A bun mums worst fear… when you realise something is wrong with your rabbit and you have no idea what! It all started when I noticed Cookie had been scratching at his ears more than I expected and shaking his head often. As a first time rabbit owner, I thought this may have been normal as I was aware that they like to groom a lot (now I know this was not usual behaviour). I didn't think much of it as he was eating, drinking, getting the zoomzies and his toilet habits remained healthy. It wasn't until I noticed him sneezing and his poop had all clumped together which is a sign that his digestive system had slowed down (bad juju for rabbits) that I immediately called the vet to get him booked in.
I’ll document the journey here as it may help new bun parents and those considering adopting or buying a rabbit. Sometimes, it’s not all fluffy cuddles and binkies…
Day 1 - The Vet Visit
It’s well known that our pets hate the vets and it’s no surprise that my 9 week old bunny loathed every single second. He struggled a lot when trying to be handled and to be honest, the whole experience was stressful for us both. It left me with a bleeding thumb (from his sharp little nails) and a very stressed rabbit. The vet firstly advised me that the Alfalfa hay I had been feeding him was in fact not a healthy diet. This came as a huge surprise as my research led me to believe Alfalfa hay was nutritionally wise, the best option until 6 months of age. The vet explained that feeding baby rabbits unlimited Alfalfa is completely unnecessary and the high calcium content can cause problems. In fact, he had seen two rabbits before us with calcium related issues. I’ll write a blog post on why Timothy Hay is the better option, even for baby bunnies, very soon! His Alfalfa pellets will be ok in small quantities and I was advised to start introducing greens slowly. The vet checked his chest which sounded perfectly clear, so no respiratory infection but the inside of his ears were wounded from his scratching. It was determined that this could be ear mites and so he has had an injection which should solve the issue within a few weeks. He has also been prescribed anti-inflammatory medication which he has to have daily until the bottle runs out. £101 later, which I soon found out was not covered by my pet insurance since I was still in the 14 day cooling off period, we left feeling a little more reassured that my precious little floof is going to be ok.
Once we got home, I immediately removed the Alfalfa Hay from his diet and went to the supermarket to buy some greens for cookie to try. He was not interested in romaine lettuce or mint in the slightest but we’ll try again tomorrow. He was very timid and anxious throughout the day and clearly very stressed. He's still getting used to being handled and so was not a happy bun being picked up and probed by the vet! Unfortunately this visit was unavoidable, but it is always a good idea to send a photo and video of your rabbit where possible before taking them in to ensure it’s absolutely necessary for a trip. I have also preemptively purchased critical care and baby gas drops to have on hand for the future. These two products are essential for your rabbits 'first aid' kit and I mistakenly delayed buying them as I was not expecting an illness so soon after him arriving. He's been hiding for most of the day which is to be expected, hopefully the medication will kick in soon and he’ll be more himself tomorrow...
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