# My rabbit is lethargic, wheezing and has a white substance coming from her eyes (RIP)



## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

Today I went to check on my rabbit Truffle and she was very lethargic and was hardly moving, all she's doing is lying down in her indoor compartment.
Her breathing is wheezy and her eyes have a white substance leaking from them. I took her to the vet and she said it could be a bacterial infection or myxomatosis which, really worried me. 
She has been separated from her daughter and is on antibiotics and being fed a food substance every hour because she isn't eating or drinking.
Does anyone know what she might have? The vet didn't give me a clear answer and I'm now worried about the health of my other rabbits,especially her daughter, I'm planning on getting them all vaccinated ASAP
Any advice would be greatly received, as I am going crazy with worry. :cry2:nerves1


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## Flashy (Jun 28, 2009)

What country are you in? Presumably the UK?

It sounds like the daughter has already been exposed, and so it might be beneficial to have them near each other, or together, and then quaratine them from the rest of your buns.

Did the vet culture what was coming out of the eyes?

If it is myxi, and the bun is not vaccinated, then it is kindest to get the bunny PTS because it stands no chance at recovery, however, it is important to establish what the cause for the problem is first.

Can you post any pics? How are the bunnies genitals?

What antibiotics have you been prescribed, at what dose and how often? what is it you are force feeding? Critical care?

How old is the bun? and the daughter? Is the mum spayed?

Also, has she shown any improvement since being at the vets? Or deterioration? Or stayed the same? I'm wondering if your buns needs to go back.

Wlecome to the forum too, I'm just sorry it's not under better circumstances.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

Hi, 
Yes I do live in the UK, her daughter seems perfectly fine there is currently no signs of infection with her. I took Truffle away on vets orders :?. You see we took her to the emergency PDSA vets because it was closest and my fiancee's mum is registered there but, the vet was foreign and difficult to understand and well she couldn't restrain Truffle very well she nearly ended up on the floor!!
The vet didn't culture the eyes she just showed us the discharge and didn't really mention what it was.
I have just taken a pic of her eyes but don't know how to post it.
I checked the genitals and so did the vet they were clean and free from maggots but there was a bit of diarrhoea.
The antibiotics re Baytrill 2.5% she has 0.4ml daily for 10 days the food was in a packet which, I currently can't find but it needed to be diluted in 70ml of water and 2ml fed hourly to her which needs to be warmed in the microwave first it is green in colour and looks and smells like alfalfa cubes but disintegrated in water. I remember that it said on the pack that it is usually given to guinea pigs which, made me wonder why I was giving it to a rabbit.
Truffle is 10 years old her daughter is 9, Truffle isn't spayed. Since seeing the vet only her eyes have worsened, there is a lot more gooey white discharge. 
Thank you for welcoming me, I wish it was on better terms too.


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## Flashy (Jun 28, 2009)

To be honest, if it's some sort of infection then Baytril probably won't be strong enough to fight it effectively. Baytril is routinely prescribed because it is the only one licensed for rabbits, but there are plenty of other things that could be used.

Have you been given any instructions for her eyes?

Has she got any nasal discharge?

I wonder if that is some sort of alfalfa based recovery food, which, I would guess, is what they might feed guinea pigs. You could maybe try soaking some of the pellets that she normally gets, in hot water, and waiting for it to get to about body temperature and then feeding that instead.

Is there another vet you could take her back to for a second opinion? If you could maybe give us an idea of your general location maybe someone might be able to recommend a different vet.

Also, if you could put at least your country/the UK in your profile, that would be very useful. Thanks


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

Hi, 
The vet didn't give me any info for her eyes I've just been cleaning them with a wet tissue, to stop them from getting clogged up.
Here is a picture of her eyes which, for some reason is huge even though I shrunk it on thumbnails lol!





