# Upper respiratory infection - Orbax?



## nicksmom (Apr 22, 2012)

My son gave his 3 month old Holland Lop Dwarf bunny a bath Wednesday night. When we came home Thursday night he was making noises when breathing. I carried him to the vet Friday - by this time he was sneezing. They diagnosed him with a upper respiratory infection. We came home with liquid Orbax. The bottle says 30Mg/Ml. He is taking 0.2 cc's twice a day. He has had a dose Friday night. 2 doses Saturday and a dose this morning. When should be see an improvement. He is not eating and just lays around. He is drinking some pedialyte. He weighed 2.2 lbs at the vet.


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## ZRabbits (Apr 22, 2012)

It does take a bit for bunnies to bounce back after administering meds. Neville's Wry neck got worse before it got better. It took about a month to fully level out. 

You really need to get your bunny to eat. Have you any critical care? I was fortunate that Neville didn't stop eating, though just hay. We grow wheat grass and was a big help to stimulate Neville to eat and also to settle his tummy. 

Hoping your bunny is feeling better soon. 

K


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## nicksmom (Apr 22, 2012)

Poor bunny is snotty, sneezy and just miserable. I feel so bad for him. I do not have any oxbow critical care. I had never heard of it before your post. From what I am reading it looks like you can just get it from your vet - is that correct? I will call in the morning and see if they have it. Is there anything else I can do but just wait?


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## Watermelons (Apr 22, 2012)

Yes you can get critical care from the vet.
In the mean time, take the bunnys pellets and some water with a bit of apple juice and blend it up to make a thick slurry to syringe feed until you can get some critical care. This bunny needs to eat.

Keep the room the bunnys in warm, but not too warm. 

Baths and bunnys just dont go well together.


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## ZRabbits (Apr 22, 2012)

*nicksmom wrote: *


> Poor bunny is snotty, sneezy and just miserable. I feel so bad for him. I do not have any oxbow critical care. I had never heard of it before your post. From what I am reading it looks like you can just get it from your vet - is that correct? I will call in the morning and see if they have it. Is there anything else I can do but just wait?


I found "Critical Care" at my Pet Store. You don't need to order this from a Vet. I would look to see if you can find it at a Pet Store. Don't blame the bunny, I can't eat when I feel like that too. But you really need to encourage him to eat. A bunny needs to eat constantly to keep their digestive system going and healthy. 

I would also give a call to the Vet tomorrow, and ask about his/her opinion on it and any other suggestions on getting your bunny to eat. 

K


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## Djakarta (Apr 22, 2012)

Here's a link to a video on You Tube that shows how to mix critical care and how to syringe feed a rabbit:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg[/ame]

The tip of the syringe is placed in the gap between the molars and the front teeth. When the syringe tip is in place, most bunnies will begin to chew, so squirt slowly while the bunny is chewing. Don't place the syringe deep into the mouth or squirt too quickly, or the bunny could aspirate.

If you don't have critical care, you can soak rabbit pellets to soften them and make a similar consistency.

If you don't have a syringe, you may be able to ask for one at a pharmacy or find a curved tip monoject syringe at a craft store (like Michael's). Here's a picture of the curved tip syringe:

http://www.vetdepot.com/syringe-12-cc-curved-tipped-monoject-one.html

The tip is quite narrow, so you would need to cut it back about half way.

You can also syringe feed baby food- plain carrot or squash work well. Make sure that it is just plain carrots or squash- no sweeteners or additives.

Plain canned pumpkin can also be syringe fed. Make sure it is plain pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie mix.

You can also offer the baby foods and pumpkin in a bowl. 

Crushed basil can sometimes act as an appetite stimulant. You can chop fresh basil coarsely and crush it between your fingers a bit. Offer the basil itself, some bunnies will eat the basil. Even if the bunny doesn't eat the basil, often the smell will make them perk up a bit and look for food, so offer him some of his favorite greens along with the basil.

When my bunny had a URI, I would put him in his carrier and bring him into the bathroom while I took my shower. The steam would act as a decongestant and allow him to breathe more easily. It's important to keep the shower fairly short, you don't want the bunny to overheat.


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## nicksmom (Apr 22, 2012)

Thank You for the links and the advice. I am going to call the vet 1st thing in the morning for the critical care. I made a slurry of pellets and pedialyte. The first attempts before I watched the video resulted in me being covered in slurry. After watching the video it went much better. He is sneezing out snot and is having such a hard time breathing. I want this medicine to start working. I thought I would see an improvement once he got a couple of doses in him but it hasn't happened yet.


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## ZRabbits (Apr 22, 2012)

It does seem to take bunnies longer to get those med in their system and working. I know how you feel right now too. Neville brought back to me that very "helpless" feeling. I wanted him fixed right then. Keep trying to entice him with food. The meds will start working. It just takes time. 

Please keep us updated. 

K

Also great advise given. I'll be following that myself.


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## nicksmom (Apr 23, 2012)

We went back to the vet today. One that has a bunny doctor. The vet I went to Friday doesn't normally see bunnies but it was late and I was worried so he let us come in for a visit. 

The vet today did x-rays and found that Rascal has fluid in his lungs. So he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and pneumonia. We were sent home with Critical Care - he said to give him 3ml 3 times a day. Tmp/Smz 0.6 ml twice a day for 7 days and Metoclopramide 0.15 ml 3 times a day for 4 days. 

So what do you all think? Also does anyone know if either of those 2 medicines need to be refrigerated?


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## Maureen Las (Apr 24, 2012)

This is a very serious condition for such a young rabbit. 
it is going to be very difficult feeding him when he has pneumonia as the risk of aspirating the food is very high. Be very careful and watch that he is swallowing before giving more ...

You need to keep him hydrated and the best way to do that is by subcutaneous fluids. Please ask your vet to show you how to do this as it is safer and easier than trying to get fluid in him by mouth. 
you could also ask your vet about medicated nebulizer treatment for his breathing problems. In the meantime a cool mister in the room may help a little. Cool mist is easier to breathe than warm heavier air. 
Trimethoprim sulfa usually doesn't need refrigeration and reglan ( metoclopromide )would not unless it has been compounded to flavor it. 
be sure to mix the critical care with more fluids than on the directions and then allow it to sit for about 15 min. before feeding. Critical care can absorb a tremendous amount of liquid and if given without enough liquid can actually dehydrate your rabbit who is probably already very dehydrated. It often helps to mix pedialyte with the critical care 

I will attach a link for vets suggested in your area by past members. 

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11630&forum_id=9

Usually rabbitsrecover better in a home setting but with extreme illness sometimes hospitalization may be better ( if the clinic is highly trained in rabbit medicine) 

ray:ray:


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## ZRabbits (Apr 24, 2012)

So sorry to hear the diagnosis. As stated above, this is serious. But he's young and strong. Hoping he recovers quickly for you. 

K


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## Maureen Las (Apr 25, 2012)

How is the bunny doing? :confused2:


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