house plant and sore hocks (Update!)

FORUM

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 13sd replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 11 months ago by BinkyBunny.

Viewing 13 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 04/15/2010 at 8:13 PM
  lwayne
  Participant
  428 posts
  So two days ago Arduina knocked over our large house plant and most likely ate a bit of it. She ate her veggies that night and breakfast pellets yesterday, but then was pretty lethargic the rest of the day. Went we got home from work, we noticed she hadn’t finished her pellets and was quite lethargic. The plant species was listed non-toxic to cats and dogs on the ASPCA website. My SO ran out to get simethicone and I got her to eat a bit of basil and a bite of parsley. We added some apple juice to her water to get some fluids in her. Within an hour she perked up and was running around.
  
  This morning I gave her another dose of simethicone and took her to the vet since she wasn’t interested in breakfast. Her vet couldnt see her right away, so I left her there to go to work. The vet called in the afternoon saying they did a fecal test and asked the toxicologist about the plant species. The vet said Arduina was eating and running around, nothing seemed wrong with her GI track. Probably just an upset gassy tummy.
  
  The vet did notice her foot sores, which if I was there would have mentioned as well. I got Silver Sulfadiazine cream to put on Arduina’s feet twice a day. The vet also prescribed Baytril (oral liquid) and gave Arduina an injection today (Baytril injection cost $28!). I think that is for her feet not her tummy? or is it both? Since Arduina has been home she is feeling better, running around and eating some veggies. The vet said she is a bit over weight and I should to cut down on veggies. I do her nails once a month. Hopefully the sores will clear up too.
  
  After we moved the plant into a different part of the house that Arduina is not allowed. She was curiously looking around for where it went this evening… silly bunny.
- 04/16/2010 at 12:27 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Glad Ardulna is feeling better! That silver cream is great stuff too. Hopefully the baytril and the cream will help heel her little feet.
- 04/16/2010 at 5:39 AM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  Thank goodness she’s doing better! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of veggies leading to overweight bunnies. Does she get pellets? Those are usually the culprit.
- 04/16/2010 at 5:57 AM
  RabbitPam
  Moderator
  11002 posts
  That was a good vet visit. glad she’s fine after the plant, and if her feet were sore, she may have not been feeling well from that also. Now she is getting better in every way, so should be a much happier bunny in about a week.
  
  More hay, less veggies & pellets, and with her feet healed, she’ll be able to exercise more. That might have added to her weight. Does she have anything to bother her feet, like wires on the cage? Might need to make some habitat changes.
  
  {{{{{{{{{Healing vibes, Arduina}}}}}}}}
- 04/16/2010 at 7:55 AM
  lwayne
  Participant
  428 posts
  Today she is feeling much better (minus the medicine this morning ;-)).
  
  She is about 6.5 lbs and gets 1/4 C of pellets. The vet said that was fine and give her more celery than leafy greens but reduce total veggies. She always has unlimited hay, but I should probably introduce some variety to timothy.
  
  She has had foot sores for a little while now and I was planning on taking her in for a a check up and all (hoping until next payday, oh well). Arduina has full 24h run of 1 bedroom (no bed, just my desk and the rest is her stuff). When we are home we let her run around the rest of the house. We have all hardwood floors which she likes to go sliding across. We have a big carpet in her room which covers most of the floor. There is one in the living room but not as big. Her favorite is running up and down the stairs (that lead to the basement but theres a shut door at the bottom), which is carpeted. She doesn’t go in her cage much, only to eat and use the litter box, but that is blanketed. Arduina has tons of softy stuff, a kitty bed on top of her cage (cage is covered in cardboard so she can run across the top), a towel/blanky in her bunny house and on top. She likes to sleep on the side of the room on the hardwood of course.. or on my hard desk chair (pushed in).. I’ll post a picture of this, its pretty cute.
- 04/16/2010 at 8:39 AM
  Elrohwen
  Participant
  7318 posts
  I have always heard to reduce pellets before reducing veggies. Plenty of buns get by on just a tbsp of pellets.
  
  But I’m glad she’s feeling better! I hope her hocks clear up soon.
- 04/16/2010 at 9:01 AM
  Andi
  Participant
  1048 posts
  Rex’s are more prone to sore hocks, more so if they are overweigjht, which is also something this breed is know for… love the food. I think that their fur may be a reason for the sore hocks, less padding.
  As for the baytil injection, My vet gives antibiotics if we’re had a case of Stasis, as bad bactiria can grow in the guts while they are not working. Though I do not know many vets doing this.
  How bad are the sores? is there signs of infection (swelling, redness, puss)? You may just want to ask what the injection was for as your curious. I save the $28 by giving my own injections, once I had them force feed, plus Sub-Q b/c I coudln’t right away … omg talk about a bill LOL
  
  hope she’s feeling better today
- 04/16/2010 at 10:19 AM
  lwayne
  Participant
  428 posts
  So since I didn’t really meet with the vet yesterday (she was busy in surgeries), she sent me a really long (one page!) email this morning. The baytril is for both her gut and her foot sores.
  
