The Adventures of Tiny R
A Bunny's Tale
Tiny R is not fond of baths. But occasionally he gets one whether he likes it or not. Not a full bath, mind you. Just a "bottom" bath.There are times when Tiny R gets a little sticky under his tail. The most obvious clue is when he hops around with a wisp of hay dragging along behind him. When that happens it's almost a sure thing that his cleaning routine has fallen behind. And I know what to expect when I inspect his little butt. A mess!
I've read articles on rabbit web pages about diarrhea in rabbits and I certainly don't recommend putting additional stress on a sick rabbit. But Tiny R's problem seems to be from a combination of too much hair and too little attention to personal hygiene, not from being ill.
When a poopy bottom is discovered, it's bath time for Tiny R.
In the past we tried a lot of halfway cleaning measures such as wet washcloths and cotton balls. But they just didn't get the job done. Thick, fine rabbit hair encrusted with dried and/or sticky poop just doesn't come clean with a wash cloth. And Tiny R, being a very private rabbit, didn't like us messing around in that particular area anyway. So it was out of frustration and desperation that I finally decided that a good soak in some warm water was the only way to conquer the problem.
How do you give a rabbit a bath? Well, we didn't know. I don't know if anyone else ever does it or not. And I'm not even sure it's the right thing to do. But in Tiny R's case, nothing else was working and something had to be done. So, using a common sense approach, and making sure that Tiny R was not sick, we tackled the job.
Notice I said "we" because, to be safe, a rabbit bath really is a two person job. At least the way we do it.
The first time Tiny R got a "bottom bath", it was a trial and error ordeal. It took too long and we made quite a mess. But now we've got it down to a routine that takes 5 minutes tops. That way it's over before Tiny R has a chance to get himself worked into a snit.
First the Preparation:
I give the bathroom sink a good cleaning. Don't want any germs lurking.
Then I fill the sink with about 2 inches of warm water, put in a couple of drops of shampoo and swish it around. Test the water temperature like I would for a baby. If I'm not sure if it's too hot, put some more cool water in. Don't want to cook him, just give him a bath.
Get two bath towels out and have them ready.
Close the lid on the toilet. Don't want any rabbits in there!
Take a deep breath and go get Tiny R.
After Tiny R is in the bathroom, we close the bathroom door so all hope for escape is blocked.
Holding firmly to Tiny R's skin/fur on the back of his neck area, I use my other hand to support and lower his little butt into the sink. This is the most dangerous time because I know that Tiny R is going to start wriggling in an attempt to get loose. Eric stands on the side that Tiny R is facing to calm him. Eric also has a towel ready to receive him when he's ready to get out.
Then the Bath:
Once Tiny R is in the sink, Eric covers R's face with his hand. This soothes him and he always stops resisting. Of course I never loosen my grip on his neck skin because rabbits are so quick. I don't want him to fly out of the sink and fall on the floor.
Next, I work my free hand to Tiny R's underside and start gently loosening the little dried pieces of feces from his fur. Strangely enough, he usually doesn't put up any fuss. I never get water on his face, ears or back. Just his belly and rump.
As soon as his fur is clean, I lift him out of the sink and Eric wraps him in a clean towel. His fur still has a little shampoo residue left in it so I empty the sink, give it a good swish with clean water and refill it with warm water for the rinse cycle.
Tiny R is lowered into the clean water, given a good swishing and then handed off to Eric who has the second clean towel ready to wrap him up in and blot most of the water off.
If it's summer and it's warm, Tiny R is then returned to his cage to dry naturally. Or he sits on the hearth and rearranges his fur as it dries, with occasional dirty looks thrown our way to let us know how he feels about the whole affair.
If it's winter or cold, I hold Tiny R on my lap and fluff his fur while I use a blow dryer set on the coolest setting. I hold the blow dryer at least a foot away from Tiny R so that I don't overheat him. When he's ready to get down, he gets a treat.
