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Rescued a bunny need help please!

Lago_noob

New Kit
Hi, out for a walk with my dog a couple of days ago found a rabbit. A little albino guy flat out looking like he was breathing his last... nearby was a rusty cage and... a sandwich. I took him home and found he was completely crusted in urine and faeces. I tried to wash him... without stressing him too much. Remarkably he was tame and let me do it. I got lots of filth out of him... but his fur is extremely matted. he was keen to feed but didnt seem to have much bite. It's only when I took him to the vet that I realised he had massively impacted teeth. The vet clipped them back, gave him antibiotics and also clipped away some of the fur. Problem is I live in thailand, so its tricky to communicate effectively with the vet. He gave me oral antibiotics and pain killers... the rabbit has nasty sores on his feet and what looks like one hanging testicle. Today he is a little better... he comes out to feed. Hes a bit wobbly and very frail (he seems to box hisnfrom paws every now and then like his feed are stuck in carpet when there is nothing to stick to) but hes a fighter so I'm hoping he will recover. I have some questions maybe you all can help with to fill in the gaps from the vet..?
1. Hes struggling to eat timothy hay. I've got him eating pellets of fibrous rabbit food.. soften with water... which has made his stools harder/better. Is there anything I can give him to help him gain weight fast? He loves carrots and bok choi but I understand he shouldn't have too much of this.
2. His urine is worryingly cloudy... he seems to pee only a couple of times a day and randomly ( soiling his bed) should his pee be clear? Should he make his own toilet space like a rat does?
3. He has nastly scabs on all the parts of his body in contact with the floor.. It almost looks like hes been dropped on something scalding? Is there any cream i can put on this? Sudocreme? What about salt baths?
4. It's not important for me to be intimate with his privates! but I'm confused about his anatomy... he seems to have two openings and then a huge long veiny dangling 'apparatus' which I think must be a testicle? Is it common for rabbits to have only one? Could it be a hernia? It has a big scab on it too... because it's been on the ground. I will try to upload a photo.
5. Is there anyway I can tell how old he is?
6. His eyes and head are I pretty good shape. His ears move when he hears movement... buy the fur around his eyes is brush stiff from tears. How can I wash this to make it soft? I feel like it must be super uncomfortable for him.
7 hes a frail little bag of bones, but i can move his joints without him flinching so I dont think anything is broken... but he does seem to lean on one side more. And sleeps lying on his side like a dog... I wonder if there is a brain injury or infection. It almost like hes got invisible string around his feet... could this just be muscle wastage? I appreciate this is pretty difficult to diagnose. Maybe I can upload a clip?
Thanks so much for any info and an advice you can pass on. I'm invested in him now and I be gutted if he didnt pull through!
 
Sorry, hopefully someone will be along with more answers, bless you for taking on this little chap though.
With regards to his wee, bunny wee varies hugely depending on what they’ve been eating but is often opaque looking and can be yellow, orange or red. https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Urine
 
Well done for looking out for this little guy. I'd feed bok choi quite happily. carrots can be a problem as the high level of sugars can affect the digestive system (as well as making them fat but for this bunny that obviously isn't a problem). Keep up with the moist nuggets. Can you add cilantro, parsley, carrot tops to his diet. Grass would be good too.

Try bathing his eyes in cooled boiled water. You could make it a saline solution or use cooled black tea (my vet recommended this). Its just trying to work out the crusty bits & persevering. I really don't know what to try on his sores. I have heard of sudocrem use in rabbits. I guess the really important things are to check regularly how they are responding to any creams & if its irritating stop immediately. Make sure he can't ingest it too. I wonder if coconut oil might soothe a little as that has some mild anti bacterial properties but you would want to avoid the fur getting greasy. Sorry - just thinking aloud in what you might have access too.

Most bunnies toilet outside of their sleeping area but it does vary & health problems will affect this

Brain infection / disorder does sound probable. Its hard to tell what age rabbits are past being juveniles. Some people say little callouses on their feet, how sharp their nails are, their teeth etc. I don't think any of it is very reliable. A sick bunny often looks older too.

One thing I think would be brilliant is if you can ask your vet for pain relief as he is bound to be in pain. Meloxicam is the most used for rabbits but there will be other options too

I'd make his sleeping area as comfy & easy to clean as possible.
 
Regarding his matted fur this is going to be difficult. Some owners take their rabbits to the vets to be clipped but often it requires sedation which won't be a great idea for your rabbit as he's poorly & underweight. I'd try very slowly cutting & working out what you can but be careful he doesnt get too stressed & you don't cut him. rabbits skin is very delicate
 
Regarding his matted fur this is going to be difficult. Some owners take their rabbits to the vets to be clipped but often it requires sedation which won't be a great idea for your rabbit as he's poorly & underweight. I'd try very slowly cutting & working out what you can but be careful he doesnt get too stressed & you don't cut him. rabbits skin is very delicate

I agree with all of this and the previous post from Joey and Boo. Good luck with bunny.
 
