Sick Bunny

[jessica.may]

Tuesday arvo: Ok so I went to go and give my rabbits fresh water and as I was turning off my tap I realised my girl Macy who we’ve had for 6 years but was dumped into our yard so not sure exactly her age wasn’t being herself. She was just sitting on a rock and her breathing seemed off I went to give her a pat and she just sat there (sometimes she runs away) so I picked her up and took her inside and she felt quite thin compared to her normal body type. It didnt feel right and lucky my vet was still opened so i took her in. She said she was quite thin and she was quite congested. She asked if she was desexed which im pretty sure she is not and said that she can feel a lumo in her abdomin. She had 2 shots at the vet and 3 medicines to take at home. my vet said that she would prefer to keep her in but since nobody was going to be there she’d rather me just take her home and keep her quiet warm and in a dark place. we were told to bring her in on Friday unless her brwtahing hasnt improved or she hs gone down hill and we woud do chest xrays. At this stage she was srtill eating and drinking. The next day I woke up and she was very quiet I gave her some cuddles and got her some fresh vegies which she ate. Through the day she would make some weird sounds. It kinda sounded like a fart/ squeak but I couldnt tell where it was coming from. Im pretty sure it waas her mouth. I ended up taking her back to the vet as her breathing hadnt gotten any better and those soumds she was making plus she hadnt pooped at all since ive had her inside. We gave her a chest xray and it was not a good result. Her lungs where covered. Unsure whether rhey were tumours or a bad case of pnuemonia. He said it really isnt great and that even if it was the pnuemonia we would need a miracle. He gave us sometime because we were so upset. Because it wasnt my rabbit lady vet and she was in the next day (today/thursday) I said we would wait to see what she would think and we can make a decsion. He gave us another shot and were told that it was possible she wouldnt make it through the night. Ofcourse I spent the whole afternoon and night crying but when we got home she had a little bit of banana and that was it. She wouldnt eat anymore. She still hadnt pooped but she was still drinking water on her own. So I gave her a alittle tummy massage dont know if it did more good than bad but she did 2 of the weirdest poops ive ever seen. I thought they were little baby slugs at first. She has done a couple of more little balls not alot but some is better than nothing I guess. through the night I obviouslty didnt sleep to well. I tried offering her different foods and she refused. I gave her some baby food which she didnt really want but she did lick it u a little. throughout the night I would offer her more. She took it sometimes and I also offeredmore more veggies and banana but she didnt eat a little cube of apple that she wanted. She was gringding her teeth whilst eating it though. Also I noticed that she had some thick clear discharge from her butt. Last night I honestly thought she wasnrt going to make it till morning she wasnt moving much eating or pooping. But overnight she has been moving around more eating a alittle and pooped. I need to call the vet today to see what she thinks. I know deep down she is very unwell but when she pooped It made me feel a alittle better. I guess we will see today. I know it wont be great news. 

Has anyone had a similar experience??

[jerseygirl]

Im sorry to hear about Macy. It sounds as if she has some major challenges. When a bun is congested like that, it makes it harder for them to eat. And not eating is bad in itself, a you know. It’s possible she her gut is slowed down and became inflammed. The discharge you saw was probably mucus. The gi tract lines itself with mucus as a protective measure.
It’s also possibly the meds she had caused some upset or led to the weird poops. It’s hard to say really.

As intact rabbits are at high risk of developing uterine tumours, be prepared for that. Unfortunately, the common place this will metastasize to is the lungs. That said, her lung condition may be totally unrelated to her being intact. The main thing is doing what you can to help relieve her breathing and if unable to give her quality of life, let her go peacefully.

I hope your visit with the preferred vet gives better idea of what’s going on and a plan of action.
{{{Macy}}}

[jerseygirl]

Hi All 

Ive been in touch with Jessica and she gave me permission to give this update.

Sadly, Macy deteriorated further so the decision was made to end her suffering and have her put to sleep. Jessica, Im sorry for you loss. It’s a sad time but does sound as if it was the best decision for her.
***Binky Free, Macy***

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