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Netherland dwarf with wet chest, paws and excessive drinking

Mebs and her bunnies said:
I have just spoken to the vet and Emily is pooing and eating. However she is now licking herself to the point that it is almost constant and she has made her chest and front paws sore. They are hoping to fit a small, cat collar to her to see if this will stop it and she is on antibiotics, anti inflammatories and cream. To say I am panicking is an understatement.
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I'm glad to hear that she's pooing and eating. That's very good news.

She seems to be on a good regimen but I'm sorry you're so stressed about it all. I know I would be too, but sending you calming vibes and I really hope Emily will soon be well and truly out of the woods x
 
Mebs and her bunnies said:
I have just spoken to the vet and Emily is pooing and eating. However she is now licking herself to the point that it is almost constant and she has made her chest and front paws sore. They are hoping to fit a small, cat collar to her to see if this will stop it and she is on antibiotics, anti inflammatories and cream. To say I am panicking is an understatement.
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I am rather late to this thread but I am wondering if Emily has stopped drooling now ? If not did the Vet mention running any blood tests ?

I do hope that she will get better soon x
 
Sending lots more vibes for Emily. I'm pleased that she's eating and pooing again, but I wonder why she is licking herself so much :?

I can understand why you are feeling so stressed by it all. I hope she will soon settle down.

Jane, Emily's blood tests came back normal.
 
Omi said:
Sending lots more vibes for Emily. I'm pleased that she's eating and pooing again, but I wonder why she is licking herself so much :?

I can understand why you are feeling so stressed by it all. I hope she will soon settle down.

Jane, Emily's blood tests came back normal.
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Oh thanks, I missed that . That's certainly good news x
 
Thank you all for your good wishes. Anybody any suggestions on how to get her to eat pellets and dried food when I am not around to hand feed her. I will happily stay up all night with her but my other half may think I have totally lost it. The collar makes it nigh on impossible for her. We have hung her greens up so at least she can get to those and she can drink small sips. She has never been a big hay eater and the last thing I want is stasis. I tried putting them on top of an upturned food bowl but she still can’t reach. The surgery said she might need help but that appears to have been an understatement.
 
I am pleased to read your bunny is eating and pooing; yet sorry that the vets had to put a collar on her that restricts her ability to eat pellets. Her eating greens should help to keep her gut moving.
Has the surgery given you any reason for her excessive licking? Stress?
If she is hungry she may take syringe feeding well and eat quickly enough for you to be able to feed her before bedtime and at breakfast--just a thought. Of course, I am not sure how much the cone would slow things down.
Sending you and your bunny more positive vibes that she will be able to have the collar removed quickly and she can return to eating normally.
Sending some hugs to you too.
 
Mebs and her bunnies said:
Thank you all for your good wishes. Anybody any suggestions on how to get her to eat pellets and dried food when I am not around to hand feed her. I will happily stay up all night with her but my other half may think I have totally lost it. The collar makes it nigh on impossible for her. We have hung her greens up so at least she can get to those and she can drink small sips. She has never been a big hay eater and the last thing I want is stasis. I tried putting them on top of an upturned food bowl but she still can’t reach. The surgery said she might need help but that appears to have been an understatement.
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Would a Bunny Shirt like this work better than a collar

2sYsu37.jpg


Or an inflatable collar

https://fetch.co.uk/buster-inflatab...6bBlIPbUAqVkdFwWAdIaAkmpEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Re the feeding, as well as hand feeding pellets/hay etc you will need to help her to get to her cecotrophs. So by the sounds of it she will be needing pretty intensive nursing care for a while yet.

