Please help, my dwarf rabbit is very ill

[equinelove]

I know i’m young and i’m a first time rabbit owner, but i know my dwarf rabbit is very ill. Since tuesday he hasn’t been eating very much, especially his pellets but i thought he was just being picky because he would eat his fruits and veggies. Now he won’t drink very much and he has lost alot of weight, He always has acess to food, water and hay and he is an indoor bunny. When i came home from school i went to get him from his cage and he looked very weak and unbalanced. when he came to greet me he stood up and fell over on his back and started thrashing around in his cage. I took him out of his cage and his head is shaking and when he walks he flops over. I’m so worried about him, and i don’t want him to die because hes my friend. i can’t really get him to the vet because my parents aren’t home and they don’t get paid untill tommorow so it will have to wait. I’m unsure if he’ll make it untill tommorow. Please help me. i don’t know what to do! i don’t want to lose him!!

[equinelove]

He also has a white discharge comming from his eyes.

[rabbitsmba]

You need to get your bunny to a rabbit-savvy vet ASAP!

How is he pooping? Could it be from heat? Is it really warm where he is? Do you have any syringes that you can fill with water to squirt directly into his mouth? Get some greens, wash them and leave them soaking wet. Try to see if you can get him to eat any of those.

I’m not a vet so I can’t even guess what it might be. But please get him to a vet as soon as you can. Where do you live? Perhaps someone on here can recommend a vet or emerg clinic….

[equinelove]

His poops have been alot more mushy than normal. I have been giving him vagetables that i washed and left very damp and hes eating them. I live in cambridge ontario, and all the vets here close in half an hour.

[bunnytowne]

oh nooo sweetie I feel for you. can you call your parents and let them know? or maybe get to an emergency vet still open when they get home do you have emergency vets in your city? emergency ones are open later and on weekends for emergencies

[rabbitsmba]

You live in Cambridge!  There are two VERY awesome vet clinics near you!  One is the Acton Vet Clinic in Acton – VERY rabbit savvy.  The other is in Guelph.  It’s called Campus Estates and they have a the best 24 hour emerg care for bunnies ANYWHERE!  The phone number is 519.837.1212.  They have four vets there and all of them are great with bunnies – I have seen all of the vets myself and used their emerg services before.  Just call and they will page the vet on-call and they will meet you at the clinic.

http://www.petsandvets.ca/index.html

I really hope your folks get home soon and are able to help get you there.

I can’t believe you are in Cambridge!  I’m in Mississauga.  Good luck!

[MarkBun]

Go to a vet now. No info here will help him. Most vets will defer payment if it is an emergency and let you pay later.  It is possible your bun won’t make it through the night.

[equinelove]

Thank you so much! I’ll try to get him to the emergency vet as soon as my parents get home.

[MarkBun]

Don’t mean to scare you like that but we can give you suggestions on what it might be and so on but when a bun falls over and/or is convulsing, there are no ‘home remedies’ for that. If a bun begins to lose a lot of weight, they should go to a vet Realize that for most buns, losing a pound is losing about 20% of their body weight. Imagine how ill you must be if you went from 150 pounds to 120 in just a couple of days.

You may want to also bring a sample of his poops in a small plastic bag for them to look at.

[JK]

Yes this is an emergency! Please keep us updated.

[rabbitsmba]

Try to keep him calm and see how much water you can get him to drink, even if it means him just eating a bunch of wet greens – that’s still water. Mushy poops are very dehaydrating to the system so it’s important to get water in him. You wouldn’t perhaps have any pedialyte at home would you? It’s for babies to help keep them hydrated. Kinda like Gatorade for babies – but don’t give Gatorade! If you do have pedialyte, mix a bit in with his water.

A good way to test for dehydration is to pinch the skin on a bunny’s shoulders and twist it. If it springs back to normal in a few seconds, they are okay, but if it takes longer than that, chances are they are dehydrated. But none of this advice can replace the advice of a vet. We will help all we can but getting to the vet is most important.

Give him pets and lots of wet greens. Also see if you can get him to eat some hay.

[equinelove]

no i don’t have any pedialyte, and i did try the test to see if he was dehydrated and his skin didn’t take very long to fall back down. It still seems quite elastic.

[rabbitsmba]

Okay, that’s good. How is he doing? Is he calmed down? Still falling over? Or does he seem stable? Eating/drinking/pooping at all? Keep him relaxed.

[equinelove]

he was just standing…he dosent want to move. I’m holding him in a blanket now and he is calm.

