I hate thinking that he could be slowly deteriorating, but as you’ve all said, maybe all these symptoms as they have progressed now are pointing to one big thing wrong with him that will take him from me before long.
As to his actual age…who knows? I always thought he was about 3 months old when we found him, he was rather small and his ears hadn’t lopped yet. Doesn’t that mean he should’ve been young? I think when he was neutered that December, the vet estimated him at 8 months?

Besides maybe having to prepare for the inevitable, the main worries I have are that I don’t cause trauma to his back during handling (hard to tell if he’s just sore or really hurt with how he carries himself now), and that he doesn’t have any other discomfort that I could prevent. I don’t think, considering how he still goes for his treats, that we are at the point of intervention…but he’s just changed so much in the last year or so. It’s a bit shocking, even when you’re watching it happen over time.

I read up on EC…if he’s having these problems due to that, he’s probably past any contagious stage and treatment is not always successful-but I would hope it would make him more comfortable…and I’ll have to decide if I want to continue any kind of bonding for him so he can feel less alone during this time, or if the stress is just hindering his daily quality of life. I might just try to put him back with Pip now, as long as she won’t sit on his back end. With any luck they’ll snap right back together as husbun and wife. He and Fiver seem less likely of a match to me these days. And a threesome is out of the question unless Fiver can integrate.

Until then I’m going to start filling Mimzy’s night habitat with Carefresh again. (He woke me at 6 this morning after only two hours’ sleep to mop him up today.) This only seems to happen during the night. Not sure what causes it. I hate the idea that he’d ingest the bedding, but it’s more important that when he wees himself he doesn’t get urine burn. Having puddles in his house corners definitely puts him in a low state.
I do believe if he has mites it’s due to a compromised immune system. (And I’d hate to spread that to the other buns or the dog/cats. So I’d at least like to get that looked at/treated.) He still looks so thin and low energy to me, so I’d like to fatten him up a bit. Do you suppose that if I fed him guinea pig pellets (since they have higher concentrations of vitamin C) that it would perk him up a bit? He seems to be less interested in hay lately, but he’ll gobble up those lavender/chamomile treat pellets.

I do have an holistic vet nearby, that I’d like to try if she is still taking new patients. She may be better for the palliative care. There is also a good vet on the other side of town that I’d take him to see for that ‘new pair of eyes’, but I’d hate to have to drive him all the way there and back. He rides in the car okay, but it does tire him out. It is just so hard to know what is best to do…but just sitting here doesn’t feel right to me. For all I know, it could still be something simple.

Mimz has been so much a part of my life for the last four years, almost moreso than the other two bunnies, though each holds a special place in my heart. I cannot imagine being without any of them. ;_; But especially Mimzy. He is like no other animal companion I have ever loved.

If he’s having urinary issues though, wouldn’t alfalfa just compound that? I don’t see any bladder sludge currently, but I wouldn’t want to bring it on with excess calcium.
He has been eating a lot of dandelion lately. I de-ribbed the leaves yesterday and didn’t give him as many flowers. He still wee’d overnight, but not as much I think…however he chose to go on the floor right after I removed his dirty litterbox this morning. ARGH. He doesn’t pee on the flat of the hab, thank goodness, but where he would normally pee if he had a box there and the two opposite corners. Still….aggravating.

I tried to call hubby to not buy the pellets, but he already got them. I’ll either have to return them and get something else or use them. They wouldn’t hurt Mimzy, would they? I do have a bag of alfalfa hay still here that’s a few months old. He does seem to like to nibble that, but I don’t give it to him often because he will ignore other hays for it. I agree, I don’t want him huge…just a little more filled out and nourished.

I looked up when a bunny’s ears lop last night and was startled to find some may not lop for the first few years of life! Wow. That set me back. Of course, he may only be a few months older than I thought (more like 6 than the 3 I thought he was), because his overall body size has not changed much since I got him. I was aging him not only by how and when he appeared at the business, but that his ears were still standing tall. If he is older, it would explain a lot.

Thanks for all your well wishes. I’m sorry to keep bringing sad news about him to the board, but he is a very persistent case in frustration. It is maddening to not be able to help him. I’ve watched a few of my animals linger in old age and feel horrible and I am hypersensitive to it. I have no wish to see Mimzy go through the difficulties my other pets have had to.

Funny though, I must’ve been dreaming…early this morning, I could’ve sworn he was tossing about his Carefresh and then suddenly he threw a popcorn binky and ran about his night hab! I must’ve been dreaming. Couldn’t have really happened. He spends all day looking like something the cat dragged in. His coat is such a mess, and yet I wonder if since my schedule has been so wonky lately, and so tending them has gone along with that, that he may just be stressed…or the new hairbuster comb is causing his fur to shed more than it normally would.

He does seem to be in okay shape today overall. Some good days…some bad. *urgh*

Did I post that pic? 0_o I don’t remember. It’s one of many that’s trapped in my PC until I can get the hard drive fixed. I do have a few on my/his Bunspace profile though.