I am sure that your Vet advised you about the need to be ultra vigilant re Flystrike. Because of her inability to groom herself/clean herself with the collar on and having damp sore skin Emily will be at high risk

In case your Vet did not provide any information about this some details can be found here

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/flystrike/
 
Mebs and her bunnies said:
Thank you all for your good wishes. Anybody any suggestions on how to get her to eat pellets and dried food when I am not around to hand feed her. I will happily stay up all night with her but my other half may think I have totally lost it. The collar makes it nigh on impossible for her. We have hung her greens up so at least she can get to those and she can drink small sips. She has never been a big hay eater and the last thing I want is stasis. I tried putting them on top of an upturned food bowl but she still can’t reach. The surgery said she might need help but that appears to have been an understatement.
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Can you hang some herbs upside down so that she can reach up and nibble them throughout the day? If you wash them and leave them wet she will also get added moisture that way. They are also tender and delicious - dill, coriander, parsley and mint :)

Also, forage can be strung up the same way, if you have any. For example dandelion leaves, geraniums, rose leaves etc. Then when you are home you can take the collar off and let her eat anything else she will try. You'll be able to keep an eye on her.

Also, be sure to keep her rear end clean and as dry as possible because of the risk of flystrike, particularly in this heatwave x
 
Thank you for all your suggestions. When we got Emily home on Sunday evening, she seemed to settle down and ate by hand. At 11pm she started drinking and did so continuously until 1 20am. It was one of the most distressing things I had ever seen. She stopped and started again early morning. When I checked her then, she hadn’t passed any poos. So back to the vet we went. They then witnessed first hand her excessive drinking. She was put on gut meds which seemed to stop her. Today they managed to take a blood test. Kidneys are normal, slightly raised liver enzyme, but the main thing is a high calcium content in her blood. She is coming home later with meds and then we will see. Anybody any experience with this. She is not a big greens eater, so don-t think it is due to an excess of these. The vet can’t pinpoint a reason at the moment, other than something has upset her gut. He mentioned things like tumours but that is hopefully not it. Thank you all so much for your support and help.
 
Mebs and her bunnies said:
Thank you for all your suggestions. When we got Emily home on Sunday evening, she seemed to settle down and ate by hand. At 11pm she started drinking and did so continuously until 1 20am. It was one of the most distressing things I had ever seen. She stopped and started again early morning. When I checked her then, she hadn’t passed any poos. So back to the vet we went. They then witnessed first hand her excessive drinking. She was put on gut meds which seemed to stop her. Today they managed to take a blood test. Kidneys are normal, slightly raised liver enzyme, but the main thing is a high calcium content in her blood. She is coming home later with meds and then we will see. Anybody any experience with this. She is not a big greens eater, so don-t think it is due to an excess of these. The vet can’t pinpoint a reason at the moment, other than something has upset her gut. He mentioned things like tumours but that is hopefully not it. Thank you all so much for your support and help.
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I am sorry to hear that Emily had to be re-admitted. I hope that the Vet will manage to get to the bottom of the cause of all her symptoms.

Just a thought, but could Emily have had any opportunity to chew on anything that could potentially contain lead ?

eg : Wood that may have been painted with a lead based paint ( may be found in old houses built during or before the 1960s)- eg old skirting boards/door frames etc
Something metal that has been coated with with an anti-corrosive substance
Sealants, linoleum, golf balls.
Electrical wiring.
Bonfires and bonfire ash.
Lead pipes.
 
Mebs and her bunnies said:
Thank you for all your suggestions. When we got Emily home on Sunday evening, she seemed to settle down and ate by hand. At 11pm she started drinking and did so continuously until 1 20am. It was one of the most distressing things I had ever seen. She stopped and started again early morning. When I checked her then, she hadn’t passed any poos. So back to the vet we went. They then witnessed first hand her excessive drinking. She was put on gut meds which seemed to stop her. Today they managed to take a blood test. Kidneys are normal, slightly raised liver enzyme, but the main thing is a high calcium content in her blood. She is coming home later with meds and then we will see. Anybody any experience with this. She is not a big greens eater, so don-t think it is due to an excess of these. The vet can’t pinpoint a reason at the moment, other than something has upset her gut. He mentioned things like tumours but that is hopefully not it. Thank you all so much for your support and help.
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I hope the vet can get to the root of the issue with Emily. If there was excessive calcium then the vet may want to X-ray her bladder to see whether it's built up into sludge.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Uro_gen_diseases/Mech_diseases/Urolithiasis.htm

That can cause a lot of pain. Green are not normally the culprit for calcium - pellets are. Also, a high calcium water (if she's drinking a lot) will contribute to the high values in her bloodstream at the moment.

