Chief is breathing noisily again! U/d June, eye issues now too

[InspectorMorse]

For clarity -

At the moment Mr Chief has very sore eyes which are probably due to a condition called ‘Entropian’. This is yet to be confirmed by a Rabbit Savvy Vet and appears to have been missed by several other Vets.

Entropian - https://www.eye-vet.co.uk/pet-owners/common-problems/entropion-ectropion/

Entropion - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

www.sciencedirect.com

Mr Chief also has a long history of severe upper and lower respiratory tract infections and ear infections. Probably all related to Pasteurella. He currently appears to be displaying some signs of a recurrence of his respiratory tract problems

Pasteurella (Snuffles) in Rabbits: Cause, Symptoms & Treatment

Learn about Pasteurella (snuffles) disease in rabbits, including symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. Discover how this chronic respiratory illness affects rabbits.

lbah.com

He has also had some dental problems and has previously required treatment for this under GA. Now, due to his recurrent RTIs GAs come with an increased risk.

Mr Chief is a very brachycephalic ( flat faced) French Lop. Sadly Brachycephalism causes a multitude of health problems, as Mr Chief is unfortunately finding out

https://crossriggsvets.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/factsheets/pet-health/pet/pet_info_print.php?factsheets-types=bGFwaXM=&nodeguid=117256

 

[InspectorMorse]

deleted as no longer relevent

 

[Zoobec]

Threads merged as it's fine to carry on with the original thread, seeing as it's already had plenty of replies on. included post from Jane as a summary of the most recent health issues.

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

Thank you all so much for updating this thread on the important points for other people as well as myself to follow. I am late replying as I slept all day until 4.30 pm as so shattered. It also takes me 1-2 hours to write a long post as I am so slow

I have yet to read all the articles you sent me on brachycephalic buns Jane but I am slowly getting through them and will read them and take notes before Monday's visit to the new vets to educate myself on what Chief's health issues are. I will ask the vet about entropian plus should I ask swabs on his eyes/ears to check for Pasteurella? Also I would expect the vet to listen to his heart and lungs for breathing issues such as his slight rasping as brought up with our (old) other vet.

Also I will discuss his obesity and let him know what diet they will be on from today (please see thread on Chief and Lil's in diet and digestion section if interested). And to explain that he is now eating a good quality Timothy hay in much higher quantities than his old Meadow hay so that hopefully will wear the slight burrs on his molars. (Have I said that right? )

Are there any other issues I should ask vet about please Inspector Morse? Also we have Chief only booked in on Monday although we will take them both. Do you think we need to book Lillabelle in for a general check up as well?

We also need to take into account that this new vet is more expensive than our other vet. The new vet charges £45 for a check up compared to £30 at our old vets. Also our old vets does a VIP plan which we pay £10 a month for each bunny. This includes a free check up every 6 months, free jabs, wormer and also gives us 10% off any operations and medications.

I don't know yet if the new vets offers a VIP plan or any other 'deals' eg a discount on the first pet (like PDSA) so costs may be higher. However if this vet gives us the best personal care for our buns we don't mind paying the extra money. Operations could be expensive though.

They are insured through Agria insurance so Lillabelle will probably be covered for everything really including teeth but I currently don't know what Chief is covered for (as he has had a dental already, a severe lung infection and eye/ear infections in the past). Should I ring Agria to find out BEFORE we go to the vets on Monday or after once we know what the vet says what will need to be done? We will pay usual fees for a check up but what about swabs done and medication? I take it Chief probably won't be covered for eyes/ears/lungs/teeth anyway so we will need to pay for all treatment concerning these things?

I have never insured my pets before (as been on benefits for the last 15 years living on my own) and have gone to PDSA for any health issues for my bunny. We only got another bunny (so owned 2 buns) once I met my OH and had joint benefits including PIP so can now afford to pay for everything they need really. So I am not sure about what questions to ask the insurance company. Could someone explain what I need to do please? I don't want to say something wrong and affect what Chief is covered for. Is it always just based on his past health details from the vets?

