# Help sick rabbit ---  UPDATE  and its not good



## CritterCatcher (Nov 29, 2010)

we need some help.  We have a very sick rabbit and we are totally new at this.  We brought a doe home yesterday and she was totally fine however when we got up this morning she was barely alive.  She was placed in a pen with another doe and buck yesterday and we put a full brussel sprout stock with leave in the pen.  It was gone this morning.  We know the buck was on her but we don't know if he totally exhausted her to near death or if if she could have od'd on the brussel plant.  Could someone help please?  She is separated from the other rabbits now.


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## miss_thenorth (Nov 29, 2010)

If rabbits have not been bonded, they will often fight to the death.  Can you tell if she has been fighting?  Not sure about brussels sprouts.


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## CritterCatcher (Nov 29, 2010)

no sign of her fighting but there was a couple of tuffs of hair in the pen but only guessing that came from the breeding part. Yesterday I did notice she was missing a couple of patches of hair around her neck area...but they weren't large areas.....and those patches were missing prior to her being introduced to these rabbits


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## dbunni (Nov 29, 2010)

Symptoms?  cannot start to help without knowing what is wrong ... exactly wrong.  Missing tufts could easily be from fighting or breeding ... bucks often pull fur when they release.


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## CritterCatcher (Nov 29, 2010)

she's barely moving, was found lying on her side, has no energy, can't stand or hold her head up, she will not drink even when assisted and she wimpers ... and we don't want to cull the rabbit unless need be,


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## dbunni (Nov 29, 2010)

Any bloating or discharge?  From anywhere.  Laying on side ... breathing?  Raggy, fast or nonexistent?  Gasping?  Movement?  Can she/will she move HQ?  Where did you get her?


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## CritterCatcher (Nov 29, 2010)

dbunni said:
			
		

> Any bloating or discharge?  From anywhere.  Laying on side ... breathing?  Raggy, fast or nonexistent?  Gasping?  Movement?  Can she/will she move HQ?  Where did you get her?


well she is on her side and is breathing ok  but very shallow   ...but not able to even hold her head up.....

I just talked to a friend with some rabbit experiance...(as we have none)  and she think that the doe is bloated from way to much greens (brussles)  she said no food for 2 days only water   

does this sound like it could be the problem...??

gosh i just feel so bad...


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## therealsilkiechick (Nov 29, 2010)

rabbits cannot release gas some foods do give them gas and cause bloating. to much greens can but not sure if sprouts do or not however if she is not used to greens it wouldn't take much to cause it. if they have bloat u pull all feed for 24 hours and only give water, hay and oats. after 24 hours u ween them back on pellets. u can use baby gas drops to releave the gas and pain. 

when rabbits r sick to get them to eat and energy up use a syringe and drop feed them maple syrup or karo syrup. it will help with energy and get them wanting to eat again. feed bannanas, apples, oatmeal soft foods anything good u can get them to eat to keep them going. does she have normal poop, runny, or mucas clear stuff? is her belly bloated or sloshy sounding, or grinding teeth?


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## CritterCatcher (Nov 29, 2010)

ok well i just checked again on her.....  have been doing it every 1/2 hr..helping her to see if i can get her to drink....BUT

I would like to thank yous for your help..but she just died....
I feel like i could just crawl into a hole myself...you have no idea how bad,sad,crappy,and REALLY MAD A MYSELF,,,embarrassed and just bummed out about this all at once.

CC.


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## miss_thenorth (Nov 29, 2010)

I'm sorry to hear that.   and fwiw, I have never heard tht about gas in bunns.  I do know that youcan give them simethicone (?) (gasX) if they are bunged up.  I've been raising rabbits for three years.  the other two bunns are ok?


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## Heartlandrabbitry (Nov 29, 2010)

I'm very sorry... I know it's hard but sometimes that's the only way we learn. In my four years of raising and breeding rabbits I have only lost two, and I've learned so much from those two. Now I know what I need to do when I come across it again. She's in a better place now and is not suffering anymore.


