Hurt Bunny w/blood on face/eyes+limb problems?

[Twi_prime]

Hi, can anyone help this morning? I've found a little brown bunny or hare--a grown-up, I assume, or at least an adolescent--sitting on a quiet dirt road. He has blood on his face and at least one eye looks like it's been injured or covered with dirt or *something*. He tried to get away when I approached him, but couldn't go far. At least one limb seemed to give him trouble and he sort of tumbled. Is there a rehabber out there who I could bring him to for help? As y'all know, I'm a major newbie.

Should I give him a fleece to snuggle into? Should I give him some water, or would pedialyte be good, or should I avoid giving him anything at all until someone is sure about his injuries? I'm here. Thanks in advance.

[astra]

I know nothing about bunnies, really...
However, I'd assume that water should be fine. Again, if you could put water in a shallow dish with a few pebbles on the bottom, that could help to prevent the dish from overturning.
I am sure, some fleece could be fine, too, since he needs something to snuggle in and hide.
I PMed someone in FL who might know of someone...
Let's wait and see.

[Twi_prime]

I know nothing about bunnies, really...
However, I'd assume that water should be fine. Again, if you could put water in a shallow dish with a few pebbles on the bottom, that could help to prevent the dish from overturning.
I am sure, some fleece could be fine, too, since he needs something to snuggle in and hide.
I PMed someone in FL who might know of someone...
Let's wait and see.

Thanks Astra! Thanks a million. :)

[UDoWhat]

Hi , Buns stress easily. Can drop dead from door slammed. Esp. being injuried Do give water in a syringe or bowl. Must be hydrated. Can use hydration fluids or homemade one. You will need to clean any wounds. I need to leave for about 10 min. will be back to help tell how to clean wounds and check for fly eggs and magots.
Homemade Pedialyte
1 tsp salt (teaspoon)
3 Tbsp sugar (tablespoon)
1 quart warm water

[UDoWhat]

Sorry 10 turns into 30 min. around here. How are we doing? Need to hydrate evey hour or more. Does bun have fly eggs, maggots, or just dirt and grit in wounds?

[Twi_prime]

Sorry 10 turns into 30 min. around here. How are we doing? Need to hydrate evey hour or more. Does bun have fly eggs, maggots, or just dirt and grit in wounds?

I don't see any fly eggs or maggots, but I know I haven't looked very closely yet. Gonna post pics soon if you want to see them. Stopped to check here on my way back to him with some diluted pedialyte. What I see so far is that he's got a lot of dirt falling off of him. There's what looks like--to me--a clump of dirt or dried blood on his unwounded/untaken eye. The other eye is at least very closed and bloody.

[UDoWhat]

Ok ,you will need to cleaan him up. Start with the worst injury first. For the eye use only warm water, unless you have stuff for eyes specifically. Get a syringe( large if you have it and flood eye with warm water to remove yuck. If he is too stressed, use a warm wet cottonball to clean. We need to clean and get some eye med for it. I type slowly and will send this now and keep typing more info in next post.

[Jackie in Tampa]

:bowdown
where are you Twi?I can try t help find someone close to you...
ty good job:Love_Icon
thanks astra...you rock

[Jackie in Tampa]

Ok ,you will need to cleaan him up. Start with the worst injury first. For the eye use only warm water, unless you have stuff for eyes specifically. Get a syringe( large if you have it and flood eye with warm water to remove yuck. If he is too stressed, use a warm wet cottonball to clean. We need to clean and get some eye med for it. I type slowly and will send this now and keep typing more info in next post.ty as I know sooo little about bunnies...except they are scarey hard to keep alive...will listen and learn and try to get some help if location allows...

[Twi_prime]

:bowdown
where are you Twi?I can try t help find someone close to you...
ty good job:Love_Icon
thanks astra...you rock

I'm in south-eastern Clay County right now. 'Bout 30 miles from Anne, but I know she's been under the weather.