I did try giving him a few GP pellets. He gave them only a cursory sniff at first, but now he seems to enjoy just a few in the morning. I’m thinking I’ll let him have them to at least keep something moving through his gut, because hay is a hard sell right now.

I did call my regular vet to schedule a dental, but she can’t see him till the 16th. If anything goes more south before then, we’ll just have to gamble with someone else. Probably that nice vet on the other side of town. She did a great job on his last dental before this most recent one, and although it’s a long way, at least there’s no snow for the drive.

Funny, I originally took him off pellets because I thought they were contributing to his nasal problems. But I never reintroduced them because I feared it would encourage stasis. (Plus it drives Pip and Fiver nuts to not have them.) He does seem to enjoy them now and if it’s not going to harm him, I think I’ll start supplementing his hay intake with them. He needs the nutrients the most right now. I sure hope I didn’t stunt his growth or something not having him on pellets all this time.

He likes a few dandelion leaves and flowers each day, and a couple of plantain leaves. These are all diuretic in function besides high nutrient. So he’s liable to pee more with these in his system, but he had this urinary problem longer than he has had dandelions. So I don’t think they contribute directly to his pee problem. Fiver has to have one leaf and one flower per day to keep his cecum regulated. So it’s not fair to not give some to the other two. Mimz loves his fresh forage, sometimes I include the hayseed grass as well. He only eats a few stalks, so I don’t worry about giving him too much.

I do fear he’s going to need those teeth done again soon. Bleah. He seems better for a few days afterward, then he’s pretty much back to this moping stuff.

My son is home from school for a few days, so we took the few NIC panels I received and made an easier to move mini xpen for just him. He was squeaking in my arms as I put him in it, it doesn’t look like his old one and it has this terrifying huge cardboard caterpillar in it! (the maze tunnel) But he’s already taken on both cats who got too curious and poked their faces in where they didn’t belong, and while I went to the store he started tearing up the grass mats until he heard my voice again upon my return. ^_^

He looks so tiny in this one. I wish I could show a pic! I don’t know if his weight loss just shows up better in this pen or if it’s my crappy vision. >_<

I have heard him make a noise similar to this before. It’s like the one he made the morning he went in for his neuter…this is his, “Hey, I wasn’t planning on going anywhere PUT ME DOWN NOW” ‘squeak.’ It’s somewhere between a light grunt or a honk enhanced with him blowing air out his nose in response to being moved, so since he’s still snuffly, it makes a little whistling noise. I cradled him in my arms like a football and took him into the kitchen where the new pen was, and I’m thinking he was a little miffed that it wasn’t the cushy bed with it’s nice blankets to chew (or wee on). He is definitely not a ‘portable’ bun and doesn’t like being held, unless he’s at the vets (which is probably where he thought he was going) … then being held is preferable to the cold exam table. But yeah, if I thought it was at all a different noise than what I’m used to, he’d already be at the vet office. Like Fiver, he has a series of little ‘feep-y’ noises he sometimes makes, and also grunts like Pip on occasion, but he is not as vocal as the other two at all, so I notice it if he does make a noise.

The only time I’m finding he’s looking uncomfortable is when he returns to his night habitat. I know he feels safer there than anywhere else in the house, but I am beginning to think that although he likes the privacy it offers him, it may be getting a bit old and no longer suits him. It also is missing his sleeping shelf, a source of entertainment. Sadly he’s not agile enough to safely keep it in there. I often wonder if a tumble or zoom off of that started this whole thing with his legs awhile back. And the air circulation around it is not the best in that small room this summer with the higher humidity even though I have a tower fan going. Today is especially humid and stuffy, lots of t-storms as well, so nowhere in the house is cool enough for the buns. This is a day I wish I lived near the beach. *ahem*
We actually just had a minor earthquake rumble through here, and all three are looking a little nervous at present. I probably look very similar. 0_o; We’ve had so much rain in the last few weeks that the ground must be pretty saturated and so things are sliding around a bit.

The whole time I had him in the kitchen with me by himself last night, he stayed under the tunnel haven. I should’ve named him Bilbo Baggins. That defeated the purpose I had to get him out and moving more in an NIC grid pen that has more visual access to what’s going on around him. But he did have a nice time on the whole, I think. Except for when daddy nearly fell on him. (Hubby had one of his ‘wobble’ episodes right next to the xpen and I had to grab him to keep him from crushing it altogether. One of the things that scares me about having animals in the house at all.) X_X
One other thing I noticed. He still likes having his head leaning on his litter box. Without his regular box in the xpen last night, (I wanted to try having him use the low sided box) all he did was sit up and I don’t think he ever laid down to rest. (Not that he necessarily would have.) So he seems more tired than usual today. I wonder if there’s something else I could give him to lean his head on either in his night habitat or in the xpen …it’s almost like he needs a pillow. Any suggestions? He will tear fabric, so I’m not sure what else to use.

