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FiRE_MaN's avatar

What is wrong with my rabbit?

Asked by FiRE_MaN (684points) January 26th, 2011

I live in New Jersey and it has been getting very cold lately outside so I bring my pet rabbit in from her outdoor cage and place her in a small one in my basement. I have done this before with no problems. But she has been down there for 3 days since it has been really cold and windy lately. But today when I checked her, her left ear was flopped over (which I have never seen both are always up) and her right eye was bulging. It also appears that her nose is all stuffed up because she sneezed and then made a snorting sound. Anyone have any ideas? I know i need to take her to the vet but its 8:30pm and we are suppose to get 10 inches of snow over night and so the vet might not even be open tomorrow.

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8 Answers

Jude's avatar

Get her to a vet ASAP.

xMissMorganx's avatar

@Jude

I agree with Jude. Take her to the vet asap. She might have a cold and it sounds like an infection. Inflammation to the eye or something. Call your vet and try and keep her as warm as possible, don’t want her to freeze.

syz's avatar

I haven’t worked with rabbits much, but she may have a retrobulbar abscess or a mass. In any case, I wold also recommend veterinary care as soon as possible.

stars's avatar

I agree with the others take her to the vet asap and bring her upstairs where it is warmer. I have had a couple of rabbits before and things can get bad fast! I hope all turns out well! Keep us posted

nicobanks's avatar

It sounds like she was injured, or there’s a mass or something in her head. Bring your rabbit to a vet ASAP. In the meantime:

* PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR RABBIT’S BEHAVIOUR so you can tell your vet the important information they need to know: Is she eating like normal? Drinking water like normal? Peeing and pooping like normal? Are her energy levels normal, and her mood, or is she listless and withdrawn? Keep a chart of her temperature, if you can. (Do not take her temperature if you have no experience doing this.) Is she grinding her teeth in pain (an irregular, crunchy, loud sound)? Is your rabbit breathing through her mouth (a very bad sign which might confirm your suspicion that her nose is blocked up).

* When rabbits feel unwell (for any reason), they often stop eating. When rabbits stop eating (for any reason), they go into ileus (a.k.a. GI Stasis), a painful and deadly condition. DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO PREVENT ILEUS. If your rabbit’s appetite goes down, encourage her to keep eating. Try offering her favourite greens. Carrot greens and dandelion are very popular; also herbs (which have strong smells), like dill, cilantro, basil, mint. Papaya and pineapple are also popular because they have digestive enzymes in them, but don’t go overboard because they’re high in sugar, and too much sugar can itself cause ileus. Try feeding her by hand, and speak in an encouraging tone. If she stops eating, force-feed her with a feeding syringe (a syringe with no needle) – mix her pellets with a bit of warm water to make a mush. If she really resists it, mix the pellet-mush with carrot baby food (plain, strained carrot) or canned pumpkin (pure, no added sweetener). If she stops drinking water, encourage her to drink by adding a tiny amount of apple juice to her water. (Pure, 100% apple juice with no pulp – not cider. Or you could try pineapple juice. You can put in as much as 1 part juice to 6 parts water.) If that doesn’t work, force-feed her Pedialyte. Whenever you force-feed anything, ALWAYS aim for the cheek, otherwise you might shoot the stuff into her lungs and kill her. Give her firm (but gentle! don’t force her if she struggles) stomach rubs, in the event she has gas (which can arise from disruptions in the diet, and which itself can cause ileus) – you can break up the gas bubbles with your fingers and push them down the digestive tract to the anus.

* KEEP HER COMFORTABLE. I may be wrong, but I’m willing to bet she’s not comfortable in a small cage alone in the basement. She should be somewhere she has room to stretch out and stand up; somewhere to hide when she wants to feel alone, and somewhere to socialize when she wants to be comforted. But, if the cage is the only possibility for now, at least bring it upstairs where she can be warm and nearby, and give her blankets (or, if she eats blankets, plain cardboard is fine – something more comfy than wire/metal/plastic). Frankly, I think you should sleep beside her and basically stay with her as much as you can. Speak in soothing tones.

* CONSULT AN EXPERT BY PHONE. If your vet’s closed, there still may be someone there to talk to you. Or perhaps another vet is open, maybe one in the next town over – call them, and ask for their advice.

Good luck, I really hope your rabbit pulls through.

FiRE_MaN's avatar

The vet, which wasnt the vet i like, said that it was some rare rabbit brain parasite.. she gave her a shot and gave me some meds to give to her by mouth and said id have to feed her by syringe the rest of her life. But she died :( found her this afternoon when I was about to feed her again. I dont buy that it was a parasite.. I think she had a stroke.

nicobanks's avatar

I’m so sorry for your loss :(

Do you remember what parasite the vet said your rabbit had? Do you know what was in the shot she gave, and what meds she gave you?

The stuffed-up nose and bulging eye don’t suggest a stroke to me.

It’s true sometimes vets don’t know a thing about rabbits. You don’t need to study rabbits to be come a licensed vet, so it’s really up to the vet to have taken extra classes or to have studied rabbits on their own initiative. Plenty of vets make the sad error of using dog/cat medical practices on rabbits, which really can kill the rabbit. I hope this isn’t what happened to you.

Outdoor rabbits are very susceptible to parasites, though, and there are so many parasites out there carried by wild/feral animals that traipse through our yards daily. Were you having your rabbit’s poop tested regularly? This is really the sort of thing every rabbit companion should be doing on an annual basis, but for outdoor rabbits it’s extra important and I’d recommend twice annual tests.

stars's avatar

Oh no! I’m so sorry for your loss.
I get what your saying about vets! I mean if it was some kind of parsite and it could be deadly don’t you think the “vet” should have done more – like suggest keeping her in the hospital… I mean what was the shot!!! Did they spend more than 15 min with you? Sounds like they took a quick look, injected her with something and that’s it! It probably took longer for them to get your bill and meds ready.
I have learned through out the years that if you don’t educate your self before you go to the vet to ask the right question they never say thing and don’t teach you a thing about the diagnosis of anything! I mean how do you prevent the problem, how did it happen, what are the possible reaction to the meds, is there a chance of a cure, how long, what signs to watch for if need be to bring her back in, etc…

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