We will still use PDSA for urgent treatment if we are short on money and need to get them to a vet quick (eg gut stasis) as they are literally 5-10 minutes walk and so less stressful for them. Chief hates the vets and gets very upset and starts fast breathing as soon as he is in the carrier. Our old vets is a 20 minute taxi journey each way. Our new vets is about a 20 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi ride so that is a huge positive. Perhaps we could put the £20 a month that we paid the old vets for the VIP treatment for them away to cover costs for jabs etc from the new vets?

Any advice would be helpful on anything else important needed for Chief that I did not say already and what questions to ask Agria insurance please? Thanks so much everybun especially Omi, Inspector Morse and Zoobec for sorting out this thread and all the info I have been given so far

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

Re entropian. As I mentioned before, it can vary in severity. At first it might not effect the Rabbit at all. When the Rabbit has had repeated eye infections the eyelids can become thickened and thus the curving in has a more profound effect and the eye lashes can scratch against the eyeballs when the Rabbit blinks. This then causes damage to the corneas of the eyes which can result in the formation of corneal ulcers.

At first Chief’s entropian could have been minimal. But once he started to have repeated eye infections and ‘runny eyes’ his eyelids became inflamed and eventually thickened.
From the photos it looks as though he has some infection again now. This would mean his eyelids look even more inflamed and thus the inward turn of them is more noticable. If his eyes looked exactly the same as they appear in your recent images when he was examined by a Vet I cannot understand why no treatment was given and nothing mentioned about the problem at all.

Runny eyes - Elongated tooth roots and the fact that brachycephalic Rabbits frequently have deformed nasolacrimal ducts (tear ducts). The combination of the two leading to chronic runny eyes as the tears cannot drain because the ducts are blocked. Blocked nasolacrimal ducts can also become infected.

So in my UNQUALIFIED opinion for Chief there are three factors that are causing his sore eyes.Blocked nasolacrimal ducts due to elongated tooth roots and a probable brachy’ related deformity of the nasolacrimal ducts, entropian and at the moment an active bacterial infection. As he has had so many respiratory tract infections it’s very likely that Pasteurella is involved and this can also cause infections elsewhere.

Looking at Chief’s situation realistically and only from my UNQUALIFIED opinion it is unlikely that eye surgery would be an option. Even if you could afford it. His compromised lung function and repeated bacterial infections make his GA risk greater. As does the fact that he’s an older Rabbit and over-weight. So, I think the best way forward would be to find a competent Vet willing to work with you to provide Chief with a palliative care plan that will give him the best possible QOL whilst living with chronic health problems. I think you would be likely to see an improvement in his mood once he has pain relief and some appropriate eye drops. He might have a few molar spurs, but if he’s now eating lots and lots of hay these could resolve without the need of another Dental. I would not want to put him under GA unless it was absolutely essential. For example if the spurs were damaging soft tissue on his cheeks/tongue. If the crowns of his teeth are too long this would cause more pressure on his tooth roots when he chews. This would lead to more weepy eyes and increase the rate of tooth root elongation. The new significant increase in his hay consumption should enable him to where down the crowns of his molars, He wouldn’t need this to be done as part of a Dental under GA.

With regards to the Metacam, it is a POM and only the Vet can advise you about what dose to give. No-one on here is qualified to tell you to administer a POM to Chief. Which is why yesterday I suggested you call the Practice he is going to on Tuesday and ask them if you can start Chief on Metacam so he isn’t in so much discomfort until next Tuesday.

Going forward I would now focus on what is the most likely scenario, a palliative care plan that will give Chief the best QOL for as long as possible and that you can afford on a longterm basis. For example it can be cheaper to get a prescription for Metacam from the Vet. Then buy the medication online. Even though there will be a charge for the prescription it still works out cheaper. Especially if the Vet allows a repeat of the drug ie you will be able to buy a second bottle using the same prescription. So for the second bottle of Metacam you only pay for that, not another prescription charge too. The same thing can apply to many other drugs. It is always a lot cheaper to buy them online.