  As for her weight, the vet said she: “gained a full pound since her last visit, which is quite a bit for a rabbit that only weights 5 – 6 pounds (currently 6.5lbs)”. Her last visit, Arduina was only 5 months old (when she got spayed). I assumed bunnies keep growing until they are about a year old. Arduina will be 1 year, next week! I don’t think the vet realizes that she is a standard rex with 1/8th dutch, I think the vet thinks Arduina is mini rex (maybe with some mix). I know the tech I spoke with though she was a mini.
  
  In the email the vet also said: she NEEDS to lose weight, however you can make that happen. You can decrease her pellets even more, increase her hay, switch a portion of her greens over to celery, increase her exercise or just decrease how much she eats all together (this can cause behavioral issues though if she is hungry and has nothing to eat).”
- 04/16/2010 at 12:10 PM
  Beka27
  Participant
  16016 posts
  I don’t think I realized she’s a rex… yes, I wonder if your vet is unclear about her exact breed… standard rexes can be up around 8 pounds full grown. It’s difficult, especially with mixes to say exactly how big a bun will be. A hands-on exam is necessary to feel for anatomical landmarks that help determine if a bun is really overweight.
- 04/16/2010 at 4:26 PM
  lwayne
  Participant
  428 posts
  I think the vet is correct in that Arduina may have more than necessary fatty deposits. Arduina probably just needs more exercise to turn that fat into muscle… maybe a bunny friend will help…
- 04/16/2010 at 9:44 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  That’s a first for me too — switching greens to celery. Hmmm. Maybe just because it really has the least calories and has high water content. Just be sure to cut the celery up into 1/2 inch – 1 inch pieces as the strings can cause problems in the digestive tract. I know my vet would tell me to cut down on the pellets before cutting down on greens, but each situation is different, so if she thinks your bunny is drastically overweight, she may be taking more of strict stand on this for now.
  
  But I also wonder if they are thinking she’s a mini-rex. (Do you happen to have any current photos?)
  
  There is a guideline that the rabbit network has that I find helpful: For your convenience, I pasted it below – SOURCE LINK: http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/obese.shtml
  
  “How do you know if your bunny is fat? Many house rabbits are, and they are not at all embarrassed by it! Rabbits store fat inside their abdomen, which makes just eyeballing them for love handles ineffective. Run your hands along your rabbit’s side, feeling the rib cage. When you reach the end of the ribs, your should be able to feel a slight inward slope, the waist. Fat bunnies will balloon out instead. Remember that the ribs are palpable in even quite obese rabbits, so don’t let your bunny fool you into more snacks!”
- 04/24/2010 at 7:14 PM
  lwayne
  Participant
  428 posts
  Update: So Arduina is doing great now. She is still on the baytril for a couple more days. The vet said 5-6lbs is her ‘ideal’ weight, she is at 6.5 right now. Her feet don’t seem to be getting all that better, but I am assuming it is going to take a while (months) for them to heal as well as for her to loose weight. Arduina is starting to get use to us putting on the cream, but doesn’t like being on her back nor her feet touched. We try to put it on before she goes to bed or eats so that it doesn’t come off right away.
  
  Yesterday was her 1st Birthday! I didn’t get to make her a carrot cake (bunny version) since she is now on a diet, but she got lots of nose rubs and a craisin, a raisin, and a dried apple piece. Tomorrow we are taking her up to the bunny sanctuary for a bit of bunny dating… I think I’m more excited than she is!!! We are not set on getting another bunny unless she finds one ‘love at first sight’. (I’ll post if we do get another one )
  
  Here are the most recent pictures I have of her (about a month or so old).
  
  She likes to jump on our backs and go for piggy back rides.
  
  Here is where she sleeps during the day and at night:
  
  I’ll try to take some more tomorrow.
- 04/24/2010 at 9:11 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Aw! Happy Birthday Arduina! She’s a good girl. I love the piggy back picture. Jersey gets on my back too but not for rides. Rumball is getting more confident on climbing onto me too. I love the feel of their weight.
- 04/24/2010 at 11:41 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  She is beautiful!! Definitely a standard rex – that big beauty. So funny how bunnies like to jump on our backs. What a great photo.
  
  Happy Birthday, Arduina!
Author

Messages