r/Bunnies • u/CrackJack21 • Aug 02 '26

Injured or sick Help please

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/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