whether they did it every 30 mins or hour?

He's lost weight which i was worried about as he is skinny.. Went from 562g to 525g in a week

Still on baytril every 12 hours too.

I've not had a baby bunny in .... 10 years, always older buns, on edge isnt good enough a word for how feeling at the min. Daren't leave him alone!:shock::shock::shock:

MightyMax said:

Hi Shayne :wave:

Hopefully you will have seen the vet by now and have some answers. I hope your little one will be OK.

Certainly not eating in any rabbit is a serious emergency and you're doing the right thing.

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits/

Good luck xx

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Thank you for the good thoughts and the article, its really imfortmative, def a sticky!!

So sorry your bun is not well. Good call on getting him to the vets, hopefully he will start to improve soon.

It sounds very stressful, hopefully you have someone who can help out x

Shayne_ said:

Hey again, back from vets and so glad went.

Hes had an injection to get his gut moving as she said it was really slow (cant remember the name of it) and ive been given recovery food to syringe feed every half hour plus water as not drinking. She said "around every half hour "... i was wondering if anyone else has syringe fed before and whether they did it every 30 mins or hour?

He's lost weight which i was worried about as he is skinny.. Went from 562g to 525g in a week

Still on baytril every 12 hours too.

I've not had a baby bunny in .... 10 years, always older buns, on edge isnt good enough a word for how feeling at the min. Daren't leave him alone!:shock::shock::shock:

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I hope he picks up soon, the water are you using a drinking bottle, I would introduce a bowl to, some bunnies prefer ne over the other

Shayne_ said:

Hey again, back from vets and so glad went.

Hes had an injection to get his gut moving as she said it was really slow (cant remember the name of it) and ive been given recovery food to syringe feed every half hour plus water as not drinking. She said "around every half hour "... i was wondering if anyone else has syringe fed before and whether they did it every 30 mins or hour?

He's lost weight which i was worried about as he is skinny.. Went from 562g to 525g in a week

Still on baytril every 12 hours too.

I've not had a baby bunny in .... 10 years, always older buns, on edge isnt good enough a word for how feeling at the min. Daren't leave him alone!:shock::shock::shock:

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I usually syringe feed every hour or so, as otherwise it can get very stressful for the rabbit.

I often mix the recovery food with a veg variety of Ella's Kitchen Baby food, as that makes it more delicious and they want to eat more. But diluting with plenty of water will also get more fluids into him.

The vet may have given him metaclopromide? Did you get any meds to bring home, apart from the Baytril? Sometimes vets give you the gut motility drugs and Metacam for pain relief....

Wishing you and him good luck through the night x

Just home and settled after rushing to out of hours vet....

He suddenly developed a head tilt and is walking funny,leaning to the side, neurological symptoms...

She gave him intra saline and Panacur to start treatment for EC (E. cunicul)

Ive got to call my normal vet in morning and ask for app for that day and starting dose of Panacur for the other to start. Two sets of blood tests which will need again a month later, 28 day course panacur.

the vet said the prognosis was really poor..

just want to cry but cant, too stressed and panicky, cant take my anxiety meds as makes me sleepy.. i cant go to bed, need to stay awake.

Shayne_ said:

Just home and settled after rushing to out of hours vet....

He suddenly developed a head tilt and is walking funny,leaning to the side, neurological symptoms...

She gave him intra saline and Panacur to start treatment for EC (E. cunicul)

Ive got to call my normal vet in morning and ask for app for that day and starting dose of Panacur for the other to start. Two sets of blood tests which will need again a month later, 28 day course panacur.

the vet said the prognosis was really poor..

just want to cry but cant, too stressed and panicky, cant take my anxiety meds as makes me sleepy.. i cant go to bed, need to stay awake.

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Oh dear

It may be that the head tilt is associated with the Sneezing, ear infections and respiratory tract infections are often connected. But giving treatment to cover for EC too is a good idea.

If the tilt is due to ear infection then that could be very painful and in my experience Metacam alone is not enough to provide good pain control. I am not even sure if your Rabbit has received any pain relief at all ? So pain could be playing a part in your Rabbits depressed and anorexic state. Hopefully the Vet you see today will promptly address any possible issues regarding pain control.


