# Very Skinny (bones visible) Rabbit



## daisyandoliver (Feb 10, 2013)

*R.I.P*

So good news this isn't my rabbit. 

He is a New Zealand rabbit. Not sure of age at all. Male and not neutered. He came from Canada about a year ago from a shower/breeder. He is my boyfriends rabbit because my boyfriend shows and he needed a good looking male to breed. Well as of recently he is getting very skinny fast. I noticed it today when i helped feed. He looks unhealthy in general. I pet him and could completely feel his shoulder bones, spine, ribs, everything. He eats all of his food and drinks all of his water. His one back leg looks limp and when I touch it it feels like its sideways. He doesn't notice when I touch it though. Well my boyfriend at the moment doesn't make enough money to take him to the vet and his parents wont help. So I'm going to take him to the vet to try and see whats wrong. But then I'll need to find him a home. So my question is does anyone have an idea what could be wrong? And does anyone know what I could do to find him a home afterward if he is saveable.


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## erinmoveit (Feb 10, 2013)

Bump

Post it in the "rescue me" section of the forum


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 10, 2013)

I will, thanks.  Also if anyone has any ideas what could be wrong it would be appreciated.


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## Spock (Feb 10, 2013)

I'm fairly new to rabbits, but have lots of experience with other animals. It sounds like it could possible be a heavy load of worms.

Either way, get the poor boy to a vet.


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## majorv (Feb 10, 2013)

That was my first thought - advanced case of some type of internal parasite/worms


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## LakeCondo (Feb 11, 2013)

Do you mean he eats & drinks a lot more than usual?

Take him to vet asap & charge it. I don't think this can wait.


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## roxyllsk (Feb 11, 2013)

I'd say worms too.

I got my first rescue bunny about 8 years ago (well I found him outside my office, cold, wet, and skinny as anything). He had fleas and ear mites on top of that. 

My friend who is a small animal vet and runs an unofficial rabbit rescue told me to use kitten flea treatment (I used frontline) for the fleas, and put ivermectin horse wormer on his ears for the mites (just a small amount). Then in 2 weeks repeat the ivermectin treatment. She said he will lick his ears and ingest some of the wormer which should also help with the worm problem. 

My boy started picking up weight within a few weeks and turned into a quite healthy and huge rabbit.

Anyway, def get him to your rabbit vet, but if it is indeed worms, it's fairly easily fixed.


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## JBun (Feb 11, 2013)

Just a warning. DO NOT ever use Frontline on a rabbit. The active ingredient is fipronil and it can cause seizures and death in rabbits.

Parasites can cause the weight loss, but also organs malfunctioning can also be a cause, and that would be something a vet would need figure out with xrays and/or testing.


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

The vet I go to doesn't do 'charge' and I don't know if there are any vets around that do. If anyone knows of any vets around Syracuse area or Cayuga County in New York it would be appreciated I'll look around.

And no he eats the same and drinks the same. They get fed a cup of food daily and hay.

We also dewormed him in the summer because he was loosing weight and he put the weight right back on. But my boyfriend isn't the one who has been feeding them his sister has because he was in sports, so he didn't know he was getting skinny again because his sister never said anything.


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## FreezeNkody (Feb 11, 2013)

Sounds like he's loaded with worms. Don't take me as a "debbie downer" or a Mean girl. But I think if people can't afford the correct care for animals they shouldn't have any. In my experience Rabbits have been the most expensive pet i've owned next to my horses.
I guess I don't get why people get animals and then think the min. to care for them is good enough =( Good luck hope all turns out well


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

They usually do have the money. Right now it is hard. His dad is working two jobs and my boyfriend has two jobs. They are working on it. They got him an he got sick shortly after, my boyfriend now wishes he didn't waste the money to buy him in the first place which is why he is willing to get rid of it. And at the end of this school year when we go off to college they are getting rid of all of the New Zealands because my boyfriend isn't taking them with him. Plus they are show rabbits they are not really their 'pets' they live in a heated barn outside. I helped deworm every one of them this summer so at least I am here to help if they need it yanno?

And right now I have $100 to my name and I need some of it for graduation stuff that needs to be paid now. So I am trying to find a vet now that does charging.


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## whitelop (Feb 11, 2013)

Why doesn't he just try to deworm him again? Or since he's so willing to "get rid" of him, just surrender to him to a rescue or shelter OR just have him put to sleep? That way he doesn't have to suffer being passed around from 'show' home to 'show' home. And put in a breeding program because he obviously isn't well. 

