Baby Bunnies - Dog Attack!

[Toddy]

Hi everyone,

I just got in two baby white cottontail rabbits. I suspect they are only a few days old. Apparently, a dog found their nest. Two are already dead and I have the two remaining survivors. Both have major wounds, please see pictures below.

The dog’s owner found the bunnies on Saturday and has been feeding the two survivirs KMR formula. Since getting them in, I have soaked the wounds in warm water, flushed them out as best a possible, and applied a triple antibiotic Polysporin ointment.

303622303623303624303625I have also fed them approx. 1cc each of the proper bunny formula (1/2 cup goatsmilk, 1/2 cup KMR, 3cc heavy whipping cream, 1/4 Tsp. probiotic, 1-1/2 Tbsp colestrum).
One weighs 40 grams, the other around 35 grams.

I have them on a heating pad in my baby squirrel plastic tote.

I’ve never dealt with bunnies this young before, so is there anything else I should be doing? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Toddy]

Forgot to mention... Both bunnies still have their eyes closed.
One has peed, but neither of them has pooped since I got them in this morning.
Thanks!

[Mel1959]

I would reach out via pm to squirrelsruleandbunniestoo and see if she can offer some advice. Milosmom also has great knowledge of bunnies, but she doesn’t accept private messages. Maybe someone has her email so you could contact her.

I’m sure there are other folks on here that can help, I just can’t think of their names.

I know bunnies are very sensitive, so I hope the formula that the original finder gave doesn’t create a problem.

Thank you for helping them. They sure are cute! :grouphug :Love_Icon

[Toddy]

I would reach out via pm to squirrelsruleandbunniestoo and see if she can offer some advice. Milosmom also has great knowledge of bunnies, but she doesn’t accept private messages. Maybe someone has her email so you could contact her.

I’m sure there are other folks on here that can help, I just can’t think of their names.

I know bunnies are very sensitive, so I hope the formula that the original finder gave doesn’t create a problem.

Thank you for helping them. They sure are cute! :grouphug :Love_Icon

Ok, thank you so much!:grouphug
I've been reading the other threads on here about baby bunnies and I will do everything I can to help these little ones.
They each just took another 0.3cc's so I hope they continue to take a few drops of formula for me...

[Milo's Mom]

Good on the formula mix :great
Watch the heat...can cause bunnies to bloat
You stated 0.3cc's...bunnies get fed twice a day (morning and night) 10% of body weight. At 40 and 35 grams it would be between 3.5 and 4cc's...not sure where the 0.3 came from

If you're syringe feeding they like their formula HOT. Not as hot as a raccoon but hotter than a squirrel. Almost like coffee you have to sip versus chug.

Eyes open, add Timothy Hay. NOT anything but Timothy Hay. No alfalfa, no bits of whatever they mix in some of the hay. Plain old Timothy.

When you see evidence of fiber (timothy hay) in the poop, you may start with the greens S-L-O-W-L-Y. Someone can advised you on that when the time comes.

Those injuries are severe, the arm looks awful. Good luck!

[Toddy]

Good on the formula mix :great
Watch the heat...can cause bunnies to bloat
You stated 0.3cc's...bunnies get fed twice a day (morning and night) 10% of body weight. At 40 and 35 grams it would be between 3.5 and 4cc's...not sure where the 0.3 came from

If you're syringe feeding they like their formula HOT. Not as hot as a raccoon but hotter than a squirrel. Almost like coffee you have to sip versus chug.

Eyes open, add Timothy Hay. NOT anything but Timothy Hay. No alfalfa, no bits of whatever they mix in some of the hay. Plain old Timothy.

When you see evidence of fiber (timothy hay) in the poop, you may start with the greens S-L-O-W-L-Y. Someone can advised you on that when the time comes.

Those injuries are severe, the arm looks awful. Good luck!

Thank you Milo's Mom!

The bunnies made it through the night and are slightly better this morning. They are eating a bit better and are alert when not sleeping.

I have had their plastic tote half on a heating pad. They seems to move off and on the heat as they need it, so maybe they know enough to stay at the proper temperature...?

Still no poop this morning :dono

I've been warming up the formula, but I will try it a bit warmer like you suggested.

The wounds are looking okay, no sign of infection yet. I have switched from the triple AB Polysporin to DermaGel this morning in order to try and keep the areas moist for better tissue regeneration.

One bunny I think has a broken front arm, so I am going to try and splint it. This will be difficult, given that the arm is only half an inch long!!! Wish me luck.....

[Toddy]

These two babies are real fighters! Their horrible wounds have started to heal and they are eating well at each feeding. They are pooping on their own, but I haven't seen any evidence of pee :dono Do baby bunnies need to be stimulated like baby squirrels to urinate? I have tried stimulating them, messaging their bellies, etc. to try and get them to pee, but no luck....

The one baby with the less severe injuries has gained an additional 10% of it's body weight since I took possession three days ago.

The other baby with the more severe wounds has not gained any weight at all, which I find worrisome. It actually looks like it has lost some muscle mass and now feels like skin and bones.

The original finder told me that her dog used this baby as a 'chew toy' (:sadness), so I am wondering if it has any internal injuries, or a possible infection... Would this explain the lack of weight gain? It is just as active as the other one, eats roughly the same amount, and seems fine otherwise except for the lack of weight gain. Any suggestions?

The formula that I have been using consists of:
1/2 cup goats milk
1/2 cup KMR
1/4 Tsp. probiotic
1-1/2 Tbsp. colostrum
3 cc's heavy whipping cream

Thank you!

[Milo's Mom]

increase feeding for skinny one to 11%

if eyes open no need to stimulate

have to go

good luck

[Toddy]

increase feeding for skinny one to 11%

if eyes open no need to stimulate

have to go

good luck

Their eyes are still closed. I've had them for 3 days so far, and I suspect they were 2-3 days old when I received them, so I think they are only 5-7 days old in total now. I believe bunnys eyes don't open until around the 10 day mark... Their bellies feel like little water balloons, so I will try stimulating them again and hopefully I get them to pee...

I will increase the skinny one's formula intake to 11% of body weight. Hopefully we see some improvement :Love_Icon

Thank you! :grouphug

[Toddy]

One of the bunnies started crashing on me yesterday. Lethargic, twitching, refused to eat any formula, etc. I started giving it Pedialyte one drop at a time. It took over 25 minutes to get 1cc into the little darling. I gave it another 1cc before bedtime, along with a few drops of formula. It is slightly better this morning, but still refusing formula. I have continued with the Pedialyte and it has had roughly 2.5cc's in the last 4 hours. The twitching has stopped and it is less lethargic.

I suspect that the little one is have a stress reaction from it's ordeal with the dog as well. I know that stress can be deadly for bunnies, so I am keeping it in a dark, quiet room with it's sibling.

It's wounds have started to heal, but I think it would benefit from some pain meds. What can I give a bunny? I have Metacam, Tramadol, Infant Motrin...

Is there anything else I can do for this baby???

Thank you.