[Jackie in Tampa]

brb...let me get some help to this thread

[UDoWhat]

Thank heavens JIT can help find someone. Bunnies quake when I'm the only help. :rotfl
In the mean time: Hydrate first, clean eye, next. Clean dirt off gently of the rest of body. Work fast, quietly and short sessions. Do you think he has a limb issue? In my experience, (limited with buns) attemps to set broken limbs yourself, cause stress ,often fatal. You may need Vet. help or experience and drugs for pain.

[Jackie in Tampa]

I have put out an APB...PM'ed sarabi in lake city, hoping she can hook the bun bun up ...
if not maybe marty and srbtoo can guide...
hang tight ...trying others as well!
:bowdown

[UDoWhat]

Hello SR&B2, Help, we need help. I'm trying here but not sure of appropriate meds. for buns. Bun would most likely do better without my help. Emergency stabilization, I can do. Meds NO CLUE. Will need to research meds.

[Sarabi]

Anne is right there let me see if Chaz is up to it.
.....No answer.....the only other Rehabber in clay is the humane society.
I left a message for Anne.

[Twi_prime]

Thank heavens JIT can help find someone. Bunnies quake when I'm the only help. :rotfl
In the mean time: Hydrate first, clean eye, next. Clean dirt off gently of the rest of body. Work fast, quietly and short sessions. Do you think he has a limb issue? In my experience, (limited with buns) attemps to set broken limbs yourself, cause stress ,often fatal. You may need Vet. help or experience and drugs for pain.

Thank heavens for 'a'll'a y'all' as my Grandma would have said. I don't know how much fluid I should be giving this bunny, but I think he has just taken between 1/2 and 1 full teaspoon. Every time I take him out, he ends up losing his balance at the end and falling over. Could this be neurological, instead of or in addition to limbs? Let me post these pics... Gimme a couple of minutes?

[Twi_prime]

Anne is right there let me see if Chaz is up to it.
.....No answer.....the only other Rehabber in clay is the humane society.
I left a message for Anne.

Thanks Sarabi. Does anyone think It'll scare him literally to death if I make a bunny burrito out of him to attempt to clean his eye? Anyone have an idea on that fluid amount? Thanks.

[UDoWhat]

I need to go to appointment. Will return in a while. Hydrate, is important. Put some natural foods in to see if he will nibble a little. Is this a bunny or hare. Don't know natural diet for FL hare but I would think grasses, hay, dandelion greens. ??????

[Twi_prime]

I need to go to appointment. Will return in a while. Hydrate, is important. Put some natural foods in to see if he will nibble a little. Is this a bunny or hare. Don't know natural diet for FL hare but I would think grasses, hay, dandelion greens. ??????

I would guess hare. he's brown and seems to have long hind legs? Thanks for the tip on foods. I'll research some too.

[Twi_prime]

Here are some pictures. He didn't seem to flip out much about having them taken.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Twi_prime/bunnysfrontsideeyewound.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Twi_prime/bunnysleftside.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Twi_prime/bunnysrightside.jpg

Hope those show up.

[Twi_prime]

You can't see his right eye very well for the glare, but I think it seems glassy at best, if not wounded itself.

[UDoWhat]

Will check before I leave. Need weight or approx. to figure how much fluids he needs to stabilize. #'s less important for now. Mammals need 55ml/kg per 24 hours. If he is a pound then needs about 27.5cc or so just to keep stable. If really dehydrated will need to add 6%, 8%, 10% up to 12% to the total.

[Twi_prime]

Anyone have a way to contact Liz in Palatka? I know she knows someone who takes care of bunnies, but I never got the contact info from her. Tried to give bunny a little more pedia and also tried to ring a little water out over his wounded eye. He hated me for it and I don't know how much it really cleaned. Still can't see much of the eye, but it definitely caused some blood to flow off of it.

[rozdow]

Would a local vet or nature center have a current list of rehabbers in the area?

[astra]

there are people being contacted right now,, just give it some time. It's a daytime right now and some people might be at work or running errands

[Twi_prime]

Would a local vet or nature center have a current list of rehabbers in the area?

