Is my Bunny Sick?

[Bun-Bun101]

My rabbit is a dutch rabbit and lately she has lost 2 or 3 pounds! her original weight was 5.5 pounds. also she used to be very agile like if i put her next to her cage she would just hop right in. But now whenever shes hopping somewhere she sometimes falls on her side and has a difficult time getting up. her diet has always stayed the same. we let her go outside on her leash, keep her out of the sun, give her vegatables and a small amount of fruit. I have no idea whats wrong but im very worried! any ideas whats going on!

[Muj Mom N Bun]

I’m nowhere near being a bunny mom expert but balance problems can be many things from ear infections, mites, to E. Cuniculi, and possibly so much more that I don’t know and haven’t yet read up on… the weight loss described sounds pretty significant as well. Although there may be so many issues that others may be able to say… “well, maybe it’s this or that”, the best way to find out, address and proceed to healing for your dear Bun is to get her to a Rabbit Savy vet asap….

Hopefully it is nothing serious and you will have your bouncing, hopping girl back to her normal self quickly

[Muj Mom N Bun]

Maybe also you can tell us a little more information like how much her original weight: weight loss, how old she is, has her appetite decreased, and how long this has been progressing. This may be helpful for others to pick their brains but in the long run, no matter what, getting your Bun to a vet (Rabbit Savy) sounds like a good call.

[kurottabun]

Sounds like either EC or an ear infection. Are there any changes in poop size, shape etc? Is she scratching her ears more often? I agree that you should take her to a rabbit savvy vet – usually a loss of balance would indicate something that requires one.

Kurotta had a bout of severe weight loss (from 800g to 400+g within 2-3 weeks) a few months ago, coupled with a few other symptoms like weak hind legs (he couldn’t go up the cage ramp properly), irregularly sized poop and a sudden increase in water intake. We brought him to a vet who started him on Fenbendazole (normally used to treat EC), and he got better within the next week.

[Bun-Bun101]

she’s 3 1/2 years old and i’ve had her for two years her poop does seem to be slightly smaller and darker. How do would i treat an ear infection or a EC? or is that something only a vet can do?

[Asriel and Bombur]

Ear infections need to be treated with antibiotics and EC needs to be treated with something from the bendazole family. Either one must be treated because symptoms can get much worse. EC tests are expensive, but if antibiotics for an ear infection don’t work, your vet might run the test for EC. The problem with EC is that it produces false negative test results, so it could still be a good idea to get put on an EC med to see if it helps. My Bombur has EC and has been on 4 rounds of Oxibendazole. But with both an ear infection and EC, treatment might not immediately work, and you may require several vet trips and rounds of medication.

[Bun-Bun101]

I’m getting very worried! She is having diarrhea and my parents say we can’t take her to the vet because it costs too much! Is there any way I can get her better without going to the vet?

[Asriel and Bombur]

Diarrhea is an emergency vet situation. Diarrhea in a bunny is fatal. She needs to see a vet ASAP. Not to mention any of the other conditions requires vet care or she will get worse. You can’t get her better with any of those conditions without a vet.

[Bun-Bun101]

Is there any rabbit vets in or around WI say Claire?

[Bun-Bun101]

*eau claire*

[Asriel and Bombur]

Eau Claire Animal Hospital –> Cynthia Mather
Westgate Animal Hospital

Again, I really can’t stress the importance of getting her into see a vet immediately.

[Bun-Bun101]

Thank you for your help. I’ll see if I can convince my parents.

[Bam]

Is there solid poop together with the diarrhea? I hope there is, that buys you time.

It does sound like your bun could have EC. It’s treated with a dewormer (fenbendazole). Many vets will treat for EC on suspicion because the standard tests are still often inconclusive and the treatment is comparatively mild. EC would explain both the weight loss and the balance issues.

As the others have mentioned, an ear infection would also cause balance issues. It’s less likely to cause that amount of weight loss though.

Antibiotics can be given for a suspected ear infection but it will also have some effect on e cuniculi.

If there’s no solid poop, just runny and/or mucosa diarrhea this is a true veterinary emergency.

[Bun-Bun101]

My parents won’t let me take her to the vet! I have stopped giving her fruit altogether and reduced the amount of veggies I’m giving her. For now I am mostly giving her Timothy hay and grass outside. She just peed a little while ago. And hasn’t had diarrhea again so far. Do you think she’ll be ok?