Head tilt, regardless of its cause, needs to include an anti-inflamatory- eg Metacam- as it is inflammation that causes the clinical symptoms.

I wont overload you with links and more information about EC and Ear Infections at this point, it will just stress you out even more with information overload. Just try to remain as calm as possible around your Rabbit , (easier said than done I know), as he will pick up on your anxiety. Whilst he is clearly a very sick boy there is still hope. With lots of aggressive treatment and supportive nursing care, alongside a will to fight on from him, then recovery is possible. It could be a huge long battle, but one that is not totally impossible to win.

Millions more vibes being sent

Shayne_ said:

Just home and settled after rushing to out of hours vet....

He suddenly developed a head tilt and is walking funny,leaning to the side, neurological symptoms...

She gave him intra saline and Panacur to start treatment for EC (E. cunicul)

Ive got to call my normal vet in morning and ask for app for that day and starting dose of Panacur for the other to start. Two sets of blood tests which will need again a month later, 28 day course panacur.

the vet said the prognosis was really poor..

just want to cry but cant, too stressed and panicky, cant take my anxiety meds as makes me sleepy.. i cant go to bed, need to stay awake.

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Oh Shayne, I'm so sorry to hear this

I'm glad your vet has started the treatment for E.C.

Head tilt, as your vet may have told you, can be also caused by inner ear issues, and infections there can mimic the same symptoms of head tilt.

I would talk with your vet about possibly giving antibiotics to cover that just in case, and the other thing you really should have is some Metacam. Metacam isn't just a pain reliever, but also an anti-inflammatory, and for that reason it helps in both cases of pain and also of swelling and inflammation. This would help both an inner ear problem and also head tilt, by minimising any swelling that might affect brain function.

I never give up on a rabbit who wants to fight, and an owner who wants to fight alongside them It's hard I know, but try to be business like about his treatment and get through these early stages of whatever it is, and it may well improve. So in my view, the vet may not be correct in saying the prognosis is poor!

Wishing you loads and loads of good luck and vibes xx

Just back from the vets again, Wally is staying there as the vet wants to try get him eating and drinking etc etc. he's really worried and by how skinny Wally is. He's giving more antibiotics and Metacam plus gut stimulant and continue recovery food. He's calling me in a bit as he is checking out he EC diagnosis blood tests ans treatment plan as he hasn't done it before. That worried me but atleast he is checking before does anything.

He said right now the biggest concern is the not eating as will kill before EC or anything else does.

He checked the ears and no signs infection or burst drum. No discharges etc anywhere. His neurological symptoms are worse, tilt and whole body lean to left more pronounced and he's been circling. Only peed twice in 24 hours so huge concern there too.

I'm about to put my head for a hour or so as not slept since for two nights. I'm so drained and exhausted I feel sick. So glad he's staying at the vets right now.



Thank you for all the thoughts and advice. It means a lot and I'll keep updated with progress.

Many of us here will know exactly how awful you are feeling, me included.

My rabbit, at the other end of the scale age wise, had a dreadful episode of balance issues. It was really distressing to see. She was all over the place.

I know it might have no connection with your rabbit, but the vet sent us away with no hope of recovery. In desperation as soon as I got home I rang to ask for antibiotics just in case they could be helpful and it was amazing after just one dose at the improvement. And to think the vet had sent us home with no hope whatsoever.

Most likely, she had an ear infection (which the vet couldn't see, although he had looked). We also upped the Metacam as I am sure she was in a great deal of discomfort.

I do hope you have a happy outcome. We have all been there one way and another and no how stressful this is

Shayne_ said:

Just back from the vets again, Wally is staying there as the vet wants to try get him eating and drinking etc etc. he's really worried and by how skinny Wally is. He's giving more antibiotics and Metacam plus gut stimulant and continue recovery food. He's calling me in a bit as he is checking out he EC diagnosis blood tests ans treatment plan as he hasn't done it before. That worried me but atleast he is checking before does anything.

He said right now the biggest concern is the not eating as will kill before EC or anything else does.