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## tiffanyh (Nov 29, 2010)

Dont beat yourself up. Obviously you didnt know -- I have had rabbits for years and never knew that.


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## CritterCatcher (Nov 29, 2010)

I have been checking the other 2 bunns every couple hrs and they both seem fine ..just as any other day...but those 2 bunns have always been given greens daily..(what i was told when we got them from the fella)...
but after today ..and several phone calls i made to some other rabbit owners for help, and from some on here ,,  they will and are NOW getting only pellets,hay,water  ....and very "little" greens..   

I will have to call this a huge learning experiance.....and i have learn alot from this.....alot more then just about ""greens""

thanks so much for all the help,  It's been a rough day ...although I am new here i can tell already theres a great bunch of people here. I am sure I/We will have more questions later as we go..

thanks again

jay/kim


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## cutechick2010 (Dec 13, 2010)

First of all, I am so sorry about your bunny, I know how hard it can be too lose one especially when you don't know why.

  For future reference...You cannot ever put adult rabbits together that have not been raised together. They are very territorial and as previously stated, will do their darndest to kill each other. For another, if you have a buck and doe together right now, you can be expecting babies. You can't house bucks and does together without having a litter every four weeks. The doe will be quite willing to breed within 72 hours of giving birth, and rabbits don't go into heat, they can/will breed ANY time.

  If your rabbits have been used to getting greens, there is no need to take them away. It is only if they get a large amount suddenly that it can cause problems, or if they get things like cabbage, etc that tends to cause gas anyway. If you have a rabbit get gas, you can give them the baby gas drops, the simethicone that was mentioned in a previous post. I also have to disagree with your friend that told you to take away food for two days, you NEVER do that with a rabbit. Their guts need to keep moving, or you will have worse problems.


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## collector (Dec 16, 2010)

Sorry about your rabbit, you could not have known if she had this condition before you got her or not. Keep an eye on the other two make sure they dont start showing signs of illness. It is good advice to seperate your buck and doe. Good luck!


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## CritterCatcher (Dec 16, 2010)

the buck and does are all seperate now..they have there own cages now wire floor with the baby wire up the sides a bit...and the big hutch is going to be for raising the babys once there weaned...

its been 2 1/2 weeks now and i think (well pretty sure) it was all my doing..  
I just had to know.

so I opened her up and yes her stomach was huge.. i think (if its possable) she over ate on the greens  (i understand now about greens and rabbits) but i am talking about the amount and size..(I am a butcher by trade and have processed 1000's of rabbits,beef,pork ect  and i know what i should look like inside and her stomach was huge...so..i blame myself...

all the other rabbit are fine and healthy  eating and drinking normal.
CC


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## tiffanyh (Dec 16, 2010)

> For future reference...You cannot ever put adult rabbits together that have not been raised together. They are very territorial and as previously stated, will do their darndest to kill each other.


I have heard this, and I am sure many people have experience with this exact thing, probably horror stories  but I have always done this-carefully of course- and never had any problems, even with in tact males. Only once did I have to neuter one for aggression, everyone else got along in a larger pen. Maybe it was the size of the pen....

Sorry you had to go through all this.


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## Heartlandrabbitry (Dec 16, 2010)

tiffanyh said:
			
		

> > For future reference...You cannot ever put adult rabbits together that have not been raised together. They are very territorial and as previously stated, will do their darndest to kill each other.
> 
> 
> I have heard this, and I am sure many people have experience with this exact thing, probably horror stories  but I have always done this-carefully of course- and never had any problems, even with in tact males. Only once did I have to neuter one for aggression, everyone else got along in a larger pen. Maybe it was the size of the pen....
> ...


I too have put many rabbits together that have not been raised together and they have got along great! I'm sure not all rabbits will get along but mine always do! Here's a picture of my four does when they were housed together! I had two Cremes, a Champagne and a Holland Lop all in the same pen. The Holland acted like the mom, always cleaning the other girls.


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