★★★★★
I just went through a very scary situation with my rabbit. He stopped eating, drinking, and pooping and I knew it was an emergency. The vet gave him intravenous fluids, pain meds, and did x-rays, and showed me how to syringe-feed him with critical care.
But here is what I learned from YouTube that really changed things for us: belly massage! When your rabbit is lying down, put your hands underneath and gently massage the abdomen. You will actually here the stomach start to gurgle. Within 5 minutes he jumped into his litter box and went to the bathroom. We all cheered! Do this every half hour as part of treatment.
I think I could have saved myself $500. My vet did not mention massage at all....
★★★★★
[01/05/2009: Joyce from Arcadia, CA, USA writes: "I WILL TRY THE PUMPKIN FOR MY SAD CONSTIPATED BUNNY. I HOPE IT WORKS."]
It's actually much like hairballs in cats, only since bunnies can't vomit, the fur can get stuck inside their gut and actually kill them. You have to get the gastric track moving again as soon as you see this problem start. If your bunny stops pooping, or if her pellets are starting to look small and dry, that's a sign she's blocking up. Lack of appetite is another symptom.
My vet, who is a rabbit specialist, has me keep a product called "Critical Care" on hand for wool block emergencies. This is even better than the pumpkin treatment. I get my Critical Care from my vet but you can probably get it online or at your pet food store, especially if you ask for it. You mix a little of this stuff with water, suck it up into a big syringe (one about the size of your middle finger, being sure to remove the needle and toss it in the trash before you work with the bunny!). Then you put the plastic tip of the syringe into the side of the bunny's mouth and VERY SLOWLY squeeze out a little at a time. They will like this and swallow it, if you don't disperse it too fast. Wait a few seconds between each dispersal. Only give about a couple teaspoons for each dose, then wait about three hours and do it again.
Pumpkin can be fed the same way if your bunny has wool block. Make sure you use pure 100% canned pumpkin NOT canned pumpkin PIE filling, which has spices in it and could hurt your bun! I've found the Critical Care quickly eliminates wool block (you give it 4 to 6 times a day until they start eating and pooping normally again). I used to do the pumpkin treatment until I found the Critical Care, and pumpkin worked pretty well, but failed to work with one bunny who I almost lost to wool block on account of "pumpkin failure." I brought her to the vet in time (you've only got a couple of days to save them if they stop eating), who gave her Critical Care, and the bun was fine in just a couple of hours. Believe me, this stuff is AMAZING.
The vet said my buns get wool block because I wasn't feeding them exactly right. In my case, it was too many vegetables. Now that I'm feeding the right diet and giving them more exercise, they've been doing fine. (Exercise and plenty of water are important for maintaining intestinal motility - the constant movement through of food. So is brushing them when they're shedding.)
Right diet for a rabbit means unlimited quantities of timothy hay (or orchard grass) always available to the rabbit (you can get this at a pet store but ordering it online is much cheaper. In some parts of the country, feed stores sell timothy.) You also have to feed about a half cup of fresh vegies a day for a medium-sized rabbit (3/4 to 1 cup a day for a giant breed). Certain vegies, though, will kill bunnies if fed over time, so choose from the "safe vegie list": green pepper, collard greens, swiss chard, parsley (a little), cucumber (a little), cilantro, endive, mustard greens, lettuce (NOT iceberg), carrots (only a small slice a few times a week), broccoli (only a tiny flowerette a couple times a week), certain weeds including dandelions, chickweed and plantain (if not subject to exhaust fumes from cars). Visit www.rabbit.org for the full list of diet do's and don'ts. You can supplement this diet with a bit of daily timothy pellets, available from Oxbow (NOT alfalfa pellets - these are only for babies, and fed long enough they can kill an adult).
Make sure your bun has unlimited access to water - a crock is ideal for most bunnies, as they can then drink all they want. I put 3 drops of vinegar in my rabbits' water, and now they love drinking.