She currently doesn't seem to have any nasal discharge but I will keep checking.
The food was called recovery my fiancee just mentioned it to me. So has anything the vet given me going to help? :nerves1
Well I was planning on taking the other bunnies to be vaccinated at one of our new vets White Cross Vets which has opened up just down the road in Alvaston, they are really great there, as i've been before, they just weren't open today. So maybe I should take her there tomorrow if I can. I live in Shelton Lock in Derby it's situated between Allenton and Chellaston. Sorry I haven't got round to that yet I'll do that now.


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## Flashy (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm wondering if bathing the eye might help. You could boil some water, and then cool it, and when it's at a luke warm temperature, then bathe the eye. It might help her feel more comfortable.

I think that taking her to see another vet is a good idea, to be honest. It might be worth checking to see if they are rabbit savvy (or if one vet in particular is good with rabbits), because that will mean she gets the best treatment.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

I will try bathing her eye in a sec as I have to feed her again (i'll let you know how she is), the thing is the vet didn't state if I needed to feed her day and night so I don't know whether to leave to it overnight or if I need to keep getting up hourly and feeding her, or if there is anything I could give her which she could have overnight(she currently has some food in a bowl but won't touch it).
I will certainly contact the vets as early as possible tomorrow and see what they say and let you know. I only hope she is okay overnight.


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## Flashy (Jun 28, 2009)

Is she drinking by herself?

What foods are you providing? Does she have any fresh foods she goes nuts for?

I spy someone very knowledgable online now, so hopefully you might get some proper decent help  ETA she went offline unfortunately. I'm sorry that I'm struggling to give you proper knowledgable help. I'm sort of maintaining you and asking maybe pertinent questions, until someone better comes along.


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## Maureen Las (Jun 28, 2009)

Tracy this infois excellent and nothing I could have given would have been more helpful 

Not being familar with it here I can only give you articles
but I would suggest that you listen to Flashy (Tracy) who is in the UK and extremely knowledgeable.
a 2nd opinion is vital as although the eyes are affectedwith this virus you do not have a definite diagnosis
If your rabbits have not been vaccinataed previously this is serious and the best to do for the bun is PTS 

rabbits who have been vaccinated can still develop the illness but sometimes can be nursed through it. 

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=25867&forum_id=10


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## Flashy (Jun 28, 2009)

Aw, thanks Maureen. 

RE the myxi, I was looking at the picture a while ago and it's not what a classic myxi case looks like. That obviously doesn't mean it's not, but maybe its more likely to be a URI than myxi?

Myxi generally looks very swollen, red and crusty/oozing, and often shut. Those eyes don't look like the google myxi eyes or any other myxi eyes I have seen. 

I would definitely seek a second opinion and ask for a culture on the discharge, so that they can find out if it is an infection, and which anti-biotics to use to treat them.


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## Maureen Las (Jun 28, 2009)

*Flashy wrote: *


> Aw, thanks Maureen.
> 
> RE the myxi, I was looking at the picture a while ago and it's not what a classic myxi case looks like. That obviously doesn't mean it's not, but maybe its more likely to be a URI than myxi?
> 
> ...


Right on....
Thanks tracy 

then it is possibly an eye infection/URI until myxi is actually diagnosed.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

Hi everyone, 
Sorry it's been so long but here's the update:
I went out to feed truffle as stated earlier and she was really bad, she couldn't stand and we tried to let her hop on the floor but she struggled forward and then banged her head on the wall and flopped down again. We put her back on the carrier and she just flopped down and her head started to loll to one side and her eyes were half closed and her breathing started to shallow. 
This drove me to look around the vets a second time and found that Scarsdale Vets on Kedleston road was open to till 10pm, so I gave them a call and they got me a appointment for tonight at 9.45pm. I then headed straight over with Truffle and went straight in to the vet. She said that Truffle was very dehydrated and that the eye discharge is usually associated with teeth problems, so she checked her teeth and found that some of the molars on her left side were a bit rough. Truffle was admitted into the hospital to be given fluids and substances to make her digestive tract work again. The vet said they will contact me tomorrow and let me know how she is and that she will be seen by a specialist in the morning. She also said that if she did get worse overnight that she will call me and let me know. Basically she was a great vet and I'd give her 10/10 for helping me. The night treatment will cost me Â£95 and altogether it will cost me Â£200 which would of been cheaper if I went there straight away but, right now cost is no object, Truffle may be 10 but even the vet said she looked amazing for her age! If she needs dentistry work done the price will increase and I was wondering if anyone knew roughly how much it would cost?
So Truffle is now in good hands and should hopefully recover I just wish the other vets I went to first was a bit more helpful.
Flashy thank you so much for you comments, it was helpful and it was nice to have someone to talk to! 
Angieluv thankyou for posting the link it was very informative! 
I will post again tomorrow and let you know how Truffle is hopefully it will be good news