There will be no point in taking Chief to a specialist if realistically for him surgery is not an option. Not only because of the financial element, but also due to the fact that the risks of a GA will be greater because of his poor lung function etc. As long as you have a Vet who will provide good palliative care and you can afford to fund it in the long term then Chief should be able to have an acceptable QOL.

Sorry IM just to clarify...so do I ask for a prescription for the Metacam on Monday then? Are they still £10 or have they gone up? And then order the Metacam online? If we are doing it this way can I ask the vet for a bigger bottle? How much can they give you in one prescription? Does the prescription cover 2 lots of Metacam automatically or do I ask the vet to cover 2 lots in the prescription?

Sorry not done this before

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

One more thing...our old vets said to get a hoomans eye balm to put around his eyes. I previously did ask on this thread about using a tiny bit of vaseline or aloe Vera around his eye but A Reader of Books said that Lillabelle could lick it off so would not be the best idea. Wouldn't that be the case with eye balm as well? I thought of vaseline as we use it as a lip balm so maybe it would be fine for buns too.

So would eye balm be ok for Lillabelle to lick off if we use a tiny amount or is there an alternative we can use safely around his eyes please? Thank you everybun

 

[InspectorMorse]

Confining this post to Mr Chief’s health

issues to question the Vet about and make sure he looks at/listens to. Ideally he should be given the chance to request Mr Chief’s clinical history from the previous Vet prior to the appointment. Also, at the outset make it clear to Vet about the financial constraints you are trying to work with

1- Eyes- possibility of congenital entropian, possibility of dental/brachycephalic related elongated tooth roots causing blocked tear ducts, possibility of corneal ulceration. Vet doing a fluorescein dye stain test would be needed and can easily be done in consultation. This would identify any corneal damage and also if the tear ducts are draining and therefore not blocked. If they are draining the dye should run out down the nostrils. Swabs would be ‘gold standard’ approach but would add to costs, possibly by a considerable amount so treatment without swabs would be the next best option.

2- lungs -listen to lungs with stethoscope, observe respiratory rate and effort, check for evidence of nasal discharge. Also listen to heart to check for any abnormal sounds/ heart rate etc.

Chest X-rays = gold standard, but again would mean additional cost and to obtain good views would require sedation and carried out as an admission. Therefore additional costs.

3- check ears, including feeling ear bases for any sign of ear base abscesses.

Ask Vet about possibility of all problems involving chronic pasteurellosis.

4 - check teeth

Agria unlikely to cover any condition that Mr Chief’s medical records have mention of PRIOR to when you took out the policy. So it would be unlikely he’d be covered for any respiratory tract problems, eye problems, ear problems or dental problems.

Metacam prescription - ask for a 100ml bottle or a 180ml bottle. Ask if there can be one repeat on the prescription. The online company you buy from will hold the repeat on record, It will remain valid for 6 months. So when you order the second bottle you won’t need to get another prescription from the Vet first.

Prescription charges from Vets vary. I used to pay £12, it’s now £30

Vaseline- a small amount applied carefully around the eyes is fine and won’t harm Lilabelle if she licks it from Mr Chief. Try to discourage the behaviour though as it will aggravate the obvious soreness and there is a cross infection risk.

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

Confining this post to Mr Chief’s health

issues to question the Vet about and make sure he looks at/listens to. Ideally he should be given the chance to request Mr Chief’s clinical history from the previous Vet prior to the appointment. Also, at the outset make it clear to Vet about the financial constraints you are trying to work with

1- Eyes- possibility of congenital entropian, possibility of dental/brachycephalic related elongated tooth roots causing blocked tear ducts, possibility of corneal ulceration. Vet doing a fluorescein dye stain test would be needed and can easily be done in consultation. This would identify any corneal damage and also if the tear ducts are draining and therefore not blocked. If they are draining the dye should run out down the nostrils. Swabs would be ‘gold standard’ approach but would add to costs, possibly by a considerable amount so treatment without swabs would be the next best option.