We keep Tiny R out of drafts while he's still damp. You'd be surprised at how long it takes for rabbit fur to dry. That's one of the reasons we give Tiny R his bath early in the day. That way he's dry by evening.
That's all there is to it. The only thing left to do is clean up the bathroom.
Now I want to caution anyone reading this: I have no idea if giving a rabbit a "bottom bath" as I have described it is the right thing to do for all rabbits. I always make sure Tiny R is not sick and he tolerates it without any problem. But I do not recommend anyone bathing a bunny without checking it out with a rabbit care expert. I don't want anything bad happening to your little rabbit pal.
Mr. Curious and His Magnificent Nose Tiny R watches everything. Nothing new slips into his territory without his notice. As soon as his cage door is raised and hooked, he's on his way to check it out.
Now I'm not talking about things that just get moved around or come and go fairly often like the laundry basket full of clothes to be folded. Those things he recognizes as frequent visitors and simply ignores. But bring a shopping bag in and he's ready to sniff, poke and peek.
Usually the bags don't contain anything that Tiny R is really interested in. But he never knows for sure until he checks them out.
One exception is when a grocery bag is hiding a loaf of sourdough French bread. That bag gets his full attention. I'm sure he can smell the bread from the time I come through the front door.
As I have mentioned before, Tiny R is always ready for a small bit of sourdough crust. And he puts on his very best begging act until we finally give in and tear off a little piece for him. Then he hops triumphantly away to the hearth with his treasure.
Chalk up another successful hunt for Tiny R. It definitely pays to be alert and have a nose like a sourdough magnet.
Tiny R's Blanket Party Sometimes Eric gets a blanket or a sheet out and spreads it out over the carpet to take a nap. Tiny R practically goes into a frenzy trying to get there. He loves to have the sheet thrown over him so he can play under it and eventually work his way over to the edge and stick his head up. You would think that a rabbit would get scared having something thrown over him but Tiny R thinks it's great fun.
The blanket is his favorite. When Eric is on the floor with a blanket over him, Tiny R circles around and around, looking for a place where he can get under it too. Once he finds an edge sticking up, Tiny R sticks his head under the blanket. It doesn't take long before his whole body has disappeared under the blanket.
When Tiny R is under the blanket, you can see where he goes by watching the blanket pop up and down. The only downside is when he uses his concealment to take a few digs at the carpet. He knows that carpet digging is not allowed but it's something he's powerless to resist. Even though it leads to his immediate eviction.
The other thing Tiny R can't resist while under the blanket is giving Eric a friendly nudge or two with his nose. This is not always appreciated since one nudge was accompanied by a small nip. Just a little pinch, really. It didn't go through Eric's Levis and it didn't break the skin. But it was enough to make Eric a little nudge-shy whenever Tiny R slips under the cover and begins his explorations.
So there's no napping while Tiny R is sharing the blanket. And if you're smart, you don't lie on your back with your knees drawn up while Tiny R's hopping around under there. It creates a nudgeable, pinchable area too irresistible for Tiny R to pass up. Eric can vouch for that.
Are You Sure This Is Timothy? A few weeks ago we drove out to the farm supply store where they sell timothy hay. We paid our $9.25 and backed the pickup to the barn for the man to load the bale into the back. It wasn't until we got home that we took a good look at the hay.
It was timothy all right but it was the most over-ripe, stalky, tough-looking hay I've ever seen. I was dismayed when I cut the twine and took a good look at what we had brought home.
"Oh, oh!" I thought. "Tiny R isn't going to like this."
But he was all out of hay so I gathered my courage, took a handful and put it in Tiny R's cage.
Tiny R was offended right from the start. He just sat and looked at the hay that was piled in one corner of his cage. He didn't nuzzle it. He didn't sniff it. He just looked. And then he turned and looked at me.
I could tell what he was thinking. It was obvious.
"If this is a joke, I'm not laughing!"