No, I haven’t given up on the holistic vet. She’s very popular (read: busy) and difficult to get appointments with. Going to try to get a moment with her in the meantime between my wait for his regular vet. If she’s not taking new patients currently I may need a referral, which I’m pretty sure my vet will write up for me.

I know I should just check in with the across town vet. (We’ll call her Dr. B.) But this will more than double our transport time, my hubby will have a problem with that. For an early call to surgery, this is a long way to go. And that’s a long way to drive a stressed bunny. My local vet (Dr. H.) is the last one to do his teeth and I worried she’d cracked a molar. I am still wondering if that’s what happened and may be the cause of Mimzy’s inappetance. For that reason alone, I wish we lived closer to Dr. B.
(and yes, I could drive Mimz myself… it’ll be an argument with the DH/chauffeur either way)
I also don’t want to wait too long. Dr. B. is also a very busy vet, as she is really sought after. However, since she doesn’t work only on every other weekend, I suppose I have a better chance of getting an appointment, even if she hasn’t seen him for over a year. Fresh eyes are one thing, but not knowing a bunny case well is another. I was watching him this afternoon and thinking he looked peaked, but then he perked up again when the treat bag rattled…I just can’t get a good read on him right now. But I may have to decide to take him in sooner rather than later just so I can get some tests run if necessary. I’m not going to put him through too much because I don’t want him any more stressed than he may already be.
Ugh..It’s a dilemma either way and I need to think about this. What’s best for Mimzy?
His fur seems to be making an improvement. I’m thinking I am just overgrooming him. His undercoat is growing back in on the bare spots I saw earlier this week, although the texture is vastly different in some spots and he has a definite line in his flank where the fur turns almost blonde from his normal brown. He does appear to have made a divot in his right ear flap at the tip. I am not sure he hasn’t chewed a piece of it off. 0_o The left ear tip is soft and fuzzy again.
DO lop bunnies chew their ears like a nervous person would chew their nails?
And has anyone ever seen a lop bunny whose ears seemed; one to turn forward and the other backward a few degrees? I keep thinking I’ve seen that somewhere. Not helicopter bunnies…but a specific direction back and forward to the ears at rest. I noticed that tonight and thought, ‘His ears never did that before…?’ It looks…odd. As if one is at attention, but the other can’t be bothered…. Maybe it’s caused by facial pain?

I’ve also looked up kidney problems. I suppose his thinness could be attributed to that. I’d need another urinalysis, or more bloodwork, done though. The last one (right before his last dental) didn’t show any trouble with his kidneys. And he tends to drink more (like he’s been doing this last week) when he needs those teeth filed.

The Carefresh is definitely making him more comfortable. Any of it he hasn’t peed on, he’s snuggled with. Cute. ^_^
He is wolfing down veggies and yet passing up his hay for the most part. But he’ll attack his Timothy Treats like they’re going out of style. That doesn’t indicate tooth trouble to me, but hey…when I’m sick I like to just eat junk too, so…. I may try some Critical Care if he’s really snarky about his food tonight.

The nasal swab was more than a year and a half ago. Maybe it’s time for another. I don’t know. He doesn’t like things up his nose, but we may get one while he’s asleep during his dental if he has need of one.
He has had xrays of his lungs. When he was given his last antibiotic there had been a spot she called ‘suspicious’, but she did not intimate cancer, so she treated him for bronchitis. That was a long time ago. His last (recent) xray was of his hips and spine, we couldn’t see all the way up to the lungs. I’ve thought about another one, in case we’re dealing with new trouble there.

I can imagine Mimzy wasn’t thrilled with a new pen and all it’s new things. He was probably wondering why I hadn’t put up the old one. They are such creatures of habit, even moving his litter box from one side of the pen to the other is liable to set him off. I should probably just bring back the older (it’s just so heavy and hard to move around) and see if he’s does better with it. Urgh…it is so hard to clean too. But sturdier than the NIC cubes.

I so dearly want to put at least him and Pip back together. I fear they will never be a couple again. But until I have a better grip on his limits, health-wise, I don’t want to put him through anything else.
He’s looking lethargic again this evening. I can’t seem to catch his active time. He mostly just seems very slowed down to me.

Brief update: I took him in this morning because he hadn’t eaten any of his hay last night and when I went to bring him veggies he didn’t even seem to want those at first, and then he began to chow them down because he was so hungry. He looked terrible to me this morning, so I was very worried. I was certain he was either dealing with tooth problems or some kind of stomach upset. Funny thing is, he eats his timothy treats, with gusto, mind, and these little blackberry/timothy cupcakes I get from Bunspace. Both are hard to chew, but he loves them. These and the pellets he’s eating may be his only sources of fiber at the moment.

