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A very poorly bun :(

KandTheBuns

New Kit
Not really sure what I want from this stream of consciousness (apologies for how long it is) but non-bun folk don’t want to listen to me wittering on about our ill boy so thought I’d post it here and would be grateful for a positive thoughts and vibes.

Our big boy Gandalf (rescue french lop we’ve only had for 6 months) is a really poorly boy. :(

He’s about 5 yrs old and always been a little snuffly and sounded a little like he was snoring when he slept deeply which I suspected was a result of a previously untreated respiratory infection.

Quite suddenly over the weekend his breathing got so awful. By Sunday night every breath was rattling loudly enough to hear from the next room and it was such a horrible night. He was eating still but he was clearly struggling so much to catch his breath. Mouth breathing by Monday morning. We rushed him to our local vet and they gave him immediate pain relief and oxygen. They said though that the oxygen wasn’t particularly helping and that really they need an X-ray of his lungs and head to work out what the blockage is but that his breathing needed to he stable for anaesthetic so we’d just have to wait and hope the respiratory infection improved. They send us home with baytril and metacam.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning and although his breathing has marginally improved (no more mouth breathing and nostrils flaring a little less) he has now not drunk any water since Sunday morning!! I should say he’s been eating constantly since it began, with no real sign of slowing down, but he usually drinks almost a full dish of water a day (he’s a 5kg lad so big quantities of everything!). We’d supplemented with wet greens and fruit but contacted an exotic vet a little further away and took him for a second opinion Tuesday afternoon as obviously not drinking is a massive concern. He’d also begun to look thinner despite eating well still. The vet was great and very thorough. Said she could hear tooth grinding and he wouldn’t let her near her teeth, so she suspects it’s a tooth root infection that’s caused a nasal infection and possibly also an eye infection (she tried to flush his tear duct on his right eye but it was completely blocked). Strange that he would continue to eat if it were dental but she’s very rabbit savy so felt safe in her hands! She also upped the antibiotics.

Again he ultimately needs xrays and they’re just not possible right now, but she was also concerned at how much weight he’s lost in such a short time.

It’s now Thursday and he STILL hasn’t drunk any water. We’re now syringe feeding him water as well as the wet greens, cucumber, fruit etc which he’s eating well. He is still eating plenty (we’re near enough free-feeding pellets and he’s picking at hay) but he looks like he’s lost even more weight, and he’s very low energy. His breathing is gradually getting better though so that’s a little hopeful.

I know the farm he spent the first 5 years of his life at and I just feel so angry at them. The last 5 months we’ve spent huge amounts of time and money correcting all the problems he’s had as a result of their terrible treatment of him. A skin infection, mites, eye absess, matted fur, no vaccinations or neutering. He’s the friendliest and happiest boy who deserved so much more than the filthy damp shed they kept him in. 😡😡

I just feel so worried about him :( how can he be losing so much weight so quickly when he is eating the same quantity as always? There’s a sharp dip after his last rib and his hips are now very visible. and how damaged are his lungs going to be after such a bad infection? And why the heck is he no longer drinking water?? Going to contact the vet tomorrow with an update and they may give him more subq fluids, but we just have to wait really and see whether he gets well enough to investigate further.

Sorry for the rambling but figured if anyone would have any sympathy it would be you guys! 😔
 
I'm sure someone with more experience will be along shortly but I couldn't read and run: big hugs, you're doing great xx Hope Gandalf's breathing recovers enough for an xray and investigations.
 
So sorry to hear that your poor boy is poorly. I can't offer any advice, as I've no experience of these symptoms in a bun, however I'm pleased that you have a rabbit savvy vet that you feel confident with. I hope the abx get to work to clear his chest, and you will be able to take his treatment from there. Sending load so of vibes for your boy, he is lucky to have you taking care of him now.
 
Poor boy :cry: Have you tried putting a water sipper bottle up for him ? If he is having difficulty breathing he maybe reluctant to put his head down into a bowl of water. A raised sipper bottle may be easier for him.