Well, there wasn't much I could do about it at that point. I knew I had to find another source of timothy hay but it couldn't be that day. So I left the offending hay in Tiny R's cage with the hope that he could scrounge some edible little morsel.
Tiny R ended up eating a little of the hay and he uses the rest to sleep on. The remainder of the bale will be divided up and tossed over the fence to the neighbor's horses.
And in the meantime I've located a new hay supplier. I'm waiting for the new crop of timothy to be delivered to the feed store. We'll soon be taking a ride out to get a bale, probably this week.
The new hay lady guarantees her timothy hay to be of the highest quality. I certainly hope so.
We'll know for sure after Tiny R gives his opinion.
The Guy in the Box The other day I was listening to the radio. A talk show was in progress. I had a small radio down on the floor next to my feet so I could reach over and turn it down during the ads while I was using my computer.
When Tiny R's cage door was lifted and hooked, Tiny R hopped out and took up his usual spot on the fireplace hearth. After a minute or two, he made a dash over to the radio. He skidded to a stop in front of it. Then he started giving it a real close inspection.
First Tiny R ducked his head down and tried to find out where the sound was coming from. Sniff, sniff, poke. What are these knobs for? Then he put his nose right up to the speaker area and gave the radio a nudge. The way he cocked his head back and forth, it certainly looked like he was trying to find out where the voices were coming from.
Then Tiny R hopped around to the back of the radio and checked it out. I know that rabbits don't have much in the way of facial expressions but the way he was putting his ears up to the radio, it sure looked like he was trying to figure out where the man was that he could hear.
Finally, Tiny R discovered the electrical cord coming out of the radio. He leaned over and began sniffing it as if he suspected that the cord was part of the secret.
Well, about that time, I decided to intervene. Tiny R's teeth can't be trusted around any sort of cord. And this cord could be dangerous if he decided to sink his teeth into it. So I told him "No!" and he immediately backed away.
Then I rearranged the radio so the cord was hidden.
Tiny R's feelings were hurt because I yelled at him. So he turned his back on me and hopped away as if to let me know he wouldn't put up with such incivility. Rabbits are very proud. They don't like to be scolded, even if it's in their best interest.
I wonder what Tiny R is thinks when he listens to the radio. Does he think there is a tiny man inside the box? Maybe. Whatever's in there, Tiny R isn't afraid. But that's not surprising. Tiny R isn't afraid of the vacuum cleaner either and that thing is really noisy!
Up Periscope A few days ago I ran across a webpage that went into great detail about rabbit behaviors. Just about everything the author described fit our Tiny R. I guess Tiny R isn't such an unusual rabbit after all.
What? I can't believe I said that. Of course Tiny R is special. In our house, he's a regular little star. Now, getting back to my story . . .
One of the behaviors was called periscoping. It's when a rabbit sits up on his hind legs and stretches his head and body up as far as he can to see over something. Tiny R, being a very curious rabbit, periscopes quite often.
When Tiny R is playing in the living room, we block off the hall so he can't sneak down out of sight and rip up the carpet. Right now we're using a piece of masonite as a temporary barrier. I never did get around to fixing the baby gate that Tiny R chewed through.
The masonite is tall enough to prevent Tiny R from hopping over but it's short enough that Eric can step over it easily. Well, Tiny R is very attached to Eric and he keeps track of him at all times. When Eric leaves the living room, Tiny R is right on his heels. He wants to know where he's going, and go with him if possible.
When Tiny R reaches the barrier, he gets very concerned. Where did Eric go? So he backs up and assumes the periscope position as he tries to see over the masonite board. Sometimes he stands on his tiptoes. It's amazing how tall he looks. And his fat little stomach slims out until he really looks quite debonair in his black silky suit, gray gloves and spats. Elegant muted tones. He's got that Regis thing going, you know.
If Eric doesn't reappear in a minute of two, Tiny R resigns himself and turns his attention to something else while he waits. But as soon as Eric reappears, Tiny R is happy again. You can see it in his body language.
