Note: Updates below post...
Hi all--Mr. Mick has been diagnosed with pneumonia, and is currently spending the night at the vet's. He had been acting oddly over the past three or four days; he was doing everything he should, just not the way he normally does. He was eating, but not with his usual gusto, and doing a lot of picking at stuff. He was pooping, but poops were smaller and not as well-formed as usual. Even his "sick" behavior wasn't the same; when Mick is not well, he tends to hide and avoid contact--this time, he was parking his but right next to his cage door and wanting to be petted more than fed. Even for a lovey-bun like Mick, this wasn't normal.
I figured it was his teeth giving him fits, and fortunately, he already had an appointment on the books to get them done, so I called the vet and asked that an exam be added to the usual work. Monday, I brought him in and the vet looked him over; everything appeared normal, but we decided to do some x-rays just in case. His Majesty not only got his teeth done, but also his ears cleaned, his nails trimmed and his butt fur trimmed. The vet said there was one spot on the x-rays that she wasn't sure about so she was sending them out for consult. I brought Mick home, and he tucked into his greens like he hadn't eaten in weeks...and generally snubbed me for the rest of the night. Back to normal, right?
Not quite.
His vet called this morning, and let me know the x-ray results: the spot was pneumonia, and it was likely worse than it appeared in the picture. There was also evidence that his gut system was sluggish, likely because of the reduced appetite. She said it was her day off, but that she'd talked to the other vet at the practice (also a rabbit-savvy vet) and everything was set up for treatment for him as soon as I could bring him in. It was agreed that injectable antibiotics were best, so that he could get a stronger dose, so he is getting Baytril by injection, and Cisapride for the gut motility. I didn't realize he would need to spend the night, so I've been a bit of a wreck all day. The last time I brought a rabbit to the vet's for an overnight stay was with Mick's predecessor, Karnage, and Karnage passed away before I could bring him home. This was not the fault of the vet, and I know the two aren't related, but I really don't need to lose another bun without being able to say goodbye properly, and I'm really not ready to lose my Mick. Right now, it's normally his out-and-about time, and it's really strange not to have him bopping about and bugging me for hay cookies.
I'll be calling his vet first thing in the morning to see how he is, and hopefully I can bring him home tomorrow to continue treatment. Wish us luck.
UPDATE, 8/7/13: Went to visit Mr. Mick at the vet's since his vet wants him to stay one more night--she says the drugs appear to be working, but his appetite still isn't great. I brought him one of his favorite thrones, his pellets and hay, some kale and baby romaine, his hay cookies and some willow leaves. He was all kinds of happy to see me--I got kisses and toothpurrs galore. I did get him to eat some kale and some hay cookies with coaxing (and if you need to coax Mick to eat kale and hay cookies, he's definitely not well), and spent over an hour with him before the vet techs needed the exam room for other patients. It was so hard to leave him there again, but hopefully I will be able to bring him home tomorrow.
UPDATE #2, 8/8/13: Called the vet's this morning and spoke to one of the vet techs. She said that Mick is eating well (the food from home definitely did the trick), but it's his vet's day off and she wants him to stay one more night so she can reevaluate him when she's there tomorrow. So glad to hear he's eating, and I'd rather he stay than go home too early and have things head south, but I SO miss my grumpy furball.
