Brave Pet of the Month…..Toffee

Posted on by

This adorable bunny is Toffee, a much-loved, one year old bunny with a lot of personality! Toffee has become a familiar face at Hollybank because she has faced quite a few health complaints. Luckily, she has a dedicated family and a fighting spirit to see her through.

Toffee developed a nasty tooth root abscess as a very young rabbit. This required specialist investigation and treatment by an exotics vet at a local referral centre. Little Toffee underwent and CT scan of her head to assess the extent of the infection in her jawbone and the affected tooth had to be surgically removed. Unfortunately, accumulations of pus do not drain from rabbit wounds in the way they would from a dog or a cat. They form hard, lumpy discharge that needs to be surgically removed to ensure resolution of the problem.  Rabbits rely on their cheek teeth to feed and grind their fibre properly so it was essential that the area would be infection-free and heal up quickly. Brave Toffee was on antibiotics for a long time after her dental surgery. Even this carried with it some risk- Rabbits sometimes do not tolerate oral antibiotics well as they can disrupt the function of the bacteria in their guts needed to digest the grasses and other plant material in their diet. Toffee needed frequent check ups and weight checks and, to everyone’s delight, made a great recovery. She will need frequent dental checks throughout her life as her teeth do not wear down in the normal way. We keep an eye on them at vaccine times to check her mouth is not getting sore.

Unfortunately for Toffee, the dental abscess was not the end of her story. She developed an abscess some months later in one of her mammary glands. Again, we needed to perform surgery to remove the gland and thereby remove the source of infection. Toffee did ultimately make a good recovery from this surgery but she needed a lot of support from her dedicated mum. It is important that rabbits eat as soon as possible after anaesthesia to keep their guts in working order. Toffee’s appetite returned and we were able to get on with the next step in her long and eventful tale.

At Hollybank, we recommend spaying rabbits which is a surgical procedure to remove their uterus and ovaries. This is for a number of reasons, not least because they very commonly develop cancer of the uterus in middle to older age. It is a leading cause of death in entire females and is preventable so we are very keen to do so for as many as possible. Rabbits are also a very sociable species, they need company from at least one other rabbit to meet their behavioural needs. Two entire rabbits of the same sex usually fight and there is much more success with mixed sex pairs. Obviously, we need to prevent lots of offspring resulting from these “friendships” and neutering allows us to achieve this. In Toffee’s case, we also advised spaying because hormonal changes had likely predisposed her mammary gland to infection. Toffee underwent anaesthesia again and recovered again with lots of TLC, syringe feeding, pain relief and medications to keep her gut moving.

Just as this wonderful little girl seemed to have turned a corner, we found a second abscess near the site of her previous mammary gland surgery. This was a real set-back for Toffee and we had to think very carefully about how to proceed. Nobody wanted to go straight back to surgery though we had to accept this might be unavoidable. We sought the advice of a university exotics vet and she kindly advised us of a very useful plan. The medications needed were not without risk. Again Toffee would need a long course of antibiotics with all the risks associated with that. This time, it would involve injecting her every day and we didn’t know for how long. The antibiotic needed is not licensed for use in rabbits and is very uncommonly used as it can cause problems. Despite the risk, we agreed we would try the injectable antibiotic course. We showed Toffee’s mum how to perform the injections so they could be given at home. Meanwhile, Toffee needed to be syringe fed to ensure her diet contained plenty of plant material to help protect her gut from side effects of treatment. She was on daily probiotics and everyone waited anxiously to see what the effect would be.

Thankfully and to our great relief, the abscess gradually reduced in size and eventually we were able to stop the treatment. Toffee is monitored regularly but has made a full recovery and is back to being her usual, happy and active self. Since she is now spayed and fully vaccinated, this wonderful little bunny has now been introduced to a new friend, Ronnie and the two have bonded beautifully. Ronnie is a lovely, black, lop-eared rescue rabbit and certainly deserves the five-start home he has hopped into.

We wish Toffee and her new found friend lots of happiness in their new life together!

Heatwave Advice for your pet!!