No doubt about it, Eric is the center of Tiny R's life. And he'll stretch up and walk on his toes to keep him in sight. Periscoping . . . it's a good thing!
Last week we took up the living room carpet. No longer did it respond to the vacuum cleaner. Or to the carpet shampooer. The once youthful, springy tufts of yarn were sad and limp. The carpet was dead. It was time. . . . .it was time for it to go."Oh, well," I thought. "There's a nice hardwood floor underneath. I'll see about having it refinished, get an area rug and enjoy the new look."
But I forgot about Tiny R.
Tiny R's cage is located in the corner of the living room. So he's right in the middle of everything that goes on here at our house. He was naturally very attentive while we were cutting, rolling and carrying pieces of carpet and padding out the back door. Tiny R watched it all from his cage.
After Eric had pried up all the tack strips from around the perimeter of the room and I had removed all the staples that had held the padding in place, we opened Tiny R's cage door and let him come out to inspect.
"Whoa! This doesn't feel right." That's what Tiny R seemed to be thinking as his feet touched the bare wood. "Where's that soft stuff that used to be here?"
Tiny R really looked concerned. He has a poker face so I am relying on his body language for this observation. He carefully moved along in a semi-crouch position. You could tell that Tiny R wasn't sure of his footing on the smooth floor. He couldn't get any traction. It was scary. And he seemed hesitant to get too far away from the safety of his cage.
Several days have passed and Tiny R has adapted. He isn't afraid of the hardwood floor anymore. He's learned how to hop around on it pretty well. Not as fast as on the carpet but he's getting braver every day. And he still has carpet in the hall for speed runs.
The one unexpected change is that Tiny R has lost his fear of the kitchen floor too. Before, he was afraid to venture into the kitchen because of the slick feel of the floor. Heck, now that he's mastered the living room he has started taking small forays into the kitchen.
So Tiny R's world has expanded a little. And he now knows where the refrigerator is. Tiny R already knew the sound of the vegetable drawer being opened but he never could see it before. Oh, oh. I'm going to have to watch where I'm stepping when I'm working in the kitchen from now on.
Getting Ready for the Winter Olympics This morning I caught Tiny R sneaking behind the sofa. It's a kind of hide-and-seek game that he likes to play. He goes behind and waits for me to find him. Sometimes I'm too slow at finding him and he just comes out again with a kind of disgusted look.
Well, this morning I got up to find Tiny R and he came running out before I got there. This time, instead of coming to a sedate stop, Tiny R put on the brakes and went sliding across the hardwood floor on his fat little rump with his back feet tipped up in front of him like skis. When he finally came to a stop, his toenails lowered and touched ground. Tiny R looked shocked.
I could barely keep from laughing out loud. I did my best to contain myself because I know how sensitive Tiny R is. He hates being laughed at. He gets his feelings hurt very easily. When that happens, he goes in his cage, turns his back to us and sulks. I'm not kidding, people.
I'd be willing to bet that before the month is out, Tiny R will have mastered the hardwood. And I'll bet he starts enjoying being able to skid and slide around. It will be like learning to ice skate. Just like Thumper in that old Walt Disney movie, "Bambi."
Tiny R's Tiny Pumpkin It's just a week before Halloween. Time for Jack-O-Lanterns, kids in costumes and lots of candy.
Well, Tiny R isn't interested in candy and he already wears a black ninja costume year round. So the only thing left is the Jack-O-Lantern.
Tiny R's fondness for pumpkins goes back to the time when he was very young. We have a picture of him chewing on the stem of a pumpkin that came up volunteer in our backyard.
This year my son, Eric, and I took a drive to a grocery store that had huge boxes of perfect Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins stacked up along the front of the store. We picked out two to carve and have ready when the Trick or Treaters come to our front door.
