# bunny got nose torn open



## SnowyShiloh (Nov 1, 2011)

Kerensa just got bitten badly on the face by Rory:







She was out of her cage and she got to Rory who is very rabbit aggressive. He gave Skyler a scar on his lip and bit Ned on the nose once too but this is definitely the worst he's done. We put a barrier around Rory's NIC cage when the other bunnies are out but I didn't this time because in the past he's been fine with Kerensa and the other girls. She hopped by his cage several times and sniffed him with no ill effects tonight but this time he attacked her little face through the bars. When I saw him try to get her through the bars of the cage I jumped up to intervene but it was too late. I feel soooo guilty! 

It's kind of hard to tell exactly what you're looking at in the picture but part of the front of her nose has been torn/bitten away from the back part, if that makes sense. There are no pieces of flesh missing. I'm gently pulling it open in the picture, if you don't pull it it stays mostly shut but looks weird. It was bleeding a good amount and she was gurgling blood a little bit (not in her lungs, just in her nostrils) and spraying it a little when she breathed out. I've been wiping the blood up with cotton balls and it's not really bleeding anymore.

What do I do now? How do I keep it clean? Does she need to go to the vet and get stitches or antibiotics or anything? Is it an emergency or can it wait until tomorrow? The bite on Skyler's mouth was just about as bad and I e-mailed pictures to the vet and she said it would heal on its own, which it did. I feel so guilty, imagine how much it must hurt to get your nose bitten like that :tears2:


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## Pipp (Nov 1, 2011)

Typical injury. Just keep it clean, put Betadine on it if you have some. 

It will heal on its own. 


sas :nurse:


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 1, 2011)

Pipp, thank you for the reply! I'm glad it isn't too terrible  We're going to the store to see if we can get some betadine. How should I apply it? How often? Do I need to worry about her ingesting it?


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## Pipp (Nov 1, 2011)

Betadine is more of a wash than an ointment, its the solution they smear all over you before they operate. Its an iodine, but painless. Just dab it on or squeeze a drop on to the area and dab off the excess. Let it dry. It's safe if she licks it. 

Just once or twice a day should do it. 

My posts won't show up with the photo, but here's the post of Radar, my first foster bunny almost seven years ago. He came to me with a nose that looked like a convertible top that got stuck midway. 

Never bothered him. (His ultimate respiratory issue was unrelated).

Here's the pics from his Bridge thread.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_post.php?post_id=689548
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_post.php?post_id=687030


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 1, 2011)

Radar was so darling! I hope Kerensa's nose heals normally. I love her little nose, it's so adorable. Skyler's scar on his lip from Rory had black fur growing out of it and it just added to his charm:


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 1, 2011)

Okay, I got the betadine and put it on her poor little nose. She didn't try to get away or anything which is a relief. Her nose looks really swollen


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## Bunnylova4eva (Nov 1, 2011)

Ohh poor bunny! I'll definitly keep her in my prayers! ray:When Taffy was a baby she tried to bite Jelly and so Jelly tried getting revenge and bit Taffers similarly. Except not nearly so bad.


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## funnybunnymummy (Nov 1, 2011)

Poor sweetie. I would try to get it stitched up so her nose isn't permamently deformed.

Don't feel too guilty, though. Accidents happen. :hug:

JMVHO

Rue


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## tonyshuman (Nov 1, 2011)

If your vet says it will heal on its own, the betadine is fine. You can ice it if it is swelling a lot and she'll let you.


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 1, 2011)

The vet clinic gave me their e-mail address and said the vet can look at the pictures later. She is in surgery all day today so wouldn't be able to see Kerensa. Hopefully she can sneak a peek at the pictures soon! I sent the picture I already posted as well as these two that show what her nose looks like now:











Look like swelling to you? She's acting normally so far. He bit her lip too but it's very mild compared to the nose chomp.


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## Nancy McClelland (Nov 1, 2011)

Doesn't look too bad. Just keep it clean and monitor it.


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## JadeIcing (Nov 1, 2011)

Looks fine I sent pics when it happened to Ringo. Vet said keep clean. He's never had an issue.


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## bunnychild (Nov 1, 2011)

I hope she is feeling betterray: I hate when rabbits are mean to each other willow cant play with lyle and yeti because they gang up on him


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## Bunnylova4eva (Nov 1, 2011)

Very cute pics of Kerensa~just thought I'd add that.


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 2, 2011)

Mia, isn't it funny that even when I'm showing her bitten and swollen little face she's still adorable? 

The vet got back to me and said it looks like it will heal fine on its own and to let her know if I have any questions or if it hasn't completely healed in 2 weeks. Yay!


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## Bunnylova4eva (Nov 2, 2011)

Yess, seriously adorable. Is she a holland lop? She looks like really similar to my bunny's sister, a holland lop.


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 2, 2011)

Ugh, the wound is infected! I didn't get a chance to check on it this morning because I was running late but as soon as I got home I looked. There's white pus oozing out and the fur around her nose is wet  I immediately called the vet and miracle of miracles, there was a space open at 2 pm tomorrow with our vet of choice (this NEVER happens!). I gently wiped the pus away with a q tip and then applied the betadine and I put a soft E collar on her that we got when Ned tore open his neuter stitches a couple of years ago because she was scratching at her nose  She is not very happy with the collar but hopefully the stress it induces won't cause as much damage as her scratching with her dirty nails. I'm about to clean her litter box and disinfect her cage again to try to cut down on germies. Anything else I can do until tomorrow?


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## Pipp (Nov 2, 2011)

More photos? 

I'd still say keep it clean with the Betadine and don't worry about a little bit of pus, there's bound to be some around the edges. 

If it's not a big swollen hot lump, it really should be fine. 


sas :clover:


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## Pipp (Nov 2, 2011)

oh, and esp. with the cone on, would be good to put on some triple antibiotic ointment or creme or neosporin or whatever you have.


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 2, 2011)

Pipp, right now it looks the same as the photos from yesterday because I wiped off the pus and put on the betadine. Her nose doesn't feel hot but it's definitely swollen like it was yesterday. The pus was white and thick and gooey. I guess there's a chance I'll cancel her appointment tomorrow morning if it looks better but probably not, I'll feel better if the vet looks at her. If I didn't take her in and it got worse and THE worst happened I would never forgive myself.


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## Pipp (Nov 3, 2011)

Absolutely no harm in having the vet take a look, they may have a better topical antibiotic ointment that what you already have. (Betadine is an antiseptic, not an antibiotic, so if it is truly infected you'll need both). 

But I'd still guess that cleaning it with the betadine and putting on the antibiotic ointment will clear it up by vet time. 

Hope so, anyway!


sas :clover:


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 3, 2011)

Pipp, you're right- as of this morning there's no pus. Her appointment is in 5 1/2 hours, I'll re-evaluate in a few hours.


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## SnowyShiloh (Nov 3, 2011)

We're back from the vet! I decided just to take her in for the peace of mind and because her nose was a tiny bit gooey again. The vet said it looks like it's healing well but is a tiny bit infected so Kerensa will be getting .8 mL of trimeth sulfa twice a day in addition to the betadine. The vet prescribed oral antibiotics instead of an ointment because we agreed Kerensa would probably lick or wipe off the ointment. Hopefully she gets all better now! And at $75 including meds that was pretty much the cheapest vet visit we've ever had. Kerensa was of course fawned over by everyone who encountered her because she's SOOOOO cute


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