Dr. S. (the one who took care of Griff…I know, yikes! but she was the only one available today and I couldn’t see waiting) actually took a really good look at him, brought out the otoscope to look in his mouth, gave him a few real good feels for any masses or lumps, checked breathing and heart, ran a urinalysis on the sample I brought, checked his fur and weighed him. He’s actually GAINED weight?? 0_o (Oh Lord, I must really be going blind, but he feels so SKINNY to me!) The end result being she sees some irritation on his gums (I could see it too when she pulled his lips back from his incisors) and something like green food impacted behind his upper molars on the right side (the one he is avoiding chewing on). Plus she says he’s got bad spurs again. It’s been three months, so it’s time. She is afraid he might have an abscess or some other infection going on that right side which she can’t see properly with all that food there, and so she’s phoning up another of the doctors at the office, plus our dear Dr. B. of all people may even make a ‘special house call’ to do the dental Mimzy is now needing. Dr. S. clearly stated she was not skilled with rabbit tooth extractions and, if it came to that when they looked in his mouth, she wanted it to be taken care of all at once, not for him to wait for another surgery.

I may be easily impressed, but this really did set me back and make me re-evaluate my thoughts on my current practice. I would’ve had to wait too long for Dr. H. so I jumped the gun this morning and it looks like it was the right call, and Mimzy would be much worse off if I’d waited. So the added bonus of Dr. B. being so well connected with my vet just kind of ices the cake now. (I had no idea she did dental/vet work ‘on the road’.) If she would come to my vet’s office, that would spare me a much longer drive and farther to go in case of complications.
Now, should she not be able to come out, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. She’s the one I want in either case, if Mimzy needs a molar removed or an abscess drained. So it’s kismet.

BTW, everything is normal otherwise (the little bugger even ate hay in front of the doc, made ME look like an upright blue dummy!) even the urinalysis. It was a bit cloudy with some crystallization and she said there may be a hint of bacteria, but that these could be from his recent higher calcium diet and whatever is going on in his mouth right now. There are no elevated white or red blood cells. I guess even the concentration was okay.
I should probably mention here, before I forget again, his urine HAS been smelling rather strong for about a month, and even with all the extra water he’s drinking lately. My hubby noticed it first and has been complaining about the bunny garbage if I don’t take it out right away. I thought he was just being a poop. My bad.
(is now wondering if Mimzy’s stronger urine smell was what was setting Pip off to pee her bedding and hay?)

His gut sounds good, I STILL can’t believe he’s not thinner (he WAS about 1800 grams over a year ago, but his weight has gone up from the last two times we’ve weighed him in the last 6 months to a year)…maybe I really DID pull off too much of his coat. ;_; He just feels like bones to me, but Dr. S. saw no sign of kidney malfunction. So I’m stymied. It’s got to be the teeth and just the teeth. What misery for my poor little man!

Sooo…what else….oh yeah. His ears. She believes it’s a fungal infection. She sees no sign of mites. Plus the dispersal pattern is not the kind for mites, she says. It’s just the tips of his ears. No flaking on his body, she believes the bare patches on his flanks are him tearing his own fur because his hips hurt.

I have more metacam. She told me to just go easy with it so as not to aggravate his stomach further, but that he probably needs it because his mouth must be painful and compounding his other aches and pains. Kind of surprised that she didn’t offer antibiotics, but I guess since we’ve run almost the entire spectrum of those, she wants to wait and see what’s going on in his mouth before just randomly prescribing them. Or perhaps the infection/irritation on his gums doesn’t look as serious as it sounds. He doesn’t have many left to try. She’d like to get him in to surgery on Tuesday at the latest.
At that time, if we feel it’s necessary, we’ll take blood for testing. It’ll depend on exactly what we find in that mouth, and whatever else these three doctors consult on.

For now, he is happy to be out of the car (even mum’s driving is not his favorite) and busy, he is tackling a new diggy box in his new xpen. The Tunnel Haven is wonderful, but altogether too large for the kind of mini pen I made, so the box does a better job of making him feel safe. He seems to be enjoying himself and already weed the new cuddly cup I got for him on the way home today, as well as his brand new grass mats from the BB store. >.< If that's related to his hip problems, that will never change I guess. I really miss his good litter habits.

So If I could borrow a few good vibes for his upcoming dental and to get the good doc there to do it, that woudl be terrific. Many thankies in advance!
And thanks for sticking with me through my very public equivocations here on BB. Like many other members have said, I just don’t know where else I would take these worries that anyone else would think me a complete fool for entertaining. At least you guys only see me as half a fool….lol.

(((((((((((((((((((((((huggles))))))))))))))))

Thanks Pam. Yes, I often pray for my vets and doctors. They are human after all and can use a divine hand as much as any of us can.

I gave him another dose of metacam last night, if I keep it to the minimum for effectiveness, it seems to go through well. I notice afterwards for awhile he’ll be making some almost snorty noises, like he’s got a bubble trapped in a nostril and it’s keeping the air from getting in or out properly. I think Dr. H. told me once that metacam can occasionally have an almost decongestant effect, and I’m hoping that’s all that is.

The main thing now is keeping him eating something regularly till we go in. I spoke to Dr. S. today, who consulted with Dr. D., and no one at my vet office does extractions, even though they could file the teeth, so if Mimzy should need that we’d have to put him through a second surgery. Since Dr. B. won’t be doing her ‘travelling vet’ thing till month’s end-and that’s way too long a wait, we’ve opted for the across town drive.