In case anyone reading this has a pet bunny living in a cage, please know that buns can easily be litterbox-trained and make wonderful house pets. I have house bunnies living happily alongside my two house cats. You have to introduce them to each other gradually, of course. All sorts of tips on how to make your rabbit a successful house bunny are available on www.rabbit.org, the website of the nonprofit organization called House Rabbit Society. If it weren't for them, my buns would have been dead by now. I made so many mistakes at first, having no one to show me. I have six precious buns, and I've had 5 of them for six years. Most buns only live a year as pets, studies show, because owners make mistakes with their diet or other errors with these delicate creatures. It's very easy to keep bunnies if you're taught how to do it, and very easy to lose them if you're not. Check out that website and also the chat room "Etherbun." Between those two places, you'll find all the info you need. There are some snotty people on Etherbun, though. Don't let them hurt your feelings if one of them gets nasty. Just visit there for your bunnies, learn what you can for their sake, and don't let the bullies get to you.
Jessi
★★★★★
Hope this helps.
Wry Neck Remedies
Some ideas for you:
About the Ivomec - not a big fan but it does have its place in certain situations. Ivomec is an immune depressant. The sluggish behavior after dosing is very likely a Herx reaction; the Ivomec causes the parasites to die off enmasse which makes bun not feel so good for a few days as the toxins caused by the parasite die off work their way out of his system.
I like the ACV in the water bottle - be sure to use the raw, unpasturized unfiltered kind with the active cultures/"mother". Another thought would be to alkalize with baking soda; you might consider hanging two bottles and letting the bun decide for himself which one [ACV/baking soda] he needs.
Read up on alkalizing remedies on EC here:
https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/alkalizing_formulas.html
Read up on remedies for parasites on EC: https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/parasites.html
Consider adding food grade diatomaceous earth [DE] to your buns food, or making a slurry of the DE and dose it orally [mix try DE with water until it forms an easy flowing gruel and dose 1cc am and pm to start].
Consider dosing tinct of Black Walnut; tinct straight out of the bottle likely will be unpalatable to a bun, so add a few drops to a little water and get out the turkey baster/eye dropper/what have you and admnister orally to the bun.
Consider a nutritional approach with foods that are natural remedies for protazoans:
Blueberries - 1 tablespoon twice a day for 5 days
Broccoli - 4 flowerets twice daily for 5 days
Carrots - 2 baby raw organic carrots twice a day for 8 days
Celery - 1 raw stick twice a day for 7 days
Green Pepper - 1 half-dollar sized piece twice a day for 2 days
Lemon Juice - 1/2 teaspoon twice a day for 5 days
Pumpkin Seeds - 1 tablespoon twice a day for 8 days
Spinach - 1 tablespoon twice a day for 5 days
Sunflower Seeds - 1 tablespoon twice a day for 8 days
Any or none of the above may apply; hold your bun in your lap and read down the list, the right ones will just seem right.
Now, if you are good at dosing nasty tasting oral meds down your buns craw, some herbs may apply. Which ones you choose are up to you, so several or none may seem right. I mix them up with a little water and dose with a medicine dropper:
Astragulus - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Bilberry - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Cat's Claw - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Dandelion Root - 1 capsule twice a day for5 days
Garlic -1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Kelp - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Licorice - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Milk Thistle - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Olive Leaf Extract - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Oregano Oil - 1 pill or 1/4 teaspoon twice a day for 5 days
Oregon Grape Root - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Pau D'Arco - 1 capsule twice a day for 3 days
Schizandra - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Turmeric - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
Yellow Dock - 1 capsule twice a day for 5 days
After banging that all out on my keyboard, the Milk Thistle struck me as indicated - read up on EC about it here:
https://www.earthclinic.com/herbs/milk-thistle.html
Good luck with your bun, and report back with an update please!
