Little Pips - Injured, possibly very badly, possibly not.

There was an accident this morning that was entirely my fault due to carelessness.

I went about this morning to care for the rabbits and noticed the floor of the hutch area was just covered in mulberries, AGAIN. (I just cleaned them out yesterday) so I grabbed the broom and after feeding and watering everyone I went to town sweeping them into piles. I figured, I might as well let the littles down to run around while I cleaned up, they could use the exercise and they were SO DARN CUTE asking for attention. So I pulled them all down and they ran around happily, not even caring about the big bad broom sweeping around.

Well the dogs were out in the yard, and since I hadn't originally decided to pull any rabbits down to the exercise area I didn't make certain the gate was latched. It was closed visually but apparently it wasn't closed enough for a small rabbit to not be able to squeeze out. I heard a scuffle right outside the gate and whipped around to see Gaea carrying something black in her mouth. I raced out there as fast as I could, charged Gaea snarling my loudest until she dropped the bunny and tucked tail. Pips was able to run, slowly, to hide in the shed until I scooped him up. I put up the other littles and then hurriedly went into the house with Pips.

He never made a sound through any of it.

He was bleeding from a puncture under his left eye (eye appears to be fine) and was slobbery around his left front side. I truly got lucky that I saw it so quickly, another millisecond and Gaea would have shook, breaking his backbone. She is very well known for dispatching small animals, and quickly. From mice and squirrels to opossums, cats and small dogs (all of which found their way into our backyard, stupid, stupid dogs) I truly cannot believe Pips is in such good shape as he is... but I really fear for internal damages.

It's been two hours since the incident and here are my findings. He can walk / hop around seemingly without pain, I can pick him up and he doesn't show signs of pain, he hopped out of the pet carrier, a little around part of the room, then hopped up into my lap. He is pooping, and has eaten a little bit of rolled oats and has tried to eat some dandelion leaves.

Issues: He's having trouble chewing, he really wants to eat those dandelions but is having a very hard time biting any off. I checked his mouth and everything appears fine? At least his two front teeth look great, I couldn't really get him to hold still and look better at anything else. He exhibited pain when trying to chew the rolled oats, or at least I assume it was pain, he was moving his head around a good bit. Also when he lays on my lap he will turn his head to lay it on his injured side, I assume it's because it's bothering him.

Also.... I have been hearing noises from his belly region. I believe more than normal. I worried he may have a punctured lung causing crackling noises. Hard to pinpoint and it's not constant. Comes and goes. He doesn't seem to be having any trouble breathing. Again, he has hopped around and it looks like he's not hurting when he does. If he had internal injuries or a punctured lung would he be able to do this? He's definitely not acting 100%, but more around 60-70%? How can I determine if anything inside is wrong??

I am mixing up some formula right now to see if he'll eat/drink some of that. I just threw out some last night thinking, "I'll never need this."

What about anything for the pain, any suggestions? As far as weeds at my disposal I have access to everything in this facebook album , can any of it help?

Any suggestions would be appreciated, I do not think it is urgent.......... but I don't know. I know we're keeping Della Rose, but Pips had been my favorite for quite some time and I cannot believe I was so stupid this morning.

EDIT: Headed to the store for goats milk, apparently what I threw out last night was all I had. Figures. Anything to pick up at the drug store???

I am so sorry Crazy!!! Maggie might be a better source then myself but Willow is a natural anti-inflammatory and pain reliever.

Thank you Sagebrush! I know where to find willow 3 hours east but I'm not sure where to find Willow around here... wait... I might actually! I'll give that a shot, thank you so much!! Worth a shot!

Mixed up the formula, and went to sit down in front of the carrier with the normal, "Hay bunny baby! Are you hungry? Hello!" I figured normal noises and regular routine might help and he hopped up to the carrier door. I let him out and he hopped onto my lap, seemingly eager for formula. I got the dropper and... "This? Nah." They weaned themselves a few days ago by declining the formula. Apparently that rule was still instated.
Pips even sat in his hind legs and cleaned himself a little and proceeded to lick my arm like normal. He's dozing on my lap right now.

What I don't think is normal is the amount he is pooping, seems excessive. Also I'm still hearing sounds from his midsection. Goodness I hope he's fine, but if he is fine that'd be a downright miracle.

So sorry Pips got hurt. I'm sure you're busy kicking yourself into next week.

I don't know any way you can tell if there are internal injuries--or what you could do for them if there are. I don't think he would hop around voluntarily like that if there was anything severely wrong inside. He may have some bruising though.

It sounds as though he is finding it difficult to chew, probably because of the pain around the puncture. If you can find a diagram of a rabbit's facial muscles you may be able to figure out the exact problem. I'd take some rolled oats and put them in the blender and then add goat's milk so he gets a slurry he can drink. I can't remember if you feed them pellets, but if you do you could add a few of them to the slurry too. You could even hand-feed it if needs be. If you added some dandelions or other greens to the blender, that might be good too.

I don't do Facebook, so can't see what weeds you have to work with. Yarrow and plantain are both supposed to be good for wounds, or you could go with an antibiotic ointment. If the puncture doesn't get infected, it will probably heal just fine.