When I went inside the store to pay for the pumpkins, I spotted a display of gourds, Indian corn and tiny orange pumpkins. The little pumpkins were deeply grooved and perfectly shaped. They looked like the kind of pumpkins that a Fairy Godmother would use to create a fancy coach to take Cinderella to the Ball.
Tiny R should have a pumpkin, now shouldn't he? Well, of course he should! So a tiny pumpkin for Tiny R was added to the cart.
When we got home, I put the little pumpkin down on the fireplace hearth along with the large pumpkins. Tiny R watched from his cage.
Finally the cage door was lifted and Tiny R bounced out and headed for the hearth. Did he stop and check out his Halloween pumpkin? Heck no! Tiny R hopped right past it without as much as a sniff. Right up to the biggest pumpkin. The little pumpkin never got a backward glance.
It's now January. Both pumpkins are still here in the living room. We carved one of the big pumpkins and put it out on the porch for the kids on Halloween. Never got around to doing the second one.
Tiny R still enjoys his big pumpkin. Every now and then he sidles up to it and gives it a lick or two. Then settles in beside it in a companionable way. Like a big orange friend. Luckily for all of us, the pumpkin doesn't show any sign of rotting.
And the tiny pumpkin? Well, it's still going strong, too. It was hard as a rock when we bought it and it still is. But Tiny R never took a liking to it.
Oh, well. Tiny R knows what he likes and what he doesn't. And now I do too.
No tiny pumpkins for Tiny R next Halloween.
Besides, the one we have now will probably still be in good shape.
The Gazebo I know there are a lot of pampered bunnies out there. But I'll bet they don't all have gazebos.
Well, actually it's not a real gazebo. But it's sort of like a gazebo. Kind of.
O.K., you got me. Tiny R's gazebo is really an upside down cardboard box. But it's not just an ordinary cardboard box. It's a beautiful dark green color and was designed to be used as part of a product display.
The neatest thing about this particular box is that it already had the front and two sides neatly cut out like arches. And when it's turned upside down, it makes a handsome, cozy hangout for Tiny R.
No matter where we move the gazebo, whether on the floor or fireplace hearth, Tiny R knows it's his special place. A place where he can cuddle down and nap or simply sit quietly and watch his world go by.
Please don't tell Tiny R that his gazebo is just a simple cardboard box. He thinks it's quite wonderful. And besides, since Tiny R thinks he's a little prince, hanging out in a cardboard box would be bad for his image.
The Gang of Four I never thought it would happen but it did. Tiny R is now an official member of the pack.
Several months ago, Eric decided that Tiny R shouldn't have to be cooped up in his cage most of the day just because it was winter and the three dogs were in the house most of the time. The only solution was to get the four pets together and lay down the law.
Law number 1: Dogs are not allowed to eat Tiny R.
Law number 2: Dogs are not allowed to chase Tiny R.
Law number 3: Dogs will show respect for Tiny R.
We thought that just about covered the situation. But as it turned out, it didn't. While we had rules for the dogs, we overlooked making rules for Tiny R. It didn't take long before we found out that he was the one who needed them the most.
Getting the dogs used to Tiny R was a snap. They had already been trained to give the cat a wide berth. And they were used to seeing Tiny R in his cage. So when Eric put Tiny R on his lap and formally introduced him to the dogs, they were interested but fairly nonchalant about the meeting. The few times one of them would sniff Tiny R with more enthusiasm than was necessary, we reined the dog in with a firm, "Be nice!" And that's all it took.
Our dogs are not stupid. They knew right away that we, as "alpha dogs" in the pack, would not tolerate any funny stuff when it came to Tiny R. He was just part of the gang and that was that. Treat him right or spend the rest of your life outside!
The first few times Tiny R came out of his cage in the presence of the dogs, the dogs were more nervous than Tiny R was. When he hopped up to them, the dogs carefully got up and moved away, all the time looking over their shoulders to see where he was. Apparently this reaction went to Tiny R's head. Before long he was bullying the dogs. Yes, that's what I said. Tiny R got to be a regular little tyrant!