Fibrosarcoma
My sweet bunny, smeagol, just turned 3yrs old on Dec. 1, 2012. He's a mini-lop, blonde and about 7. 5 lbs. He lives indoors in my room, but not caged. In May 2012, I noticed a red bump on the outside middle tip of his upper left lip. Since rabbits upper lip is split, this is located in the "middle" of his upper lip. I took him to two different vets that told me since it didn't seem to be bothering him, it wasn't changing shape, size or color, then I didn't need to worry about it. There was no sign of abrasion, cut, bite or reason for the lump. We were living in Japan at the time, I didn't speak the language, and couldn't find a vet in our area that was very "rabbit knowledgable". Over the summer, we re-located to the U. S. , southern california. Around the end of Sept. 2012 he went to the vet for neutering surgery. We asked the vet to take a look at the red bump on his lip while he was under anesthesia. The vet inserted a needle in order to get a fluid sample. He also put him on a general antibiotic. The test came back inconclusive, but the lump seemed to get infected. After approximately two weeks we did a biopsy. It came back positive for fibrosarcoma cancer. His lip looked worse also. We took him to a different vet more specialized in rabbit care. He attempted to remove the tumor stating that there was not room to get "clean" margins because of the location of the tumor being basically against the opening of his nasal cavity. We had hoped to remove the tumor, then start radiation to kill off any remaining cancer cells understanding fibrosarcomas are extremely aggressive. But, we couldn't consider radiation until the wound healed. Well, it just isn't healing. It's been about a month and the cancer is back. It's grown quite a bit blocking much of his left nasal opening. The vet, although educated in chinese herbology, stated there is nothing more he can do for him. He expects the tumor to grow much larger within two weeks. I asked if there was an alternative medication I could give smeagol to slow the growth, or fight the cancer and he stated he didn't know of anything that would be safe if accidentally ingested from being on his lip. He said there was something, but it would have to be injected directly into the tumor, would be extremely painful and he feared the medication would not help fast enough to combat the speed at which the tumor is growing. He is currently on Baytril (antibiotic), Metacam, and buprenorphine. For the last month, the tumor will grow in size, changing appearance sometimes multiple times a day. Then, it will start bleeding, quite a bit, suddenly and the outer scab will seperate and come off. It's quite stressful for him (and us) as the blood will get in his nasal passage and cause difficulty breathing I think
. The only options I see right now are doing nothing and watching it grow, or taking him to the oncologist and asking about radiation possibilities. I am hoping that instead, there is an alternative treatment that can slow/stop the growth of the rapidly enlarging tumor and keep him comfortable. I would greatly appreciate any help. - Christina
Critical Care, Pumpkin
My rabbit stopped eatting, pooping, peeing, and drinking. I saw your advice, and made a vet appointment to get "critical care" from my vet. My vets protocol was X-rays, blood tests, & weighing my rabbit. He never looked at the poop samples, nor listened to my suggestion of using critical care. I said "no" to the X-rays, and blood test. Why spend all tha money, cause even if they found something, the survival rate of a rabbit getting operated on is not optimal.
My vet wanted me to ground up timothy hay in a blender, until it is powder, and mix with water, to feed by seringe. This sounds great in theory. But the reality is timothy does grind up into powder, with alot of tiny splinter size pieces that clog any size seringe. I even used a horse size seringe, and the timothy would clog. I went back to the vet and purchased the critical care in apple bannan flavor. The next step was getting this into my rabbit who fought like a tiger. I wrapped my rabbit in a towel, grabbed her jaw (gently) from behind her ears, so she couldn't bite me, and fed her. Once she had the seringe in her mouth she did great. With in less than 24 hrs my rabbit was peeing & pooping. And 12 hours after that her appetite came back. Also when using critical care, I offfered my rabbit water often. Critical care absorbs a lot of water. I even gave water by seringe to keep my rabbit hydrated.
I am grateful for this web site, and the good advice that saved my 3 month old rabbit.
THANK YOU JESSI
Erica from South Pasadena Ca Sept 20, 2012
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Just wanted to provide some info to you re; syringes in the trash.
It is perfectly fine to discard a syringe in the trash; the syringe is the plastic unit commonly used with hypodermic needles. The hypodermic needle is the part that is unsafe to discard in ordinary household trash.
To safely dispose of sharps such as hypo's - I bring these items to my veterinarian and he is happy to dispose of them safely for me.
Ear Infections
According to website
https://peteducate.com/do-rabbits-need-salt/
In the published works Nutrient Requirements for Rabbits (1977), it states that adding up to 0.5% of a rabbits daily diet in salt appears to be a safe amount.
According to website
https://vetchick.com/2016/07/cleanpetears/
Your veterinarian can provide an ear cleaner that is appropriate for your specific pet. Some ear cleaners even have anti-yeast ingredients, while others are more geared towards bacterial infections. By knowing the kind of infection your pet has, or is prone to, your veterinarian can select an ear cleaner that is not only safe, but will work much much better than rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide!
Belly Massage for Rabbits
If it is something you can do however, I'm certain it would be very comforting and helpful for your rabbit.
Belly Massage for Rabbits
I've been part of rabbit rescue and fostering for over 15 years and unfortunately have been through quite a bit of this. Some bunnies seem more prone to it. Especially ones that aren't very good hay eaters.
