I’m stressed out about my bunny :(

[cactuspancake]

I’ve already cried a few times this morning because it seems like people’s bunnies are fine one day then turn for the worst the next… and that’s just how it goes for bunnies. My poor baby … I hope he is ok… I love him so much. I’m staying up even right now instead of going to bed thinking about what I can do to clean the coccidia and do everything I can to help Franz so he doesn’t get really ill. Also… I’ve never seen him sleep which I find strange. He’s literally near me from morning to night and I stay up till 5am or later sometimes. He lays down with his eyes wide open. Also his breathing has never seemed “calm” to me… always kind of quickening once in awhile. I hope he is not in pain from his tummy. I want to ask the vet tomorrow if there is anything else I can do. I love him so much and it’s hard to sleep at night with him in the other room wondering if he’s okI can’t sleep with him in mine cause there’s no way to keep him from jumping on the bed and peeing… he cleared 3 feet of plastic (giant tupperwares on their sides) and I’ve kind of given up on that one lol… He’s gotten away with it like 10 times now I don’t know what it is about my bed but I have coin laundry >.<

[bunnymum16]

with regards to his coccidia,just keep giving him his meds and he will be fine.make sure to clean and disinfect everything he touched so he wont get reinfected.

Rabbits sleep with their eyes open sometimes. I have never seen my bunny Chance sleep with her eyes closed. My other bunny Chace shuts his eyes pretty much everytime.theyre the complete opposites.

I really hope he gets better.keep us updated.

[cactuspancake]

Thanks… I didn’t know bunnies could sleep with their eyes open haha makes me feel better

[LoveChaCha]

Yes indeed!

Rabbits.. not all, will sleep with their eyes open. My Chacha will flop out, her nose stops twitching like crazy (slower) and will just sleep.. with her eyes open. I can tell she is asleep – I say her name and her ears don’t move and she doesn’t make any movmenet. Yes, it is very scary!!

 

Some rabbits will go into a bunny loaf (Tucking in all lumps) and sleep like that! Its so cute!

[lashkay]

I found the following information and urge you to bring it to the attention of your vet…

I, lashkay, use a solution of Vanodine to disinfect my litterboxes and rabbit pens so I strongly vouch for it. I find it excellent.

You might want to read about Vanodine as a disinfectant and effective biocide which inactivates all types of organisms, at this link:

http://barbibrownsbunnies.com/famrabbitry.htm

On the same site under medicine chest is mentioned that:
Sulfaquinoxaline, Sulmet or Corid powder is used to treat coccidiosis by many breeders but should be used with great care as there can be many side effects from using sulfa.

Stuff worth bringing up to your vet. Try not to be too stressed. Take good care of yourself. Be well, Franz.

[FluffyBunny]

One of my rabbits used to sleep with his eyes open and ears up. He’s always had the quick breath too – along with the occasional squeaky sighing…he always sounds so nervous!

One of my rabbits had some problems with a salivary gland infection a few weeks ago. It made him very tired, and he never had much interest in food or hand signal training (believe me, if you knew him, you’d know just how strange that is!). Even though what he had wasn’t immediately life-threatening, I was terribly afraid that he’d suddenly take a turn for the worse…especially after reading dozens of horror stories about bunnies with abscesses/infections dying suddenly. After a few weeks of giving him his daily antibiotic and watching him carefully, his problem went away.

Sometimes it’s easy to get really stressed out about bunnies, especially after reading all the terrible stories about rabbits dying suddenly. (It doesn’t help that the terrible rabbit stories are practically addicting to read!) However, I just tell myself that if my bunnies are going to die suddenly, there’s not much I can do besides caring for them as well as I can and enjoying my time with them.

As long as you’re following your vet’s instructions and watching your bunny carefully, I’m sure he’ll make a quick recovery. In the mean time, try not to stress yourself out too much!

(And woohoo, another bunny owner who stays up until 5 AM! *cheers*)

[cactuspancake]

Hehe thanks. He is becoming more and more affectionate every day despite his illness. He even let’s me touch his chin and play with his feet lol they’re so fuzzy

[cactuspancake]

Thanks Kay. I know about the sulfa which bothers me… Also the fact that it doesn’t kill the coccidia in the system, just stops the lifecycle so he could then just eat another infected poop an be in the same boat. The new drug ponazeril cures it in 3 doses with no sideaffects! I’m thinking about asking for it but I don’t want to make the vet angry thinking I’m telling her how to do her job :/ also he’s on two sulfa medicines! I’m going to buy some of that stuff and clean with it everyday thanks. I want to clean all the carpets since thy are probably infected but I don’t know what to use. I looked up te resilience of coccidia and it seems to live a long time outside the body… And the only things that kill it are 10% ammonia solutions and bleach cleaner that sits for 20 minutes before rinsing. I’m frustrated because I think he will just reinfect himself

[Sarita]

I’ve had many a rabbits with this and as long as you keep the area clean and keep him on his medication that is all you should need to do. That stuff is written for a rabbitry and you don’t have a rabbitry. You have one rabbit.

