Eye injury, sinuses

[K F]

Our beloved Hercules had a little accident with the cat, and we had to rush him to the vet.  His eye had swollen shut, and puss was coming from it. The vet cleaned the eye, and gave us some rinse and drops to apply several times a day. 

Just when I think all is well, I wake up this morning and find him struggling to breathe–puss coming now from his nose too!  I panicked…  calling first the vet, and then my husband, who came right home from work to take him to the vet.  The vet gave Herc a shot of antibiotics, and some pills-which I have to hide in a banana before he will take them.  He is eating and drinking, just not as much as when he’s active.  He does move around a bit, but not much.

I’m just worried sick.  How long will it take him to recover?  Is he going to be okay?  It sure has been quiet around here the last couple of days, with our beloved Hercules out of commission….  And needless to say, the cat is on his way to get declawed!

[Faye Perry]

I can’t help with how long it will take to heal but i’m sure someone will come along and be able to answer your questions.

Lots of love and affection for Mr Hercules then

Sending healing thoughts for Hercules and Calming thoughts for you x

[K F]

Thanks so much for the care and concern.  I’m getting more worried by the minute tho.  His eating is starting to taper off, and his movements are getting clumsy.  I’m not sure there is much more that I can do for him…. 

[poopy]

Hmm, I am sorry to hear about this accident. Have you asked the vet how long it should heal? Perhaps you could ask the vet for a mild painkiller. He may have stopped eating because of the pain in the sinuses. You might also try to administer some herbal remedies. I read in the Rabbit Healthcare 101 book that willow is a natural pain reliever (don’t know if he would chew it though if he’s not eating). Also, you can give things to reduce inflammation like echinecea, chamomile.

[K F]

Where would I find things like Echinecea and Chamomile for him?

This evening, my husband put him on the couch and offered him water and some veggies by hand.  He did eat them, and drank.  He’s still not very active.  I wish we could tell him to blow his nose, like we can our kids.

I wouldn’t doubt that he’s hurting a bit.  I plan to call the vet in the morning and see what I can do.

[Gravehearted]

i’m so sorry to hear about poor Hercules and hope he’s going to be ok.

my first thought is that it likely is Snuffles or a Respiratory infection. Did your vet culture a sample of the discharge?

does your vet treat a lot of rabbits? since many vets know very little about bunnies it is really important to see one that has experience with treating bunnies.

now of course – none of us are vets here, but this article has a lot of helpful information about runny noses and eyes   http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

[K F]

I"m not sure if the vet cultured anything, as my husband took him last time he went. I am going to call when they open this morning tho and find out.  This vet appeared to be very knowledgeable, making suggestions for things that I am aware of thru the House Rabbit Handbook. 

Hercules is currently on antibiotics, and they gave him a shot of antibiotic at the vet too.  My husband slept with him, on the couch last night, so he could keep an eye on him.

He is eating now, but mostly fresh veggies and banana.  Still, he makes a strange movement when eating, pulling his head back.  When he tries to eat a few pellets, it’s almost like he can’t quite chew them.  The vet’s intitial check up showed his teeth to be in good shape, so not sure what would cause that. 

On the bright side, his breathing has improved quite a bit.  He is no longer taking long deep breaths.  You can hear the ‘congestion’ tho, in his nose.  Sure wish he could blow it, poor thing.  It has to be uncomfortable.

When I clean his eye and put the drops in, I take a warm wash cloth first and clean the ickies off of his fur around the eye, and around his nose.  He doesn’t like it, but I"m sure he feels better after I’ve done that.  I know I would. 

[poopy]

chamomile- get 100% chamomile tea bags and just cut out the bag, give the leaves w/ his pellets
echinecea- they sell tincture (drops) at any drugstore, target, etc.
rosemary- if you cant find fresh i suppose you can just use a spice jar of it

[MooBunnay]

This may not be an important point, but did you make sure that the antibiotic the vet gave him was OK for buns? When my boyfriend was younger his bunny was given antibiotics that were not OK for bunnies because the vet did not know that the same things that work on other animals are not OK for ALL animals – just maybe a side note that you could check out online? I saw this little blurb from the house rabbit society with a bit of info.

Never let a veterinarian give your rabbit amoxicillin. It is a pink liquid antibiotic that smells like bubble gum. Amoxicillin is very dangerous for rabbits, and has killed many more than it has helped. Any penicillin-based drug can be dangerous for your rabbit, so try to find a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about rabbit-safe antibiotics, and who is familiar with the safer drugs such as Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline, sulfa-drugs based like Septra or TMS, or enrofloxins such as Baytril or Cipro.