Some people on this forum use manuka honey on sores. If you use sudocream try to get zinc-free if he is licking his sores. As already noted, pain relief is important because rabbits hide their pain because they are prey animals.
He was neglected and abused for a long time to be in this condition so it will take time for him to look better. Open sores may require antibiotics to prevent or treat infection - be sure antibiotics are safe for use in rabbits.
In the health section of this forum are links some dedicated members posted on many topics.
With all his sores and his being found with feces you want to be aware of fly strike if he is outside.

Thank you for rescuing him. He now knows what it means to be with someone who cares.
 
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Thanks all for great advice. I've bathed his eyes fairly successfully with saline (no tea bags allowed in our house by wife as they dont compost, lol) he's so docile. Let's me do anything... I thought maybe it was because hes terrified into a petrified state, but he will eat happily while I'm doing it, so I guess hes okay with it? I can't understand why he would be so tame if someone mistreated him. Thailand has a strange attitude to pets which I dont fully understand. Anyway. I've left off the sudo for now... as he seems to be healing pretty well... I dont want to risk making it worse. The vet did give us mex... for the pain and antibiotics so I'm guessing the combo is working. My main concern is now his front paws... I realise now the shuffling hes doing is an attempt to get his paws up to clean himself... which he cant do. Probably why his eye fur was so matted.
Anyone have any experience with a rabbit not raising his paws... I'm thinking muscle wastage through lack of movement? Could it be... tetanus or something awful? He can walk... so I hope not. Thanks for all your support on this. I feel a bit more hopeful for him x
 
I've just caught up with your post, and just wanted to say, I think you are doing a wonderful job with this little guy, he is very lucky to be in your care. I cannot add to advice already given, but all the very best in getting him back to good health. Please keep us all posted xx
 
Its amazing how trusting some rabbits can be with humans when they've suffered such neglect (others do seem to bear the mental scars though & trust really has to be worked on). Years ago I had a bunny who came from an abuse (rather than more common neglect) case & she was the friendliest little thing from the start. I'm so happy your bunny doesn't mind being handled - I agree if he was stressed he wouldn't be eating.

I don't have any ideas about his paws I'm afraid. It sounds likely he is on meloxicam then! its a good little pain killer with anti inflammatory properties too. Brilliant to hear he is already improoving in your care. Please keep us updated. Has he a name yet?
 
Thank you for the lovely update. You have done so much good for him already. Once he is stronger you may want to try moving his front limbs gently in case being in a cramped cage causes muscle wastage as you noted or shortened connective tissue.
 
Many thanks everyone. He's moving around better now... though I've just started light 'phisio' as suggested. Hardest thing is getting him to est enough dry food. I've spoiled him a bit with carrot. Anyway. Here he is yesterday https://youtu.be/D5yVOfDZ9Js
I bought him a nice big cage with a ramp- but he couldn't have run away from it faster! Maybe he has a bit of PTSD. At least now he seems to walk outside to pee. His pee is still a worrying soupy yellow green. Definite calcium deposits... I heard some is normal... but I will see what the vet says in two days. I'll keep you all updated xxx
 
He's gorgeous. Those front paws are bothering him aren't they. He looks more comfy where there is a sheet down, maybe you could do this over a larger area to encourage him to exercise more (about 40% of the bunnies I have will only hop on soft stuff - wood, lino, tiles are a no go. Maybe try to get a pee sample to take to the vet or some photos at least. I've not experienced green but hit every shade of red, purple & orange (my unhealthiest bun was the one with clear wee - he was in kidney failure)

Good luck at the vets
 
To me it looks like he's wary of the flooring, possibly as he's less mobile he finds it difficult or painful to navigate the slippy surface. I'd put a few rugs down to help give him traction and encourage movement.

It takes time but they do get their mobility back once the muscles start to strengthen.
 
You're doing really well and he knows it :D He's very bright and alert :) He's really not happy with his front paws, but hopefully that will improve. I echo J&B on the wee front: we've had everything. My first rabbit in the early 90s had greenish-yellow chalky wee sometimes (it was always really chalky) but he was fine as far as we know and he lived until he was almost 11. I suspect it'll take some settling even if it's noting sinister/problematic :) Best of luck :D
 
Thankyou for sharing the video. You are doing a great job with him and I’m so glad you found him :love: hopefully as his sores heal and his mouth settles, he will eat hay, that will help his teeth long term. I agree with what the others have said, he does seem more comfortable on the sheet, so if you could put more sheets or towels/rugs down it might encourage him to move around.
 
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