[cactuspancake]

What should I disenfect with?

[Sarita]

You only have one rabbit and that stuff is used in rabbitry’s. I’ve had many rabbits come to me with coccidia and keeping the area clean and taking the medication has cure it. You need not go to such extremes.

[lashkay]

An effective disinfectant is as effective for one rabbit as it is in a breeder’s rabbitry. I’ve been raising four rabbits for nine years which have had very healthy lives for the most part with the exception of one who lived for 7 mos. with congenital seizures. I live in a domestic arrangement with my two healthy (knock on wood) pet rabbits in a studio apartment and I use Vanodine. If it’s more effective than it needs to be, that’s a reason not to use it? I don’t follow the logic. To my mind, the more effective the stuff you use to wipe down your litterboxes and bunny’s habitat, the better for the animal’s welfare! Just a little goes a long way in a spray bottle. I would caution some of you with albeit well-founded prejudices against breeders and their rabbitries in the vast majority to keep an open mind that they all aren’t horrendous and some of them like Barbi Brown support good products and support good info which they advise for the welfare of pet rabbits as well as other breeders alike. I have confidence in the inexpensive bottle of Vanodine that I use that it’s the best thing I can use and a great value to keep my rabbits germ free and healthy without being corrosive as some disinfectants can be and it is harmless to animals while being very beneficial to them following the directions. I may be in the minority, but from my experience you can’t be too careful or use too-effective valuable illness preventatives in maintaining the healthy lives of these creatures and their fragile and delicate constitutions. Why press your luck by trying to get away with what little you’ve come to believe you can get away with is my way of thinking.

[cactuspancake]

I know coccidia is really common… but it IS a really scary parasite… my bunny is still in the danger population that has a high death rate from the infection. It’s nearly impossible to kill without going to extreme measures. My bunny isn’t litterbox trained and he’s already pooped on many surfaces… He has a compromised immune system and I don’t think he’s been 100% healthy his entire life. It’s only for maybe a few times, but I really really need something safe to sanatize everything. I don’t want him breathing in bleach fumes with his upper respiratory infection! I don’t mind spending extra money to get something that might help his health. I could never live with myself if something happened to him that I could’ve done something to prevent! I’m going to give the stuff a try. I still need to know what I can use on fabrics though… like the carpet and the couch. I’m thinking lysol and keep the bunny in his room for a day to let the smell settle.

Franz seems good today although he’s super territorial today! I wouldn’t let him in my room and he peed on everything in the house he could find and pulled on our pantlegs in anger! It can be frustrating having a hormonal bunny!

[Sarita]

That’s true Lashkay – I don’t think it’s not a good thing and it certainly won’t hurt – it’s true better to be more effective. I can only speak from my own experience in the past with my rabbits that have had this and I never used this product – never even heard of it and all my rabbits survived it just fine with keeping the area clean and medicating the rabbit.

By all means cactupancake, if you can find it, buy it and use it. Not sure this is meant to be used on fabrics and carpet you’ll have to read the label.

I don’t think you need to be scared however as I mentioned. Albon as a medication has always been used in the past and it will cure it.

[Sarita]

Lashkay, is that something that you can use on carpet and fabrics? I would imagine not, but just curious.

[cactuspancake]

I just did my research on it and probably not since iodine stains? But I’m going to spray the dilute a bit and repot back on fabric samples ;p

[lashkay]

Sarita, I appreciate your sharing, and hearing about your experiences, taking care of rabbits with coccidiosis and I’m glad they pulled through. It speaks highly of you as well for being willing to be receptive to hearing about a product new to you, moreover one that is supported by breeders who we know have contaminated their reputations for you and other houserabbit owners in the vast majority and in some instances with good reason. Pat yourself on the back and thank you for your openmindedness to learning from others! From what I understand, Vanodine is becoming in low supply in the US and its import from the UK to the US may stop altogether presently so it is good to know that you can vouch from your personal experience that what you use has worked for you, as those of us who value the Vanodine may be denied access to it at anytime now and adhering to your example.

