The vampire…

[TH004]

My pet buns of 5 years has turned into a vampire in the last month. No, seriously!! She goes to bite me and draws blood at least 3 times a week. What is she so mad about? Every time I get bitten is when I go to stop petting her. She jumps up and bites my hand, face or leg. She wants to be pet 24/7. I’ve tried petting longer, and she still gets mad.

Now… to back track… Last month she had serious issues with forgetting her litterbox habits, which had been meticulous. The doc said she had an infection in her bladder, sinus area (she was sneezing a lot) and in her uterus (she hasn’t been fixed.. I know… I didn’t know the benefits until she was too old). Two weeks of antibiotics later and she was like new. Now… she is starting to have some urine outside of the box again. She has a bald spot on her bottom, which had turned yellow again due to her sitting in her urine. I think she’s pulling that hair out.

I’ve loved her so much throughout the years, but this is really wearing on me. I’m starting to be scared of my rabbit. We give her attention every day. She is far from deprived. What do I do?!!?

[Sarita]

I would take her back to the vet – she probably needs to continue with medication. Her behavior certainly sounds like it’s related to not feeling well, not being bad.

What type of tests did the vet do initially?

[Beka27]

I am also wondering if it’s a pain response. The loss of litter habits is a clue that something might be going on with her health, and as you know now, she’s at an incredibly high risk for developing cancer. Some rabbits will stop using a litterbox because they physically cannot get into the box. Did you post before about her and what the vet said last month?

[KatnipCrzy]

No rabbit is too old to be spayed- especially if they have a uterine infection which can be fatal.

I would take her back to the vet- it sounds like she does not feel well.

[Andi]

She’s doing this for some reason, not ‘just beacuse’ she wants to be nasty now. Behavioural changes usually mean something is up, with the litter box habbits going downhill, missing hair on her underside and yellow stains from urine, I would say your bunny is not comfortable, even in pain.
Rabbits are usually very clean animals, so sitting in her own urine is suspicious. I’ve met a rabbit who did this because of a spinal issue, but if your bunny has already had a bladder infection before this could be a possibility.

5 years old is not to old to be spayed, as long as she is healthy and you have someone experianced with the procedure on rabbits there is a low chance of loosing the bunny. My rescue spays rabbits of all ages, and in some cases if he hadn’t the rabbit would have died from soaftball sized tumors they found inside the uterus

[jerseygirl]

I agree. It’s more likely the behaviour is health related. It’s interesting she attacks when you stop petting her….maybe petting gives her a distraction from other discomforts? There is a cream that you can put on the urine burn areas that protects and aids healing. I’m not sure of the name at present but will post after I look some up.

I just wanted to share something I read the other day regarding mites. I know it doesn’t seem likely yours has these but it was a behavioral change that reminded me of it. The author mentioned several bunnies that would become aggressive. Then after treatment with selamectin they became their sweet selves again. They hadn’t shown any typical symptoms of having an infestation – just this behavior change. So maybe talk to your vet about whether it’s safe to treat her for mites?

I do know these sorts of parasites can become a problem for immune compromised animals. So if they are figthing an infection elsewhere (like bladder) they might become more susceptible to an infestation. I believe this could also happen the other way round – animals dealing with parasite infestation then becoming more susceptible to other infections like respiratory or urinary. Anyway, I’m hypothesizing….

In short, I think Bunny needs a thorough look over with her vet.

Edit to add: Creams suggested on website Cats, Rabbits and More  http://www.catsandrabbitsandmore.com/disabled_rabbits 

 

Bunny Safe Creams for Urine Scald:

 

Silvadene Cream [known as Flamazine in Canada]
CEH Ointment (Calendula/Echinacea/Hypericum)
Rescue Remedy Cream
Neosporin (but not Neosporin Plus)
Panalog
Bactoderm (mupirocin) ointment
Calendula Gel/Cream
A + D Original (not with added zinc)
Oxyfresh PetGel
Bag Balm
Aloe Vera Gel

Note: Although some people have used Desitin without problems, it contains zinc oxide which may be dangerous if ingested.

 

[Beka27]

Very interesting anecdote about the mites, Jersey! Thank you for sharing that!

[TH004]

Wow! I never thought that it could be that she is in pain. 🙁 She has an appointment with her vet tomorrow morning. Her vet is off today and no one else at the office sees rabbits. So… last time there… they didn’t get to run any tests. They tried to use a needle to get a sample from her bladder, but her bladder was empty, so that didn’t work. They ended up giving the antibiotics, saying it was likely it was an infection in all three. Her sneezing cleared up, so that did work. Her nipples had discharge and that cleared up. It’s just the litterbox habbits now plus the new symptoms of biting and pulling her hair out.

Mites— can they get that if they are always indoors and never around another animal?

[Sarita]

I would ask for a blood test. Also ask about the spay.

Hopefully your vet can get some urine this time as well.

Vibes for your bunny.

[jerseygirl]

Mites— can they get that if they are always indoors and never around another animal?

Yes. It’s thought that there might be a small population living on healthy rabbits normally but it’s kept under control. I had to track down where I had read what I mentioned earlier and it turns out that was regarding burrowing mange mite which is not common in rabbits. I guess it was the behavioural change that prompted my memory about it. Regardless, it was discomfort that caused the behavior change and this could still be true of your rabbit. i.e. discomfort from bladder issues, urine burn or something else. Hope you have a happy bunny back soon! Keep us updated.

[TH004]

The verdict… she was put on the same antibiotic from the first time, but this time for three weeks.

The doc couldn’t get a urine sample from her. However, last time the medicine did work (after taking it for two weeks) for about a week, then she started having accidents again. The doc said she could be getting nippy because of her bladder. The doc said the bald spot is normal since she is sitting in her urine, staining her bottom. Doc said that can cause the hair to come out.

If this doesn’t work, she’s recommending having her spayed, saying that it could be hormonal (nipping now and before had discharge from her nipples that cleared with the meds). She said that is risky, given her age. So, we are trying the meds again first.

Cross your fingers for us! Thanks for all your help and advice!!!

[Beka27]

The risk from spaying is increased with her age. I know of one member on this site who did not spay her bunny (same situation as you, she just didn’t know the necessity of it when bunny was young) and her rabbit developed mammary tumors that had to be operated on, but never developed uterine cancer. She lived a long time for an unspayed female, 7-8 years. Once this situation gets cleared up, I would maybe ask your vet about performing a blood panel and possibly an abdomen ultrasound, just in case. It’s possible you could catch something early before it spreads.

[jerseygirl]

Is it baytril he has put her on?

I hope see some improvement in her soon! Thanks for the update.

[TH004]

She is on baytril. She hasn’t bitten me since she started it!! I cannot believe it!!! She used to love the medicine, but now is fighting it– but still doesn’t bite me. Hopefully after her three weeks, the biting and missing the litterbox will stop completely.

Thank you all so, so much for all your help!! I have my sweet, loving buns back 😀

[Balefulregards]

Kind of off topic, but I have also seen personality/behavior changes in children when they eat foods to which they are allergic. I recall distinctly a 2 year old who would become an unholy terror after lunch.

Turns out she was allergic to wheat, tomatoes and a whole host of other things. What did the child primarily eat? Pasta with tomato sauce.

So generally, with both animals AND kids, look for health reasons first for behavior changes. It is almost always an underlying cause

[Andi]

Glad to hear she is starting to feel better.

[Author]

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