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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bramble is sick again!

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    • kirstyol
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        A few months back Bramble stopped eating for nine hours and we were unable to take him to the emergency vet because they charge £160 just to get an appointment, plus a fee for being seen and any tests/drugs add that to the fact that my car unluckily was in the garage at the time and the vet hospital is on the other side of the city and it was after midnight we just couldn’t get there. Needless to say the very next day I got Bramble insured!

        When he was seen by the vet the next day she couldn’t find anything wrong with him, he had started eating, drinking and pooping again by that point and was pretty much back to normal. She gave us ranitidine as a cover and sent us home.

        Today he has been fine, his normal happy self. but about an hour and a half ago he went into his litter box and lay down, the only other time he has ever lay in there is a few months ago when he was ill so I got up to check on him. He was lying with his back leg up on the side and it looked uncomfortable for him and he was breathing so fast I was terrified. It was just after 7pm and I immediately called my vets who close at half past to be told by the receptionist he cannot be seen today as they were closing. I live ten minutes away and could have gotten there before they closed but she didn’t even ask a vet if they would see him.

        I grabbed my phone and started looking for the number of the emergency vet hospital when he got up and hopped over to the other side of his pen I opened the pen doors and he didn’t come out which is not like him, he had been in his pen for about an hour or so since I was cleaning up after dinner and usually he would hop right out once I opened it up again. His breathing returned to normal though so I decided not to call the emergency vet just now, they wont see him just because he hasn’t eaten for an hour or so they will tell me to wait a few more hours so in the mean time I thought I would come on here for advice.

        He is not pressing his tummy down as if he has gas, but I did think I heard a gurgling sound so I have mashed up a bit of banana with some ranitidine but he is not eating it. I have moved his food bowl right next to the litter box and given him some salad which he sniffed but did not eat any of and I have given him a water dish and the dish with banana right next to him. I have changed his litter box out so I can keep an eye on that (I had to pick him up out of it to do that, he doesn’t normally let me pick him up). Is there anything else I can do? He has molar spurs which he is due to have filed in a fortnight, could he be in pain? he was eating normally earlier today though, I have meloxicam for him but I cant give him it if he doesn’t eat. He doesn’t seem injured as he hopped about when I lifted him out of the litter box. I doubt he has eaten anything he shouldn’t have as he doesn’t get out unsupervised because he is a chewer.

        I will call the emergency vet for advice once I have posted this very long post (sorry) but I know they wont see him just yet, I have his carrier all ready to go just in case and if he starts hyperventilating again I will just take him. That’s the thing that worries me most, we are at least half an hour away from the vet hospital and since I have never been before I will likely get lost on the way meaning it will take longer.

        If he improves or the emergency vet wont see him I will still take him to our regular vet in the morning. Should I ask them to run tests since this is the second time in a few months he has been like this. Freddie the hamster had a cold last week and I honestly didn’t think he would pull through at one point (he did thank god), I kept them well separated but could it be something to do with that. He doesn’t have a runny nose and hasn’t sneezed or anything.

        Sorry for the long post guys, I am just so worried and wanted to give all the information I could.


      • Sarita
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          First I would try to make him move about and see how he is.


        • kirstyol
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            I have been going over every five or ten minutes and lifting him out of the litter box and carrying him to the other side of the room to make him hop. he never ever lets me carry him. I have left the pen open but he is not interested in coming out unless I pick him up and he just runs back to the litter box, so not like him he normally loves being out unless he is sleeping in his wee house. He is hopping absolutely fine when I bring him out he has still not eaten. normally he would devour the extra salad I have given him in about five minutes flat. I will try and keep him moving because I know that helps


          • Sarita
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              How long ago was his tooth trim?


            • kirstyol
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                his last tooth trim was back in September when he was neutered. at his three monthly check a few weeks ago the vet said the spurs were starting again but wanted to wait eight weeks before doing them, I convinced her to do them in six weeks when I am off on holiday since he recovered so poorly from his neuter so they are getting done in two weeks. He has been eating fine, ate his nuggets this morning with no issue its only been this evening he hasn’t eaten anything since at least 7pm, its now a little after nine so still too early for the emergency vet as its only just over two hours


              • Sarita
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                  Makes me wonder if his teeth are bothering him which probably would not be something an emergency vet could help with (at least in my experience). Some rabbits can be very sensitive to the spurs.

                  I don’t see my rabbit eating too often at least not every 2 hours. I’m not certain what to think of the hyperventilation though….


                • Sarita
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                    Also can you try to hand feed him some of his favorite greens to see if he’ll eat those?


                  • kirstyol
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                      its not so much that he has not eaten in two hours, its the fact that once I noticed he wasn’t right I gave him salad and he didn’t eat it, that’s not like him normally he eats anything put in front of him the minute its there, he might not eat it all at once but he always eats something. I am more worried about the hyperventilating and his general not being himself. He just shot out of the pen and hid under the coffee table. he never does that either if he is under the coffee table he is usually trying to eat it from the underside lol. I think its going to be like last time, I will take him to the vet and they will find nothing wrong with him. I am going to ask for his dental surgery to be moved up though, I am off this week and next so if they can do it tomorrow that’s great if not then any day this week would be better than having to wait till the tail end of next week. I have offered him everything he normally likes and he is not showing any interest, just turning his head away from me. that’s probably why he is hiding under the table, so I stop annoying him.


                    • Sarita
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                        Sometimes I think we are anxious when our rabbits act differently too especially when they have had past illnesses. Hopefully he’s just going through puberty and his habits are just changing.

                        Keep us updated.