[lashkay]

Whether or not the Vanodine in the disinfectant dilution stains fabric I couldn’t say, the extent of what I’ve used it on is linoleum flooring, stainless steel eating utensils and the plastic litterbox and no stains. Mixed as a disinfectant it does turn the water a light yellow color so on light colored fabrics it may stain. In its concentrated form in the bottle it is dark brown. For the powerful benefits from it, it would almost be worth a slight staining to me and on darker fabrics might not show up at all. I would recommend mixing some up and spraying it on a small hidden area and let it dry overnight and see if it stains. Barbi Brown is very nice and helpful and you can contact her and ask if it stains also. I will spray some on an old white shirt tonight and see if it shows any stain tomorrow and let you know.

[KatnipCrzy]

There is no reason to stress out about coccidia and the environment!    When I got Griffin, my English Lop, from the breeder- I had a stool sample tested- and he was positve for coccidia.  I gave him the meds prescribed (Albon, in his case) completed treatment with the meds and a couple of weeks later rechecked his fecal and it was negative.

I just kept his litterbox clean and wiped down his cage bottom and shelf (large dog crate) and washed his blankets twice a week or so.  Coccida can really get “set” into concrete which is porous and wood- but most cages and even wood flooring and carpet is not likely to become a huge source of coccidia just waiting to strike again.  It is only a real issue when there are animals housed on porous flooring that keep contaminating the environment.

I had Griffin in another room in quarantine from my other rabbits since he had been to a County 4H fair- just to be on the safe side.  I used vinegar/water to wipe everything down just as I would for my regular bunnies and washed his blankets as normal.  Coccidia is said to not be passed in the cecals that they pass to eat- and it must be true because after treatment Griff was negative and he must have eaten all his cecals- I never saw any in his cage.

If you have healthy rabbits that do not leave the house and no other rabbits enter the house- you can disinfect the litterboxes- but they cannot get infected from something if they are healthy.  I am more concerned about cleaning and odor- so I use vinegar and water to clean.  Anything harsher than that you need to make sure it is very well rinsed and all cleaning odors are gone before letting the rabbit near them- as bleach or other harsher cleaners can irritate a rabbits nasal passage and eyes.

 

[cactuspancake]

The vet said to throw out wood stuff and sanitze the floor, rugs, couch everything and then to do It again when he is around his last dose. That’s what I read about and te vet confirmed about all the crazy cleaning I have to do I will start tomorrow.

Also hr was really really wantin pellets so when I reached in there too with the bowl be bit me bad and I screamed! I have blood

There are mad mats under his chin which I’ve never done, and. It’s jus sooo bad… He hated every second of it. We couldbt get him on his back so I had to just work with it…. Poor guy.

Also he peed on the couch then looked me and peed by the stove >.< I Wal like bad bunny! And put him in his cage. He hadn't got his medicine or pellets yet… So me and Michael went to do it and he didn't want it. Made me sad cause I didn't want to stress him out even more… So michael had to hold him down and he was struggling and jerking around and it was painful to watch but finally I got most all of it in his bunneh mouf.

I’m sad because I don’t like putting him In his Gage on a bad note and don’t like stressing him out and holding his body down…

When is enough enough? I the bunny has escaped twice and shaking should I still grab him and get that medicine down ?
Or should I wait a bit and try? I don’t want to stress him out he’s petrified.

[Monkeybun]

He needs the meds, so enough is enough when he gets them. If he is stressed out after, calm him down a bit with some pets if he likes them, or a small treat.

For the peeing… he’s unneutered, so he will liekly be a bad bunny alot til he is fixed

[lashkay]

Remember, everything you are doing for Franz is a labor of love! I have to sometimes remind myself of that and it helps, when there’s hard work.

Buddie would jerk his head away and be petrified of receiving his meds when I tried to hold him and insert it in his mouth in a syringe. I tried making a hole in a chunk of fresh banana with the syringe, and squirted the medicine in the tunnel hole in the banana and he ate every bit of it, wolfed it down, he loved banana. Is there a chance you can drill little holes in little pieces of banana and feed him the medicine in the banana to make sure none of the medicine gets wasted and he gets it all? Hope this helps. If not banana, there might be other foods you can think of to conceal the medicine in. A bit of apple? How about steamed carrot? He likes carrot~You could steam the carrot until it’s soft, cool it, then insert the medicine in little holes you make in the carrot. He will forgive you for the moments of stress. Continue to cuddle him, stroke him, give him as many treats as are okay for him and pets. He will get over the stress he experiences especially as long as there’s lots of the good stuff to take his mind off it. The stress is temporary and minimal and passes. Let yourself enjoy loving him, he’ll enjoy it too.

