I Think My Rabbits Dying!!!!

[MariaRebeca]

My Rabbit is 11? years old , but I've only had her a year. I think she's blind.
The last few days I thought she had Diarrhea, because she's been pooping a lot but her poops are really tiny. I took her pellets and treats away last night, and gave her broccoli, kale, oats, grass, and strawberry leaves. I don't think she drank any water last night which is weird since she usually finishes it.
She also has a small wound on her hind leg and she's dragging it. We put Neosprin and Iodine on it but she seems to be lacking energy. I have no idea if she tripped or was attacked. There are lots of cats and possums in our neighborhood. Will she get rabies? I can't take her to the vet.

Ps, sorry I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place.

 

[MaggieJ]

MariaRebeca, I don't think it was a good idea to give "gassy" vegetables like kale and broccoli to a rabbit already suffering from digestive problems. In your message to me last evening, you said she had diarrhea . . . now you are saying many really small poops, which is sometimes indicative of wool block. The strawberry leaves and oats are fine to give her but, as I told you, she really needs "grass hay" to help her digestion. You can often get timothy hay (a kind of grass hay) at pet supply stores, if you don't have another source.

Water is vital. If she is not drinking, you may have to give her water with a syringe or eye dropper. Adding some electrolytes to the water would be a good idea. You'll find a good recipe in this thread:
homemade-electrolytic-solution-t14844.html

Any mammal can contract rabies through a bite or scratch from an infected animal. But since rabbits are prey animals, they are often attacked by carnivores wanting to eat them. Is there an outbreak of rabies in your area? If so, your risk of her contracting it is greater.

 

[MariaRebeca]

ok i took away her broccoli i think she started drinking a little bit but i put some electrolytic in her water just incase. She didn't really acknowledge me when i was putting food in her hutch

Is cabbage okay?

 

[MaggieJ]

Please don't give her cabbage right now. All of the brassicas (cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli etc.) can be hard for rabbits to digest. Healthy rabbits can adjust to eating these vegetables if they are introduced slowly, but a rabbit already ill could be made very sick by them.

She needs "grass hay". It is the one best food to give a rabbit that is having digestive problems. The kitchen oatmeal is fine too. You want to avoid any foods that would stress her digestive tract.

When you say she didn't acknowledge you, do you mean she was unconscious or that she just ignored your presence?

 

[MariaRebeca]

well she usually gets exited when she hears/sees me coming and kind of pounces on the hutch door because she knows i'll either coming to bring her food or let her out of her hutch. this time she just kind of sat there. her ears perked a bit and she checked her food tray after i left. <br /><br /> -- Thu May 14, 2015 12:00 pm -- <br /><br /> Is grass hay the same as timothy hay?

 

[Miss M]

Maggie is absolutely right... she mainly needs grass hay (as opposed to alfalfa or clover hay) and fluids right now. Adding the electrolytes is excellent.

Oatmeal is fine... you can also feed fresh pineapple or papaya, because the enzymes will help break down any wool block she has.

Do not feed brassicas (Maggie listed some of them) right now at all. If she makes it through this, then once she has been well for a while you can start introducing brassicas to her slowly. You must be careful with them, because the gas they produce in the gut can kill a rabbit. The rabbit has to be introduced to them very, very slowly, so it can build up the gut flora needed to safely eat them.

Is grass hay the same as timothy hay?

Timothy hay is one kind of grass hay. Bermuda, Coastal, Bahia, and Alicia are also grass hays. Timothy would be fine, and rabbits usually love it. It is usually pretty pricey in most of the country, but you can get a bag of it now and then get some less expensive hay later.

 

[MariaRebeca]

she consumed the pineapple pretty fast im going to stop by a pet store to get her hay

 

[Susie570]

You might want to put water close to her in a shallow bowl, so it's easier for her to reach. I'm glad she gobbled down the pineapple, it's a good sign that she's eating.

As others have said, give her as much timothy hay as she will eat. Make sure she has water where she can easily get to it. Give her old fashioned oatmeal. Best of luck.

 

[Zass]

Everyone has given great advice!!
You were right in thinking that her life was in danger. Rabbits are very delicate, and can die quite easily from dehydration after diahrea.

Once a rabbit has digestive problems like stasis or wool block, it can take long time to nurse them back to full health though, so make sure to pay close attention to how much she eats and drinks for several weeks, and try not to get too frustrated if she seems to relapse a bit after doing well for a few days.

Now about the leg injury.. Could you upload a picture? It would be easiest to address if we could get a good look at it.

 

[jeannie]

For wool block, I use flax seed oil ~ just a little bit by syringe.

 

[MariaRebeca]

sorry it took me so long to reply. She's eating fine I got her to drink a bit, but I'm not sure she's drinking much on her own. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow shes kinda mad at me for forcing her to drink. I let her hop around a bit and her balence is better but still easily tipped over

 

[Miss M]

I am so glad to hear she's doing better! :clap: Keep up the good work!