Thoughts for Ygritte, please

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Hi everyone,

My poor Ygritte (18 month rabbit) is currently at the vets, recovering (hopefully) from hypothermia and dehydration. We took her up this morning: I noticed last night she seemed under the weather (took ages to get her into the shed as she got into a tunnel and refused to come out, then, when she did go in showed no interest in her food and just looked sleepy) but it was late and there really wasn't anything I could do so I left her. This morning she was the first out of the shed, but she was limping, and let me pick her up far too easily, so I knew something was wrong. I tried her on the floor inside and she seemed to be dragging her back legs. Since her mother was limping the other day I was worried they'd caught something, so took them all to the emergency vet, 40 miles away.

Mother's fine, as are the others, but poor Ygritte really wasn't looking good. Proved she could move her back legs so I'm not sure what that was about but she was cold and dehydrated. So she's been kept in on a heat pad (and under the watchful eye of the surgery cat). The vet was planning a feast for her so, if she recovers enough to eat, she'll be happy. All going well my vet can then bring her down to his surgery on a Tuesday and I can get her from there. But she's got to get better first.

So, can you all send your best healing thoughts to her, please? Many thanks!

Purple pigs send hugs to your bum

Oh bollocks. Hope the typo cheers you up. ^BUN

Purple my bum says thanks for the hugs!!!

Vet rang and Ygritte's temp is up. She's not more responsive than she was, but is looking relaxed with her head up. No idea if she's eaten yet or not. At least with the hypothermia out the picture that's one less thing for her body to fight.

The guineas are sending their best 'how to be guineas' vibes, as we all know how expert Guineas are at munching! They're only doing it because she's not eating their food for once!

Thanks for all your good wishes. Will update in the morning.

Poor soul, hopefully she'll continue to improve. Will the vets feed her , like syringe feeding?

Makes you wonder why she was in a tunnel though when her Mum was in the warmth of the Rabbit Shed? There's no was to fathom what goes on in their heads though

Guinea-pigs are good as cheering but not the most reliable in giving practical help, though they'll describe how the food tastes to keep Ygrittes spirits up.

way not was

70 - Part of me wonders if she went there to die, knowing she was ill. The other part thinks that maybe, as she was born in a burrow underground, she thinks of tunnels as being a place of safety, even though she was barking up the wrong tree as she'd positioned herself in a bit of above-ground guttering. She could, of course, just seen it as somewhere I couldn't catch her. As you say, who knows?

So long as the guineas send their best 'how to munch' vibes to her that's good enough for me!

I'm sure the vet will feed her. I suggested Critical Care but she didn't have any in (has the same problem I do in that it goes out of date fairly quickly). But she said she's used baby food in the past. She was also listing the contents of her fridge and it all sounded good! Ygritte won't want to come home!!!

Poor little thing. I know people say that generally rabbits only show signs of illness when they’re really poorly, but I currently have a hypochondriac rabbit who has been to the vet about 30 times in his 3 years. Once he was completed paralysed, the vet was just about to put him to sleep, I’d said my goodbyes when he suddenly decided he was fine and that he wanted to live after all. Fingers crossed it’s the case with Ygritte and somethings just sent her into shock (fox/ weasel sniffing round the cage maybe?).

Also I have some critical care (from said hypochondriac rabbit) which is still in date and some syringes if you’re in the kent area at all?

I LOVE the sound of your rabbit. Must be heart stopping for you, but he certainly has a sense of humour! He must think it's great!

Reminds me of one of my old rabbits who had head tilt. The first vet we saw said it could be caused by one of two things and he wasn't sure which. The second, who we saw a few days later said that rabbits with serious problems were no longer able to run in a straight line and could only hop in circles. True to form, Petra started off in a circle, until she got to the opposite side of the room to the vet at which point she stopped, looked at him and hopped straight over, even attempting to go up on her hind legs to sniff his leg! (Her funniest attempt, a few weeks later, resulted in her looking very confused, having done a backwards roll as a result of her balance loss!)

Thanks for the offer of cc. Unfortunately, I'm almost as far from Kent as is possible to be in the UK. I live up on Skye! I do appreciate the offer, though.

I've just been to check on the others. The food has abeen barely touched, which is unusual, but the three siblings are in fine form. I'm concerned about mother, but she wasn't the deathly cold Ygritte was this morning, and when I disturbed them they were all cuddled up together in their nest box, so I'm hoping she's as well out there as in here. She had a long cuddle, but as soon as I relaxed my grip she was off, so she really can't be too bad.

She's still alive!!!!!

Not too much cause for celebration, as she's still critical, has diarrhoea and hasn't eaten, but at least she's hanging on in there. Come on, my lass!

Still slightly concerned about Mum. Gave her a long cuddle this morning and was all set to take her either to the vets or into the office, but she then ate a piece of kale I stuck in front of her, so she can't be too, too bad. I suspect they're discombobulated after the 4 hours in the car yesterday, and the lack of one of their own. Poor things.

Hold on Ygritte! I hope the mums ok too. How are the others? How many have you got?

Thanks, Sylvia.

The vets gave me a heart-attack by ringing earlier when I was working. I saw the number and assumed the worst. It's not quite so dire as she is still hanging on but has blood and protein in her urine.

I have 5 rabbits: Mum Bella and her kits, Ygritte, Buidhe, Guinevere and Honey. I rehomed Bella and her 'daughter', Brèagha, last year, then the vet pointed out Brèagha had too much ball to be a girl! A week later the balls were gone and there were 5 wee bundles of fun underground, which we knew nothing about until they were bigger, fluffier and two weeks older. A few months later we lost Dad and their other kit, Molly, to a pine marten, leaving us with 'just' the 5.

I'm buggering up the local vets' Saturday afternoon but taking 4 in for their jabs, and Ygritte in for a check-up. Hopefully. That's nearly an hour's worth of appointments gone. Whoops!

Unfortunately she died this morning. They suspect RHD. I'm seriously kicking myself because I'd put off vaccinating them, partly due to cost, partly due to life getting in the way.

Now shit scared about the others. Please keep them all in your thoughts.

Oh , very
Hope everything goes well with the other rabbits on Saturday

So sorry to hear about your lovely bunny sending hugs 🤗