Injured/Sick Rabbit(s) - Needing Input

Sunshine Rabbits said:

I have two sick/injured rabbits. One lionhead buck, and a harlequin doe (currently nursing a litter of 9, too young to wean).

I think buck has head tilt/wry neck and I'm wondering if there's any way I can treat that relatively low cost, since I can't afford to bring either of them to a vet.

The doe is pretty thin, and her tail is messy. Her stomach droops in one spot.

I can send pictures if that would be helpful.

Anyways, I'm looking for any helpful advice you guys may have.

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Alaska Satin said:

Wry neck can be caused by a number of things but the parastite E. cuniculi is a common one. There are a few threads on RT that discuss the infection, symptoms and possible treatments, listed on this thread:
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/head-tilt.37440/#post-363690

It sounds like the doe may have coccidiosis, enteritis or even mastitis, depending on what you mean by "drooping stomach."

Coccidiosis is an infestation of coccidia bacteria. It comes in two forms, hepatic and intestinal. Common signs of hepatic coccidiosis are weight loss/boniness, listlessness and a big bloated-looking belly (some people think the rabbit is "fat" but if you touch the rabbit you'll feel its spine and hips). Frequently you will find the rabbit sitting with its front feet in the water bowl; if you pick it up and shake it gently back and forth, you might hear a sloshing sound. Coccidiosis is usually treated with Corid (amprolium).

Mastitis is an infection of a mammary gland and often produces a warm/hot lump at one or more of the teats, which might be what you see as her stomach drooping in one spot. Feel the area and if it's mastitis it will be firm/hard and very warm, usually also reddened. If it's mastitis it may be passed to the kits, so you wouldn't want to foster them to another doe.

Enteritis is a catch-all term for a gut ache caused by a messed-up microbiome. It can come from several causes and is tricky to treat, but first approach is to provide a lot of clean hay - change it out often - plus lots of clean water. Dry-Tail for hamsters (neomycin sulfate) sometimes helps, as well as probioitics (Benebac or similar).

All of these things - and she may have more than one - can arise during periods of stress, which raising a litter is. More detailed descriptions and photos mght be helpful.

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Sunshine Rabbits said:

Pictures & weights. The doe's normal weight is around 8-9 lbs, the buck around 2-2 1/2 lbs. Gave them both plenty of hay this morning. Doe is very thin.

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Sunshine Rabbits said:

Pictures & weights. The doe's normal weight is around 8-9 lbs, the buck around 2-2 1/2 lbs. Gave them both plenty of hay this morning. Doe is very thin.

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Alaska Satin said:

The buck's weights seems okay, but since it looks like his eye might be involved - another symptom of E. cuniculi - I'd start the buck on Safeguard (fenbendazole) paste, a very small pea-sized blob in his mouth. Rabbits often like it, as it's apple-flavored. But if he resists, you can just smear it on his mouth and inside his front legs and he'll groom it off and ingest it that way. I've not had a lot of luck with curing bucks but sine he's still with you he might come around. I know @RabbitsOfTheCreek has a little buck that has lived quite a long time with pretty severe head tilt. But I'd try fenbendazole just the same, since it might help, and I've not heard of it hurting a rabbit.

The doe looks like she might be in pretty dire straits. I don't see a huge coccidiosis belly, and I can't tell from the photo what the issue is with her stomach, but that is one thin bunny, way too emaciated to be explained just by nursing kits (and that wouldn't cause a messy tail). If possible I'd get her on Benebac or another probiotic, even try plain yogurt with no additives if you can't find an herbivore probiotic gel or paste. I'd also supplement her with Critical Care, which is a powdered nutritional aid you can often find in pet stores. When rabbits are off their feed, they sometimes don't want to eat it, so you can try mixing it up pretty thinly and putting small amounts at a time in her mouth with a syringe. I'd also offer her anything you know she likes or might like - sunflower seeds, bits of apple, fresh grass or kale, chickweed, dandelion leaves or flowers, wild plantain - anything to get her eating again. If you have access to willow bushes or willow trees, gave her several branches with leaves; willows have a substance that is a natural pain-killer and rabbits can use them to self-medicate. I wouldn't necessarily take her bunnies away, but make sure they have hay, pellets and fresh clean water they can reach, since this doe probably isn't providing a whole lot in terms of nutrition for them at this point.

You said she has a messy tail - is it diarrhea (dark brown and super liquidy, all over the cage) or is it perhaps uneaten cecotropes, or just lack of cleaning? Is her belly hot where it's bulging, or is there a hard lump somewhere, or is it soft and just sagging? Can you tell if she's eating or drinking at all?

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RABBITGIRLFORTHEWIN said:

Give the doe lots of food and water, kits can take a lot from a doe. What are you feeding? How old are the kits?

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Alaska Satin said:

The buck's weights seems okay, but since it looks like his eye might be involved - another symptom of E. cuniculi - I'd start the buck on Safeguard (fenbendazole) paste, a very small pea-sized blob in his mouth. Rabbits often like it, as it's apple-flavored. But if he resists, you can just smear it on his mouth and inside his front legs and he'll groom it off and ingest it that way. I've not had a lot of luck with curing bucks but sine he's still with you he might come around. I know @RabbitsOfTheCreek has a little buck that has lived quite a long time with pretty severe head tilt. But I'd try fenbendazole just the same, since it might help, and I've not heard of it hurting a rabbit.

The doe looks like she might be in pretty dire straits. I don't see a huge coccidiosis belly, and I can't tell from the photo what the issue is with her stomach, but that is one thin bunny, way too emaciated to be explained just by nursing kits (and that wouldn't cause a messy tail). If possible I'd get her on Benebac or another probiotic, even try plain yogurt with no additives if you can't find an herbivore probiotic gel or paste. I'd also supplement her with Critical Care, which is a powdered nutritional aid you can often find in pet stores. When rabbits are off their feed, they sometimes don't want to eat it, so you can try mixing it up pretty thinly and putting small amounts at a time in her mouth with a syringe. I'd also offer her anything you know she likes or might like - sunflower seeds, bits of apple, fresh grass or kale, chickweed, dandelion leaves or flowers, wild plantain - anything to get her eating again. If you have access to willow bushes or willow trees, gave her several branches with leaves; willows have a substance that is a natural pain-killer and rabbits can use them to self-medicate. I wouldn't necessarily take her bunnies away, but make sure they have hay, pellets and fresh clean water they can reach, since this doe probably isn't providing a whole lot in terms of nutrition for them at this point.

You said she has a messy tail - is it diarrhea (dark brown and super liquidy, all over the cage) or is it perhaps uneaten cecotropes, or just lack of cleaning? Is her belly hot where it's bulging, or is there a hard lump somewhere, or is it soft and just sagging? Can you tell if she's eating or drinking at all?

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Sunshine Rabbits said:

Where could I get the safeguard paste?

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Sunshine Rabbits said:

It's dark brown, I have wire flooring so it mixes with everything below the cage bottom so I'm not sure. Her tail was dry but dirty when I checked. It's not a hot bulge, I felt it this morning to make sure. no hard lump, just soft & sagging. She drinks, and I'm not sure if she eats her pellet mix or not. She did nibble the hay I gave her, though.

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