[cactuspancake]

Omg thanks for the banana idea! I was JUST talking to my boyfriend about hiding his medicine in something. This morning and last night were the worst for giving him his medicine! It was a horrible battle…. he’s really good at jerking his head around even when I hold his head I just want it to be over. I will try the banana. Most of the time he takes it out of the syringe but three times now it’s been really really bad. He hid from us under the coffee table and was really scared of us for an hour. I think he’s better now though…

[FluffyBunny]

I had to give one of my rabbits oral antibitotics for 4 weeks recently (I think I mentioned that before). By the end of the 4 weeks, he had gotten really good at taking as little of the medicine as possible.

If you’re having trouble getting the medicine in his mouth, try holding him in your lap, wrapping one arm around his chest, and holding his head/neck in place while giving the medicine with the other hand. He’ll probably still struggle, but I’ve found that that position works great for giving medicine.

[lashkay]

If you try the banana, it might help to freeze or partially freeze the piece(s) of banana so it’s firmer for holding a hole that will hold its shape to hold some medicine. Fresh room temperature or refrigerated banana might tend to get mushy and takes more effort to put a good hole in. You can also process the banana in a blender or stir soft banana til its like a pudding consistency and mix the dose into the banana and let him lap it all up. That might work too. You can see what works best. It’s just important to make sure all the medicine in the full dose he needs to get gets into the rabbit. Buddie didn’t seem to notice or mind that there was medicine in the banana, he just tasted the banana which he was clamoring and begging for. A few thoughts. Hope it’s helpful.

[cactuspancake]

Thanks your advice was great! I did the hole thing but it dripped out so I just made a mash. Every time he smells the medicine no matter what I hide it in he gets really scared and does this “shake” thing like a dog when he’s wet! He does it every time I show him the syringe/ something with medicine in it! Then he hides lol. He was up in the fridge when I had it open (I usually give him something when it’s open cause it’s cute to watch him beg ) and I was like “how bout… MEDICINE!” and he ran away lol he’s not dumb at all haha! But he did eat it all when I left him alone with it every last drop! I’ve also mixed it with carrot shreds which cling to it, and also I dried a piece of lettuce and wiped it up like a napkin and it held the medicine really well! That’s my favorite method so far. I just get another veggie and wipe up the residue in the bowl! THANKS so much I don’t know why I didn’t think of this!

[lashkay]

Oh, I’m so happy that you found ways that he’s receptive to that work in getting all his dose in him. I was eager to hear if the food suggestion was helpful and if you found a way that worked well and it’s so great to hear that you did. That’s neat your wiping up the banana/medicine mash with a dry lettuce leaf and carrot shreds – you’ve come up with great ideas. I’m sure he loves the variety of foods too. And I’m sure you feel much better now knowing he’s getting his full doses of the medicine. That’s wonderful!

[nugget]

After the course of the meds, have you been asked to bring in another fecal sample for testing? …to make sure the coccidia is gone? Both of my bunnies had it when we brought them home, and after being treated with the meds, never had a reoccurance. Hope your method keeps working for you!!
…..that Lashkay, she’s full of great ideas! Don’t know what I’d do without her!

[cactuspancake]

Yep, the doc said 3 weeks after to bring in a sample. I started the meds for the URI on the 2nd of november and the doc said he should improve in four days and its the 10th today and he still sneezes, but not that much.

[Kafrn]

Our vet suggested mixing the medicine with a little bit of yukult. You then suck it up in the syringe, and bunny LOVES the taste so when we offer the syringe now, typically they come running. Apparently yakult is also good for their gut in small doses. No more than 5ml a day

[Kafrn]

But I dont know about the tunny trouble. It may not be good. Its just a suggestion for meds

[cactuspancake]

Posted By Kafrn on 11/11/2010 02:22 AM
Our vet suggested mixing the medicine with a little bit of yukult. You then suck it up in the syringe, and bunny LOVES the taste so when we offer the syringe now, typically they come running. Apparently yakult is also good for their gut in small doses. No more than 5ml a day

I have no idea what yakult is lol is it in the “ethnic” section? and honestly, I don’t think it matters what it’s mixed with anymore. He smells the medicine and gets scared and doesn’t want any food for the next 20 or so minutes like it’s all poison. Same with if he sees the syringe. The bunny burrito is getting easier but he still freaks out. My b/f and I are getting the process done in about 5 minutes instead of 15 now. My wool spinning teacher used to have angoras and told me to try cupping my hand behind his jaw so he can’t move and it works great and doesn’t freak him out. He jerks but my hand stops him enough to get the medicine down. He warms back up to us right after so that’s good.

[Beka27]

Is he on a table or countertop when you give meds?

[Author]

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