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Post by newpig on Apr 10, 2008 9:18:33 GMT
So Brin had his first visit with my vet today. She checked his teeth (one of which I know is slightly wonky) but she thought they were fine as meeting well, his skin and his ears - all lovely and clear and she was very happy with his weight.
I noticed a little spot on his lip a couple of days ago and my vet said his mouth is slightly inflamed. I have been giving him small amounts of veg and grass and slowly mixing in a pellet with the mix he had previously been having.
The veggies he has had so far are carrot, celery and romiane lettuce. He has only been having the smallest amounts as had an upset tum a couple of weeks ago and going slowly so as not to upset it again.
Any tips on what to do with his mouth to help the inflammation? My vet said soft food and nothing too acidic.
Oh and he is going for his jabs next week - forgive the spelling - myxamotosis and haemoragic.
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Post by Clover on Apr 13, 2008 8:38:42 GMT
Glad the vet visit went well Lesa and its very good news about his teeth isn't it. I hope his mouth is less inflamed now. You might find some information about it in the drop-down menu here homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.htmlGood luck with Brins injections, be a brave boy Brin
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Post by threelittlepigs on Apr 15, 2008 11:30:35 GMT
Thank goodness Clover is on hand to share all of her rabbit knowledge!
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Post by newpig on Apr 15, 2008 12:28:50 GMT
Thank goodness Clover is on hand to share all of her rabbit knowledge! I agree - Jackie and Melza have both been lots of help to me and Jackie put me in touch with her rabbit guru who I am indebted to already.
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Post by Val Amirault-Vale on Apr 16, 2008 1:34:04 GMT
Hi newpig! Just checking in to see how the progress is going here! Glad to hear that Brin has had his check up and is doing well now. I bet he misses his buddy though? How many more days before Thumper gets to finally come home? Another 5 days or so? Have you called yet to check on Thumper's progress? You must be sitting on pins and needles just waiting ?
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Post by Melza on Apr 16, 2008 6:32:17 GMT
glad to help newpig, how is Brin doing?
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Post by newpig on Apr 16, 2008 7:16:03 GMT
Brin is great. He loves being in the house and has his favourite spots already. Rodge and Podge were out in the garden the other day and Brin was in the house. Their cage was opened. He hopped into it did his business and hopped out again!
Brin has also been enjoying time out in the garden with all the piggys in runs round him!
Unfortunately got bad news as well. Thumper has lost an eye and the abscesses are on her back as well. It looks like she still has a long road in front of her. I am so worried about her and also whether if she pulls through this will I be able to look after her - worried that as I am new to buns I don't have the experience to give her the extra care she needs. Just praying the treatment halts the spread and starts to cure her soon.
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Post by Melza on Apr 16, 2008 7:46:49 GMT
glad Brin is doing well!
OH my gosh!
i am so sorry to heard about Thumper, what cause the abcesses? or did they just pop up?
she has got a long road ahead of her, the poor girl.
by the sounds of things if she does pull through you will need to rebond her to Brin...
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Post by newpig on Apr 16, 2008 8:47:58 GMT
Thumper's fosterer said that the abscesses can be started by simple things such as a scratch, an in growing hair etc and because of their in breeding lops are much more prone to them. Apparently, the problem is they can get into the bone very quickly and if that happens they can spread rapidly. Looks like this is what has happened with Thumper. In all honesty if she pulls through this I am worried about her and my ability as an inexperienced owner to look after her. I can't help but feel that she would be better in an indoor home with someone experienced but I also don't want to just turn my back on her and leave her without a home.
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Post by Clover on Apr 16, 2008 8:58:49 GMT
Oh Lesa I am so sorry that dear Thumper lost an eye. Abcesses are bad to have anyway but especially for rabbits. Hope this page helps to explain more www.ohare.org/images/hare_5_1/hare_51_p8.pdfI don't know if there is a rabbit savy vet in the area of the rescue? Ros might have a list from the rabbit groups she knows.
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Post by Melza on Apr 16, 2008 9:14:34 GMT
i can unerstand the delemore you are in.
poor thumper, its a horrible thing to have happened to such a young bun
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Post by donna on Apr 16, 2008 11:26:32 GMT
Brin is great. He loves being in the house and has his favourite spots already. Rodge and Podge were out in the garden the other day and Brin was in the house. Their cage was opened. He hopped into it did his business and hopped out again! Brin has also been enjoying time out in the garden with all the piggys in runs round him! Unfortunately got bad news as well. Thumper has lost an eye and the abscesses are on her back as well. It looks like she still has a long road in front of her. I am so worried about her and also whether if she pulls through this will I be able to look after her - worried that as I am new to buns I don't have the experience to give her the extra care she needs. Just praying the treatment halts the spread and starts to cure her soon. Oh Lesa, I am so sorry about little thumper. Yes it sounds like a long road ahead, but hopefully she will heal well. I suppose you will just have to wait and see how she goes. One day at a time and when thumper is better see how you feel about bringing her home then. Maybe you can get extra support from the rescue centre to help you gain extra knowledge on the way. I will keep everything crossed for Thumpers recovery.