So, I called Dr. B’s office today and made an appointment for Wednesday to have his trim done and for her to see if he possibly needed a molar pulled-which apparently she can do both under one GA. My only concern is that drive and I have to get him there at 9:15. I hate early drives and I don’t like asking hubby to help, but it’ll get done. I’m also relieved, because I really like the work this vet does on his teeth much better, and it will be at her exemplary surgery on top of the ridge, with it’s lovely window looking out over the valley right from the table. ^_^ Of course, Mimzy will be asleep, so he won’t be able to enjoy it much, but the whole surgery is filled with light from good old Sol and I think it is one of the most fantastic places I have ever seen for medical work. The assistants even serve you a coffee! ^_^

For now, Mimzy is turning his nose up at most of the pellets I offer, he is eating some of these Bunspace ‘cupcakes’ (we ran out of the blackberry timothy and have moved on to cranberry…*sigh*…such hardship!) but that isn’t enough to fill him for a day. He still only wiffles at hay, I can hand feed him only so much before it’s obviously too uncomfortable to bother chewing. I softened his timmy treats today and he hasn’t touched them. I guess I should’ve let him crunch them with those aching jaws of his? Hmph. Thought I was doing him a favor. I’ve tried a little Critical Care (yesterday a.m.) but since it’s that nasty licorice flavored one he’s not having it. I have a little of those applesauce cups here though that I may try mixing with it.

Otherwise, I’m foraging most of the day and night, since it’s harder to tell if he’s getting enough nourishment this way-plus I want that tummy kept full as much as possible. (we’ve got daylight still at 3 AM if I have to run out for a ‘midnight snack’…lol) He didn’t seem to be gulping water last night, which I hope is due to more food in him with the fresh forage, which consists of; dandelion leaves and flowers, plantain leaves, strawberry leaves (no fruit yet-boo) and the tall hayseed grass we have growing here. I wonder about how much of the grass he can eat without taking a chance he’d bloat or at least get a stomach ache. He likes even the hard stalks, but the leaves (long like our good timothy hay) are his favorite part.

The most aggravating thing is, the biggest dandies in the yard (they’ve got to be a foot and a half tall!) are growing where my hubby has done things like park old, broken cars and motorcycles. Same thing with other edible plants here-the plantain, the chamomile, the clover….ALL this stuff grows it’s biggest and best where I worry the ground has been contaminated. Don’t even get me started on how tall they are where the dog’s yard used to be! 0_o
Due to all the rain we’ve had, they aren’t flowering as well this year. But the one patch of rhubarb (former owners planted it-we don’t eat it and we can’t get rid of it) is going to take over the driveway soon. ~_~
Daddy is bringing home some fresh red and green leaf lettuces (hopefully) so I don’t have to rely on the hayseed the whole time. But Mimz sure does like it. Even Fiver and Pip took an interest today.

Mimz tends to leave more cecals when he’s not eating as much dried hay, found a few of them on the floor today. :X The extra fresh greens are tipping his gut balance a bit I’m thinking. Maybe some Benebac would be good if it gets obnoxious.

LPT the vet said the only thing we could do for his ears would be the same thing they do for athlete’s foot (ewww) and she doesn’t think she wanted to put a cream like that on his ears, for fear he’d lick it off. (She wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t chewing on his ears due to stress/mouth pain either, although it would mean he’s been stressed a long time then.)
But if we’re going to test him for EC, I may be getting an anti-fungal RX anyway, so if that comes back positive and the ears are related perhaps we have our culprit and the means to put a stop to it.
Yup…Bindi and Mimzy…twins separated at birth, I’m sure of it.

Either way, a very good vet is going to see my sweet boy by mid week. Until then, it’s just lots of cuddles, lots of fresh, nummy foods, and hopefully a little more sleep for Mum since a cure is in the offing for his troubles.

Oh, and here’s a BUMMER, I forgot to take Jenna for her late walk last night and (I think it was her) she had an accident on the carpet. >_< First time since she first got here, so I was a little stunned. I'd been concentrating on Mimzy so hard yesterday that it slipped my mind completely and by bedtime I was so exhausted I was actually falling asleep sitting up. I must've nodded off without taking her out. No doggy doors here…and more's the pity.

I did give him some moistened timothy treats, but he wasn’t interested. I’ll try the pellet slurry, but he was eating a little hay last night and early this morning and he continues to enjoy his greens, so stuff is getting in (and by the looks of his litter box, coming out too.)

It is too bad that this vet surgery is so far away, heck I’d just volunteer to help them clean pens and feed the animals for the opportunity to spend time in the office! ^_^

We’re back! ^_^

Well, it was an early morning for the both of us. I had to have hubby drive us in about 8 AM and we got in with plenty of time to spare. Good thing I had him drive, although he only got to sleep about 20 minutes before we left, because I was passing out on the way home.