He checked the ears and no signs infection or burst drum. No discharges etc anywhere. His neurological symptoms are worse, tilt and whole body lean to left more pronounced and he's been circling. Only peed twice in 24 hours so huge concern there too.

I'm about to put my head for a hour or so as not slept since for two nights. I'm so drained and exhausted I feel sick. So glad he's staying at the vets right now.



Thank you for all the thoughts and advice. It means a lot and I'll keep updated with progress.

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I really hope that Wally can pull through. If you have access to your Vet via email you could send him this link :

http://www.gwexotics.com/wccms-resources/a/5/0/e/77554b90-a660-11e0-a685-0050568626ea.pdf

Shayne_ said:

Just back from the vets again, Wally is staying there as the vet wants to try get him eating and drinking etc etc. he's really worried and by how skinny Wally is. He's giving more antibiotics and Metacam plus gut stimulant and continue recovery food. He's calling me in a bit as he is checking out he EC diagnosis blood tests ans treatment plan as he hasn't done it before. That worried me but atleast he is checking before does anything.

He said right now the biggest concern is the not eating as will kill before EC or anything else does.

He checked the ears and no signs infection or burst drum. No discharges etc anywhere. His neurological symptoms are worse, tilt and whole body lean to left more pronounced and he's been circling. Only peed twice in 24 hours so huge concern there too.

I'm about to put my head for a hour or so as not slept since for two nights. I'm so drained and exhausted I feel sick. So glad he's staying at the vets right now.



Thank you for all the thoughts and advice. It means a lot and I'll keep updated with progress.

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Sending Wally loads and loads of vibes to pull through.

I hope you can regain a bit of your own strength, so you can make decisions if you need to x

Hopefully you are managing to get some rest. Sending vibes for Wally. Sorry he's so poorly x

Shayne_ said:

Just back from the vets again, Wally is staying there as the vet wants to try get him eating and drinking etc etc. he's really worried and by how skinny Wally is. He's giving more antibiotics and Metacam plus gut stimulant and continue recovery food. He's calling me in a bit as he is checking out he EC diagnosis blood tests ans treatment plan as he hasn't done it before. That worried me but atleast he is checking before does anything.

He said right now the biggest concern is the not eating as will kill before EC or anything else does.

He checked the ears and no signs infection or burst drum. No discharges etc anywhere. His neurological symptoms are worse, tilt and whole body lean to left more pronounced and he's been circling. Only peed twice in 24 hours so huge concern there too.

I'm about to put my head for a hour or so as not slept since for two nights. I'm so drained and exhausted I feel sick. So glad he's staying at the vets right now.



Thank you for all the thoughts and advice. It means a lot and I'll keep updated with progress.

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The vets can give him the fluids and extra nutrition he needs to get enough strength to fight his other issues. The vet can also give your bunny pain medicaiton. Don't fret about the vet telling you the prognosis is poor. They want you to be prepared for the worse, but the vet suggested treating instead of PTS because the vet still believes your bunny can recover.

I have lost bunnies who had some 'fighting weight', and I have had positive outcomes with bunnies who were frail. A fighting spirit is the overriding factor in any recovery.

I know how hard it is to get rest when you are worried about your bunny. However, you are getting him the best care and I recommend you get some rest so you have strength to care for Wally (and yourself) once he gets home.

Sending Wally and you a lot of positive vibes.

Just got off the phone and they've said to come at 6:50pm pick him up and will discuss everything then. They have been managing to syringe recovery food into him but he hates it.

I'm worried it's been so long, he's been force fed for 24 hours now and still not eating etc

I want to see if they can have him overnight but I'm not even sure they do overnight nursing there or whether would be elsewhere etc. I've never needed it. Would my request be enough for them to keep him? I'm fretting he will et worse and I'll have the panic of out of hours vet 40min drive away.

I don't even know how long a rabbit can manage and survive on syringe feeding in the state he's in. Bringing him home just feels like his death sentence.

No idea what to do or expect right now.

Thank you everyone for thoughts and advice, everything, just being able to talk to those who understand is helping me cope with now.