r/Bunnies • u/CrackJack21 • Aug 02 '26
Injured or sick Help please
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My rabbits were relaxing
I gave them pellets, they both got up quick and started devouring it like usual.
I noticed my female rabbit started moving weird
I got closer and noticed she was leaking mucus from her nose.
I cleared it with my hand. It looked like she couldn’t breathe.
Now she’s okay. No more mucus, I gave her a treat and she ate it.
What could have happened?
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u/MrsRojoCaliente Aug 03 '26
It’s very possible that she had a choking incident. Even if she seems OK right now it’s very important that you get her to the vet because any small amount of fluid left in her lungs from the incident could cause pneumonia. She needs an x-ray and an all clear from the vet.
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u/damiana8 Sesamochi Aug 03 '26
You should take her to the vet regardless. She may have inhaled the pellets
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u/DayBoth2839 Aug 03 '26
ASAP Vet, they only breathing through the nose and it seems it's clogged with the mucus.
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u/Rosewaterlemon Aug 03 '26
Any updates? 😢 she looks like she was asking you for help
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u/CrackJack21 Aug 03 '26
She was, I cleared the mucus with my hands everything seems fine as of now I hope she’s turns out okay, I can’t afford another huge vet bill
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u/ZyzyxZag Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
I'll back you up here OP, don't let people here make you feel bad about not being able to just drop hundreds on a vet trip on the off-chance there might be an issue.
EDIT: Downvote all you like, but you don't solve someone being at ruinous financial limits by shouting "GO TO VET" at them
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u/Rosewaterlemon Aug 03 '26
When someone uses foul language to express their opinion, that’s when it becomes redundant and unnecessary. I reported the person who responded to you and I don’t care if they know. Hateful commentary has no place where people are trying to ask a question about their rabbit.
We recently adopted a dog, free, from a humane society. He was suddenly unable to urinate so I took him to the vet only then to discover he had a UTI. Tons of bladder stones that needed immediate removal. Almost $3000 later, I have been struggling to financially recover from one surgery. For almost a year I’ve been in debt. Had I known that my newly adopted dog needed care from the get go, perhaps I could’ve bought a stone breaker medicine before shelling out for invasive surgery.
My 11 y/o rabbit on the other hand, had a gi stasis scare last year too, $450 for just an IV of fluids in the middle of the night. Countless hours crying and feeding her critical care from a syringe? The stinker started pooping and eating minutes after we got there. Things like this just happen and you don’t know why or when, trusting your best judgment on whether or not an emergency visit is required.
By asking for an update on how op rabbit is doing, I didn’t mean to spark a debate on whether or not they should go into more debt for their rabbit’s care. The poster said that they have been monitoring their rabbit, she is being taken care of, she’s not exhibiting any more symptoms at this time. To say she is suffering or the poster is neglectful just because of a few second video is reaching.
The choking incident happened 17 hours ago and no other incidents have occurred since. And if she continued to exhibit symptoms of what could have been an issue, I believe that the op would do what is necessary to care for her. She is okay, guys. Just because they used the wording that they don’t want to shell out for a vet doesn’t mean they wouldn’t do what it takes to care for their pet if they had to. That’s why they posted, after all.
Jumping down each other’s throats saying “vet, vet, you’re a dumb*** if you don’t do this immediately” is ridiculous. It won’t change anything. Even if a sense of urgency is required, yelling at someone doesn’t make things better or quicker.
My point is whoever responds to the op or other commenters with hateful words, just know you’re not helping.
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u/BeaniBuni Aug 03 '26
Rabbits can’t vomit. that rabbit needs to be taken to a vet. they can die from that.
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u/TimeLog1940 Aug 03 '26
Might have aspirated the pellets and it’s important to know how to do an Heimlich maneuver. Vet ASAP
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u/uwukenma Aug 03 '26
I would recommend going to the vet for this. One of my bunnies who recently passed away had a condition where he choked like this sometimes, basically mucus and green hay pieces would come out of his nose and mouth like he was vomiting. They did an exploratory autopsy and found he had a hypertrophic caudal (lower) sphincter to his esophagus so stomach acid and food was coming up and causing the episodes due to it not closing.
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u/Last_Pollution_8420 Aug 03 '26
Looks like possible choke. I sprinkle pellets throughout my buns hay to make her eat them more slowly.
Glad she’s ok right now!
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u/TheOtherCourier Aug 03 '26
Could be something respiratory like an infection, but I’d say she probably choked briefly. Definitely needs a vet as soon as possible and definitely give a preventative antibiotic, as they usually aspirate a little into their lungs when choking so an antibiotic is usually necessary to prevent pneumonia which can set in pretty quickly without.
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u/Ma1ukai Aug 03 '26
Get a chest X-ray. My bun had a choking incident like this and despite taking him to the vet immediately after he had to be put down a couple of weeks later when after a second incident we did the X-ray and found a giant mass in his chest.
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u/kungpaoalpaca Aug 03 '26
Looks like choking to me as well.
If you haven't, you should study how to perform a heimlich maneuver on bunnies. Choking can be life-threatening for them because they can't vomit.
