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Rabbit First Aid
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| RABBIT FIRST AID |
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| The Rabbit First Aid Kit Reprinted from the Jan-Feb 1998 issue of Rabbits Only Dr. Anna Maria Scholey MA Vet. MB MRCVS Every pet owner knows the importance of having a first aid kit on hand, but not everyone has one of knows what should be in it, or how to use it. This article is designed to give some practical suggestions about what sort of things may be useful and how to use them. Rabbits are sensitive creatures, and because of their size when they do get sick or have an emergency they tend to become sick quite rapidly, although the reverse applies and they recover very quickly too. When your rabbit is sick, or there is an accident or emergency it is not always possible to get to the veterinarian right away. There are some things that can be done with basic first aid that can help your rabbit and increase their chance of survival in a really serious emergency, or maybe deal with the problem before you even get to the vet in a more minor situation. The first rule of dealing with an emergency or problem situation is to stay calm. It is best to take a deep breath and to remind yourself not to panic, and get someone to help you, if possible. It is easy to panic when it is your animal that is sick or injured, but that will not help them or you, so try to stay as calm as possible and concentrate on what needs to be done. So take that deep breath and count up to ten and this will help you make the right decisions. The First Aid Kit The first thing to have is a thermometer, and if your rabbit seems to be not eating, depressed, to have diarrhea, or any respiratory symptoms then it is worth taking their temperature as soon as possible, to see if they have any sign of a fever, indicating and infection. Equally important, and to be aware of is if the temperature is too low. This indicates that shock may be starting, for example if they are getting dehydrated, or losing blood somewhere, although there are many other causes too. The normal temperature should be on average 101 degrees Fahrenheit although a range of about 100-102.5 is acceptable. Below about 99 degrees is too low, and a sign that the rabbit is too chilled or going into shock, and above 103 degrees is definitely a fever. To take the temperature it is best to use some lubricating jelly which is applied to the end of the thermometer to before it is inserted in the rectum. It is best to have someone firmly hold the rabbit, when this is done, for obvious reasons. The next useful thing to have is pediolyte, or another dehydration fluid. This is basically water and electrolytes and is essential if your rabbit is having diarrhea or signs of shock, such as low temperature and cold extremities. you will need a syringe to administer the pediolyte as well, and a five cc syringe usually works well, you can give one or two syringes of this into the mouth every hour until they are looking better. To check for signs of dehydration it is best to take the skin at the scruff of the neck and raise it up between your finger and thumb then let go. If it goes immediately back down to normal they are not dehydrated, if it stays up for more than a few seconds, then they are starting to get dehydrated and need to be given oral rehydration fluids immediately as described above. Another useful thing to keep on hand is a heating pad. This is helpful if there is any kind of shock, or low temperature, or for general sickness and debility as well. Get one that is designed for animals if possible, and make sure that the wire is covered and unavailable for chewing. In an emergency a hot water bottle can be improvised using empty plastic bottles, which are filled with hot, but not boiling water. Be sure to cover these with a towel, or cloth so that the hot surface is not in direct contact with the skin of fur. This will help keep them warm until you can get into the vet. For injuries some small bandages are useful. You can bandage an injured foot or leg, or even an ear, using tape to secure it in place, and this will help keep the wound clean and dry as well as stop bleeding as you are on your way to the vet. Rabbits are not the easiest animal to bandage but at the very least take some gauze squares and apply pressure for as long as you can to stop bleeding. You will also useful for cleaning the wound, as in hydrogen peroxide. It is best to dilute the 3% hydrogen peroxide using one part of this to nine parts of water, then use this mixture to cleanse the wound. Bandages and swabs are easily obtainable at any good pharmacy and some rubbing alcohol is also useful for cleansing the scissors and general hygiene. As far as preventing infection you can use an animal antibiotic cream, such as Neosporin, or a natural alternative that works really well is Calendula ointment, which is a herbal ointment. This is available at the health food store. Some tweezers are also useful for removing foreign objects or insect stings. For irritation on to the eye an eyewash can be used to clean and soothe the eye until you can take them into the veterinarian, and eyewash that is safe is boric acid and this needs to be diluted to half it’s strength. In an emergency to flush out foreign material or irritants from the eye a natural saline based contact lens solution can be safely used. You can use a rubber bulb syringe, such as in used for babies to do this. For shock or trauma as mentioned in my previous article Rescue Remedy is also of great benefit. This is invaluable any time there is shock, stress or trauma. It can be safely used before visiting the vet office or after any kind of injury. It will often revive animals that are in shock and help in their journey to the vet and subsequent recovery, though is obviously not a replacement for immediate veterinary care. It has definitely saved many animals and is totally safe. Basically four drops of the stock bottle are added to a one ounce glass dropper bottle of spring water and shaken up. It is best to make this up immediately before use as the mixture will not keep too long. It is best to use plain spring water. Two or three drops of the mixture can be given into the mouth or onto the gums every five minutes until a response is seen. A few drops of the combined essence on the gums or even onto the ear of the injured rabbit will calm down and make them easier to handle. It can even be sprayed onto the skin or ears with a spray bottle and will still have a beneficial effect. The other useful remedy is homeopathic and is known as Arnica, the potency can be 30 C or 6 C for first aid use. It is used for bruises and trauma to the body and helps healing after any kind of surgery or accident. It is available in pellets that can be dissolved in water and given by mouth. It works more on the physical body, while Rescue Remedy works more on the emotions. Both of these useful remedies are easily obtained at the health food store. For diarrhea a little Kao-Pectate is useful at a dose of half a teaspoon four times a day but I prefer the more natural approach, which is to use the herbal remedy Slippery Elm. The dose of Slippery Elm is half a capsule twice a day for an average sized adult rabbit, for younger animals a fourth of a capsule twice daily is better. The best thing to do is mix the capsule powder for that dose with a little water to make it liquid and give it with a syringe. In addition some pediolyte as described above would be very helpful to prevent dehydration. Because of the susceptibility of rabbits to diarrhea, and the imbalance of intestinal flora that occurs it is also worth giving a little natural live yogurt, to help balance the flora. A company called the Rabbit Medicine Chest makes some natural products for diarrhea which contain probiotics and homeopathic remedies, and one of these called Systemajuv is worth having on hand in case of a sudden attack of diarrhea. I would recommend taking any rabbit with diarrhea into their veterinarian. |
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