If I think of anything else, I will add it.

Keep us updated. :clover: :clover: :clover:

Edited to add: Sagebrush's suggestion of some willow twigs is excellent. Pain relief is from the inner bark. I believe the poplar family also have similar properties. You can make a tea from the inside bark if he can't chew it.

Kicking myself into next week is a pretty decent description. I never let the littles down with the dogs in the yard purely for this reason! They are small and can slip through small areas. Even though they hadn't yet doesn't mean I should tempt fate. So not only did I break one of my basic rules there, I made sure there was a spot to slip out. I mean I have these requirements for a reason! This reason! Okay. Sorry. I'll do all my kicking silently. Murphy's law man.

See I wouldn't think he'd hop around as easily as he has been either if something was really wrong inside, bruising would make sense and maybe the act of being squeezed so tightly by her jaws has caused his bowels to release a lot more than normal right now after the attack? I'm going to cross my fingers for bruising.

I am leaning more towards him finding it difficult to chew due to the head injuries, in fact I think his head has swelled a little. He just jumped down to nibble on some oats and try the dandelion again so I'm going to use this chance to go grab some willow if it's there and some plantain. They are in the same area. I'll do the blender suggestion for sure. Plantain is good topical and I do feed it to the buns, is there benefit internally for the wound?

Thank you guys a ton!

Extra Info:

The pain-reliever in willow and poplar bark is similar to that found in aspirin. You can use aspirin for rabbits if it becomes necessary for pain, but it might be problematic if there is internal bleeding.

Some information from MediRabbit.com:

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medicati ... gesics.htm

Re: plantain internally. It will help in cases of diarrhea but at the same time will not cause constipation. It may also help if there is a bit of internal bleeding (they used to use it on wounds) but I really am not sure of this. It wouldn't hurt, in any case.

Tea from the inside bark? Is there any fear of an overdose? Asking just in case because I can whip up some bark tea and put it in his water bottle after cooling.

Striking out on the willow, it's not where I originally hoped but I've got another spot.

If you can't find the willow you might try feeding him prickly lettuce. It has some properties similar to poppies except in a much lesser form. It can help with pain and has a very slight sedative effect.

Okay, just got back from traipsing around in the snake lands, lol, "So my bunny is hurt and I got bit by a water moccasin. Excellent." But I think I found willow! It looks different than the willow I am used to seeing down in SE Oklahoma in the creek beds so I wanted to show y'all to confirm before I fed it. EDIT: I believe it to be Salix nigra, black willow.

Thanks Alforddm! We do have that in the backyard I believe.

-- Sun May 07, 2017 1:45 pm --

Well he was happy about SOMETHING I brought back.. he went to town licking my salty arm, lol.

I felt him over more and did a rib comparison and I do think there is something wrong with his ribs on his left side. One of them feels bent inwards instead of outwards like normally. I assume a tooth depressed it. He may be young enough where his bones are still soft so it didn't actually break (again, he exhibited no discomfort as I felt around his ribs, just continued licking my arm) but that one rib definitely feels different than the bones on same side, and the bones on the opposing side. He wasn't in a funny pose to cause distortion either when I was feeling him.

Again, hopped right out of the carrier and then up onto my knees (I was kneeling, not sitting, so my lap was angled) without difficulty.

I'm sorry for your bun, but it does sound like he's bruised more then anything. Younglings heal quickly so do your best to help him out as you are and good luck to both of you. I know nothing about plants so I can't help sry x.x

To the very best of my knowledge, that willow is safe to feed rabbits. I've often fed willow branches by the armful to my rabbits as a food with no ill effects.

I've always believed it is best to let the rabbit self-medicate if possible. Try stripping the bark a little so he can get the smell and perhaps he will eat some. I believe the leaves are also medicinal, just less so. If you must make tea of it, I'd use the bark from maybe two twigs six inches long to start.

If you end up not using all the willow, it can be air-dried for future use. Just tie it in bundles and hang it out of the sun in a well-ventilated place. You can also put it in water like flowers in a vase to keep it fresh for some time. It may even root!

I'd forgotten about prickly lettuce's soporific effects. The botanical name is Lactuca serriola if you need to confirm identification. Ladysown often uses it for buns with digestive problems.

http://commonsensehome.com/prickly-wild-lettuce/

Well he hated the slurry but is working on eating the rolled oats instead even though it's tough for him. Stubborn boy. I made the tea but haven't given it to him yet, gosh it's bitter... I added a little corn syrup to make it more palatable so now it's mildly sweet and bitter, lol. I'll grab a twig for him and strip it a bit so hopefully he'll nibble, but with how difficult things appear with the oats I'm not too sure he'll be that interested in something even harder.

I do feel good about his chances though, when he got off my lap to try some more oats I used it as an excuse to go check on the willow tea and he chase after me! "Wait, warm lap, I wasn't done with you! Come back!" Oh Pips.

Again, thank you everyone for your suggestions.