2- lungs -listen to lungs with stethoscope, observe respiratory rate and effort, check for evidence of nasal discharge. Also listen to heart to check for any abnormal sounds/ heart rate etc.

Chest X-rays = gold standard, but again would mean additional cost and to obtain good views would require sedation and carried out as an admission. Therefore additional costs.

3- check ears, including feeling ear bases for any sign of ear base abscesses.

Ask Vet about possibility of all problems involving chronic pasteurellosis.

4 - check teeth

Agria unlikely to cover any condition that Mr Chief’s medical records have mention of PRIOR to when you took out the policy. So it would be unlikely he’d be covered for any respiratory tract problems, eye problems, ear problems or dental problems.

Metacam prescription - ask for ask for a 100ml bottle or a 180ml bottle. Ask if there can be one repeat on the prescription. The online company you buy from will hold the repeat on record, It will remain valid for 6 months. So when you order the second bottle you won’t need to get another prescription from the Vet first.

Prescription charges from Vets vary. I used to pay £12, it’s now £30

Vaseline- a small amount applied carefully around the eyes is fine and won’t harm Lilabelle if she licks it from Mr Chief. Try to discourage the behaviour though as it will aggravate the obvious soreness and there is a cross infection risk.

Thanks so much for all of this IM. I will do my best to ask for all of this....

Oh that has reminded me I had better call vets tomorrow/Monday morning to ask them to request his history from Briar House!

As well as paying for the prescription and check up to be done we should be able to pay for any eye/ear infection meds. We do have eye drops you suggested anyway for dry/irritated eyes but if he needs eye infection drops that would be ok I should think. I think our amount we can afford is around £150 max on Monday and anything else the vet suggests that needs to be done will have to be done the following Monday when we get more benefit money. Luckily we get paid 3 times in 3 weeks so if the vet finds anything else that needs doing we can hopefully afford it

Would the fluorescein dye stain cost much do you know please?

A chest X-ray would have to be done another day as you say it would need sedation. He had that before when he had his lung infection and I remember that cost a fair bit through Briar House but if the vet thinks it would be necessary we will have to book that when we get money on the 8th. We would have to discuss whether a GA would be a good idea given his age/weight etc as well.

Again swabs (if really necessary) would have to be done on the 8th.

Making Chief comfortable is our first priority so if we can get a prescription for more pain meds and any meds for eye/ear infection on the day that would be the most important thing to start with I should think.

I should phone the insurance company anyway to check what he is covered for although I expect you are right that he is not covered for any of his past health issues now so we are expecting that anyway. However I should check in case he is not insured for anything else. I think they pay out on gut stasis if they have had it before but I will find out.

I have vaseline so I can do that straightaway.

I thought I should explain that Chief has pink skin colour around his eyes naturally and he has white eyelashes so I think he has an almost albino look to his eyes? Best way I can think to describe it. Plus the photos were taken on my OH's phone which is old so the photos make his eyes look even pinker than they are in real life. I checked his eyes today and they don't look sore around his eyes although his skin feels a little bumpy where the eyelashes grow from. His fur is now starting to grow back nicely and the skin around his eyes looks good to me but I am not a vet or experienced in buns so I am probably wrong

I have been cleaning them every day as I thought it was just dry and crusty from the discharge but it is still there so I will mention this to the vet. Also I was trying to hold his eyes open as he closes them tight whenever I try to look at them. I don't know if this could make his eyes look weird at all in the photos? Bearing that in mind I hope it has not made his eyes look 'wrong' in the photos when they are not as bad in real life. I hope that makes sense? I trust your knowledge though so unfortunately he probably has this 'entropian'

I am just hoping this vet is good and thorough and we come away feeling that we at last know how Chief is and what is wrong with him.