Thank you for reminding me. I have a list somewhere. I'm just so shy of them after the last time.

[Twi_prime]

there are people being contacted right now,, just give it some time. It's a daytime right now and some people might be at work or running errands

Thanks Astra. I'm being patient this time.

[Twi_prime]

Btw, I'm told over on a rabbit board that this is a wild rabbit, not a hare. In light of that, I put a couple of leaves of spinach and some small pieces of banana in the box with him. I got him to take another 1/2 teaspoon of pedia a while back too. Good thing I way, way overslept last night.

[Sarabi]

Looks like a florida cottontale, and looks like he has head truama, Still no answer with Anne or chas. I have plentyof rehabbers in Jax if you want some of those numbers.

[Twi_prime]

Looks like a florida cottontale, and looks like he has head truama, Still no answer with Anne or chas. I have plentyof rehabbers in Jax if you want some of those numbers.

Yes, pretty please. Would you like to pm me? :)

[Twi_prime]

Woo. Sarabi put me in touch with Anne and she and Chaz are willing to take the bunny. Oh thank goodness. Thanks everyone, for sharing your knowledge and encouragement. :Love_Icon

[astra]

Woo. Sarabi put me in touch with Anne and she and Chaz are willing to take the bunny. Oh thank goodness. Thanks everyone, for sharing your knowledge and encouragement. :Love_Icon
:thumbsup

[astra]

Good thing I way, way overslept last night.
things happen for a reason:)

[pappy1264]

I'm glad to see Anne and Chaz will be getting this baby. Make sure he is in a small cat carrier so he cannot hurt himself more with heat under part of it. If you have any old fashioned oats, you can put some in with him, get some dandelion greens and rinse them, and leave them a bit wet for some fluids. He will need metacam for pain, and baytril for infection, depending on weight. Quiet and dark. Hopefully he will be ok....head traumas can go either way. And yes, he is a cottontail, looks to be a good sized one at that.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Sorry, I was sleeping (work night shift now, so I sleep most of the day then care for all my guys before coming on). Looks like you got great advice and great news he's going to Anne :thumbsup. Does look like head trauma so he'll need metacam for pain and swelling and then sulfa-trim for possible infection.

He was probably hit by a car :(. I'd check his teeth to see if they are still aligned. This little tyke is probably gonna have a long road to recovery ahead of him if he is able to heal at all. Bunnies are super tough though, so hopefully he'll pull through.

I'd say he's a full grown cottontail.

I wouldn't worry so much about pushing fluids as getting him to eat. Bunnies need to keep eating or their digestive system will get all out of whack and they can get diarrhea or digestive slowdown and both can be fatal. Usually they get fluids from their foods so it shouldn't be an issue if he eats greens.

[Twi_prime]

Thanks Pappy and SR&B2 for the advice. I'll have more info to go on next time--and every time, I'm sure. I'm glad Anne and Chas could take him. I hope he can recover and be happy. He sure wasn't today, poor baby.

Thanks to everybody who guided me earlier in the day too. I know y'all will keep him in your thoughts.

:thumbsup

[Twi_prime]

Sorry, I was sleeping (work night shift now, so I sleep most of the day then care for all my guys before coming on). Looks like you got great advice and great news he's going to Anne :thumbsup. Does look like head trauma so he'll need metacam for pain and swelling and then sulfa-trim for possible infection.

He was probably hit by a car :(. I'd check his teeth to see if they are still aligned. This little tyke is probably gonna have a long road to recovery ahead of him if he is able to heal at all. Bunnies are super tough though, so hopefully he'll pull through.


Boy do I know how the daysleeping routine is. No problem. Thanks so much for bringing your knowledge to this. I don't doubt a car hit, although I first thought an animal had gotten hold of him. There was a boxer/bull type dog wandering around down the road when I found him and the eye wound made me think something sharp like claws or teeth or beaks. I definitely defer to greater experience though. Even though it's a dirt road, people do fly down it at times(myself included, I should admit). Thanks again.