It doesn't sound like he's in much pain, except when trying to eat. If he even nibbles the willow bark or takes a small amount of the tea, it should be enough. Once my knees were very painful from osteoarthritis -- I was out of aspirin and the car was in the shop -- so I sent my son to bring me some bark from our weeping willow. I peeled off the outer bark and chewed a piece of the softer inner bark like chewing gum - about 1" x 1.5". Very, very bitter - but effective, fast relief. I don't think bunnies mind about bitterness as much as we do, or they wouldn't eat it so enthusiastically when other foods are available.

I doubt if his rib is completely broken. From what I've seen when butchering fryers, the ribs are quite flexible and while it may have been damaged I doubt it has punctured a lung or he wouldn't be hopping around. It will probably heal on its own, though it may not be perfectly formed like the others.

I'm optimistic about his chances for a full recovery.

He's getting so much hoppier as the day progresses! :bunnyhop: I think you're right Maggie, I think he's going to be just fine. Strangely enough. This is really weird that he's so fine after what happened... Gaea's never not killed anything she got her jaws on. I'm downright shocked Pips doesn't have more punctures on his body from the initial grab. I think he probably didn't struggle much, if any, being so used to being picked up and moved, and not expecting anything to hurt... he probably froze and that probably saved his life. If he struggled she would have bit down hard. That's the only explanation I can come up with, it's really odd to me that he's okay!

Oh, the weird sounds coming from his midsection, the crackling and other odd noises I haven't heard since I came back with the willow, it must have just been from his insides being smushed around and everything worked itself out?

He's definitely tried to eat some of the willow, but he hasn't actually succeeded in doing so. I guess even though the willow leaves are "softer" the oats are easier to eat because they crumble easier? While the leaves try to stay together. I added drops of the willow tea on top of the oats and not only does it make the oats softer, it gets that willow tea into his system. So far he's eaten maybe 4-5 of them so yeah!


Here's his poor little head, pictures from my phone so they aren't the greatest, but you can see the puncture right under his eye and above the dried blood. I had cleaned it off initially but it kept bleeding for a little while.


And this is just humorous... He was snoozing on my lap so I grabbed my water cup, took a drink and set it down. Apparently it piqued his interested because he stood up, craned his little neck over at it, hopped down and tried to investigate. I tipped it over so he could see it was just boring water and he decided he was thirsty. Thanks Mom. :x


I think we're going to be okay. He even tried to climb on top of the carrier and then looked at me for help. So I helped him up so he could explore and then back down. Seriously acting like normal except for trying to eat. He keeps at it, and is currently trying the dandelion again but not making much progress with the greens.

Sounds like he's doing quite well.

Maybe if you chopped a bit of willow very finely (inner bark and a few leaves) he'd be able to get a bit of it down. Once he has some painkiller in his system, he might tackle eating seriously.

The way he was licking your arm earlier makes me wonder if he's craving salt. If your rabbits don't get pellets, they need a trace mineral salt block. I used the reddish brown ones that are for general livestock - about $3 for a 4-pound block at a feed store and they last for ages. Just knock small chunks off with a hammer if you are distributing it among several cages.

They get pellets, that's their main source of food, supplementing with greens and some oats, but mainly pellets. They've always licked my arm, it's a daily ritual, lol, I think it started with tasting formula on me (from their own chins...) and it's just become a normal occurance. I have thought about a salt lick before but read that it wasn't necessary.

You're right, the salt and trace minerals are included in the pellets. I didn't realize this was usual behaviour for your young'uns, and I recalled another instance where someone's bunnies licked them and then quit when provided with a trace mineral salt block. So just thought I'd mention it.

I am so very glad to hear that Pips is doing better!! DH had the computer all day yesterday since it was his day off. So after he went to work I jumped on to see how he is doing. I knew that Maggie would be a better source for you! SO much good info.

Like I told Nymph earlier, he’s doing okay today. I checked on him this morning and unfortunately I wouldn’t say he’s any better. He’s not worse, but I was hoping for better. He definitely hopped over to the gate to be let out, and then hopped up into my lap easily. I’m studying for finals this week so I got up early and took my books into the bedroom and he snoozed on my lap while I poured over the textbook. Later he did a flop in my lap so he must not have been feeling too terrible. Maybe it was just early, it was 5am, lol. I wasn’t moving around too fast either. Also, I figured the second day after an injury is worse than the first, things are now REALLY sore and could contribute to his moving a little slower and not eating much. He was just sort of thin which worried me. I grabbed him some tasty greens from outside, filled up his water and added some willow tea to the bottle so maybe I can trick him into taking a pain killer, lol, and then left for class. When he did move around it looked like normal, I think the main thing is the eating. My husband did tell me about an hour ago that when he checked on Pips at 9am it looked like he ate a good bit of his oats. So here’s to hoping! I’m trying not to worry while I’m out, as worrying isn’t going to help anything.

He’s a strong little guy, as long as nothing is messed up internally he really should be fine.

When I get home after the final this evening I'll probably try to feed him the slurry mix again and the goat milk formula to see if he's hungry enough to go for some liquid, but I guess we'll just have to see.

Thanks everyone!

He's probably feeling the soreness more today -- and tomorrow might not be much better. The main thing is to keeping him eating and drinking.

Fingers and toes crossed for him! (Any idea how difficult it is to type with your fingers crossed? :lol: )