Posted on by

With this HEATWAVE we are out enjoying ourselves with family, friends and our pets.  Our four legged friends can love the sun but over-heating can lead to serious problems and the HEAT is set to continue for at least another week! So, we thought it would be helpful to provide some safety advice in these high temperatures.

All animals can suffer but mostly we think about dogs who would usually go out and do the same activities as us. This can be particularly the case for large breed dogs, overweight dogs and those with thick dense coats. Bracycephalic breeds such as pugs and bull dogs can also present with respiratory difficulties in these hot temperatures.

Simple tips for managing dogs in the heat are:

Avoid walking in the heat of the day; not only will walking in the extreme heat  lead to over-heating, the hot ground can be painful for your pets to walk across.  The best times are first thing in the morning or last thing at night. These times can still be fairly hot and humid so limit their length and level of activity too.

Get your dogs coat clipped short to reduce added weight and excess insulation.

Keeping your dog cool; dogs only have sweat glands in their pads so this is the only place they can only lose heat via sweating. Dogs will also pant harder to lose excess heat but there is a limit to this too. To try and help cool your dog down the best method is to wet their coat with luke-warm water and apply a fan. A dog friendly paddling pool can also be a good idea. Cool mats and cooling coats can be effective too as long as they are kept wet.

Please, do not, under any circumstance, leave your pet in a hot car. Leaving the window down is not adequate. 

If you have a white or pale coated pet their extremities (ear tips and muzzle) can be prone to sunburn. Dog friendly sun creams are available and are advisable if your pet is at risk.

 

Why and how may a bracycephalic breed be affected?

Bracycephalic breeds can have excessive soft tissue at the back of their mouths and throat  This is because their skulls are compacted but they still have the same level of soft tissue present, they can also suffer from an overlong soft palate and eversion of laryngeal saccules. All of this can restrict airflow resulting in noisy breathing and increased breathing effort.

In hot weather these tissues can become slightly larger; this is due to excessive panting to lose heat. The increase in airflow and subsequent soft tissue vibrations cause soft tissue inflammation and swelling.  The more the tissues swell the smaller the area for airflow becomes thus they need to work harder to breathe and this exacerbates the swelling further. As you can see a vicious cycle can be entered. Ultimately airway obstruction can occur, often referred to as an obstructive crisis. 

It is important that these breeds really are kept as cool and calm as possible by following the above advice. If your pet is struggling with their breathing and you are concerned please contact us. Animals showing signs (severe breathing difficulties, collapse, blue gums) of an obstructive crisis require immediate veterinary attention.

 

What about rabbits and cats?

Cats: due to their roaming nature it can be difficult to control the environment a cat is in however providing accessible places for them to keep cool will help, including shelter and shade. Apply sun cream to pale ear tips especially in white cats. Remember to keep water out and topped up for them, this might not be a routine we are used to as many of our feline friends drink outside only!

Rabbits and guinea pigs: do no put small furries out in the direct light and heat of the day. Avoid this by providing shade, shelter and placing a damp towel over part of their run or hutch. Placing a cold tile in their shaded spot can provide an extra cool surface for them to lay on or put in a bottle of frozen water for them to lay against.

 

 

If your rabbit is struggling in the heat then misting water on their ears can help to cool them down. You can also position a fan to provide a breeze but care for this not to blow directly on them.

This weather is also high risk for fly strike; make sure hutches are extra clean and check your rabbit and guinea pigs daily to ensure their bottoms are clean. Soiled back ends and dirty bedding will attract unwanted flies.  

 

What is Heat Stroke?

There are a number of heat associated conditions progressing from simple over-heating, to heat cramp or heat exhaustion and more critically, heat stroke. Animals can adapt to a gradual increase in temperature but during sudden heatwaves or sudden temperature rises, for example being trapped in a hot car they can suffer from non-exertional heat stroke. This condition is serious as the high body temperatures result in a systemic inflammatory response which can result quickly in multiple organ failure. If your pet is showing signs of illness after being in the heat then please seek veterinary advice.

WE WON!!

Posted on by

Hollybank won this years Scarecrow Competition! Well done to Sarah Cox, our fabulous receptionist for putting so much hard work and effort in yet again!