Hi, all! Just joined since I have unexpectedly become the caretaker of a sweet little bun. While I will explain in lots of detail below, I want to start by saying that Bunson is already under the care of an awesome rabbit-savvy vet for his issues. I am simply looking for as much information as possible since I am very new to this. I’m sorry in advance for the very, very long post, but I am nothing if not thorough.

Maintenance and Housing
Is your bunny housed indoors or outdoors? Indoors; he has a bedroom of his own (18×9) with a 4×2 open enclosure for litterbox and hay box.
Does your bunny live with other bunnies? No
If you rabbit spends time outside, are wild rabbits around? No
How much exercise does your bunny get per day? He is free to roam in his room and with family every evening.
How often do you clean the litter box? Daily
How often do you groom your bunny? Haven’t groomed yet

Spay/Neuter
Is your bunny spayed/neutered? No
If not, why not? Only had him for 8 weeks; did not even know he was a male until this week

Pooping and Diet – Very Important
What does your bunny eat normally: Oxbow Timothy Hay, veggies, pellets as treats
How much hay and what type? As much as he wants, unlimited. He usually eats his body size in hay daily.
How much pellets and what type? He gets three or four pellets a day as treats in his foraging box. I can’t remember the kind, but they are thicker/bigger than small pellets.
How much veggies and what types? Until three days ago, he was eating kale daily. It’s pretty much the only green he likes.
How many treats and what types? Some baked hay treats with apple or carrot and dill treats; one or two a day as well as pellets listed above.
Anything else not listed? Compressed hay block 1x per week or so in his foraging box. Occasionally, 2-3x per week, a piece of dried papaya or a blueberry.
When was the last time your bunny ate? He is currently being fed Critical Care; he ate a dozen pellets or so over the last day or two.
What was the last thing your bunny ate? Critical Care
When was the last time your bunny pooped? He is pooping now, but less than his normal amount. 
How did your bunny’s most recent poops look (round and firm, misshapen, small and hard, soft/mushy, runny, etc.) ? They are irregularly shaped and some are small and some are large. Not normal. They are a little wetter than normal, but not runny.

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this bunny? 8 Weeks
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? GI Stasis, possible respiratory infection, swelling and/bruising/scabbing of left lip.
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Three days
Have you consulted a vet? Yes
Have you started any treatment for the symptoms? Yes
Was your bunny physically ill or injured when you got them? Not that we are aware of
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Looks haggard, not grooming enough, tired, hunched, solitary, not super interested in food

The Situation:

Bunson was found in a neighbor’s yard right before Thanksgiving. He was friendly, and I’m a sucker for stray animals, so I gathered him up determined to find his owner or at least a good rabbit rescue for him. Posted everywhere for his owner, and nothing. Started to call rescues, but every single one was full and had no room. At that point, I could just kick him back outside, so we decided to foster him until space was available or we could find him a forever home. Having never kept rabbits before, I did all the research one can do on Google. I’ve read numerous posts here on BinkyBunny.

Bunson is very food motivated and usually very happy, energetic, and cuddly. Three days ago, it became clear that he was sick because he was none of those things. I knew he had all the symptoms of GI Stasis, so to the vet we went!

Once at the vet, we discovered his left lip was swollen and he was running a fever of 106.6. He also had signs of an upper respiratory infection (a little crust around his nostril and his left eye was a little runny). The priority was getting the fever down so he was monitored with cooling packs, wet ears, and a fan. Final diagnosis: GI Stasis, some type of infection, potential abscess.

He is now taking Metacam (pain/inflamation), Propulsid (gut motility), T. sulfa something (antibiotic), and another injectable antibiotic whose name I can’t remember. He is also being fed Critical Care 3x per day and has his temp taken

We were able to get his fever down once we came home, and I am taking his temperature and giving him his meds on schedule. No sleep for me! The next day, I noticed his outer lip started to look like it was turning black…like a bruise. I called the vet and he said he was pretty sure it was going to scab over and an abscess would form underneath. We are monitoring it and will deal with that once he is more stable.

Over the last two days, Bunson has had periods where he looks like he is on the mend and he becomes more himself, eats a couple of pellets or a hay straw, poops more, drinks some water, hops around, etc. then he will deteriorate again. Today his fever went back up to 104, but then down again to 103.1. He is very docile and lacks energy, though he has enough energy to run away from me every time I approach since he assumes he is getting stuck with a needs, a thermometer up his butt, or a syringe in his mouth. 🙁

So, I am looking for any advice you all can give. I’ve attached a picture of his lip (all of the green and crust is food and medicine…we are doing our best here). I can’t find anything on the internet that looks like this in regards to rabbits.  I tried to post a picture, but I cannot, so I am attaching a link to the photo. Hopefully that works. Have any of you ever seen something like this? His lip and part of his cheek are swollen, and the lip part (where the bruise/scab is) is hard to the touch. I think it hurts him, too. Vet said his teeth are fine.

What is the prognosis for the GI Stasis. The vet said it is a touch a go situation for him at the moment, but as long as we can keep the fever down, he’s got a shot.

I didn’t expect or intend to become a rabbit-mom, but this little guy has wormed his way into my heart. Every time I close my eyes and think about his, all I can see is his sweet little face wanting to come up and cuddle or how excited he gets for his nightly forage box time. I don’t want this bun to die as it will break my heart; nor do I want him to suffer unnecessarily. However, we are not in a financial position where we can afford very much.

Anything and everything you can share that will help educate us on what’s to come would be helpful. Thanks for making it to the end of this. You must really love bunnies!