By the way, Chief has been less grumpy since we started his pain meds. He is still growling and pouncing at us when we touch his food but he has been much better when I do his eyes now so I hope he feels more comfortable now. I wonder if he realises that he has been the centre of attention recently bless him

 

[bunny momma]

Sending positive vibes that vets can finally diagnose and develop an appropriate treatment plan for Mr. Chief, especially his eye issues.
While vet costs are a consideration for most of us, it can be helpful to ask if a test is likely to change the course of treatment even if we can stretch our finances to have a test done. Of course, as Jane mentions, we also need to determine the risk of the tests and alternative treatments, like surgery, to our bunny.
The most important thing is to make sure your bunny is comfortable.

 

[InspectorMorse]

I would focus on obtaining the treatment and if this can be done safely WITHOUT diagnostics and/or the risk of sedation then I would do that. A Vet is obliged to explain ALL of the options open to try to deal with the health problem they are being consulted about. This will mean stating what they term the ‘Gold Standard’ approach AND other more conservative but still beneficial, safe and ethical options. The Vet needs to take into account all of the factors involved in the case, including the financial constraints of the client, the ability of the client to cope with longterm hands on at home care, if the client believes it to be right for the animal to be on a palliative care pathway etc. I am NOT suggesting all of these matters apply to you, it’s a generalisation. Clients should not be made to feel that unless they pay out thousands of pounds for diagnostics/treatment to take up everything offered then they are failing their Pet. Not true. Just because certain diagnostics/surgeries etc can be done it does NOT always mean it is right for the individual animal to have them done.

Realistically I think £150 would be unlikely to cover more than the consultation, some eye drops and a prescription for Metacam. If Mr Chief needs systemic abx too then the £150 might stretch to that. All Vets set their own fees, so obtaining some information about the Practice’s pricing policy will be useful going forward.

It could be that Mr Chief’s eyes look a lot worse in photos than in real life.And any manual manipulation to open the eyelids could give a false impression of the structure of his eyelids. Hopefully that is the case and they are not as bad as they appear in the last photos you posted. I will be very happy to be wrong. The only way to obtain a reliable diagnosis is an examination in real life by a Rabbit savvy Vet. Which is hopefully what the appointment will bring

 

[bunny momma]

Well said IM.

 

[Omi]

Vintage Vets do provide a list of charges on their website https://vintageveterinary.co.uk/price-list The higher price for a consultation is for cats and dogs. Small animal is £36. There is also a heading of VIP Health Plan, so maybe they offer the same type of health plan as you had previously. Some vets will also allow payment in instalments, so if an item was urgently needed for Chief, you could ask if you could pay for it next week, or the week afterwards. I suspect many people will be in a similar position currently to you regarding finances. Vet treatment, and actually having pets in general, is expensive.

I hope that your appointment goes well tomorrow

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

Sending positive vibes that vets can finally diagnose and develop an appropriate treatment plan for Mr. Chief, especially his eye issues.
While vet costs are a consideration for most of us, it can be helpful to ask if a test is likely to change the course of treatment even if we can stretch our finances to have a test done. Of course, as Jane mentions, we also need to determine the risk of the tests and alternative treatments, like surgery, to our bunny.
The most important thing is to make sure your bunny is comfortable.

Thank you so much for your vibes BM.

I will answer your post properly and others after the football

We have been to a birthday bbq today x

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

Sending positive vibes that vets can finally diagnose and develop an appropriate treatment plan for Mr. Chief, especially his eye issues.
While vet costs are a consideration for most of us, it can be helpful to ask if a test is likely to change the course of treatment even if we can stretch our finances to have a test done. Of course, as Jane mentions, we also need to determine the risk of the tests and alternative treatments, like surgery, to our bunny.
The most important thing is to make sure your bunny is comfortable.