Tiny R has always had a bit of an attitude but his new-found power over the dogs soon got to be too much to tolerate. First of all, the dogs were constantly nervous, never knowing when the little black pest was going to fly out of his cage and growl at them. If the dogs didn't immediately vacate the area, Tiny R would sometimes put his front paws up on the dog's back in a show of domination. To be sure, Tiny R was not only getting to be a royal pain, he was courting certain disaster. Because no matter how powerful he thought he was, he was still only a 6 pound rabbit and the three dogs all weighed in at 50 pounds plus.
Thankfully, the period of territorial dispute only lasted a couple of weeks. After a while the dogs didn't respond when Tiny R tried to push them around. When Tiny R came bounding up to them while they were napping, the dogs would just raise their heads to see who it was, then lay back down again with an expression that could only be interpreted as, "Not that kid again! Just ignore him and maybe he'll go away."
Finally Tiny R came to the conclusion that if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em. He dropped the obnoxious attitude and tried to become friends.
Of all the dogs, Rags seems to be Tiny R's favorite. Rags is a big, black and white, long-haired dog that looks like a non-drooling St. Bernard. He's getting along in years, has intelligent blue-rimmed eyes, and is very mellow. The main thing that makes Rags different is that he doesn't accept Tiny R as the center of the universe. If Tiny R wants to come share his rug, well, fine. But don't expect Rags to voluntarily move for a rabbit. The way Rags feels, if there are any concessions to be made, it's up to Tiny R to make them.
Tiny R respects Rags. That's probably the reason they get along so well. And when Tiny R isn't somewhere in view, I check to see where Rags is. Very often they will be found together, just hanging out or taking a nap.
So now Tiny R has some friends. They all tower over him but he isn't intimidated. And when treats are being handed out, Tiny R is right there in the middle to make sure he gets something, too.
It's a sight that always makes me chuckle; our three faithful canines sitting in a semi-circle around me waiting for a treat, and there in the middle of the dogs stands Tiny R in his begging position. Just one of the gang.
Tiny R: Back in Black Tiny R has always been a healthy, vigorous little guy. Never had any serious injury or illness. Until two weeks ago. And for these past two weeks, our household has been in a state of intensive care trying to keep Tiny R from dying.
Before going any farther, I want to report that Tiny R is alive and doing well. Through the efforts of three vets, information from rabbit experts on the internet and the round-the-clock care by his human family, Tiny R beat the odds and is still here.
So, what happened? Well, the short story is that Tiny R came down with pneumonia. I'm not sure of the exact variety but he was very, very sick. To compound his troubles, he lost his appetite and his urinary and G.I. tracts slowed down to a crawl.
Tiny R was left with a set of lungs that sounded like a washing machine, a snotty nose, a cough, very little food going in and nothing in the way of fecal pellets coming out. And almost no urine. Definitely a sick little critter. One look at him and you could tell that if something wasn't done immediately, he wasn't going to make it.
Off to the vet. After she examined Tiny R, he was given 200 cc of subcutaneous fluids (Lactated Ringer's solution) and started on Baytril by subcutaneous injection to combat the infection in his lungs. After learning that I was an RN, the vet suggested that I continue giving his Baytril by injection rather than try to get the oral solution down him.
Over the next 2 weeks, Eric and I hovered over Tiny R with as much concern as if he were a sick child. We worried. We did research on the web to find out if there was anything else we could do to help Tiny R. We worked together to give Tiny R the care that he required. And sometimes, out of fear and frustration over the situation, we snapped at each other.
Being a nurse, I kept a detailed log of Tiny R's progress and care. And I had a few specialized tools on hand that helped me monitor his situation such as a stethoscope. Using the stethoscope, I listened to his heart, lungs and bowel sounds several times a day. I found out that rabbits and humans aren't that much different when it comes to body sounds. In a nutshell: raspy, bubbling lungs are bad. Clear, unlabored, quiet lungs are good. And when it comes to bowel sounds, there'd better be some or the patient is in big trouble.