Amoxicillin Danger

 

[Faye Perry]

I’m glad to hear that Hercules is getting a little better x

At least he’s eating something even if it only fresh things, that has to mean he’s getting some goodness.

I remember when my first bunny had an operation on her eye, my husband kept getting up in the night to check on her, which was very sweet x x When she had this operation i recall that she had problems chewing for a while because the teeth are close to the sinus/eye part, but she had dental probs too so it may of been that. 

{{{{{{{healing vibes}}}}}}}}}

[K F]

Yes, Hercules is on Baytril.  I have read quite a bit on how the Cillin’s are dangerous for buns.  Went to see the vet again today, and though he’s eaten some, he has lost 3/4 pound since Friday.    So the vet sent me home with a dry mix, to mix with warm water and feed to him in a syringe 3 times a day.  Getting it down him is quite a chore tho.  We have another appointment, to return to the vet again on Wednesday. 

In the meantime, just continue to offer him what he will eat, and of course the yummy mix of stuff from the vet.  Hubby plans to sleep with him again tonight.  Needless to say, he’s being pampered like a little king.  Hoping very much that he bounces back for us…

Thank you to everyone who has been offering me both advice and support here.    It really does mean a lot.

[Gravehearted]

he lost 3/4 a pound in a weekend? unless he’s a very large bunny that is a very disturbing amount in such a short time. I am glad your doctor sent you home with something for assist feeding. It really can be challenging to assist feed a bunny, I personally have had the best luck with a large 60cc syringe and attempting to go in the side of the mouth, while the bunny is wrapped in a towel burrito style.

Sending lots of healing vibes Hercules way. I hope things will be improving by your appointment on Wednesday.

[qzobevmama]

oh, i’m so sorry to hear about your hercules.

i care for lots of medical needs bunz, here are a couple of suggestions:

with his syringe feeding:  did the vet give you critical care?  that’s usually what the bunz have for syringe feeding.  what you might do is get some canned pumpkin (plain, no sugar or anything) and mix that with the critical care.  the bunz like the flavor and it also gives extra calories & fiber.  if he doesn’t like that, i have had success with mixing the critical care with baby food.  a green veggie type (spinach, peas, green beans).  make sure the mixture is warm when you feed him.

feed him  upright, you can wrap him in a towel/blanket and put him on your lap or on a table in front of you.  put the tip of the syringe behind the front incisor on either side and squeeze gently.  sometimes it helps to kinda wiggle the tip as you do this, it stimulates swallowing.  it can get messy depending on the bun so just keep encouraging him.

is he getting enuf fluids?  check his pee & poops.  you can syringe feed fluids.  and if needed, can give fluids under the skin but the vet would have to show you how.  hopefully he won’t need that.

to help his snuffly nose, you can "steam" him.  if you have a nebulizer, it works best.  if not, you can take him into the bathroom, shut the door and turn on the shower on hot.  steam up the room and sit with him for 15-20 minutes.  actually, you can let him run around in the steam if you want.  this helps break up the congestion in the nose.  do you have a bulb syringe, like what is used for babies?  can get that at a drugstore, that helps to "suck" the mucous out of the nose after he’s steamed.

hopefully you are going to a rabbit savvy vet.  must keep an eye on the weight loss.  perhaps the vet can give him warmed fluids under the skin (subq) on wed. if he’s getting dehydrated.  also, you can give him very wet greens, and celery & lettuces (not iceberg) have a lot of water in them.

what is his temperature?  when bunz get sick they can either spike their temps or it can actually drop.  i always put a heating pad on low under a blankie/towel/sheepskin in a corner of the pen (keep the cord outside the pen or cage!).  that way if the bun is cold he can go lay on the warm spot.  if you know how to take his temp it would be helpful (normal is 101 -103) but even if it’s okay i’d still offer the warm spot for him.  what can happen is that his body uses too much energy staying warm (and thus can have a "normal" temp) but he loses calories and weight maintaining or trying to maintain a good temp.

cats, as you probably know, have nasty bugs and other critters get ugly infections from cats.  ask the vet if hercules is getting a strong enuf dose of baytril as there is a range (5-15 mg/kg x2/day).  if not healing may need another antibiotic.  and yes, get some pain rx for him (metacam is common) as hercules does hurt and bunz shut down on the eating if they are stressed (which pain & illness is).

good luck with your furry baby, i will send him warm healing energy.  keep us posted on his progress.  😎

[K F]

Thank you so much qzobevmama for the great information.  Now it is Tuesday, and he has started eating a few pellets for me, here and there.  Yes, it is Critical Care that was given to me at the vet.  It is quite a chore getting that syringe in his mouth tho.    I have been giving him fluids with the syringe also, but today he is drinking more on his own. 