As I said before, thank you BM for watching this thread from the start and sending good vibes and input regularly to help me get Chief the best care

Yes that makes sense to ask if the test would actually make much difference in providing Chief with the right treatment going forward. We are nervous about him having a GA at his age (he will be 6 in September) as that is getting old for a giant bunny. Also being overweight and having breathing issues currently would make the risk of a GA even greater. As you say many of us are struggling with cost of living now and can't afford high vet fees.

I agree with IM and yourself that making Chief comfortable is the important thing so that he has QOL in his latter years. Getting him the right pain meds and lubricating eye drops if he has indeed got entropian of the eyes and also any abx for infection of his eyes/ears if needed would help him feel much more comfortable. The last thing we want is him to be in any pain as he gets older.

We can consider any tests that vet suggests for him after tomorrow's appointment once he has been checked over and we know more about his health issues. I will of course get feedback from Inspector Morse on the vet's visit and everybun else on here who has advice on this.

As I am writing this he has been running about and binkying as he tries to get attention from us to give him his pellets so I will do that now

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

I would focus on obtaining the treatment and if this can be done safely WITHOUT diagnostics and/or the risk of sedation then I would do that. A Vet is obliged to explain ALL of the options open to try to deal with the health problem they are being consulted about. This will mean stating what they term the ‘Gold Standard’ approach AND other more conservative but still beneficial, safe and ethical options. The Vet needs to take into account all of the factors involved in the case, including the financial constraints of the client, the ability of the client to cope with longterm hands on at home care, if the client believes it to be right for the animal to be on a palliative care pathway etc. I am NOT suggesting all of these matters apply to you, it’s a generalisation. Clients should not be made to feel that unless they pay out thousands of pounds for diagnostics/treatment to take up everything offered then they are failing their Pet. Not true. Just because certain diagnostics/surgeries etc can be done it does NOT always mean it is right for the individual animal to have them done.

Realistically I think £150 would be unlikely to cover more than the consultation, some eye drops and a prescription for Metacam. If Mr Chief needs systemic abx too then the £150 might stretch to that. All Vets set their own fees, so obtaining some information about the Practice’s pricing policy will be useful going forward.

It could be that Mr Chief’s eyes look a lot worse in photos than in real life.And any manual manipulation to open the eyelids could give a false impression of the structure of his eyelids. Hopefully that is the case and they are not as bad as they appear in the last photos you posted. I will be very happy to be wrong. The only way to obtain a reliable diagnosis is an examination in real life by a Rabbit savvy Vet. Which is hopefully what the appointment will bring

Thank you IM that makes perfect sense. So basically we need to discuss the gold star treatment for Chief and then what treatment we can afford realistically that will help Chief to feel comfortable long term and manage any infections and chronic pain he has. Also we need to consider what is the safest treatment for Chief considering his weight and age such as palliative care without needing a GA. We would only agree to a test or operation with GA if it is really necessary, such as a dental if he was in a lot of pain and having trouble eating for example.

Plus I would want to go away after the appointment tomorrow and get advice from yourself before considering any tests/ops and the risks involved and whether it was really necessary.

I forgot we owed cash tomorrow from family so we may be able to go over the £150 a little. Yes I thought the same. We can pay for consultation, prescription for meds and possibly eye drops/ear drops if he has an infection as well. I am going to ask vet about using the ear cleaner on Chief as I don't want it to make eyes even worse. Other than that we will have to book him in next Monday. I will look at the vet's website in a bit to read up on their prices as well and read the info you sent me before we go tomorrow.

Yes I would be made up if the vet said his eyes are fine but seems unlikely tbh.

Thank you so much IM for all the posts you have sent me especially when you are in pain. I am so grateful for all the advice and information you have given me. As per usual you go above and beyond to help us look after our buns!

