Help! I’m worried about Wooly!

[LBJ10]

I have talked a little bit about this on here. But for those of you who don’t know, my husband got this crazed idea to put a bathroom in the basement. He dug up the concrete floor, completely dismantled the sewer pipes, blah blah blah. Well he was finally making some progress today and he managed to get most of the PVC pipes pieced together. You have to use a primer and then an adhesive. This is in the basement and the smell was strong down there, but upstairs was fine. It was raining, so we didn’t open the windows. We left to go take showers since we can’t shower here either. We were gone maybe 2 hours? I’m not sure. Maybe 2 1/2 hours. On our way back, more rain was coming and you could tell it was going to be severe. The clouds were red and there was lightening. So we raced home as fast as we could.

Once inside the house, the smell from the adhesive immediately hit me. I said to my husband that we should have found a way to air the basement out. I went to the rabbit room and Wooly was laying against the baby gate. I reached down to pet him and he didn’t move! I got worried, so I stepped over the gate and picked him up. He just sat in my arms like a little doll. Now I’m really worried! So I opened the window even though it is pouring rain and I turned their fan on. I put Wooly down on the floor and he looked a little wobbly. He went over to the closet down and laid down again. His eyes are dilulated and he seemed to have this blank stare. I was petting him and kissing his head. Leopold, of course, is absolutely fine and he came to see what I was up to. He bonked me a couple times.

What should I do? Is it the fumes or could something else be wrong? It is pouring rain right now and I checked the radar. This massive storm cell keeps circling back, so it is going to keep raining for awhile. We’re in a tornado watch too.

[Roberta]

Ring your vet is the best option. I am not sure what to do in the event of fumes. Have you changed their water, hay and pellets ? That is something I would address as well as the fumes could have settled on those which is why only Wooly is off not Leopold.

[peppypoo]

Oh no!! I definitely agree that a call to the vet is in order. Make sure you have the adhesive on hand too, so that the vet might be able to get an idea what kinds of chemicals Wooly was exposed to. Of course, something else may be to blame as well, as it’s a little unusual that Leopold was fine. Keep us updated, and vibes for the little guy!

[LBJ10]

I can call the emergency hotline, but I don’t think they really know much when it comes to rabbits.

I brought him out to the couch to sit and he sat with me for quite awhile. I was petting him and rubbing his tummy (just in case his tummy hurts). He still looks dazed and confused. They don’t have any pellets sitting out at the moment. I can change the water and hay though. My husband brought the big box fan upstairs and I took Wooly back to his room. He went straight to the fan and right now it is just blowing on him. Like right on him, his butt is pressed up against the front.

I did notice while I was holding him that he made a funny noise. It is hard to describe. Almost like a baby crocodile peeping. I wonder if that was him trying to clear his lungs.

[Stickerbunny]

Inhaling glue fumes makes humans and animals seem drunk. The danger is when it causes neurological damage. Hopefully he didn’t get enough in to cause that though. You probably won’t be able to tell until tomorrow, since it takes a bit for it to wear off the “high” and then he will probably feel a bit hungover. Important thing is to make sure he has fresh air, water and that he keeps eating. Hope he will be ok.

[LBJ10]

I saw an after-hours number for our vet so I called that. It was just a recording saying to call the 24hr emergency vet across town. That place is awful.

[Roberta]

ASPCA has a poisons hotline… http://www.aspca.org/Home/Pet-care/poison-control
I’ll look for more.

I think I would try ringing the place across town anyway unless someone else is listed with a 24 hr emergency line.

[Roberta]

Unfortunately all the places I have found charge.. But the fees vary
http://www.justanswer.com/sip/poisoning?r=ppc|ga|1|Pets|Pet+Poison+Control&JPKW=animal%20poison%20control%20center&JPDC=S&JPST=&JPAD=12174483483&JPMT=b&JPNW=g&JPAF=txt&JPCD=20120618&JPRC=1&gclid=CP6HtMnqo7cCFcdIpgod-wgA3g
http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/

[LBJ10]

Yes, they charge. Quite a hefty fee too. There used to be a local free hotline. I had called it years ago when our dog ate something she shouldn’t have.

I called the 24hr emergency vet that I don’t like. I can’t believe my vet has a recording saying to call them. That place is awful. Anyway, the guy I talked to said it could be the fumes or it could be a coincidence. He didn’t have much advice, other than to move him to some fresh air. So he’s sitting outside right now. I fear he might get scared out there though. It’s dark and damp. So I’m going to go sit there with him.

[Roberta]

Yes, Fresh air was the only thing I could see recommended anywhere. As it was not ingested there is not much else. Every thing you described matched what I found about inhaling glue etc.

[LBJ10]

I’m sitting outside with him right now. He has been moving around more and responding to noises. Before he was just sitting there with a blank look on his face. He is still refusing food. I even offered him a banana treat, but he didn’t want it. It has only been about 20-30 minutes outside so I will keep him out here a little longer.