Eye Infections
I then purchased "NFZ Puffer" which is made to clear eye infections in rabbits. The NFZ caused a fungal infection in the rabbits eye. I noticed a white cloudy fungus on the eye. I stopped using the NFZ Puffer and just flushed out the eye as I had been doing. I then used some "Tea Tree Oil"- one drop into a tablespoon of mineral oil and dabbed a little just under his eye which has cleared up the fungal infection along with all the redness. I do hope that this helps others who have animals with fungal infections of the eye. Better that antibiotics which can cause major problems in rabbits due to their digestive system.
Eye Infections
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have not tried any of these myself but was given the list through another rabbit website.
Okugest tablets
Okugest tablets are a homeopathic medicine for humans, which are used for, diarrhoea, bloat and for improvement of the gut motility, intoxication.
the tablets do contain the following homeopatic ingredients:
Okoubaka aubreveille D3 - prevention and treatment of poisoning, (foodpoisoning, pesticide poisonong, and self poisoning (auto toxic) diseases/ alergy .Okoubake helps the body regain control and normalizes the immune system to fight of other potential aggressors. For treatment, gastroenteritis, intestinal infections/ intoxification, and diarrhea.
Arsenicum album D12 - treatment of indigestion, anxiety, fever, pain and lots more.
Carbo vegetabilis D6 - treatment, bloat/gas, Abdominal distention with cramping pains, worse lying down,
Croton tiglium D6 - treatment acute and chronic diarrea, upset stomach, gas,
Veratum album D12 - treatment, sudden collapse, painful cramping followed by great weakness and exhaustion, diarrhea or constipation
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Ear Infections
According to website
https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/rabbit-diet-what-feed-bunny
The bottom of a rabbit food pyramid would contain long-stemmed fiber, in the form of hay, which makes up 80 to 90 percent of a rabbit's diet. As grazing animals, rabbits need to have an unlimited supply of fresh hay daily.
You'll want to feed your rabbit grass hays. Good types of grass hay for bunnies are timothy, orchard grass, brome and oat hay. You can feed your bunnies either one type or a mixture of different grass hays. Buy the freshest hay possible and check for the presence of mold or dust, which could make your rabbit sick.
Rabbits count vegetables and herbs among their favorite foods. Most greens found in a supermarket are safe for rabbits, with a few limitations and exceptions.
Here is a link about ear infection remedy
Good luck!
Loss of Appetite
You might consider giving your bun activated charcoal. You would have to get the capsules from the health food store, grind them up and add enough water to make it easy to suck up in a syringe, and then use the syringe to your bun's mouth to get him to drink it down. Another option would be bentonite clay, administered in the same way.
Rabbit Mite Remedies
★★★★★
Steps:
1. I bathed her in Mane and Tail shampoo
2, I diluted apple cider vinegar with water and left it on her for 15 mins
3. I poured buttermilk on her and left it for 15 mins
4. Combed her with a flea comb
5. Fur mites are gone
Belly Massage for Rabbits
★★★★★
Belly Massage for Rabbits
Ear Mites
We have build a rabbit farm in Mae Sod whose sole purpose is to feed rabbit meat to the orphans on the Thai/Myanmar border. Most if not all of the orphans suffer from Protein deficiency which affects their growth and learning ability. We now have a major case of mites at the farm where we house over 3000 rabbits.
Any help and suggestions is appreciated. We need to try to take care of this situation in the barns (3) where the rabbits are raised.
Thank you so much. H.
That sure is a lot of rabbits!
My first inclination is to depopulate: cull and harvest as many animals as you can - this to lighten the work load for the treatment required to clean up three barns of bunnies. Pare down to your essential breeding stock and clean those up, along with the facilities and begin anew.
Ideally, if you could reduce or consolidate the population down to 2 barns, you could then put your efforts into sterilizing the empty barn. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized so that all parasites are destroyed and reinfection cannot occur. A fresh solution of one part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water sprayed on non-porous surfaces and allowed to sit wet for 10 minutes is effective. Another consideration is Oxine combined with Citric Acid - this can be used both as a spray or as a fogger. Once you have the facility sterilized you must clear out the infections in the rabbits before reintroduction or your work will be for naught.