When it came to Tiny R's lungs and upper respiratory passages, the infection responded to the Baytril very well. It wasn't long before his lungs sounded pretty good and his respirations were normal. The white mucus from his nose went away and he quit snorting the way he did when his nose was obstructed.
Of course, we continued the Baytril injections. If you don't keep it up until the nasty bugs are all dead, all you have left are the strongest ones. And if the "super bugs" are allowed to regroup and build up in numbers, it's not uncommon that they'll attempt another attack. If that happens, they may be stronger and more virulent than before, having built up an immunity to the medicine that killed off their weaker brothers.
The moral of this story is, "Don't decide on your own when to stop the antibiotics. That's a decision that should be made by your vet." There is a very good reason to prescribe antibiotics for 10 days or 2 weeks or more. It's not just to increase your vet bill.
If you think your bunny is having a bad reaction to the antibiotics before the full course is completed, give your vet a call and discuss it. He/she may have some other alternatives to offer.
And, above all, no matter how perky and "well" your bunny acts after 2 or 3 days of antibiotics, keep with the program and give him the full course. Do your part to prevent the evolution of "super bugs". The life you save may very well be your own little rabbit pal's.
OK, Tiny R was lucky. He responded quickly to the Baytril and his lungs began mending within a couple of days. But he definitely wasn't out of the woods. Not by a long shot.
Tiny R was weak, listless, had no appetite, wouldn't drink, wouldn't eat and didn't poop. He looked like he wasn't going to make it. His bowel sounds were very faint and far between. It was obvious that not much was going on in his gastrointestinal tract. And when it comes to bunnies, if the GI tract is not working, the situation is extremely serious.
We did everything we could think of to stimulate Tiny R to eat, drink and poop. It was a very frustrating time. In hindsight, some of the stuff we did probably helped. And some of it probably didn't. But when you're desperate, as long as it can't hurt, why not try it?
For the most part, we tried to employ common sense.
One of life's most important requirements is water. Tiny R wasn't getting enough and it was apparent. His skin in back of his neck was loose. It "tented" when you lifted it. It didn't snap back the way it should when it was released. He was dehydrated. If something wasn't done fast, Tiny R wouldn't last long.
The first vet recognized the dehydration right away. Tiny R was given a 200 cc subcutaneous injection of Ringer's Lactate. The fluid would gradually absorb into his circulatory system over a period of days. With any luck, his GI tract would absorb some of it and help whatever was still in there to rehydrate and gradually make its way out.
Tiny R refused to drink water. Something had to be done to get some fluid down from the top to soften up any potential blockage. So a plastic dropper was used to give him Pedialyte or water 5 or 6 times a day. This is not something he enjoyed but he didn't have any choice in the matter. He was such a squirmer, it was definitely a two-person job. Eric held him on his lap and controlled his body and I manned the dropper and stabilized his head. I gave him little dribbles of fluid with a syringe or dropper and then allowed time for him to swallow.
The third way we were able to get fluids into Tiny R turned out to be "greens". After a couple of days on antibiotics, he began showing signs of a weak appetite. We racked our brains to figure out something that would encourage it. The thing that finally got his appetite moving was dandelion greens and clover out of our yard. Rinsed off and with water still clinging to the leaves, Tiny R consented to try them.
During this first phase of his recovery, Tiny R was very, very weak. When he tried to nibble on the edges of large romaine leaves, it was just too much for him. He tired out easily and didn't have the stamina to chew off pieces that would fit into his mouth. So we took turns tearing the romaine and other greens into bite-sized pieces and holding them for him. This way he conserved his energy and put all his effort into chewing.
The tender young dandelion leaves and clover were like a tonic. Perhaps it was the strong fragrance from the newly picked stems that got his interest. All I know is that when Tiny R started eating, even just a little, we were elated! But we knew that he wasn't out of danger yet. The rest of his GI tract was not working. In two words, "no poop." And that is very serious business.