[Katrina/Cat]

Hello!
Sorry for your bun!:?and so sorry for barging in like this but…SERIOUSLY HELP!!!!! My bun is a 3 week old tan, chocolate/grey and white female Holland Lop and she is in extreme need of help! I got her now 2-3 days ago, the first day she came home so actively and hungry, she very well and drank a lot of water, and of course adventured around, the next day she was eating until later she just stopped…I thought it was just stress that was eating her up, but now I only wish it was, she hasn’t eaten since…except for this amount of things I forced her into eating:
I stayed up all night that very day she stopped eating, I was able to make her eat some warm whole cow milk(quarter of the syringe), some water(also a quarter) and some Pepto Bismol,(one half of the syringe) and it made her live through the rest of the day, in the morning I fed her another half of the syringe of Pepto Bismol, and half of the syringe of water, she seemed fine…I asked my friend could run over and get some Pineapple juice which I read it helped…but she had to leave in a hurry and wasn’t able to, I had to take an emergency trip to a FAR away city for the day and when I got home she seemed a bit less drowsy…but it wasn’t even a difference, I’ve kept her body temperature warnish and put in a small stuffed animal as a buddy. When I came home I fed her a quarter of the syringe of Heinz apple sauce and a quarter of the syringe of water and half of the syringe of Pepto Bismol…she seems okay right now, but I live so far away from any vet and the last one wasn’t able to save my last rabbit named Hop from a simple cold(maybe it even made it worse) so I don’t want to take S’mores(the name of the present rabbit) to that vet unless I need to…PLEASE HELP!!!!!! WHAT SHOULD I DO!? She hasn’t gone to the bathroom in a LOOOONG time! And should I feed her Tumes? PLEASE HELP THIS IS A MAJOR EMERGENCY?????????????

[Bun-Bun101]

She is eating her Timothy hay and I gave her a stalk of celery just to make sure she wasn’t getting dehydrated. She also pooped a little while ago and although it is half size.

[kurottabun]

Posted By Katrina/Cat on 8/08/2018 8:52 PM

Hello!
Sorry for your bun!:?and so sorry for barging in like this but…SERIOUSLY HELP!!!!! My bun is a 3 week old tan, chocolate/grey and white female Holland Lop and she is in extreme need of help! I got her now 2-3 days ago, the first day she came home so actively and hungry, she very well and drank a lot of water, and of course adventured around, the next day she was eating until later she just stopped…I thought it was just stress that was eating her up, but now I only wish it was, she hasn’t eaten since…except for this amount of things I forced her into eating:
I stayed up all night that very day she stopped eating, I was able to make her eat some warm whole cow milk(quarter of the syringe), some water(also a quarter) and some Pepto Bismol,(one half of the syringe) and it made her live through the rest of the day, in the morning I fed her another half of the syringe of Pepto Bismol, and half of the syringe of water, she seemed fine…I asked my friend could run over and get some Pineapple juice which I read it helped…but she had to leave in a hurry and wasn’t able to, I had to take an emergency trip to a FAR away city for the day and when I got home she seemed a bit less drowsy…but it wasn’t even a difference, I’ve kept her body temperature warnish and put in a small stuffed animal as a buddy. When I came home I fed her a quarter of the syringe of Heinz apple sauce and a quarter of the syringe of water and half of the syringe of Pepto Bismol…she seems okay right now, but I live so far away from any vet and the last one wasn’t able to save my last rabbit named Hop from a simple cold(maybe it even made it worse) so I don’t want to take S’mores(the name of the present rabbit) to that vet unless I need to…PLEASE HELP!!!!!! WHAT SHOULD I DO!? She hasn’t gone to the bathroom in a LOOOONG time! And should I feed her Tumes? PLEASE HELP THIS IS A MAJOR EMERGENCY?????????????

First of all 3 weeks old is wayyy too young for the baby to be separated from its mom. They should only be weaned at 8 weeks. Bunnies who are not weaned properly are very susceptible to illnesses and a compromised immune system. I don’t think cow milk should be fed as rabbits have very different digestive systems from humans and dogs or cats. I’d also avoid Pepto Bismol for the same reason.

What were you feeding her prior to the day she stopped eating? There are a couple of reasons why a bunny may stop eating – pain, gas, a blockage, stress etc. Some people administer baby gas drops (simithecone) as a preventive measure to eradicate gas, but without knowing what the reason is, it’s best to consult first before giving anything else that could make things worse.

At this point I’m not sure what you can do except bring the bunny to a vet. If you could share your location, people here may be able to direct you to a rabbit savvy vet nearest to you.

 

P/S: You might also want to open a new topic as more people would be able to see it and it will also prevent confusion since this is a different thread and topic by someone else. There’s an “Add Topic” button you can click when you’re on the forum page.

