First aid for rabbits

Wound care
If your rabbit has an open cut on their body, you can do the following at home:


 * 1) Make sure the wound has stopped bleeding. If it has not, use a sterile gauze to apply constant and firm pressure. If the bleeding has not stopped after 5 minutes, please proceed to an emergency veterinarian immediately.
 * 2) Rinse the wound with sterile saline solution if there is debris such as a fur or dirt.
 * 3) Disinfect the wound with a disinfectant such as diluted Betadine or chlorohexidine.
 * 4) Apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment such as plain Neosporin (no Plus with steroid-based pain relief).

If the wound is minor and surface level, monitoring at home should generally be okay. Make sure it scabs and heals without any other signs of infection such as redness, swelling, and pus.

If the wound is large or on a sensitive area like the ears, it is likely a good idea to make an urgent veterinary appointment for additional stitches or glue for better healing.

If the wound was caused by another animal like a cat or dog, especially with saliva, please visit your veterinarian to receive antibiotics to prevent further infection and possible abscessation of the injury.

The following are a few helpful articles on first aid wound care for rabbits:
 * Disabled Rabbits. Skin Injuries
 * Gail N. (2016). [[Media:Wound_Care_in_Rabbits_-_Gail_N.pdf|Wound Care in Rabbits]] [PDF]
 * Vetlexicon. Wound: management

Please see First aid kit for rabbits for a list of supplies.

Choking
If you notice your rabbit is choking, this is an immediate emergency. Please do your best to dislodge the blocking food/object and take your rabbit to a rabbit-savvy veterinarian afterwards for antibiotics to prevent infection from aspiration.

Rabbits that are choking will likely display some of the following symptoms:
 * Respiratory distress - lifting their heads up in the air to try and breathe around the blockage.
 * Making gurgling and whistling noises.
 * Excessive mucus production and drooling out of their mouths.
 * Throwing their heads around and pawing at their face to try and dislodge the food.

The following are some more pages with details on how to help a choking rabbit.


 * Megan Schommer, DVM. (2021). Choking in rabbits
 * vgr1. Choking
 * Special Bunny. Choking

The following are a few experiences with choking rabbits.


 * Bunny Wonderland. (2022). Kovu's story
 * u/bjorkkk. (2021). PSA!!!!! PLEASE LEARN HOW TO DO THE HEIMLICH ON YOUR RABBIT!!!
 * u/Tayloren52. (2021). Please be careful and mindful when feeding banana to your buns
 * River Road Rabbit Rescue. (2021). Extremely food-driven rabbit chokes often when eating - otherwise given all-clear by rabbit-savvy vet
 * big_cocoa_puff. (2020). Cocoa Puff's story
 * u/murkylotus. (2019). So, Pepper choked tonight.
 * u/caycay_. (2019). My rabbit choked on pellets this morning! Advice needed!!
 * u/SuckinLemonz. (2016). Help! My Bunny Choked
 * u/Oncidiinae. (2015). Update on Rowley the choking bun. He's developed pneumonia with lots of fluid in one lung. He's staying in an oxygen tank on antibiotics for a little whole.
 * u/blackxdahlia. (2014). Something I learned when my bunny started choking...
 * u/caffeineassisted. (2013). Rabbits Choking

To prevent future choking incidents, especially with pellets, it is advisable to adjust feeding methods:
 * Use a puzzle feeder to slow down the rate that rabbits can gobble down foods.
 * Scatter feed your pellets on the floor instead of feeding them in a small bowl.
 * Switch to a larger pellet, like an extruded brand such as Science Selective and Burgess.
 * Cut fruits into tiny bites.
 * Have your rabbit checked out by a rabbit-savvy vet to make sure that dental issues aren't predisposing them to choking incidents.

E-collars
E-collars (AKA elizabethan collars or ecollars) are occasionally used for rabbits to prevent them from chewing on stitches, incisions, or the rest of their body in general. Most of the time, a hard e-collar is not very practical due to the inability to eat their cecals and movement difficulty. Other alternatives made with socks and other objects are often more comfortable for rabbits.

Some more resources on using e-collars and alternatives for rabbits:
 * Special Bunny, Surgeries
 * Jänis Jrabbit Abel. (2020). Sophie's bunsie
 * u/CandidDeer. (2019). Marilyn sporting her mint green Medical Pet Shirt a few days after her spay. Her surgery was last Wednesday. Mary is happy to have had her onesie and sutures removed today. Here's to further good recovery!
 * u/CandidDeer. (2019). Before her mint green onesie, Mary had been wearing this here, made out of one of my leggings. So cute looking, but it wasn't practical.
 * Columbus HRS. (2018). Skipper after his neuter
 * Ana Luisa Suarez. (2018). Make This Adorable DIY Sock Onesie For Your Kitten
 * Francis & Charlie. (2013). Medical Pet Shirt: alternative to an e-collar (recommendation/review)

Some e-collars and alternatives available for purchase:


 * Soft ecollar on Amazon
 * MAXX Medical Pet Clothing & Recovery Rabbit Shirt E Collar Alternative for Post Surgery, Wounds and Bandages
 * ECRABBIT E-collar for Rabbit

Syringe feeding
When a rabbit needs nutritional support, assisted feeding with a liquid food in a syringe is often effective. Oral nutritional support provides calories, nutrients, electrolytes, and fluids as well as help to rehydrate stomach contents and stimulate normal GI motility. The recommended intake for recovery food is 50ml/kg body weight divided into 3-5 meals per day.

Oxbow's Critical Care is what is commonly fed to rabbits requiring nutritional support. This product can be obtained from your vet or some pet stores and online retailers. Otherwise, you can use your rabbit's normal pellet feed and grind it to powder and mix 1:1.5 with water to form a paste for feeding. Any remaining formula may be refrigerated for 48 hours.

Common rabbit recovery food brands include the following:
 * Oxbow - Critical Care - You can find more tips and tricks here and detailed feeding instructions here. Apple-Banana is the most popular flavor and more palatable, however, some rabbits may also eat the original anise flavor. Oxbow also has a fine grind version in papaya flavor that rabbits may also like.
 * Supreme - Science Selective RecoveryPlus - You can find feeding guidelines here. [Buy on Chewy.com]
 * EmerAid - Sustain Herbivore - You can find detailed preparation instructions here. [Buy on Amazon]
 * Sherwood - Timothy Recovery Food for Rabbits - You can find the label instructions here. [Buy on Amazon]
 * Vetafarm - Crittacare Herbivore - You can find instructions on the product website.

For further instructions and tips for syringe feeding methodology, see Medicating your rabbit.

An electrolyte solution is also good to have on hand in case of dehydration, and you are unable to give subcutaneous fluids.

While unflavored Pedialyte can be bought from most grocery stores, the following products may be more useful as they have been formulated for rabbits:


 * Appetite Restore by Sherwood Pet Health
 * Vitamins & Electrolytes Plus by Agrilabs
 * Vitamins & Electrolytes Powder Concentrate by Durvet
 * Hydra-Lyte Pro-Defend by Rowe Nutrition
 * Aqua-Lyte Blue by Kammalop