Dehydration?

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Damani

Damani

Active member
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
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Location
Boulder, Colorado
Hello,
I'm a newby, excuse my ignorance. Here in Boulder County and most of the Front Range, we've been having unseasonably cold days. It was -10 F at sunrise today. I put one of those heated water bottles on my angora's cage last night, this morning it was frozen, as well as the regular bottle with the ball type tip. I have two sisters that I moved into a shed before the temperature dropped to freezing two days ago. Flopsy was all over the water and wouldn't let Mopsy drink. This morning Flopsy is busy eating carrot tops and Mopsy is moping. I brought her in the house, presented her with a traditional bottle, and she's not interested. I even dipped her mouth in a small bowl of water, she wouldn't drink. I used an eye dropper to squirt water in her mouth, she might have swallowed a few drops but still refusing food and water. I offered her a cabbage leaf, she didn't care about it, even bread--not interested. She has also developed a scab on her shoulder that wasn't there 3 days ago. It is crusty, about 1/2 long by 1/8 wide. What do I do?
 
How is her skin elasticity? If it doesn't return to normal when you pinch it, that's a problem with hydration. If it bounces back to place when you pinch it, then hydration isn't an issue.

I just had to deal with a severe case of dehydration, and he wouldn't bother with water at all, which worried me. I mixed rolled oats with warm water, and he sucked that back and started eating the oatmeal. I also bought pedialite, and gave him about 1/2 a cup every 2hrs. He would suck that back as soon as he realized it was there.

Good luck!
 
Wool block is like hairballs in cats, but rabbits can't vomit it up so it can cause a blockage. It is the buildup of fur in the stomach or digestive tract.

The link I provided above will give you ideas on how to treat and prevent it.
 
Hello Damani,
I hope this helps.

WOOL-BLOCK or HAIRBALL
Is caused by the rabbit ingesting too much fur during the cleaning process.

SYMPTOMS
Rabbit fails to eat and becomes listless. The stomach becomes taut, firm to the touch as the condition worsens. A quick response is essential if you are to save the rabbit.

TREATMENT
Regular grooming of normal furred rabbit and shearing of the wool on all fiber animals will go far in helping to prevent this condition. You can use Cat hairball remedy's. You can also use the enzyme papain or bromelain which is found in Pineapple and Papaya. Use the fresh fruit as the caning process kills the enzyme. You can also use Adolph's meat tenderizer [same enzyme] mixed with enough water to feed with a needless syringe.Give one to three times a day until rabbit returns to normal.

PREVENTION
you should provide grass-hay to the rabbits diet on a regular basis. At least two to three times a week.The long fiber keeps the hindgut working properly. You should see string of pearls [cling-ons] hanging from the cage floor. This is a sure sign that the hay [long-fiber] is doing it's job. Brush the cling-ons from the wire within twenty-four hours to aid in the prevention of coccidiosis.

Ottersatin.
 
My guess is your bunny isn't pooping either...I had one case that was bad enough she wouldn't eat the Pineapple or Papaya even though it is sweet. "Oh man, now what am I going to do?" A call to a breeder friend of mine for suggestions and here's what I did. Got a 1 ml. insulin syringe from a diabetic friend. (Pull off the needle and throw it away). Filled it with mineral oil from the medicine cabinet and squirt it down her throat. 8 hours latter "the earth began to move" but not a lot. Gave her another .5 ml. and in a few hours the dam broke. I was never so happy to clean a dirty hutch. :eek:

Note: The amounts I used were for a 21 pound adult doe Flemish Giant so you might want to cut this back a little for a smaller bun.

Good Luck with your bunny.
 
You may need to inject a bolus of water under the skin for her body to absorb. Other members know more about doing it, but as far as I know, you just fill a syringe with boiled, cooled water. Pull up some skin in a tent, and insert the needle. Pull back on the plunger to make sure you aren't in a blood vessel, then slowly inject the water.

:clover:
 

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