Dr. B. did a pre-surgical exam, paying particular attention to moving his jaws back and forth across a lateral axis instead of just looking in his mouth. And she felt his face extensively. She also felt his whole body over and noted that she thought he was on the thin side. (YES! WHY can’t my other vets see this??)

Nothing was catching in his mouth, so I think the spurs may not have been as bad as Dr. S. thought. So I am once again wondering if he is losing weight due to his lack of appetite or, more likely, kidney problems. (We’ll see if he pees his floor in the next week)

We spoke about doing a titer for E.C., but it wound up not getting done, just slipped through the cracks again. I specifically asked, but somehow it didn’t register…even though it was written on his chart, I thought. Not much we could do about it, but we did discuss the possibility of putting him on Panacur if more symptoms present.

She took many pictures of the inside of his mouth, which she will put on a CD for me to share with all of you. (That will depend on when I can fix my PC.) She also took about 6 xrays, moving the jaw in a particular way to check his tooth roots. Everything looks good, there is one strange image on one of the films that she couldn’t identify, it should be a tooth from how it appeared, but all his teeth are accounted for on the side she sees it on, and it doesn’t show from the other side. This is not the first time an odd shadow or shape has shown up on an xray for him, and we can’t even find the thickening of the nasal passages that Dr. H. found long ago…so God only knows what this could be? We’re both stumped. A ghost tooth, maybe? Probably nothing, most likely.

She proceeded to do the burring of his teeth, nothing needed pulling, there are no abscesses. However, while working on his right lower jaw, the tool slipped and she nicked his soft tissue down between the cheek and gum. Hit quite a vein I guess, because she said he bled for about 3 minutes before she got it under control. She was very apologetic and you could see she felt very bad about it. She was going to give me chlorhexidine wash for it, but we didn’t know how well he would take to it, plus the danger of him swallowing didn’t sound good to either of us. So I’m to flush his mouth with water if I can manage, but in the meantime he is on injectible Baytril ORALLY twice per day for ten days. I made another post about this elsewhere in Q & A.

She had another vet there, whom I’ll call Dr. G (btw…lol @ Jerz for suggesting Dr. Who?! ) who thought this might not just help the slice in his mouth, but his nasal issues as well. She is also an exotics vet (according to Dr. B.), she has rabbits herself and really believes he has pasteurella, but wants a special PRC or PCR culture to be sure. I waived that for today, by the time I was ready to pick him up, I figured he’d been through enough. She didn’t think it was curable anyway, which we already know, so why make Mimz more uncomfortable? Besides we were putting him on the Baytril for his mouth anyway. (Along with IV fluids Dr. B. thought he should have during surgery. They went in his ear. I asked her if she thought he was dehydrated and she said no, but that she regularly puts dental patients on IV drips just to be safe. I wish I’d had her do Griffy’s teeth!)

He had a little bandage on his ear that I already removed, you could see it irritated him. Along with a quick and bumpy ride home, that he dug in his litter box to show his displeasure over, I think he’s had a seriously rough day. He looks tired and cranky, and I can imagine I do too.

Nothing to be done about his ears I suppose. Dr. B. didn’t say anything about mites, and didn’t give me anything for them. I am to administer his metacam this evening before bed, his nipping at his flanks and the ouchie in his mouth that’s going to hurt when the buprenorphine wears off will not be helped by our wacky weather lately, so he’s going to appreciate that I think. He looked so uncomfortable last night and this morning since it was wet and rainy and I wanted to give him a dose, but with him possibly needing extensive surgery today, I thought it would be best to wait and allow the doctor to use what she felt he needed for pain relief today without compounding it.

He is sitting in his litter box, he looks fatigued and not happy at all. I can’t blame him. I know he won’t really perk up for the next 24 to 48 hours, but that he was chewing hay alreayd is encouraging. I have pellets to slurry if I have to. (I’ll try the pumpkin, but I’ve seen in the past that he doens’t really like that flavor either and it will definitely make Fiver jealous…lol! Maybe I’ll just mash some banana into it.) I am so glad I still have fresh forage though. I think I’ll have to see about getting him used to eating store bought greens again. We stopped some time ago due to concern that it was causing him to eat less hay, therefore he would get stasis more often, but if he’s dehydrated he needs the extra fluid.

I’m sure I sound all over the map, and I’ll clarify stuff after I’ve had more sleep (I am seriously exhausted and my stress is starting to release somewhat with all this over with-plus my own doctor visit yesterday that was whack, so my reserves need replenishing) but for now I’m going to keep checking on my little man and grab some kip.

As always, thank you all so much for your many vibes for him during all this. Let’s hope this dental won’t need to be repeated too soon and that he’ll feel well enough to eat a little more and gain some weight!

Just a quick update: had to go ahead and give him some metacam, as he looks really miserable. Don’t recall his last dental making him look like this. But between the slice in his mouth, the tooth burring and the baytril being given to him on a probably empty stomach (poor guy! I realized this too late to do anything about it!) I would guess he’s got reason to look rough.
I made him a pellet slurry, but he’s not interested. May have to syringe it down in awhile if he doesn’t eat it.
For now, he’s in bun loaf since the metacam took hold. I’ve split his 0.2 ml dose so he can get a boost of it in 12 hours. Going to be a long night ahead.