[kurottabun]

Posted By Bun-Bun101 on 8/08/2018 8:15 PM

My parents won’t let me take her to the vet! I have stopped giving her fruit altogether and reduced the amount of veggies I’m giving her. For now I am mostly giving her Timothy hay and grass outside. She just peed a little while ago. And hasn’t had diarrhea again so far. Do you think she’ll be ok?

Stopping the vegetables and fruits can be a good idea for now. Make sure she’s eating hay and water. You could also give her some Oxbow Critical Care in case she’s not getting enough fibre.

Unfortunately I don’t think there’s any way that you can do a home remedy with a condition like EC or an ear infection since both antibiotics and Fenbendazole are usually only prescribed by vets

Is it possible to look for someone else (like an aunt or uncle) who would be willing to take the bunny to the vet?

[Bam]

Katrina/Cat: Your bun is very young and still need her mother’s milk. You can give her cream in the syringe instead of milk, cream is more like rabbit milk. It’s very good that you’re keeping her warm (a cold baby bun can’t absorb nutrients). It’s very difficult to raise this young a young rabbit, they should be with their mum until they’re 6 weeks.

[Bun-Bun101]

She is doing a lot better now and eating her hay, but there seems to be something slightly wrong with her back legs. I mean, she can hop around fine and stuff but some thing just seems like there’s something wrong. Advice?

[MountainBuns]

Something wrong, do you mean like limping?

[Asriel and Bombur]

That’s EC. And as said before, requires vet treatment or she could get worse. Neurological symptoms are the hallmarks of EC. Eventually she could develop head tilt. I know you say your parents won’t take you, but you really do need to take her. Leaving EC untreated is very painful for a bunny, especially ones that experience EC. She needs to get on a bendzole medication and receive the proper medical care. There’s no at home remedy you can do for her.

[MountainBuns]

At this point, maybe try and get another trustworthy adult to take you to a vet as someone said, there really is no other home remedy. I’ve read EC is very serious the as mentioned earlier, she could develop head tilt.

[Asriel and Bombur]

I also want to note that with EC she could very well need several rounds of medication until she’s better and she could have flare ups on and off for the rest of her life. I have a bunny with EC. He was diagnosed in February and has been on 4 rounds of medication since then. Nothing cures EC, but you can manage it, and that’s what’s important. Especially with neurologic symptoms, you are going to need to remain vigilant about flare ups for the rest of her life.

[MountainBuns]

Oh no, I hope your bunny is doing alright A&B.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Thank you MB! ? he’s quite a fighter! He luckily doesn’t have any neurological issues from it, but he has chronic incontinence and a very sensitive gut from it. But all the vet visits just made our bond even better. Little man is such a love nugget ?

[MountainBuns]

That’s great! Hopefully the little guy is getting better!

[Bun-Bun101]

She had a heart attack and died. I am extremely depressed.

[MountainBuns]

If only she could’ve went to the vet…

[Bun-Bun101]

She just had a Heart attack and died… I am extremely distressed and heartbroken.

[Bun-Bun101]

Sorry about double posting that, I just don’t know what to do right now…

[MountainBuns]

Were you able to get her to a vet before she died?

[lily's mommy<3]

i dont think your bun is sick. relax. i think you should moderate the greens and fruit and get her on a majority of hay and pellets. My vet told me that rabbits get more runny and squishy poop the more sugar (fruit) and greens they have. the falling over part could just be her binking, but that definitely needs to be addressed. Tell your parents some vets only charge 50$ for a check up and then if somethig IS wrong, thats when they charge for medicine. Dont panic , you buns okay

[lily's mommy<3]

im so sorry for your lost , i didnt read the whole thing before posting.. She had to be sick before you got her and to be honest i dont think the vet could have done anything for a heart attack im very sorry im crying it sucks so bad

[Asriel and Bombur]

I’m sorry for your loss. Binky Free Little Bun <3 <3 <3

Bunnies go downhill very quickly, which is why its so important to get them checked out at the first sign that something is wrong. I hope when you’re older and financially independent you’ll be able to have another bunny to love and take care of, as you seem to care very deeply.

[Bam]

I’m sorry for your loss. It does sound like this was e cuniculi. It can affect the heart as well as the nervous system, the gut and the kidneys.

You seem like a loving, caring person and just like A& B I hope you will have a rabbit again when you are older and have your own money.

Binky free, sweet little bun.

[MountainBuns]

Yes I understand that its challenging to own pets as a kid, I’m a younger member and even though my parents help pay for our rescues expenses. I do have to try to make myself extra money for toys, treats and ect.

When I get my own full time job, I’ll be sure to spoil my bunny!

[Author]

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