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

Vintage Vets do provide a list of charges on their website https://vintageveterinary.co.uk/price-list The higher price for a consultation is for cats and dogs. Small animal is £36. There is also a heading of VIP Health Plan, so maybe they offer the same type of health plan as you had previously. Some vets will also allow payment in instalments, so if an item was urgently needed for Chief, you could ask if you could pay for it next week, or the week afterwards. I suspect many people will be in a similar position currently to you regarding finances. Vet treatment, and actually having pets in general, is expensive.

I hope that your appointment goes well tomorrow

Thank you for this Omi. I was going to look at the website after replying to posts on here.

That is great that a rabbit consultation will be £36 so only £6 more than with Briar House. They are also open 24 hours which is a huge plus in an emergency as Briar House used another 24 hour service which is miles away from us. They also have a lab onsite so hopefully can do blood works cheaper than Briar House who charge £100 for this as have to send them away to another lab.

If they also offer a VIP plan for buns where we pay monthly for free consultations and jabs that would be really helpful for us. It doesn't give any info so we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what that includes.

I did notice they don't say much about rabbits on the website though but that could just be me being picky. Their prices for neutering buns is £30 more than Briar House charge though plus jabs are more expensive as well so unless they include free jabs in their VIP plans we will have to find £150 each year to do them both. Hopefully their VIP plans help keep the costs down.

However if the care is more personal and he is a good rabbit savvy vet then we don't mind paying the extra. I don't know if we would pass a credit check to spread the costs down as I have not got a good credit rating because when I was a single parent I had real financial difficulties. Although that was 15 years ago and I have been paying them off slowly. Hopefully we won't need to go down the route of a payment plan anyway.

Thank you for wishing us well for vets tomorrow. I am so hoping this vet is good

 

[InspectorMorse]

Firstly, whilst it is nice to hear you think I have been helpful I must emphasise that I have no Vet Med qualifications at all. Any information or advice I ever post in response to anyone is based on UNQUALIFIED personal experience gained from 27 years of caring for 152 Rabbits. Many of whom came to me with chronic health problems, injuries, were victims of neglect or abuse. So through seeking help for each of them from my Rabbit Savvy Vet friend and Three Exotics Qualified Rabbit Vets I have tried to learn as much as possible. To retain the information the Vets have given me. I also spend a lot of time reading about Rabbit health and I try to keep up to date with the latest advances in treatments etc.
I try to pass on what I have learned to anyone who posts asking for advice on here BUT my advice can never ever be considered to be better than that of a qualified Rabbit Savvy Vet And certainly never used instead of consulting a Rabbit Savvy Vet. NOT suggesting you would do that though

With regards to trying to identify whether a Vet is Rabbit Savvy if you read this link it gives a few tips

Recommended Rabbit-Friendly Vets

Find recommended rabbit-friendly vets near you. Explore our directory for expert care and support for your furry friend. Ensure the best healthcare for your rabbit

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

Even an Exotics Qualified Vet might not be especially Rabbit Savvy. ‘Exotics’ covers a wide variety of other species, for example some Exotics Vets have a particular interest in reptiles and reptiles are their ‘speciality’.

Also, there are some Vets who might not be Exotics qualified, but who have a huge amount of knowledge and hands on experience of treating Rabbits. They gain this additional knowledge from seeing hundreds of Pet Rabbits in their day to day work and from attending lots of additional courses about Rabbit medicine. They have to fund this additional training themselves, or if they are lucky the Practice they work for might fund it. And some of the courses are certainly not cheap ! Basically they have a particular interest in Rabbits and a desire to go the extra mile to increase their knowledge about them. That said, they also know when a particular case is too complex for them and will always offer the client a referral on to a Specialist. There is nothing worse or potentially more dangerous than a Vet who refuses to admit a limit to their knowledge and tries to muddle on regardless. The only thing doing that helps is the Vets ego. Thankfully this type of Vet is in the minority, but I have encountered a couple over the years. One Rabbit paid a very high price for the sake of that Vet’s ego