When a Rabbit has a severe infection then weight loss can occur even if they are eating well. A lot of their calorie intake is used to fight off infection. Feeding a pellet made for growing/breeding Rabbit would provide a higher protein intake which could help keep weight on him. You could also offer him some Emeraid

https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/emeraid-herbivore/productinfo/EMERAIDH

https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/emeraid-herbivore-sustain-100g/productinfo/EMERAIDHS

Sending lots of get well soon vibes for your boy :love:
 
I don't have any advice, but I'm so sorry Gandalf is so ill... =( It sounds like you've been through a lot with him already, having to deal with all the issues his former "home" left him with... I hope he'll feel a bit better soon once the medication has had more time to work, and that you'll be able to get him that x-ray to find out what exactly is going on. Lots and lots of vibes for Gandalf.
 
Poor boy :cry: Have you tried putting a water sipper bottle up for him ? If he is having difficulty breathing he maybe reluctant to put his head down into a bowl of water. A raised sipper bottle may be easier for him.

When a Rabbit has a severe infection then weight loss can occur even if they are eating well. A lot of their calorie intake is used to fight off infection. Feeding a pellet made for growing/breeding Rabbit would provide a higher protein intake which could help keep weight on him. You could also offer him some Emeraid

https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/emeraid-herbivore/productinfo/EMERAIDH

https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/emeraid-herbivore-sustain-100g/productinfo/EMERAIDHS

Sending lots of get well soon vibes for your boy :love:


Thankyou! I’ll look into the emeraid that’s really helpful. He does have a bottle available too but he’s not used one before so he seems quite baffled. Im also getting some alfalfa tomorrow to keep him munching hay too. The weight loss is definitely the scariest thing but didn’t consider the energy output of fighting off infection! Fingers crossed that is what it is 🤞🏻
 
I don't have any advice, but I'm so sorry Gandalf is so ill... =( It sounds like you've been through a lot with him already, having to deal with all the issues his former "home" left him with... I hope he'll feel a bit better soon once the medication has had more time to work, and that you'll be able to get him that x-ray to find out what exactly is going on. Lots and lots of vibes for Gandalf.

Thankyou! Trying to stay positive but feels good to vent aha! 🤞🏻
 
Thankyou! I’ll look into the emeraid that’s really helpful. He does have a bottle available too but he’s not used one before so he seems quite baffled. Im also getting some alfalfa tomorrow to keep him munching hay too. The weight loss is definitely the scariest thing but didn’t consider the energy output of fighting off infection! Fingers crossed that is what it is

You may need to show him how to use a sipper bottle. You can do this by putting something tasty and lickable on the nozzle such as apple purée x
 
QUICK UPDATE: took him back to the vet as he had not improved at all on a week of antibiotics, really thought they were going to say they needed to put him down. But no! He was a bit calmer this time and the (amazing wonderful lovely) vet managed to look up his nose and it’s full of puss! She flushed some of it out and the rattling breathing stopped immediately, so actually his lungs are clear!! She gave him penecillin and showed me how to inject it every 2 days but said even the first jab should be quite fast acting. She wasn’t kidding! Within 30 mins of getting him home he’d dig out his litter tray, escaped his pen twice and most importantly DRANK HALF A BOWL OF WATER!! 🥳🥳 Many tears of happiness shed haha.

The vet was pretty confident that there shouldn’t be any lasting damage and now we just need to fatten him up again (which he’s delighted with!)

Thankyou for all the positive vibes! Powerful stuff haha. 💕
 
QUICK UPDATE: took him back to the vet as he had not improved at all on a week of antibiotics, really thought they were going to say they needed to put him down. But no! He was a bit calmer this time and the (amazing wonderful lovely) vet managed to look up his nose and it’s full of puss! She flushed some of it out and the rattling breathing stopped immediately, so actually his lungs are clear!! She gave him penecillin and showed me how to inject it every 2 days but said even the first jab should be quite fast acting. She wasn’t kidding! Within 30 mins of getting him home he’d dig out his litter tray, escaped his pen twice and most importantly DRANK HALF A BOWL OF WATER!! ���� Many tears of happiness shed haha.

The vet was pretty confident that there shouldn’t be any lasting damage and now we just need to fatten him up again (which he’s delighted with!)

Thankyou for all the positive vibes! Powerful stuff haha. ��

So pleased to hear that things are looking more optimistic now :D
 
That's brilliant news, so pleased that he is doing better. Well done on getting him there, he's very lucky to have you caring for him xxx
 
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