He nibbled some parsley, a plantain leaf, a few grass blades and a bit of de-ribbed dandelion. But you can tell…he doesn’t want to move that mouth much or swallow. >.< I feel terrible for putting him through this with all his other aches and pains as well!

I have a snugglesafe here…should I warm it up and offer it to lay his wee head on? Or should I just let the nice, cool veggies do their job? How long do I let him just nibble before force-feeding the slurry?

It’s definitely a lazy day for the both of us. I got more sleep than I thought I would last night and had to shake myself awake to be sure he was okay a few times, which he was. For an insomniac, that says something about how badly I’d tired myself out worrying.
He does look overly tired, but more comfortable than yesterday by half, so I’m just trying to provide support in offering foods and refreshing water, adjusting bedding and the like. He could not really rest his head on his litterbox like he usually does (apparently what I thought was a position to assist breathing really is just him using it for a pillow!) and it was painful to watch him try, then rethink it and put his forehead against it for support, poor thing! I try not to pester him with cuddles, but once in awhile he just looks like he could use an assuring rub, so I give one. Then he’ll usually lie down, brux a bit, then pass out again. I try not to pet too much because that purring can’t feel too good right now.
His turn around was after a good snuggle last evening about 10. I did an hour’s worth full body bunny massage and administered him up to his 0.2 ml of metacam so he had the complete days’ dose. He would try to purr and only get one out and I kept trying to tell him not to, you could see it hurt that much even to do that. After the additional metacam sunk in he was relieved of most of his pain and could sleep and snooze, occasionally having a bit more fresh forage and even nibbling his meadow grass a few times overnight.

I’m also glad he’s on the Baytril, if for no other reason than his gums looked really red and sore, plus I’m kind of hoping on the side that it might help with all the urinating outside his box he’s been doing. As long as there’s Carefresh on the floor of his pen, he’ll pee on it. But when I have it picked up during the day, he goes to the box. If I don’t use it at night, he’ll pull his hay over where he pees, if he can. Otherwise he might be sitting in his urine by morning. I really can’t use it in his box, because he manages to suck some of it up while eating cecals. A shame, because I wonder if he’d stop peeing the pen floor if I could use it there.

He didn’t seem to be drinking as much right before surgery as he was last week, but he’s getting extra greens, so that makes up. I think the extra fiber in his tummy helped him feel fuller as not to flood himself, but it didn’t stop the peeing. He loves the dandelion and almost exclusively wants that, so perhaps his little system was trying to eliminate something on it’s own. He’ll be missing those come fall.

No further bloody boogers that I can see. The Baytril does seem to have begun to dry him up nasally again, which is good.

Oh..almost forgot. Yes, Pam, Dr. B. did say she’d be willing to forgo her fees if we wanted to CT him to see if anything could be found to be physically causing the nasal drip, (she said the CT will show more than xrays can) but the scan alone is $400 and she realizes we just spent a lot on him yesterday, but she wanted to offer her service pro bono, which I thought was nice. Apparently one of the other doctors at my previous clinic (whom I hadn’t thought had seen him originally) had posted on a website for vets about having him CT’d. As far as the EC titer and the PCR…well that would be up to me, but yeah, I think Dr. G. just feels we may as well treat his flare-ups when they occur and leave it alone if he’s not having symptoms. She really believes it’s pasteurella, and to put him under for a deep nasal swab doesn’t appeal to any of us at the moment.

I think my boy has earned a bit of a rest for the time being. In fact I’d be thrilled if he doesn’t need anything further done for another year, but we’ll have to see what happens. I got the impression from Dr. B. when she showed me his xrays yesterday that she didn’t feel he’d really needed this trim all that much. Not that there wasn’t work she could do, but it might have been able to wait awhile? The only reason I took him to her was Dr. S. was afraid he’d need an extraction. Can’t tell you how glad I am that it didn’t come to that!

They’ve already called twice today to see how he’s getting on. They are usually this thorough, but I’m guessing that nick to the jawline has them more than a little concerned. And I appreciate their culpability.

Yeah, I didn’t want to offer pellets or timothy treats even today for fear he’d catch that sore spot or put too much pressure on his teeth and jaws too soon after his dental. Believe me the night he got home he was in TERRIBLE pain. I wasn’t sure he was going to last the night simply because he was so miserable and huddled over that I was afraid he would just give up.
He’s my little fighter though. Today he is pretty much back to normal, but is expecting his extra noms and for mummy to go foraging already, he is out of dandelion! Really, like slave has anything else to do all day, why doesn’t she hop to it?!

I could soak one of his little bunspace treat cakes, it is full of good fiber; raspberry or blackberry and timothy…and he loves them. Good idea!