                      • kirstyol
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                          He is a year old and was neutered back in September so I doubt its puberty. I am pretty sure its gas, although he is not pressing his tummy down but I can definitely hear gurgling. I just wish I could get him out from under the coffee table so I could see him to make sure he is not hyperventilating again but he wont come out and I cant fit in to grab him.


                        • Sarita
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                            When you say hyperventilating – is he breathing with his mouth open?


                          • kirstyol
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                              No he was just breathing really quickly, it resolved itself by the time I had looked up the number for the vet hospital. I cant see him because he is hiding under the table and I cant get him out but up until that point it hadn’t happened again. I wish I could get him out from under there, I would feel better if I could see him


                            • Little Lion Head
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                                Have you tried tummy rubs or simthecone? ((((Bramble)))) stop worrying your momma!


                              • kirstyol
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                                  He has been hiding under the table for hours, he literally just came out ten minutes ago so I haven’t been able to get near him to rub his tummy. My vet told me not to give him smithicone last time this happened, she said its not recommended for rabbitd and gave me ranitidine instead but I can’t get him to take it. I mashed up banana with it but he hasn’t touched it, I can’t syringe it myself because I need someone to hold him and the other half is working. When he came out from the table he ate a few bites of salad but is back sitting in the corner of his pen now. He has done three poops under the table, while this is not like him, his litter habits have been perfect since he was six weeks old, im not concerned about that in itself the table is new so he is likely just marking it or he just didn’t feel well enough to jump off the shelf under the table to get to the litter box. It just seems exactly like last time and the vet couldn’t find anything wrong, I guess I would just feel better if I knew what the problem was, especially if its going to be an ongoing thing


                                • kirstyol
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                                    As I expected the vet cant find anything wrong with Bramble, she said it might have been gas but she cant be sure. She also said gas was unlikely if his diet hadn’t changed which it hadn’t. I have just to keep an eye on him for a few days and when he returns to normal I have to phone and book his tooth trim. She said he might be in pain from his teeth but she doesn’t think they are that bad and if he had been eating yesterday morning (which he was) its unlikely that he would suddenly stop mid way through the day. We have meloxicam for him but he can only have it if he is eating and I have just to give him a tiny bit if I think he needs it.

                                    He had eaten a very small amount before we went to bed last night and I would say he ate maybe just less than half of the salad I left out for him overnight. Vet said to just keep offering him food until he starts eating normally so I have put some more salad down for him but I am keen to leave him alone for a wee while till he calms down after being at the vet. He hates the car ride, but doesn’t seem to hate the vet he is just so friendly he is always trying to make friends with all the animals in the waiting room and he jumps about all over the vets themselves like they are old friends.

                                    I have some more ranitidine to give him but the vet doesn’t think we need to force feed him if he is eating even the tiny amounts he has eaten. She did seem concerned about his breathing being so fast, even although it was only for a short time so if that happens again I have to take him back, so far that hasn’t happened again thank god. They might take some blood and run some tests when he is under the anaesthetic for his tooth trim just to rule out anything serious since this is not the first time he has gone an extended period without eating or pooping. Although both times the vet has been convinced he has not been in stasis which is good news. She also said its unlikely its anything to do with Freddie having the cold as the symptoms are totally different. Freddie is doing well by the way, back to normal really I was very worried about him because he is two years old in a few weeks which is the average age Syrian hamsters live to.

                                    Bramble is still quite lethargic but has hopped about a little, I will keep him in his pen till I have had lunch then let him out for the rest of the day. After I move the coffee table out of the room that is!


                                  • Little Lion Head
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                                      (((((Bramble))))) feel better!!!


                                    • kirstyol
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                                        Bramble is still not quite right, he is not eating or pooping his usual amounts but he is eating and pooping which is a good sign. He has completely avoided his nuggets so I am wondering if it is his teeth after all. I called the vet for advice and she said to keep offering him his nuggets but to give him extra salad to compensate for him not eating them. She doesn’t want to do his teeth until he is eating and pooping better which I quite understand so it will probably be next week before they are done. He seems happier in himself though and his hopping about a bit more, although again not his usual hyper self. I have been able to give him the ranitidine by syringing it into the ‘leafy’ bits of broccoli which is one of his favourite things, he ignored the banana when I tried that which is my usual trick for getting him to take medicine, I think he is on to me!

                                        This is pretty much exactly what we went through with him the last time he didn’t eat or poop all day, it took three or four days for him to be back to eating normally so I am not too worried about him not quite being back to normal yet. He hasn’t done the really fast breathing again either thank goodness, the vet seemed quite concerned about that but said if it was a one off it was likely nothing too serious.


                                      • Sr. Melangell
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                                          Sorry to hear that he is not well, hope is better again soon, I know something is wrong with my Rabbit and I can understand how upsetting it can be, mine has been neutered only last month and very moody, has Bramble just recently had his operation? As for him not pooping I gave mine a little tomato and it helped him, if it is gas and he goes off his food, well I get gas sometimes and go off my food, it is probably the same for animals, I’m no expert but I hope he is well soon.


                                        • kirstyol
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                                            Bramble was a nightmare for a good few weeks after his neuter, he just didnt seem to want to recover and when he did eventually start getting better he was so grumpy it was unreal. But that was back in September so its nothing to do with how he has been the last few days. He was refusing to eat and wasn’t pooping again through the day today but has been much better tonight thankfully.


                                          • Sr. Melangell
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                                              Olly is very territorial and grumpy and was only neutered on the 23rd of March, I got him Tuesday night, but he was ill treated, so its going to be difficult for us both, I have emailed a friend who is an animal expert to see if he can help us both, I hope Bramble is better soon. 

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                                          Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bramble is sick again!