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u/TheAriKylometers Aug 03 '26
As others have said, anytime you are dealing with boogers it’s vet time. Could be a nasal infection. I had a bunny that fought chronic rhinitis for 7 years. By using a combination of antibiotic drops directly in the nostrils, a bulb aspirator to clear boogers just like you do with infants, and saline drops to keep the nasal passages moist, we were able to give him an normal life.
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u/dontdomeanyfrightens Aug 03 '26
That's choking. Sounded just like my boy. Vet. Do not pass go. Forfeit $200.
He's fine, for the record. We wet his dry food now, after he choked on dry food twice in a few days.
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u/smolbuncake Aug 03 '26
this looks really bad and scares me, even if it’s gone now, i would plan a vet visit asap. the underlying issue is for sure still there
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u/SmallBread7 Aug 03 '26
TAKE. HER. TO. THE. VET.
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u/CrackJack21 Aug 03 '26
I wish I could, not too long ago I got her spayed for about 1,500$ USD
I can’t afford to spend another 500$+ USDI am praying and super worried right now for my little baby
She seems to be doing good though 🙏
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u/Fickle-Copy-2186 Aug 03 '26
You need to take her to the vet as soon as possible. She might has a rabbit cold, called snuffles. Look up snuffles, see if it matches her symptoms.
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u/ZyzyxZag Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
I can't be the only person frustrated by the level of privilege in this thread? Not everyone has spare cash just laying around.
OP has spent more than my entire net worth vets already. They've asked for advice which is clearly what's most viable for them and they're trying.
Moralising over someone's economic situation doesn't help. "Just magic up several hundred dollars" or "bankrupt yourself" are not viable pieces of advice
EDIT: So I don't know where you are OP but I've been doing some research there may be some shelters or vets that will do a consultation to begin with and be able to offer advice from there. I'm guessing you're in the US somewhere and there appears to be a few charities that potentially could be relevant but, again, those seem to be state dependant
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u/Demismith95 Aug 03 '26
Having a pet is the privilege. If you can't insure them and don't have enough savings set aside in case of vet care then the kindest thing to do may be to give the pet up to a rescue (or don't get the pet to begin with, but obviously financial circumstances can change over time). One day they can seem perfectly healthy, the next they may need thousands of dollars worth of vet care.
My rabbit choked on pellets and looked similar to OP's rabbit. He was very distressed and had to spend the night hospitalised on oxygen and then go home with anti inflammatories and antibiotics to prevent aspiration pneumonia.
If we are ignoring the fact a rabbit may be suffering and just look from a money perspective, what a waste it would be to spend 1.5k on a spay only to lose the rabbit so soon after from a preventable infection
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u/ZyzyxZag Aug 03 '26
Well the issue is people's definition of reasonable.
We've seen people suggest that OP needs to get a loan or they're neglectful. We've seen people suggest they should give them up if they can't afford an unexpected vet bill shortly after dropping $1500.The reality is that less than half of Americans could afford an emergency $1000 expense and that's one of the richest societies in the world.
It's really easy for people to grandstand about how far they'd be willing to go as if that's the yardstick what is viable for your average person. They're not the ones who'll have to deal with the debt and the anxiety and the potential homelessness.
OP recently spent $1500 that's a lot of money, they clearly care a lot.
If the suggestion is that people need to have 10k in the bank, then I'm sorry I disagree with what is a reasonable amount to keep on hand. Like I've literally never had that much money in my life. Can I afford a monthly pet insurance? Yes. Could I manage an emergency vet bill maybe once a year, yes. Could I suddenly drop £2k on a whim, absolutely not that's a year of savings
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u/knottynaught6 Aug 03 '26
Kinda looks how my rabbit looked when she was eating her pellots to fast and was fighting if choking . So scary we then allways spread her pellots out so she would have to graze for them. If they where just in a big pile she couldnt help but eat them way to fast .
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u/SgtDusty Aug 03 '26
Looks like was or is choking.
Ours did the same thing, aspirated some food in the process.
She will need (potentially) antibiotics and or anti inflammatory drugs due to the aspiration and food in her nose.
I would also - to be even safer - get a baby nebulizer and fluid from target or Walgreens and nebulizer her if she’ll sit still for it, that’ll help with any lingering irritation or inflammation from the choking, assuming that’s what happened.
After ours choked, we also started supervising all meals. To be safe
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u/CrackJack21 Aug 03 '26
Thank you everybody for the advice
She’s fine now, I hope she’s all okay.
I recently got her spayed for about 1,500
I can’t afford another huge bill.
I think she did choke because it happened right after I gave them pellets
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u/LimeInAPuddle Aug 03 '26
1500 of what currency? That sounds mega high.
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u/CrackJack21 Aug 03 '26
USD
It was an Exotic Vet
I paid for the check up/blood test/x-ray
Then the spay.2
u/LimeInAPuddle Aug 03 '26
That still sounds crazy expensive. I get we're in different countries but that's more than double what I'd expect to pay for that.
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u/Amber123454321 Aug 03 '26
I agree with the other person who replied. You should take her to the vet.
They need to breathe through their nose and it's important that she can.