Where to go when your rabbit gets sick?

With a good diet, clean living quarters and proper handling, a rabbit can avoid most illnesses and injuries. However, just like people a rabbit can get sick or injured even if they do all the right things. A great link for rabbit emergency supplies to have on hand can be found at this link:
http://www.morfz.com/emergency.html

Take your ill or injured rabbit to a vet since this page outlines only a few of the most common problems. A vet can do a thorough examination and blood tests on your rabbit. It can save their life! Scroll down for more information.

By the way, a disabled rabbit can have a great life! See Caring for a Disabled Rabbit.
http://www.hopperhome.com/Disabled Rabbit.htm

The House Rabbit Society http://rabbit.org/care/vets.html has a list of rabbit veterinarians on their web site.

List of Common Ailments:

Amoxicillin, this common antibiotic is extremely toxic to rabbits.

Bacterial Infections – rabbits can get a range of them including salmonella.

Buns in the Sun:http://www.hopperhome.com/hopperhomebunsinthesun.htm

Heat Stroke – rabbits need lots of fresh water and ventilation in the summer since this can be fatal. They get over heated at 85 degrees.
See Buns in the Sun page for tips on keeping your rabbit cool!

Eating the Cecotrophes (looks like their fecal pellet, but has mucus covering it) is normal and healthy. Okay, it’s disgusting for us humans to watch, but cecotrophes have high level of vitamins and are redigested with more important nutrients.

See our suggestion for a litter box for a rabbit recovering from surgery at Scoop on Litter.
http://www.hopperhome.com/LitterScoop.htm#Solutions

Dental – malocclusion – rabbits teeth grow throughout their lives and a good wood chew block will help avoid overgrown teeth.

Ear Mites – get the rabbit to a vet for treatment You will see crusty, inflamed inner ears.

GI Stasis - this is a killer, Groucho almost died from this so I have firsthand experience.
Please see the following link for an excellent article by Dana Krempels, GI Stasis, The Silent Killer
http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Dana/ileus.html

Hairballs – this is especially dangerous for rabbits because unlike a cat, rabbits cannot vomit. Long-haired breeds are particularly susceptible. A constant supply of timothy hay will help with digestion. Very fresh Timothy Hay and Timothy Hay based pellets can be purchased online from Oxbow Hay Company .
http://www.oxbowhay.com/
I have purchased from this company and they are reasonably priced, have extremely fresh products and deliver on time. HopperHome recommends Oxbow Hay! Hopperhome is not affiliated with any vendor so this recommendation is based on a great product and nothing else!

High Blood Calcium – thick creamy urine is one sign of hypercalciuria. The color of your rabbit’s urine is related to its diet so don’t be alarmed if it’s red after a lot of carrots.

Obesity – this can lead to other complications. Skip the pellets and give your rabbit a constant free supply of timothy hay and feed them leafy greens low in calcium. Alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets are very rich and can put on the pounds. Very fresh Timothy Hay and Timothy Hay based pellets can be purchased online from Oxbow Hay Company.

Lead poisoning – be sure they aren’t chewing on painted objects or molding.

Paralysis - a rabbit has a very fragile backbone. If the rabbit is not handled properly it can leap out of your arms and break it's back. It can also break a leg by making contact with a hard surface when it is struggling. If the rabbit injures its back, it can suffer paralysis in one or both back legs. See a vet about this. A rabbit can have a good life even as a disabled bunny. Euthanasia doesn't have to be your last resort alternative in this case.

Snuffles – Pasteurella - looks like they have a cold. and is treatable with antibiotics. Take your rabbit to a vet immediately especially if you have more than one. If you do, take them all since it is highly contagious.

Sore Hocks – usually caused from wire flooring in a cage or wet bedding or flooring. Rabbits don’t have food pads like dogs and cats. Be sure the cage has a solid floor with hay or a towel over the floor to give it a cushion. If your rabbit has a medical problem and is urinating on it's hind legs and they are wet.... wash the urine off. I have heard of bunny owners rubbing bag balm on the areas to keep the wet urine off the skin. I used this on Groucho and it healed the urine scald sores and sore hocks on another rescued rabbit. However, if a rabbit is wetting his hind legs it means there maybe another more serious medical problem so take him to the vet!

Spay or Neuter your rabbit before 2 years of age and preferably when they become sexually mature. Most rabbit breeds are sexually mature at 4 to 6 months. This will avoid medical problems later on and other behavior such as spraying urine, territorial marking with feces and aggressiveness.
See Too Many Rabbits
http://www.hopperhome.com/hopperhometoomanyrabbits.htm#Sexy
page for information on how to sex a rabbit and why to have them spayed and neutered.