[rabbitsmba]

Okay, that is good. I hope your parents come home soon.

You are a very good bunny mom for coming here for help. It’s hard when your pet gets sick and you are all alone. Give him kisses from all of us and keep us posted.

[bunnytowne]

keep us updated sweetie we care and so do  you and your parents. I am proud of you as you have asked for help and really care. and the members here gave great advice with the vet’s #’s etc. wonderful I really hope your bun is going to be ok after all this scare poor little thing. and you too

[bunnytowne]

oh your name equine luv  you love horses too then?  cool horses are neat. intelligent animals

[Beka27]

i hope everything is okay. please keep us posted.

[RabbitPam]

I hope you’re parents are home by now and you can’t read this because you are already at the vet. If you are still home and online, I’d suggest you call the number rabbitsmba just gave you above and let them know your situation and that you may be coming in soon. At least that way they can expect you, and possibly give you some immediate help over the phone in addition to the help the others have said here already.

Prayers for you and your little sweetie. Hang in there.

[rabbitsmba]

I hope everything is okay. Please let us know how your bunny is doing.

[equinelove]

I took him to the vet early this morning. I stayed up and held him all night. We went to the vet and he didn’t know what was wrong. He said he was in very poor condition and it’s not likely that he’ll recover. so he gave us the option to euthanize him or to take him home. I decided to take him home and spend the rest of our time together. During the car ride home he passed away on my lap. It was so hard to see him suffer and even harder to see him pass. I feel like i failed him somehow, and that it was my fault for not getting him to the vet sooner. I just want to thank everyone for all your help and support, you guys are an amazing bunch of rabbit lovers.

R.I.P Cadbury December 2003- April 2008

If i find a picture of him then i’ll post it.

[Sage Cat]

At least y’all were together when he passed. Now he is heading to the Rainbow Bridge where he can run and play!

I’m so sorry. It is never easy to lose a friend.

[MarkBun]

Equine,

Do not fault yourself. Rabbits are a prey species and as such by the time they exibit symptoms it is often already too late to help them. I lost one a while ago like that and it was not due to my care for her. She just kept her illness private until she couldn’t anymore and by the time I got her to the vet, she had already passed on. If the vet didn’t know what was wrong when you brought him in, he wouldn’t have known what to do a day or two before either.

From what it sounds like, you were a terrific bunny parent and he had a great life with you. Be happy in the fact that the two of you had those years together and that you were there with him in the end. Take that which you have learned with him and the love that you shared and pay it forward. Eventhough Cadbury has crossed the rainbow bridge, he will be with you always.

[osprey]

Binky free, Cadbury.  I am so sorry that he was so sick.  As others have said, in a case like this getting him to the vet a few days earlier would not have made a difference since the vet could not determine what was wrong with him.  If you decide you have room in your heart for another bunny, please take the time to carefully disinfect the areas that Cadbury used, just in case there was some disease that could be spread.

[Beka27]

i’m sorry! i was afraid this might happen when you were describing his behavior. and like Markus and Osprey said, there is nothing you need to feel guilty for, it was just his time to go.

(((((((((((((((Binky Free Lil Cadbury!)))))))))))))))

[rabbitsmba]

Oh I am SO SORRY to hear this news. But everyone is right. Sometimes bunnies pass so quickly, we hardly even stand a chance at helping them.

But I think the time you spent with him during his last hours was very precious and I am sure he felt all of the love you had for him. Right now, he is across the Rainbow Bridge, happy and healthy, binkying through the fields of clover towards the strawberry patch that is always in season.

Take care.

[Bunnies4ever]

Oh sweetheart! I’m so sorry! I’ve been following this post and hoping and wishing that he would be okay. Guilt is just part of the grieving process. You were a good bunny mom and you did everything you could do. Like everyone else said, rabbits don’t always exhibit symptoms when they are sick.

Know that you gave him a good loving home.

Binky free Cadbury!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I just saw this now…I’m so sorry for your loss! *hugs*

Binky free Cadbury!

[Sarita]

Oh, I’m so sorry. I know this is hard for you. I’m glad Cadbury was with you when he left. I will light a candle to help him cross the Rainbow Bridge.

[skunklionshow]

I’m so sorry for your loss.  I’m sure it was a great comfort to Cadbury that you were with him when he died.  Jessica & Leo send you bunny kisses.  Take care.