[Twi_prime]

Hi All. Anne was very kind to update me on the bunny:

"Bunny still with us and at the vet. No broken bones, but appears to have head trauma. Bun-bun is getting anti-inflammatory meds to see if that will help with head tilt and eye problems."

Thank goodness for people who care. Thanks again, everyone who advised and helped me get him where he needed to go. :)

[astra]

Hi All. Anne was very kind to update me on the bunny:

"Bunny still with us and at the vet. No broken bones, but appears to have head trauma. Bun-bun is getting anti-inflammatory meds to see if that will help with head tilt and eye problems."

Thank goodness for people who care. Thanks again, everyone who advised and helped me get him where he needed to go. :)
thanks for such a good update!

[Twi_prime]

Hi guys. Sorry to report, Anne let me know that the bunny didn't make it back from his head trauma and finally went blind. The vet had to do the merciful thing. Thanks again to everyone who helped get him to people who would give him a chance. :grouphug

[astra]

:grouphug rip poor bunny:grouphug

[Scooterzmom]

R.I.P. little bunny. Run free and wild and enjoy your new life at the Bridge. You'll meet many friends there I'm sure.

Thank you all for caring for this precious little creature :Love_Icon

[Twi_prime]

Thanks, ladies. It is a bummer. :(

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

So sorry to hear that the little guy didn't make it. I have a cottontail in similar shape, that I am pretty sure is blind in one eye and has serious head trauma issues. She was found along the side of the road and didn't run away when I scooped her up and is full grown, so it was pretty obvious something serious was going on. She will likely need to be euthanized, but I am waiting until she has her babies, because I am about 80% sure she is pregnant. Plus you never know, the babies might give her something to care for and focus on and she might start moving around better. I have a feeling she won't even know she has babies when she does and won't care for them, though :(. Head trauma is so sad.

[pappy1264]

Awwww, thank you for trying and at least she was safe and given the chance. RIP sweet bun-bun.

[Kahn]

Hi all, been a long time. Sorry to hear about the bunny. Those guys are VERY resilient creatures. It takes a lot to keep them down and it sounds like it literally took an automobile to make that happen. They are benevolent animals - I'm quite sure he realized he was being cared for and at greater peace going the way he did than out in the wild. That's part of mother nature too though.

EXCELLENT work with the bunny though! *Hat is off to you*

[Twi_prime]

So sorry to hear that the little guy didn't make it. I have a cottontail in similar shape, that I am pretty sure is blind in one eye and has serious head trauma issues. She was found along the side of the road and didn't run away when I scooped her up and is full grown, so it was pretty obvious something serious was going on. She will likely need to be euthanized, but I am waiting until she has her babies, because I am about 80% sure she is pregnant. Plus you never know, the babies might give her something to care for and focus on and she might start moving around better. I have a feeling she won't even know she has babies when she does and won't care for them, though :(. Head trauma is so sad.

Aw, thanks SR&B2. I hope your girlie improves and/or the babies help her to pull through. Hope the babies do well too! It's good she has you to love and care for her. :Love_Icon

[Twi_prime]

Thanks Pappy and Kahn, and thank goodness for Anne!

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Aw, thanks SR&B2. I hope your girlie improves and/or the babies help her to pull through. Hope the babies do well too! It's good she has you to love and care for her. :Love_Icon

She had one baby two days ago and I took her up to the emergency clinic where I work and the other babies were dead and she had to be euthanized :(. The little guy is only 23 grams too, which is super tiny, but he is soooooooooooo sweet :Love_Icon

[Twi_prime]

She had one baby two days ago and I took her up to the emergency clinic where I work and the other babies were dead and she had to be euthanized :(. The little guy is only 23 grams too, which is super tiny, but he is soooooooooooo sweet :Love_Icon

Oh, I'm so sorry. Please be healthy and have a long life, little guy. :grouphug