I’ve had to give him a dose of probiotic today though, as his cecals are getting a bit mushy. (I know this because he chucked one at me with a nice trail of pee while I was cleaning up his night hab this morning, he’d apparently still meant to eat it but I’d already scooped it up out of his way and by the time he turned around again he only had a little bit to lick off the floor. >_< Dumb bunny slave! He sure has a lot to teach me still.)

Needless to say, he’s not fooled by my putting a bit of Benebac in a few craisins. I hate to have to put one more syringe in his mouth, but I may as well squirt this stuff in too instead of trying to hide it in a treat. He’s not going for the pumpkin, I guess it just doesn’t appeal to him.

He’s also been nipping his flanks again today. I guess I may have to see about either breaking his maximum 0.2 ml per 24 hours metacam into two 0.1 doses, or just go ahead and give the 0.2 all at once with his nighttime Baytril for a few days. I think the buprenorphine he got during surgery may have actually helped his arthritis better than the metacam…either that or he just didn’t feel well enough to barber himself again, but he’s doing it today.

Another nice thing is, when he grooms himself, no more oinky, snorty, croaky bunny noises coming from his nose and mouth. Overall, he seems to be feeling more fit. So the antibiotic is doing it’s job, thank God! If only he could be on this long term!

Thanks everyone! We’re finally getting some more consistent decent sized poos tonight too, so I’m very hopeful he’s going to be feeling a lot better now.
I can’t wait to pick up the CD of all the photos of the inside of his mouth. You guys have to see this, it’s really cool! (Of course, I’ll have to hope my PC can bring the pix off the disc and load them to the web, but…that appointment with the geeks just keeps getting pushed back….) *eyeroll* Maybe I could use my hubby’s laptop and DSL connection. ~_~

He’s still got some residue of that nasty goo they put in their eyes all over his face and into his head fur. There’s nothing that seems to help take it out either. Drives me nuts. I want to give him a good bath to get it all out and fluff his fur up again. Too bad that doesn’t work for bunnies.

Does anyone happen to know if Baytril also works on urinary tract issues? Seems like his pee isn’t as strong smelling as it was before the trim, and I’m hoping it will mean that he isn’t weeing all over his habitat anymore soon. He’ll still wet the Carefresh overnight, but I’m thinking that could be because he enjoys wetting it. (to bunnies, soft stuff = must pee on it, eat it or rip it up)
Just gave him both his meds tonight after he ate a god handful of long stem grasses and he got his banana chaser with it. He seems much better, every time I look at him. So glad to see him lay out all flat without having that pained look in his eyes.

I sleep much better knowing this. Much as I’d love to just grab him out, snuggle him to pieces and thoroughly confound his dignity by carrying him around everywhere with me like a baby. lolz… That’s what Jenna (who is not as fragile) is for.

Thanks Pam. Sadly, my explorer.exe is still not working on my PC, so it won’t even pull the items I want to post up for me to send to the net, much less crop them. It’ll have to wait till I get my computer fixed.
I did get some of the shots though. I’m still amazed by them. Did you know bunny’s actually have fur growing IN their mouths? S’truth! I have pix to prove it! ^_^ Hope to show you all soon. It’s a wild shot, it looks like baleen on a whale’s jaw.

Mimz is doing well, but I think someone messed up on the amount of meds they gave me, we’re not going to make 10 days of treatment. I have to call the vet in the a.m. to see if she’d like to extend the script. On day four he began sneezing again and his nose was a little wet, but I’m not sure if it was due to infection or weather, or that he was particularly difficult in getting his probiotic into him and maybe some got snorked up his nose.

I am beginning to wonder if all these ‘shadows’ on his xrays mean he has some mechanical deformity that would account for his nasal discharges. Since the blood in his mouth from his cut wound up in his boogers that first day, maybe anything that goes to a certain part of his mouth winds up in the nasal cavity or the sinuses…kind of like post-nasal drip in reverse. Does that make sense? I’ll even add that it seems worse on days when he’s using his sippy bottle, which is angled just so that he seems to choose to lift his face up and to the side to get a drink. Maybe some of that liquid is going up the back of his throat through some heretofore unseen birth defect and getting into his nose?
I can’t put his bottle too far down the side of the pen or he won’t be able to drink from it at all…and crock water only charms him for so long, the rest of the time he has to have his sippy. He’s like a little kid who won’t give up his bottle.
Hopefully if he needs more medicine, it’ll be okay for my local vet to set up more Baytril, because I’d hate to have to go all the way across town to get this again. Hubby would not be pleased. It does still seem to be doing him some good however, so I’ll leave it up to the vet to decide.
One problem that I see he still has is, he’s still peeing in his hab at night. I mean, HELLO! Nice clean litterbox that has only a few poopies in it and is not really wet at all, but he doesn’t use it? Most of the poo and pee is done outside the box still. And not during the day…only at night. Not quite sure what that’s supposed to mean. :-/ He gets his metacam regularly now, he should be able to clear the side of the pan, indeed he does…ALL DAY. Just not at night.
*sigh* Silly old bun. *headdesk*