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## Pipp (Jun 28, 2009)

Unfortunately the type of teeth problems that would cause that kind of discharge involve the tooth root and not just molar spurs. I think this vet is being a bit too positive. 

Injections of strong antibiotics may do the trick -- although that may be a challenge in your neck of the woods, I don't think either injectable PenG or Bicillin is available there? 

But if she needs surgery, it will be a major operation and pretty pricey. Trimming her molars won't be helpful, it might even be harmful. 

Was a set of head x-rays done? If budget was a concern I'd probably go with the hydration and antibiotics, but best thing is a full set of head xrays if dental is suspected. They can't be diagnosed visually. 

She sounded pretty sick. Hope she's okay. 


sas ray:


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## Maureen Las (Jun 28, 2009)

I don't Know how many lbs is a $ ? 
I have a rabbit with severe molar issues who has had multiple teeth pulled and has other types of work done like filing etc. he never had episodes of "falling over" so although molar issues are terrible i am still a bit confused by the buns condition unless he couldn't eat due to it. I have spent a small fortune on this rabbit and sometimes I even wonder how I could spend so much . but we do love out pets. Bottom line dentisitry is expensive. 

Please keep us up-dated.

Maureen


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

hi, 
Well in answer to whether we have injectable strong antibiotics I remember with Smokey R.I.P he used to get a lot of tooth abscesses being a netherland dwarf and they used to inject him in the mouth with what I believe were antibiotics but, i'm not sure again, it was Scarsdale vets, they are a pretty big hospital with quite a few practices, with up to date equipment so, if we did I'd think they'd have them.
Right now they are working on getting her hydrated and her digestive tract working, so nothing else has been done.
They said that her wobble could be due to her being really dehydrated which, funny thing is, the vet I saw earlier on today said she wasn't :rollseyes. They said they were going to focus on that tonight and look at the teeth with a specialist in the morning.
Currently the the $ is 1.6 to the Â£.


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## Maureen Las (Jun 28, 2009)

They will figure it out ; they sound like good vets....

please keep us up-dated///


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## Pipp (Jun 28, 2009)

kirsterz09 wrote:


> Right now they are working on getting her hydrated and her digestive tract working, so nothing else has been done.



Yes, this (and antibiotics seeing as she obviously has an infection of some kind) is the first course of action. She sounds like she's in good hands. 

I'll be watching for updates and pulling for Truffle's full recovery. 


sas ray:


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

Thank you for kind words I will certainly keep you updated on how she is as soon as I hear anything. Anyway I'm off to bed for tonight, I shall try to get some sleep but she will be in my thoughts. 
Night Everyone, May our bunnies sleep soundly through the night!


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## ra7751 (Jun 28, 2009)

That looks very much like a dental issue. Can you get an x-ray of that side of the jaw? With an older rabbit (and this happens with younger ones also) there is a high probability that the molars are shifting in the sockets and the results is an impaction. This leads to abscesses. I do not open abscesses. I use a combination of Pen G and Zithromax. The version of Penicillin available in the UK is different that we have in the US but I can tweak the dosing. I can provide specific dosing protocols as well as support treatments to your vet.....but that looks like a bacterial infection in the "sinus" (rabbits don't really have a sinus cavity but I use a familiar term) cavity.