Off to the vet again. Since no obstructions were palpated in Tiny R's abdomen, the vet advised us to give him Laxtone or Petromalt (the stuff people give their cats to prevent and treat fur balls) by mouth to help move the bowel contents along. And his left eye had developed an ulcer so some gentamicin sulfate eye ointment was started twice a day.
At first it was a major fight to get the Petromalt, a greasy, ointment-like medicine, into Tiny R's mouth using our fingers. He twisted and turned his head away, smearing it all over himself and us. Finally I grabbed one of the syringes I had on hand for his injections. After removing the needle, I pulled the plunger out of the the syringe barrel and filled it with Petromalt from the tube. After replacing the plunger, I had a nice little squirt gun that I could administer measured amounts of the medicine into Tiny R's mouth.
By inserting the tip of the syringe into the side of Tiny R's mouth, I slowly gave him 1/2 cc at a time, allowing him lots of time to swallow before giving him more. This worked amazingly well. It was neat, didn't upset Tiny R as much and I could tell how much he was actually getting. And the greasy stuff didn't get all over his face.
Over the next 3 days, Tiny R took in 6 doses of Petromalt, approximately 2 cc at each dose. His bowel sounds gradually got stronger and, little by little, he began producing fecal pellets.
At first the fecal pellets were very tiny, almost like mouse "dirt". Tiny, black and misshapen. And hard as rocks. Gradually, over many days, the fecal pellets got larger. Not normal by any means, and not very many, but a lot better than before. Around this time Tiny R started showing an interest in his hay.
The day that Tiny R took the first wisp of hay into his mouth and started chewing was another red letter day! Up till then it had been nothing but greens. Nothing else appealed to him. He wouldn't even look at the fresh rabbit food pellets in his dish. If they had been the only food available, he would have starved to death.
Between the "greens" (dandelion leaves, clover, romaine and red leaf lettuce) and the grass hay, Tiny R's appetite picked up. And his poops grew in size and became lighter in color. When the hay finally made it through his system, the fecal pellets were round, pale green in color and plentiful. It was a time for rejoicing!
Update:
It's been a month now since Tiny R got sick. He's still recovering. His energy level isn't quite up to par yet but he's making progress. He eats with vigor and his GI tract is back on track. He's drinking water and his kidneys are working well.
Tiny R had a very close call. He's 6 years old now. There were many times we thought he wouldn't make it to his 7th birthday. And it was a long two weeks that we all went through while he was sick. It was like hovering over a sick child and watching for any little change, both good and bad. Watching and worrying. And trying to figure out if there was something we were missing; something that we had overlooked that was important; something else that we should be doing to give our beloved bunny a chance to live.
I've learned a lot about rabbits this past month. And Tiny R put up with an awful lot. In addition to what I've already written about, Tiny R also received a second subcutaneous injection of fluids from the vet, Baytril injections twice a day, gentle abdominal massages, doses of B and C vitamins, non-dairy lactobacillus acidophylus, pediatric simethicone and Pedialyte. Even a couple of small warm water enemas laced with a few drops of mineral oil. I realize that these things may be controversial in some quarters of the rabbit world, but under the circumstances I felt they were logical and certainly couldn't possibly hurt the situation.
Tiny R survived. And he doesn't seem to hold anything against us for all the things he went through while he was sick. If anything, he is more friendly and gentle. I have a feeling that Tiny R somehow understands that we love him and only did what had to be done to keep him with us. It was quite a struggle dragging his little 5 pound body back from death's door. But we did it and we'd do it again if necessary.
Tiny R has once again claimed his perch on the fireplace hearth. He sits up there in his shiny black coat, about a half pound thinner now, surveying his kingdom as he did before. Our prince of pets is back on his throne. Even the dogs seem glad of it.
No doubt about it. Tiny R is definitely "Back in Black"! And considering how very sick he was, it seems like a miracle.
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