[Roberta]

I paid for an online one for you… here’s the answer.
You have received an Answer!
From Dr. GaryMonday, May 20, 2013 1:09 AM EST
Hello.

Rabbits are a bit more sensitive to respiratory fumes. It is possible that you’re seeing some neurologic signs secondary to the fumes.

The best thing you can do is get the rabbit into an area where the fumes are not present. I would also try to syringe some water to him and get him to eat some pellets and hay. If he’s not eating for more than 4-6 hours or if he starts showing labored breathing, I would get him to a vet where they can treat him more aggressively. We’ll sometimes place them in oxygen and get some IV fluids in to help decontaminate.

The rabbit should bounce back quickly from this at home, but I would make sure they’re prepared to take him somewhere just in case he is not responding.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

——————————————————————————–
Please do not hesitate to ask follow up questions.
Once you are satisfied with the answers, a positive rating is appreciated.
– Dr. Gary

[LBJ10]

Oh Roberta, you are so incredibly sweet! You didn’t need to do that! =)

It has been almost an hour of sitting outside. He is moving around more and he seems to be trying to snap himself out of it. What I mean is, he is obviously trying to fight off the way he is feeling. He is looking around too. I’m starting to get cold, so I’m going to see how it is inside the house. Maybe the fumes are better now. I can’t leave him out here all night unfortunately.

[LBJ10]

We brought him back inside since we needed to leave (to use the bathroom). The house doesn’t seem to smell anymore. I put their pellets in their dish, but Wooly doesn’t seem interested. I am exhausted right now and I just about fell asleep driving to McDonald’s. I want to go to bed and see how he is in the morning. If he isn’t better, then maybe I can drop him off at the vet on my way to work. Does that seem reasonable? Will he get worse over night? I’m almost afraid to go to sleep now.

[jerseygirl]

{{{Wooly !}}}

LBJ, I’m unable to read all the posts for some reason so I haven’t got full picture of what the trouble is. Just wanted to send some {{{vibes}}} for little Wooly.

[Elrohwen]

LBJ, how is Wooly doing this morning? ::vibes::

[LBJ10]

Wooly is better. I checked on him this morning and he was much perkier. He nibbled some hay, but not a lot. I had to go to work so I told my husband to get some fresh lettuce to offer him. I called at lunch time and he said Wooly ate 2 leaves. He said he had left a small pile in front of him as well, but when he came back Leopold was sitting there eating them. *sigh* I told him to try again. He said he didn’t act like he wanted anymore. I was worried coming home, but when I got home I saw him slowly munching on some pellets.

So when should I really worry? I called the vet this morning and they said he would most likely be okay as long as he is still eating. He isn’t eating a lot though. Just little bits here and there.

[LBJ10]

Jersey – Are you able to see this post?

[LBJ10]

Okay, he is flopped out on the floor right now. I tried approaching him earlier and he shot off like a little rocket. That’s pretty normal. I left some pellets out for him to see if he wanted some more of those. My husband said he saw him eating them. When I went to look, they were all gone. I guess that means he is feeling much better now. I will keep an eye on him. Of course I will see if he goes after the bedtime pellets with his typical level of enthusiasm tonight.

[Stickerbunny]

As long as he is eating, drinking and pooping I wouldn’t worry for tonight. It may take a day or two for the effects to wear off. Keep an eye out for any signs of neurogical damage (bad balance, etc) but it sounds like he will recover OK. It slows down the respiratory system, along with certain other parts of the body (heart rate etc) and at least for me, when it wears off there is a splitting headache and a general yuck feeling for a bit. Rabbits are a lot more sensitive to such things so I can imagine he probably feels a bit sore atm, probably why he isn’t into the food like normal.

[Stickerbunny]

How did he do with dinner and this mornings breakfast?

[LBJ10]

He is eating much better now. I would say a normal appetite. I did notice he had some small poops last night, so I am keeping an eye on that. I assume it is because he wasn’t eating as much as he normally does for a little bit.

[jerseygirl]

Good to hear!

LBJ, Im reading off my phone and the thread is really wide. Half the text is on dark blue so I can’t read it well. But I’m getting the gist if how he’s been doing. Happy to hear he’s recovering well.
Could it be the Reno noises that upset him also? Seeing as Leopold wasnt affected the same.

[LBJ10]

Jersey – He was acting way too drunk for it to be the noises. =\
I think it was difference in body weight.

I checked on his poop some more. They are still on the small-ish side, but bigger than they were. I expect them to be back to normal here soon.

[LBJ10]

I’ve been watching Wooly since I got home. He is acting normally. His usual hyper little self. I’m glad it was nothing serious. I could still strangle my husband though. He really should have known better. Even though this was in the basement, it is right below their room.

[Author]

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