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/calcium-and-rabbit-food

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/@@search?Subject:list=Amount of food to provide RDA calcium

The raised liver enzymes could be a one-off and I've certainly experienced this when a rabbit hasn't eaten properly. I wouldn't worry about that as it's quite common.
 
On the plus side, the vet got to see first hand what you meant when you said Emily drinks a lot, and her blood work was not showing obvious kidney or liver issues. Sending you and Emily more positive vibes.
 
Hi folks. We are going back to the vet this evening. I feel like I am caught between a rock and a hard place. I know the gut meds need time when admitted orally but I only have 8 sludgy poos that I can confirm are hers since yesterday evening. There are lots of others but I am pretty sure they are my giant’s. She is very hungry on the plus side but only really for her dried food mixture. She has had a little grass and a couple of carrot tops. Her excessive drinking has lessened a little. Her one wee was the brightest carrot colour that I have ever seen but at least it was sludgeless. I have had to put her collar back on as she will pull her fur without it and her skin is so raw. So I am spoon feeding her every hour. This is so horrible.
 
I agree with you, this must be so distressing for both you and Emily. I hope that the vet can suggest something that can help Emily.

I don't know how confident you are in your vet, but maybe it would be worth considering a second opinion or ask your vet if he would discuss Emily with a specialist.

Sending her lots of vibes.
 
Omi said:
I agree with you, this must be so distressing for both you and Emily. I hope that the vet can suggest something that can help Emily.

I don't know how confident you are in your vet, but maybe it would be worth considering a second opinion or ask your vet if he would discuss Emily with a specialist.

Sending her lots of vibes.
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I think that is definitely worth doing. Sending lots more vibes from me too xx
 
Mebs and her bunnies said:
Hi folks. We are going back to the vet this evening. I feel like I am caught between a rock and a hard place. I know the gut meds need time when admitted orally but I only have 8 sludgy poos that I can confirm are hers since yesterday evening. There are lots of others but I am pretty sure they are my giant’s. She is very hungry on the plus side but only really for her dried food mixture. She has had a little grass and a couple of carrot tops. Her excessive drinking has lessened a little. Her one wee was the brightest carrot colour that I have ever seen but at least it was sludgeless. I have had to put her collar back on as she will pull her fur without it and her skin is so raw. So I am spoon feeding her every hour. This is so horrible.
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It's awful and very distressing for you to watch :(

I am glad she's hungry, and eating - whatever she eats is good, and also doing Poos.

Is she on any pain relief such as Meloxicam/Metacam?
I am wondering whether the fur pulling is due to her being in pain with it all?
 
It can be so distressing when you don't have a positive diagnosis for your little angel. Sending you more positive vibes for you and your sweet bunny.
 
We didn’t go to the vet in the end as she started pooing, so I guess the meds have helped. Her poos are tiny, but at least she is going and she is eating well.. I took her collar off this afternoon. Her fur is very matted and I have cut any really overhanging bits but am reluctant to do more in case I make it worse. She sits on her hind legs and her front paws seem to go into spasm occasionally. It’s not just a bunny twitch. We are going to see our regular vet on Tuesday, so I am hoping she may have an idea of the underlying cause. Any thoughts on the spasms?
 
Mebs and her bunnies said:
We didn’t go to the vet in the end as she started pooing, so I guess the meds have helped. Her poos are tiny, but at least she is going and she is eating well.. I took her collar off this afternoon. Her fur is very matted and I have cut any really overhanging bits but am reluctant to do more in case I make it worse. She sits on her hind legs and her front paws seem to go into spasm occasionally. It’s not just a bunny twitch. We are going to see our regular vet on Tuesday, so I am hoping she may have an idea of the underlying cause. Any thoughts on the spasms?
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Well I am glad to hear that she has had some output. Can you catch the 'spasms' on video ?
 
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