Randy


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

Hi everyone, 
I just thought I'd post this update:
I just received a phone call from the vet, Truffle passed away this morning at 1.40am GMT, she basically just stopped fighting.
I will miss her so much, she was the second rabbit I've owned and brought me the joy of witnessing a new family and many other things over the years, may the stars gain a new star in the sky tonight.




Rest In Peace Truffle 1999-2009 :cry1:


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## Pipp (Jun 28, 2009)

So very sorry. :tears2: She was very ill. 

But she led a long, prosperous life.

:rip: Truffle 


sas :cry2


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 28, 2009)

Thank you Pipp for your kind words  she will be greatly missed.


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## Numbat (Jun 28, 2009)

I'm so sorry for your loss :tears2:

You did your best for her and she was truly loved.
Binky free Truffle ink iris:


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## SweetSassy (Jun 28, 2009)

:angelandbunny:Sorry for your loss. Binky Free Little One ink iris:

 ..April


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## Maureen Las (Jun 29, 2009)

OMG I ams so very sorry that you lost her 
you did everything that you could :cry1:Binky free Truffles


"Hugs"

maureen :cry2


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## tonyshuman (Jun 29, 2009)

I'm so sorry. I wish I could have been on earlier to help, but I don't think anything else could have been done for her.

To determine if this was from tooth root issues, a URI, or myxi, the vet may want to do a necropsy. I also wonder how quickly the disease set on, as it seems that it come upon her very suddenly. 

Truffles was a beautiful bunny and I can tell she meant a lot to you. She did have a good long life, and it's possible that she was just hiding a tooth root infection from you for a long time (rabbits are very good at hiding illnesses), until it became more than she could handle, and the infection got into the rest of her system and she couldn't recover from the bacterial toxins taking over her body. I'm so sorry you lost her.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 29, 2009)

Hi everyone thank you for all your kind words and support, it means so much to me. Your are all very wonderful/helpful people .
Truffle was up and down for the last few days but, she'd sometimes goes through a phase where she'd just lie around all day, so it was really hard to know plus, with being paired with her daughter, it was hard to fully know how much she was eating and drinking, so she could have been very thirsty/hungry. Finally we've had some really hot weather over here in the uk recently which, if she couldn't drink wouldn't of helped 
I'm am off to the vets soon to collect her and bring her home to rest, I was thinking I might try rubbing some of truffle's scent onto a toy and giving it to Eclipse, so that she doesn't feel so alone as, she has been with Truffle all her life.
It's going to be really hard going to the vets, this is the first time i've done this so, i'm nervous about the process. I'll let you all know what happens and what they say about the cause of her death.
Thanks again everyone for you lovely messages.


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## Flashy (Jun 29, 2009)

I'm so sorry 

This was the first post I came and checked and I'm so sorry that the news was so tragic.

Truffles was very lucky to have belonged to such a loving family. You did well to get her to a different vet, and you tried your hardest which is all anyone can do.

I think that Eclipse may need to see Truffle's body if that's at all possible. That's a reallyt hard thing to do (something I had to do a week and a bit ago) but it can help them come to terms and accept why their friend has suddenly disappeared. It will make it easier for her to move forward, as opposed to potentially pining.

I really hope you stick around the forum, despite this tragedy. I really respect you as a rabbit owner and would love to learn more about your buns. But that's a though for another day.

Binky Free Truffles. x

Tracy
x


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## anneq (Jun 29, 2009)

Binky-free at the Bridge, Truffles:magicwand:

So very sorry to hear about your dear bun. She had a wonderful life with you and your family.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 29, 2009)

hi everyone, 
again thanks for the nice comments, I definitely will be staying around here because, you are all wonderful people and I will be all to willing to tell you lots more about my other buns Flashy(Tracy)and thank you for comment about respecting me as a owner it helped to cheer me up a bit .
We collected Truffle from the vet this morn, it was very surreal I burst into tears as soon as I saw her head poking out from under the blanket, I kept thinking I saw her blink (wishful thinking).
We brought her back and I nipped out to get some nice flowers and a little bunny ornament to decorate her grave site and also a little cuddly companion for Eclipse. I ended up getting a little black bunny ornament which looks just like Truffle but currently no flowers and I managed to get a floppy bunny for Eclipse and I got a little cuddly bunny for myself that looked a little like Truffle.
When I got back we showed Truffle to Eclipse, she sniffed her then grunted, stomped her foot and went to her top hutch level where, she grunted a few times more so, I think she new what had happened. We then buried Truffle and I put the little ornament on her grave. It looks really nice.