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Post by Katie on Apr 16, 2008 12:09:30 GMT
aww poor thumper, i hope she recovers well. x
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Post by newpig on Apr 16, 2008 15:09:08 GMT
Oh Lesa I am so sorry that dear Thumper lost an eye. Abcesses are bad to have anyway but especially for rabbits. Hope this page helps to explain more www.ohare.org/images/hare_5_1/hare_51_p8.pdfI don't know if there is a rabbit savy vet in the area of the rescue? Ros might have a list from the rabbit groups she knows. Thanks for the link. Will have a read through later. Ros invited me to join her forum and I am so glad I did. They have all been a huge help. One guy there has a rabbit who lost and eye to an abscess and he is doing great. I've seen photos of him and the abscesses he got. They seem so similar to Thumper. I haven't seen Thumper since she got the illness and I had no idea how big and nasty they would turn.
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Post by Val Amirault-Vale on Apr 16, 2008 17:36:09 GMT
Oh Newpig, I'm so sorry to hear that Thumper has lost an eye from this. Abscesses are not simple as one may think, of course I have not had any dealings with them in rabbits but I certainly can tell you about the vast number of abscesses I have had to deal with in my sweet Pearl. As you have read before in my Chihuahua thread, Pearl, who is 9 began to develop them in her anal glands, about 3.5 years ago. ???You just never know when it will happen. Sometimes Pearl will go months and months, other times she has gotten them just weeks apart. I have a constant eye out just watching her for any symptoms to reappear as they seem to just pop up within hours....not days. My other Chihuahua, Ruby, has never had any problems. They are very painful and expensive to treat not to mention time consuming as well. I can certainly understand, as you, a mother of young children really have to question if you should take on a rabbit with special needs. I'm sure your heart is torn by not wanting to turn your back on Thumper but I think you may be right in your thinking that Thumper might be better off with some other person who has the extra time and could offer Thumper an indoor forever home. She needs someone like me, who lives alone and has the time. lol I read the link that Clover gave about abscesses and rabbits. From what I gathered some rabbits/breeds are more likely to have reoccurring bouts, just like my Pearl. I think you are wise to reconsider taking Thumper as she may suffer from more bouts. I'm sure you could do a fine job taking care of Thumper, but since you are new to rabbits that would be quite a task to take on. Who knows if this bout is a one time thing or not? With my Pearl, she did not start having anal gland abscesses until the age of 5, but Pearl is my bonded baby so cost is irrelevant at this point. I think you may be better off choosing a new cage mate for Brin....but just follow your heart.
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Post by newpig on Apr 16, 2008 18:04:04 GMT
Val, lops are one of the breeds more prone to the abscesses and they can reoccur in a rabbit that is prone to them.
Its not the losing of the eye that bothers me, as you can probably guess, its the re occurrence of the abscesses and whether I am skilled enough to spot them and treat them.
I'm not making any decisions yet. Am going to take more time to think it all through.
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Post by Bean on Apr 16, 2008 18:22:52 GMT
I'm sorry to hear Thumper's abscess has spread, what awful news for you. It must be promising to hear from people who have had similar situations and the rabbits are doing well though - everything will be crossed that Thumper starts to recover soon too.
It's certainly a good idea to see how things go before making any plans. Get that little bun better and then see how things are looking.
Glad Brin is doing so well. Hope his jabs go smoothly.
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Post by Clover on Apr 17, 2008 10:10:16 GMT
I'm not making any decisions yet. Am going to take more time to think it all through. I can totally understand Lesa, like Val said it is a very big commitment dealing with the worry of abcesses and worrying if they will keep returning. I really hope Thumper recovers.
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Post by newpig on Apr 17, 2008 12:56:24 GMT
Well after saying I wouldn't make any decisions I have just made a huge decision.
I took Brin to the vet this morning for his first jab. He got his myx one and in 3 weeks will get the VHD one.
Hubby and I talked this over before going to the vet and did some reading from reliable links on the web. Talking to my vet, it will take a long time before Thumper can come to live with us and she does agree that Brin is probably very lonely without her. However, much time we spend with him its not the same as a companion rabbit. So after talking this over the decision was made to get a baby girl lop to bond with Brin now and then try to introduce Thumper when she is ready to come home. If she is going to need a lot of extra care or doesn't get on with the others then we can deal with that then. As we already have a neutered boy the best option for a trio seemed to be 2 girls and 1 boy. The danger will apparently be in that if Brin favours one girl over the other the 3 may not bond. However, there are plenty of successful trios.
So we have a baby girl lop now as well. She is 8 weeks old and we named her Clover - will let you work out why! We have not quarantined her as the whole point in getting her is as company for Brin who is showing signs of lonleliness when not in the house. Like constantly trying to climb in with the guinea pigs.
I kept Clover in a carrier in the hall until she and Brin had finished sniffing each other through the mesh. Then took the lid off and sat down beside them with a large towel at the ready. They both peered over the rim but didn't attempt to get in or out. Eventually I took the mesh door off and after a little while Brin got in with Clover. She flattened down whilst he sniffed her and then they both started eating. Next stage they both hopped round the hallway rather excitedly and he did mount her a few times. There have been no signs of aggression and now he is lying on his side sleeping and she is sitting beside him.
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Post by Bean on Apr 17, 2008 13:10:32 GMT
Aww that's so sweet, welcome Clover! And what a lovely name, I think I can join the dots lol, and I bet someone will have her hanky out!
It's lovely Brin now has a companion if he was getting lonely before, I hope it carries on going as smoothly. And let's hope Thumper's recovery goes well so she can come home with you, and then you can cross that bridge when you come to it.
Wot, no pics?!
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