Oswyn is sick…again

[Lochnessholly]

So, on monday Oswyn’s mate died quite suddenly. They were running around binkying and then suddenly he was crying and then he was gone ;-; Oswyn seems to be handling it alright…however, there is no longer a vet out here, but a friend who used to be a vet says she has a resp. infection so she’s on LA-200 (oxytetracycline) injections.

She has all the hay (timothy, oat, botanical, orchard) she could want and oxbow pellets which she won’t eat. I ground up some pellets with some banana, carrots, hay, mint and a little karo syrup just so she would eat. She eats that like a little piggy.

I’m just really worried about losing her, too. She still runs around (she mostly likes to sleep in the corner) and she is never locked in her cage except at night. My main concern is she doesn’t seem to be drinking as much. She’s not dehydrated (i did the skin test) but she’s only had 16oz approximately in the past 24 hours. I even tried chamomile tea.

Helps?

[Deleted User]

Hi Lochnessholly – Sorry I can’t help out with any advice, I’m a new bun owner. I wanted to say how sad it is that you and Oswyn had a loss, and I hope Oswyn continues to be ok and drinks more water. Just letting you know that Henry can have a sip of water one day and guzzle water down the next. But he is a young bun, so not sure if that info will help you out, sorry. All the best to you and Oswyn. Cheers.

[Bam]

16 oz in 24 hours doesn’t seem too little for a mini lop, it seems like a lot, actually. The recommended daily water-intake is 100 g (3,4 fluid ounces) per kilo body weight, a kilo is a little more than 2 pounds. My mini-lop drinks like 6,5 fl ounces/24 hours at the most.

They drink less if they’re given fresh veggies and greens, and the pellet-mash you’ve been feeding her must contain some fluids. They drink more when they eat just pellets and hay.

That she pigs out on the pellet-mash is of course an excellent sign. You need to watch her poop etc of course. Antibiotics can be hard on the stomach.

I too wish you and Oswyn all the best and I’m sorry for your loss.

[Lochnessholly]

Oh thank goodness, haha. I guess I’m just being a worry wart. Her eye seems a LOT better today, and the swelling seems to be going down. She’s a lot more active.

She still won’t touch her pellets though :/

[Bam]

Did she eat oxbow pellets eagerly before her companion passed away? My bunnies don’t throw themselves at Oxbow pellets, they wait until they’re really hungry before they eat them.

If I could chose between plain pellets and a delicious mash with banana and carrot and carob syrup I wouldn’t pick the plain pellets =)

The high sugar-content is a bit of a worry though, so if this goes on and she seems to be getting better, maybe you could cut back on the banana and/or syrup a little, but not take away all of it, you want to keep her eating. It’s of course crucial for her recovery.

[Lochnessholly]

Well, I am cutting back. No banana or karo syrup now. She still eats it before the oxbow. We actually JUST switched them to oxbow recently, but it’s mixed in with their old food until she’s used to it.

She attacked our cat today for apparently no reason, which is a bit odd since they’re best friends. They cuddle together all the time. Guess she just doesn’t feel like visitors lol.

[Rufus]

My bun is not a huge fan of his Oxbow pellets. I switched him about 2 months ago. Even now I give him half a tablespoon of his old pellets and two tablespoons of his Oxbow pellets. The old pellets get his attention, otherwise he just ignores the bowl. It takes him at least a day to eat the bowl, sometimes a day and a half. The vet says as long as they’re available, he’d eat them if he needed them.

I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your other bun. I hope that you and Oswyn look after each other and feel better soon.

[Sarita]

Glad she is doing better. I agree about laying off the karo syrup that stuff is full of sugar and is sure to upset her GI tract.

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