Have they checked the feed to make sure the feed doesn't have mold or anything in it? Have they checked the rest of the herd to make sure they haven't lost any weight either? Has his sister really been feeding him? Those would be the questions I would be asking. And I totally get that he's super busy with working and going to school and playing sports, but since these rabbits are his responsibility, he should have tried to get out there at least once a day to check the whole herd to make sure they were okay. 

Why don't you guys work on finding them all homes now? Before its crunch time and you have to "get rid" of them before you go off to college. 
Sorry this seems a little harsh, but its kind of hard to read this sort of thing. Like, put yourself on the outside and pretend you're not the one writing it and read it. It doesn't sound good at all.


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## hannah_biota (Feb 11, 2013)

Are you familiar with Care Credit? It's a credit card for healthcare only (vet included) with very generous limits, even if your credit is not great. It's also interest free if you pay on time. I have a great deal of comfort knowing that my pets will be taken care of no matter what my financial situation is at the time.


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## FreezeNkody (Feb 11, 2013)

A lot of vets won't "charge" I'm super sad for this bunny. Wish I was in NY again I would of taken him. I agree with everything Whitelop has said, because I thought the same thing. It almost seems as if you all think these poor bunnies are disposeable =( Again Good luck hope they all get great homes ASAP.


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

I'm 17 can I get care credit? And no where around here will take it if its sick. They won't take the healthy ones either. (We have tried. They all have to have either papers or all need Vet check up before they go and I can't afford like 10 rabbit check ups.) None of the others are skinny I checked yesterday. And i don't know who wants them. I was just going to have him try craigslist. I live in a small town no one wants a full grown new zealand. His sister feeds them because the other rabbits are Mini Rexes and are hers. 

But nevermind I'll figure something out with this rabbit, I'm pretty sure the vet in town will take it and find it a home she does it with cats.

P.S. He would get them all new homes now if he could. But no one wants them. So were trying.

I could possibly give them to my BOCES class in school or at least a few of them. We have a business starting with them.


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

I'm also sorry for making it sound as if I don't care. I'm trying. My family has a lot of animals to take care of or my dad could help me out with taking the rabbit to the vet but we need that money for ours. I try hard to help animals. I have 2 rabbits that are retired breeding bunnies of my own. I have been asking around if people want a rabbit to try and find homes but it is not working yet.


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## Nancy McClelland (Feb 11, 2013)

Sounds like parasites to us. Serena was very skinny when she came to us, but, it was just not enough food as she was an abandoned bunny we rescued. She's now over 19 pounds.


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## LakeCondo (Feb 11, 2013)

I know you care, Paige. It's your boyfriend & family who don't care enough. I'd check with that vet who takes cats. She may be able to suggest options.

It seems anyone can get credit these days, but it takes time, which I don;t think you have for this situation.


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

My boyfriend cares or he wouldn't let me help. He helped me pay for Oliver's appt when he was coughing and sneezing. If he had the money right now he would pay. He is trying to find them homes he always asks people if they want a rabbit, he's gotten a few homes that way. He just recently got cut from working about 4-5 days a week to 1 every other week and he just got a new job recently to cover that. His family doesn't help him with anything they are the ones who told him when he was 10 he was going to show because his dad did it. Then they bought him rabbits. He didn't WANT to have this many. The rabbit that's sick his dad told him to buy it because it had a nice coat and would be good for breeding and paid for most of it. I don't want blame being put on my boyfriend either sorry. His parents Won't even take their dog to the vet and his butt is raw and hes skinny too. I've wanted to take the dog too. His parents can't take care of their kids let alone animals.

I'm going to call my vet in town and ask an estimated price.


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## majorv (Feb 11, 2013)

You could check with the vet first and describe symptoms, without paying for a visit. If she agrees with what we all suspect then I would worm him again, now. If it's that hard to find homes for them then I suspect noone will take a rabbit in his present condition.


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

No they won't. I guarantee. He gave 2 to my BOCES class and i think 1 or 2 to a friend. He's working on it.


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## tonyshuman (Feb 11, 2013)

This is a hard situation and I'm sorry you have to go through it. Dewormer is fairly inexpensive and can be bought at farm supply stores. Panacur (fenbendazole) is good for many worms.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Parasitic_diseases/Nem_gen/Nematodes.htm
Here is some dosing information:
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Anti_parasitics/safe_antiworms.htm

For the leg, it will need to be addressed when possible. I doubt the bunny will show well with a leg issue. If the funds aren't there, maybe a rescue group or the Humane Society can take him and give him the vet care he needs. He could do cage rest for a week and see if that improves it. It could be a skeletal deformity or a bone that broke and healed in the wrong orientation, though, and you can't do anything for those things other than change his housing to be better for a bunny with reduced mobility. I hope he has a solid floor to sit on? That would be helpful.