I had wondered about using a bulb thing for his nose, just didn’t know if it was safe.  I will pick one up tomorrow and get his little nose cleared. 

His energy is up a bit today too.  He went after 2 of the cats and chased them away from him.  lol  Good signs for sure.  Luckily, our cats are totally indoor, and never go outside.  That lessens the threat of bad things that they can catch. We are also a flea free household.

He continues to sleep with my husband on the couch at night.  As I said earlier, being treated like a real King Bun.    He will be even more spoiled when he is healthy again.   

As far as his pees and poos, he is peeing rather well.  Large quantity, but not real close together in time.  His poops vary… Some small and kind of hard, others large and a big mooshy. The ‘bunny balls’ that is.  I think it has something to do with the critical care and the lettuce we give him.

I will post again after we see the vet tomorrow. Again, I thank EVERYONE who has sent such warm wishes our way.  Much love….

[Gravehearted]

Qzobevmama is really knowledgeable about health related issues. We are very lucky that she takes many of the medical cases that come through our rescue group – I know there are a number of bunnies that wouldn’t have made it without her care and attention.

I’m so glad to hear he’s eating some on his own, but also that his spirits seem to be improving. He’s a lucky bunny that you’re so dedicated to returning him to good health :o) We’ll all be looking forward to your post vet update tomorrow.

[K F]

Our visit to the vet today was a great success.    The vet was very impressed with Herc’s improvements over the last 2 days.  He expects a full recovery, and attributes a lot of it to mine and my husband’s loving care.  We will continue the antibiotic for a couple of more weeks, both in his eye with the drops, and the baytril.  We were told his eye could take those couple of more weeks to completely heal.  His weight today, up to 6.9 lbs, from the 6.7 on Monday.

As for his appetite, it has improved even more today.    Still for now, I will supplement him with some of the Critical Care.  I took the suggestion of putting it into some baby food today, and WOW.  Herc ate that, as if he’d never seen food before.  His energy level is up even more today also.  He is keeping the cats in check, when they even enter the room.  When I woke up this morning, he was laying next to his litter box, stretched out in his ‘superman’ position, as we call it.  Front paws out, back paws straight out and head poised. 

It has been so wonderful, having everyone’s advice and support during this time.  I will continue to add updates, as he recovers. 

[Anita Stark]

I am so glad that Herc is pulling through.  There hasn’t been much time for me to get on the forums lately, when I started reading this thread it sounded really scary, what a relief to reach the end of the thread and see that he has improved so much.

He’s such a lucky bun to be so well loved and cared for. 

[K F]

UPDATE!!! 

Hercules is now nearly 100% of his old self.  He is back to climbing up the stairs again (to which we responded by putting the gate back up at the bottom  lol ) and circling our feet with his happy grunt.  He even followed me as I swept his area this morning, which was just wonderful to see!  Yesterday he even ‘helped’ me clean some cages here, putting his head in the bag of waste I was collecting, and standing underneath my feet.  It’s just so great to have him back!  Will be even more wonderful when he is 100%. 

[Faye Perry]

 YEY!

Well done to Hercules!! I’m so glad to hear he’s back to normal xx

[Gravehearted]

that’s wonderful news – thanks for the update!!

[BinkyBunny]

YEAH!!  I know it must have been scary during this time.  It sounds like he is on the road to recovery.  I will be sending him continued healing vibes! 

[qzobevmama]

soooooo happy to hear that your hercules is all better!  a lot of that is due to your loving care.  in all my years of caring for sick newborns (human) and sick critters, there is a critical factor which more often than not determines treatment outcomes:  devotion.  especially for bunz, who are just so super sensitive, being at home w/an attentive mom (and/or dad) really supports their healing and inspires their will to live.  so kudos to you and hercules, i’m so glad that he’s pulled thru and is back to his old tricks.  😎

[x liddo bunny x]

HERCULES HERCULES HERCULES!!! YAY!!!

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