[RabbitPam]

equinelove14,
I’m so very, very sorry to hear about Cadbury. You did the best you could and kept him close to you in his final moments where I know he felt loved and safe. Take the wisdom the others have said to heart. Bunnies are such truly delicate beings that we can’t always save them. You are a loving bunny mom. (((((((((((((((Big hugs for you)))))))))))))))

[Lion_Lop_Lover]

RIP Sweet Cadbury…my deepest condolences…

[JK]

Oh I am so sorry you had to go through this. This is the hard part of owning an animal. I’m actually glad you took Cadbury home with you as hard as that was. You did the best you could. Take care.

[MimzMum]

I am so very sorry for you, my dear. I will keep you and Cadbury in my prayers that you can remember all the good times with your bun and that he was with you in his last moments, conscious that you were there for him and giving him love. I am so, so sorry it turned out this way, and I know he is in a beautiful place now and free from any possible discomfort.
You did what you could. Sometimes we do everything we can and it doesn’t matter, because the call for this friend has come and they cannot deny it. So it was with my Persian tabby of almost 12 years last winter, he also passed in my arms and I knew I could not call him back. It was just his time.

I grieve with you. Embrace what you are feeling and know that it will eventually pass, leaving nothing but the joy you and Cadbury shared.
Binky free, little Cadbury!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Oh dear, poor fella (((HUGS))) I am so sorry for your loss. How very sad for you, please keep us in mind if you need to talk about it.

[equinelove]

Thank you to everyone who is keeping cadbury in their prayers. Thanks for the support. I really need it.

[Jyka]

So sorry. We’d love to see a picture of Cadbury if you can find one. Thankyou for giving him a happy, loving home. There are many bunnies out there who will never experience having a bunny mum to love them so much. He was a lucky to have you. He may not have been in this world a long time but it was a life of quality.
Have a cry, you’ll miss him, but be proud of the life he had.

[babybunsmum]

oh i’m so so sorry.   you did all you could for your sweet bun.    ((((((big hugs to you)))))) 

[bunnytowne]

awe made me cry too. it is soooo hard to lose a beloved bun. he is a lucky bun to have had you. it isnt’ easy at first. then in time you will remmeber the good times and it won’t be so painful. I am sure he was comforted by you being there for him. yes they do hide their illnesses oh tooo well. sorry he didn’t make it. I hope in time you will get another bunny to luv and care for. or right away if you want to. don’t be so hard on yourself we all feel guilt when they pass and we come to realize it was his time nothing could have changed that. there’s a time to laugh and a time to cry a time for joy and a time for grieving you take care now and feel better soon.

[equinelove]

I felt so lonely without cadbury yesterday. so I’m thinking of getting a new bunny to care for and keep me company. Does anyone think it’s too early to get a new one? I’m thinking about getting a dutch rabbit, is there anything i should know about the breed?

[babybunsmum]

i think the only way to know if you’re ready for another pet is to ask yourself:  am i ready to get to know a totally new & different little fur baby?  if your heart is open to getting to know another pet then i do not think it’s too soon.  some people just aren’t ready right away, while others welcome the distraction of getting to know a new one.  either way your grief will still be there & you will still miss cadbury.  ((((((hugs))))))

i think dutches seem to be pretty feisty if you were to look for a breed characteristic but i think – and i know others here say this too – it really depends on the individual rabbit way more than what breed the rabbit is.  check out your local shelter or rescue & see who’s there.  when you meet your next fur baby you’ll know it no matter when or what breed you choose 

[Hannah]

I’m so sorry. I went through this same thing not very long ago– my little Winnie passed, and I was really torn between waiting to mourn and getting a new bunny right away. I ended up getting a new bunny almost immediatley after because I was on vacation at the time and was sort of pressed to use that time as I could, but I realized that even if I was getting a new bunny quickly, I wasn’t *replacing* Winnie, I was getting a new friend. So I chose a bunny very different from her– she was a tiny little girl, so I got a big boy! So if you’re torn because you think you’re somehow “replacing” Cadbury, know that you’re certainly not going to forget about him just because you have a new bunny.

[rabbitsmba]

You will know in your heart when the time is right for a new bunny. Some people wait a long time, others, not long at all. Your heart is big and used to loving a bunny – there is no reason to wait if you feel you are ready. You will never replace Cadbury but you can have an entirely new and lving relationship with a new bunny that cna be just as special. I know there is a homeless bunny just waiting for you!

[Gravehearted]

I am very sorry to hear about your bunny passing away. I agree with the others – that you’ll know in your heart when you’re ready

[kralspace]

oh hun, I’m so very sorry about your bunny, it’s so hard to lose them. Cadbury sounds like he was a very, very loved little bun.

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