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## ladysown (Feb 11, 2013)

when you "worm" rabbits you need to be aware that worms have a 10 day cycle. Kill the adults/growers. then reworm 10 days later to kill anything that has emerged from eggs BEFORE they can lay new ones. So if he was only wormed once and was suffering from a worm overload it just gave him a break overall.

NOW... depending on the age of the rabbit they can develop issues as they mature. You might want to check his teeth, make sure his output looks normal.


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

Thank you, Ladysown. I didn't know that. 
Also I know my boyfriend has de wormer just not sure if he knows where it is.


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 11, 2013)

And Tonyshuman, thank you. They have wire bottom cages but they put a board in his except one corner so he can go to the bathroom. I hope to find him a good home.


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Feb 11, 2013)

Do you live near a Tractor Supply or another farm supply store? I would run there, if you can, and get some dewormer. I use Ivermectin, but some people use Panacur or Safeguard. The 1.87% Ivermectin paste is marketed for horses and comes in a tube for about $4.

My rabbits don't willingly take it, so you have to squish a small, pea-size amount into their mouth (or put on their lips and wait until they lick it up.) Dose him again in 7-10 days. Then wait another 7-10 days and dose again.

If the deworming helped before, the problem is likely parasites. But as mentioned, you have to treat more than once to get them in each stage of their lifecycle.

Hopefully that will help, and it's a cheaper solution than running to the vet, if that's not an option right now.


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## Sweetie (Feb 12, 2013)

I hope you can get this rabbit the help it needs. I know exactly how it is when a rabbit is sick and you don't have the funds to help it get better. My rabbit, Sweetie, got sick right after her bondmate, Prince, passed. I didn't have any funds to take her in to get help from the vet. She had ear mites, she was grinding her teeth. I went to Rabbit Haven and found out that her grinding her teeth was her feeling emotional pain because of losing her bondmate, but they could not help me with her having earmites, because they said that she didn't have them just because they couldn't see them. I knew full well that Sweetie had earmites, so I treated her with mineral oil for three weeks, the life cycle of the ear mite. 

Don't worry about people that say that people who cannot afford vet care for their animals shouldn't have them. I have had a person tell me the same thing when I posted about Sweetie having ear mites and grinding her teeth, and I was even called a bad bun parent. I know that I am not a bad bun parent because my rabbits are in to the vet every time they get sick. The reason why Sweetie didn't go to the vet is because I used up the care credit money that I had on Prince, I paid for Prince to be cremated and have his ashes with me. So please don't take any negativity personally.

You are a good bun parent and you are doing all that you can for this rabbit. I would say do the dewormer, since it did work last time. Is there something like a Rabbit Haven/Sanctuary around there that could help you get this rabbit healthy enough to be adopted out? They may even be able to take him and he could live there. Here in Bremerton, WA, there is a sanctuary in Sequim, WA and there is Rabbit Haven. Talk to Pipp/Sas about it, maybe there is something she can do.​


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 12, 2013)

I don't know of any sanctuary's around here. I stopped and got de wormer from TS. I'll be giving it to him tomorrow.


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## bad kelpie (Feb 16, 2013)

My chinchilla had giardia a few years back. On my vets approval, I gave her Safe Guard (panacur). It cured her, she got sick again. Treated her again, she got well again, then sick again. Finally, someone on a message board told me to follow up 3 weeks later with another treatment, becuase that's when the eggs from the last worms hatch and re-infest. So I treated her for 5 days then 3 weeks later, treated her for 5 more, and she was fine from then on. 

Since the initial worming helped the one time, I bet that's what happened. I hope you can get him better!


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## daisyandoliver (Feb 17, 2013)

He passed away the day I was going to take him to the vet. Friday. That was when I got paid but my boyfriend told me it had died. 

Right now we are working on trying to find the others homes.


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## majorv (Feb 18, 2013)

I'm sorry to hear that. Worms will eventually kill a rabbit if left untreated long enough.


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## Sweetie (Feb 21, 2013)

So sorry to hear that the rabbit passed. Hope you can find homes for the others. Just as a precaution though, before finding homes for the others, you might want to deworm them as well, as rabbits can pass along worms to each other.


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