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## Flashy (Jun 29, 2009)

Aw, that does sound really lovely. It sounds a lovely, peaceful place, to rest forever more.

Well done for showing Eclipse, that's really important for her, and takes a strong person to do it. It does sound like she knew, and hopefully that will make it easier for her to move on.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 29, 2009)

thanks for you reply flashy, Eclipse seems to be doing okay she came back down not long after and sniffed the areas that truffle had been the day before and has been lying down (prob cuz of the heat, they all seem very lazy today, made sure they all have plenty of water and shade), it looks like she is still drinking and she's had some food finally, she seems to like the cuddly bunny, she has been sniffing it and lying next to it, i'm hoping it will bring her some comfort.


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## Flashy (Jun 29, 2009)

I'm glad she is doing ok 

At the very least, maybe the cuddly will provide her with some stimulation. That's what I found helped my buns most; sitmulation. I was changing their toys multiple times a day, putting them in the run next to different bunnies, hiding food, stuff like that, because it can occupy their mind away from the fact they are alone.


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## tonyshuman (Jun 29, 2009)

Yes, that does sound very nice, and Eclipse may be upset but it sounds like she's doing ok. The stuffed animal is a good thing, as was showing her Truffle's body, as difficult as it may have been.

From what you said about her activity level before she got sick, I think she may have been ill and was hiding it. Keep a close eye on Eclipse for the same signs, like extreme lethargy not related to the heat, just to be sure she won't catch ill as well. I like to put a fan on my bunnies, and giving her a frozen water bottle or cool brick/tile to lay against may help with the heat as well.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 29, 2009)

hey i've been checking on Eclipse all day and she's been eating, drinking, pooing and peeing as normal. She has been snuggled up with her new cuddly bun 2-3 times and I've given her a few toys including a mineral stone to occupy her.
The frozen water bottle seems like a good idea as we are due for some hot weather over the next few days, do I just pop them in the freezer and just give it to her?
I've also purchased a Ice Pod which you freeze and put in the hutch/run which, they can lie on and it helps to keep them cool but I waiting for it to arrive via post.


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## Flashy (Jun 29, 2009)

Yeh, bottles in the freezer and then given to the bunnies can work really well.

On the thread you just responded to about the icepod, there is a link there about cooling bunnies and that might also give you some good ideas.

I'm glad Eclipse has been doing well


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 30, 2009)

hey, just a quick post to say that Eclipse is still doing fine and the bunnies all seemed to enjoy their frozen bottles today. Just a quick question though to settle a discussion, why are vet fees more expensive at night? I could understand them being a bit more, but as animals tend to get ill at any time of day or night at a Â£95 consultation at night I worry that some people would get put off and then the animal would suffer. I'm just glad I had the funds so I could do everything possible for Truffle.


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## Flashy (Jun 30, 2009)

I'm glad Eclipse is doing well.

I guess they charge more because its out of hours, and yes, that will mean some people choose to wait, but I would guess the vets get paid more for overtime like in other jobs. Obviously they can be on call and such, so they have to get out of bed, and get there, etc, so often its not like they are on the premises (although sometimes they are depending on the policies).

I think it may also be to deter people from calling randomly and unnecessarily.


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## kirsterz09 (Jun 30, 2009)

Hi again just a quick post to say that I have posted a proper introduction in the introduction section of the forum, I have included some more info on my other buns and some lovely pics of them to check out


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