I hope that the appointment goes well today and that going forward you can find a payment plan that works for you. These days Vet fees can be extortionate and also Insurance policies have become more expensive. The companies can also work hard to avoid paying out on claims and put a lot of exclusions on some policies and/or significantly increase the premiums. So you are certainly not in a minority group of people struggling to meet Vet fees. Sadly it seems to be the new normal now

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

I realise you are not a qualified vet Jane but it is very obvious that you have so much knowledge on rabbits from all the reading you are always doing to keep up to date on their health issues and you have a 'scientific' brain. By that I mean you are able to take in all this info and you understand the long words involved in these veterinary papers. It is too early for me to be thinking how to write long sentences so I apologise that I do not explain it very well!

By that I mean you can read and understand information about rabbits and then explain it in 'layman's terms'. I am an intelligent educated person (or was until my brain got mangled with my mini stroke) and I have so much difficulty reading information written by vets.

You also care so much for buns plus you have had so many rabbits in your lifetime and are 'rabbit savvy' from all this experience. I don't know how you manage it with your chronic pain. I struggle with just 2 bunnies! But myself and probably most of those members on RU go to you for any help with rabbit health.

I have had so much help from you and Omi (and other people as well) generally on our bunnies care but when it comes to their health you are the person we all go to. And I am sure they will all agree that you have a wealth of experience with buns but also you somehow manage to help those on here all the time. You are actually amazing and we are so grateful. Thank you.

And also thank you for your good luck today. I am actually so nervous about going today as really need this vet to be someone we can trust with our babies. We just love them so much! ❤

 

[InspectorMorse]

I realise you are not a qualified vet Jane but it is very obvious that you have so much knowledge on rabbits from all the reading you are always doing to keep up to date on their health issues and you have a 'scientific' brain. By that I mean you are able to take in all this info and you understand the long words involved in these veterinary papers. It is too early for me to be thinking how to write long sentences so I apologise that I do not explain it very well!

By that I mean you can read and understand information about rabbits and then explain it in 'layman's terms'. I am an intelligent educated person (or was until my brain got mangled with my mini stroke) and I have so much difficulty reading information written by vets.

You also care so much for buns plus you have had so many rabbits in your lifetime and are 'rabbit savvy' from all this experience. I don't know how you manage it with your chronic pain. I struggle with just 2 bunnies! But myself and probably most of those members on RU go to you for any help with rabbit health.

I have had so much help from you and Omi (and other people as well) generally on our bunnies care but when it comes to their health you are the person we all go to. And I am sure they will all agree that you have a wealth of experience with buns but also you somehow manage to help those on here all the time. You are actually amazing and we are so grateful. Thank you.

And also thank you for your good luck today. I am actually so nervous about going today as really need this vet to be someone we can trust with our babies. We just love them so much! ❤

I only have three Rabbits now. And yes, it is a huge struggle to manage their care with my disabilities. I won’t be able to have any more Rabbits. For me a life without Rabbits doesn’t bear thinking about. So I try not to !


Yes, I too hope that the vet that you see today will be Rabbit Savvy.

 

[twistedtiggerz69]

Mischief is sneezing!! He did it last night and again this morning. I am really worried now. I hope it's the dust in his herbs again although I did sieve it and it was on top of their hay on the tray so the dust fell through. I am so stressed now!

I only have three Rabbits now. And yes, it is a huge struggle to manage their care with my disabilities. I won’t be able to have any more Rabbits. For me a life without Rabbits doesn’t bear thinking about. So I try not to !


Yes, I too hope that the vet that you see today will be Rabbit Savvy.

Yes I get it. I REALLY want a dog. I love them so much. But our two would never accept one here. A couple of times we had a dog visit us (with my daughter) and they went mad. Ran under the bed stamping their feet and looking really upset all the time the dog was here and a long while after.

So I can't get a dog while we have our buns. Maybe we could introduce new bunnies with a dog but it's also the cost of having both. I need to decide which I want and I can't. I love bunnies too much. Maybe after Chief I won't get another one as he is my soul bunny x