There are several things you can do to clear out the infections in the rabbits; environmentally friendly ones are labor intensive and require repeated bathing of the infected animal - and require the infected animal to be in quarantine so as not to be reinfected during treatment. Injectable Vermectin/Ivermectin requires several injections and you must wait for 49 days before you can harvest that animal for food.
You don't state which kind of mite you have - ear mites may not require such drastic culling as I envision, and a simple carrier oil along with a miticide such as Vectin/ivermectin used in the ear until the mites are resolved might be the way to go.
Once you have your stock cleaned up you can introduce to the cleaned up barn and then start all over again with barn 2, and then again with barn 3. It is essential that staff handling the rabbits do not cross contaminate the barn by going from infected barn to clean barn; ideally staff would change clothing completely before entering the clean barn.
I strongly urge you to work with a local veterinarian - they can best advise with eyes on your actual set up and assist with obtaining the necessary medication in volume if needed.
Ban Nuea Veterinary Clinic Address: Inthara Khiri Rd., Mae Sot, Tak
Veterinary Clinic Address: Highway 12, Mae Sot, Tak
Mae Sot Livestock Address: Mae Sot-Mae Tao Rd., Mae Sot, Tak
Si Phanit Veterinary Clinic Address: Si Phanit Rd., Mae Sot, Tak
Ear Mites
MY bad - you DID state it was ear mites in your title line, and my eyes just didn't pick it up!
The most basic treatment of ear mites is oil in the ear - of any type. The idea being the oil smothers the mites. So flooding the ears with olive oil, mineral oil, etc. should work towards this effect. The life cycle of the mite is 21 days, so you would need to treat each animal a couple of times a week for up to 4 weeks - in addition to sterilizing the living quarters. An over the counter product campho-phenique often works with only 1 application. Honey mixed with warm water and applied twice daily for the first week, and then every two days for the next 2 weeks [so total of 21 days treatment/full life cycle of the mite] is also effective and non-toxic, although the bunnies will be very sticky around the neck with this treatment and may require bathing or cleaning up every few days if you go this route.
it must be said that any bunny who gets infected with mites of any sort is sending the message that something is not right; you may need to increase the quality of the rations you feed your rabbits to provide more vitamins, or more sunlight, and so on.
Good luck with this noble endeavor!
Ear Mites
Eye Infections
Eye Infections
Anyone have a similar problem with their rabbit, and how did you treat it?
He was eating fine before he went to the vet, but now seems to be decreasing his intake. He's had blockages before, and we used the syringe technique with pumpkin puree, pineapple juice and gatorade. Would it be best to give him fruit juices (like apple and pineapple, his favorites) to get some fluids in him as he is not eating as much as he normally does?
It seems to me when rabbits stop eating it's very serious and usually means they are quite ill.
Any help would be great! Thank you.
Eye Infections
Also you want to make sure that if they are not eating they are getting electrolytes. The last thing you need is for them to get dehydrated. We use to use a little gatorade mixed in the water just a teaspoon or two in a bowl of water every few hours until they were drinking normally. Also I would consider allowing the animal to have a few snacks that it likes just be aware not to over do it because it could get in the habit to refuse to go back to not eating any normal grain and too much electrolytes (from water and favorite treats) can make it have diarrhea. But a good balance is the key!
Eye Infections
Mange Remedies
Mange Remedies
Flea Remedies
Flea Remedies
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Critical Care, Pumpkin
I had given the bunny some sorghum before (trimmed off any mildewed leaves, of course) which has been growing under my bird feeder for the last few years. And she loves it---so I figured, after all the advice I read here, "Why not?". It's a grain, she seems to love the entire plant, fresh or dried. And guess what? It worked (comfortably, it appeared) within an hour of giving her some (1 stalk, freshly cut, with the seed heads attached).
I will now be growing it in my garden, so some is always on hand fresh or dry, for situations like this again.
Seeds can be purchased very cheaply from major farm seed suppliers. And a little bit goes such a long way.
Critical Care, Pumpkin
Gem x
Echinacea
★★★★★
Pumpkin
Ear Infections
Ear Infections
Ear Infections
Ear Infections
Ear Infections
Ear Infections
My rabbit has an ongoing ear infection. No mites. It's in his inner ear. He has been on four different antibiotics and I really don't like giving him antibiotics. The last antibiotic I gave him caused seizures. Is there a natural remedy for him that I can give to help his ear infection or do you have anything there?
