Sick Angora Buck Rabbit!

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I have a 2 year old French Angora buck rabbit who I adore, he is just the coolest rabbit ever.
I have had him for a little over two months and I got him from a goat breeder who lost interest in him and hadn't groomed him for a year! He was so matted he couldn't even hop, his front and back legs were matted together. This woman had other rabbits but only this one Angora that she paid alot of money for from a great breeder with champion stock. He was given to me for free just to take him off her hands, his papers and everything. I brought him home and cried my eyes out while I shaved him down because I couldn't stand how bad she had let him get. Her other rabbits were all well cared for and this guy had a nice hutch, food, water, and hay but just was never groomed.
Fast forward. I now groom him either daily or every other day. He is handled alot. The day before yesterday I groomed him quick because I was late for getting the kids into bed, so I didn't really take the time to put my hand deep down into his fur and feel his body.
Yesterday I go out and bring home a breeding pair of Mini Rex who I put into a cage in my rabbitry right above Peter, my Angora. I also have a Holland Lop in the cage next to Peter.
I take him out for a in depth grooming and notice that he is shedding quite a bit. I start hand plucking fur from him and fill a zip lock sandwich bad to nearly busting point with gorgeous angora fur. I was all excited as I had been waiting to get some fur to spin from him.
I then start brushing and blowing him out and really getting my hands on him and I notice that he has lost a considerable amount of weight in a very short time. He was a robust bunny just a week ago.
I look into his cage and notice that he hasn't touched his pellets (we swicthed brands right about a week ago as a matter of fact), I then notice that there are no fresh dropping in the catch tray under his hutch.
I start looking him over really well and notice that he has a small amount of thick white goo in the corner of one eye and in one nostril.
I am now freaking out. I have a sick rabbit and I just brought home two new bunnies, one of which is a pregnant doe.
Do these symptoms sound like anything really obvious? I am going to go get him some of the old pellets he was on today and see if he will eat them. He is drinking normally and urinating and the urine is a normal color.
I got him to eat some banana because I was scared it could be wool block.

Any other ideas?
There is no point removing him from the others now that they've all been right with him is there?

 

[Goldlaced_Girl]

the only thing i can think of is HURRY and get him some pineapple and papaya. he sounds like he has a fur block. it can kill rabbits in less than 12 hours sometimes, and angoras are VERY prone to it because they can become excessive groomers and those long hairs get tangled up in their stomach. pineapple will dissolve it, papaya will keep it from happening again any time soon. I would suggest getting a fur block supplement to mix with his feed in the future, it will keep it from happening. my friends angora buck that was supposed to be bred with my doe died from a block in only four hours. HURRY HURRY HURRY!

 

[Goldlaced_Girl]

AND what feed did you switch him to? did you wean him off the old slowly? try putting him on Hutch 17 by Blue seal (not show hutch deluxe). it's the best I've found.

 

[BBK]

i would put meds in water, Rx or terymicin (sp?) We have Terymicin in oniment form too, that we would put on the eye after cleaning with warm cotton ball, i would also clean nose. but it sounds like a congested problem.

do you have pinapple, give him some, that clears the wool block too.
other than that i don't know. hope it works out for you tho.
melinda

 

[cutiepieacres]

sounds like your past antibiotics in the water they just dont work fast enough and you cant moniter how much the bunny actually gets, it may also make the water taste yucky limiting how much water they drink. I would get somthing in him for wool block incase, it cant hurt and check for dehydration anyhow(tent up the skin see how fast it falls) and check the gums see how pale they are and the capillary refill time, push on the gum for a second with your finger and see how long it takes for the blood/pink to come back, should pink back up right away. Check the bunnies temp.

If you think antibiotics are needed you can get Pen G or Tetracycline(La 200) without a prescription and both of those work pretty well in bunnies 1/15cc per lb injected SQ. I would also give Vit. B 1/10 cc per lb for the appitite loss.

If you think its wool block you can also give canned pumpkin bunnies love it and it works really well. Make sure to try to get him to drink as much water as you can. You can feel around in his belly for a blockage, just like palpating a doe for pregnancy.

I hope he gets better.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Okay I only had canned pineapple chunks in pineapple juice, gotta be better than nothing, except he won't touch them!
I switched from Producers pride pellets to Dumor Show pellets and I did switch slowly but he just hasn't cared for them, now he's not eating at all.
I think it might be GI Stasis. I took him and massaged his belly for an hour and got him to pass gas several times. I am so worried.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I have canned pumpkin, off to try that!

 

[cutiepieacres]

if hes got gas in his tummy, give him a drooper full of infant gas drops asap, it will help relieve it right away.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I am not feeling a blockage of any kind in the abdomen.
His belly feels doughy so I am worried about dehydration though but he is drinking on his own.
I think I will give him some plain pedialyte....

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Quote:
On it!