If you have a rabbit at home then you must consider keeping a Pet Rabbit Emergency Care Kit!
Just like any other pets, rabbits can have a medical emergency or an injury. Although we try to take the best care of our rabbits as possible and try to keep them away from harm, being prepared for an emergency is paramount as it could mean life or death for your pet.
Treating small illnesses and injuries at home can make a huge difference in your rabbit’s overall recovery. Treatment at home can never replace your veterinary care but it could be a lifesaver till the time you can reach a vet.
Some common diseases and injuries that can be treated at home with the help of this emergency kit are
- Cuts and scratches
- Broken or ripped claw
- Feet Hocks
- Ear Mites
- GI Stasis
- Gas & Bloating
- and other small injuries
Remember emergency care or first aid is not the complete treatment for your bunny, its something to help them till you can reach a vet and get your rabbit the medical care they need.
Lets find out the most essential items that you must have in your Per Rabbit Emergency Care Kit
1. Large Towel
This is the first thing you need in your pet rabbit emergency care kit, a large towel will help you keep an injured or sick rabbit calm enough to administer first aid or give them medicines.
The classic way to calm down a bunny is to wrap them up with a towel, exposing only their head while restraining the rest of their body. This technique is not only safe for rabbits, it is also recommended by vets.
Just make sure that your towel is clean & comfortable enough for a rabbit to be in. Wrap it around tightly so that they are unable to move their hand or feet enough to climb out of the towel.
2. Sterile Gloves
Its always a good practice to keep some sterile gloves in your rabbit first aid kit. In situations where your bunny has a would, you do not want it to get infected.
Having some gloves at hand will mean that there no transfer of germs from your hand to your pet rabbit.
This will greatly reduce the recovery time of any cuts and scratches as well as prevent any nasty infection taking hold.
3. Bandages & Gauze
Now this is essential in case your bunny gets cut or rips a claw. Bandages and gauze work just as well for stopping bleeding in rabbits as they work on humans.
Try getting bandages that do not have any adhesive on them. These bandages can stick to your rabbit’s fur and cause unnecessary pain when removing them. The bandages for rabbits are elastic self sealing ones like Dynarex
Just tie know with a bandage wrapping a piece of gauze tightly for most scratches and gashes.
4. Saline Solution
In the case some dirt goes inside your rabbit’s eyes or it is poked by a hay stalk having some saline solution at hand is nice.
Rabbits have a second pair of eye lid in their eyes that usually protects their eyes from dirt and hay but some foreign objects do manage to get inside from time to time.
Saline solution can be used to rinse your rabbit’s eyes. It is sterile and generally safer than tap water which may contain chlorine. Chlorinated water has been known to irritate rabbit eyes.
5. Antiseptic Solution
Whenever your rabbit gets cut or scratched you must disinfect the wound immediately. Open wounds in rabbits get infected quite easily.
You can get a specialty rabbit safe disinfectant like Vetericyn which has been designed with rabbits in mind. It does not burn or sting and comes in a spray form for painless application.
Or you can use some human antiseptics like Hydrogen Peroxide or Chlorhexidine in a solution of 1:20 with water.
Either way, be very gentle when cleaning wounds, spray or dab a tiny bit at a time without scrubbing.
5. Styptic Powder
Styptic powder can be used on rabbits to help stop bleeding.
If your rabbit breaks of it’s nail while digging running then styptic powder can be applied to the injury and it will quickly seal the wound.
Just a small amount sprinkled directly on the wound is recommend for minor wounds, too much styptic powder tends to clump up with a rabbits fur and may form scabs.
Some people also like to use corn starch instead of styptic powder as styptic powder can be toxic to rabbits if ingested. So make sure that your rabbit does not lick any off its wounds.
6. Antibiotic Ointment
An Antibiotic ointment or cream is also essential for any rabbit first aid kit. It help prevent infection and keep small cuts from scabbing up.
Rabbits tend to step on step on dirty surfaces while using the litter box, that’s why its important to keep their woulds tightly covered with a thick layer of antibiotic cream and keep them bandaged up so that they cannot lick it.
Any good over the counter antibiotic cream is suitable for rabbits as long as it does not have any additives.
Some additives like pain revilers are known to cause side effects in rabbits as the amounts in the cream is too high for rabbits.
7. Tweezers, Scissors & Q-Tips
These are essential tools for your pet rabbit emergency care kit. These will enable you to thoroughly clean any wounds and prepare first aid for your rabbit.
Tweezers are needed to pull out any splinters or barbs that spikes as well as holding on to gauze.
Scissors are essential for preparing bandage wraps, trimming out matted fur or removing an old dressing.
And, Q-tips or cotton buds help in cleaning out wounds or hard to reach places like your rabbit’s scent glands.
8. Mineral Oil
Getting something stuck to a rabbit’s fur may be a stressful situation for them and may require immediate attention.
Glue, sticky tape or chewing gum can easily stick to a bunny’s fur and cause a lot of distress. It can even lead to sores and infection.
The best way to get glue or gum off a rabbits fur is to slowly wipe it off with mineral oil. Dab the affected area with mineral oil and let the glue soak. Then gently pull it off onto a piece of cloth.
It may take a bit of time to get it off completely but it works for most sticky substances. Some people even use it to rabbit ears to combat an ear mite infection.
Just to make sure that you wash any lingering mineral oil off after you are done. We don’t want our rabbits to be licking any of it.
9. Vaseline Jelly
Vaseline is a miracle product which can used for a ton of skin conditions. It is oil based jelly that can lubricate and moisturize. It is perfectly safe for rabbits as well.
We need to keep some so that we can use it while taking a rabbit’s temperature.
Rabbits need rectal thermometers and Vasline can be used to lubricate the tip before insertion to make it more comfortable for your bunny.
10. Critical Care Food
This is perhaps the most important item in your pet rabbit emergency care kit. When rabbits get sick or injured they sometimes lose appetite and stop eating.
This is a really serious condition in pet rabbits as they have a very high metabolism, they can starve to death in just a couple days without eating.
Critical care food is a special preparation specifically for rabbits that can be force fed with the help of a syringe. It helps them sustain through sickness or injury and recover in a timely manner.
Critical Care can save a rabbit’s life, so make sure that you always have some at hand. In case you don’t have Critical care at home, baby formula can be used but it is not recommended for long term use as it does not contain all the essential nutrients required for rabbits.
11. Baby Gas Drops (Simethicone)
Rabbits have a delicate digestives system. They must adhere to a strict diet to keep their gut working well.
Gas or indigestion in rabbits can lead to a bunch of serious health problems like GI Stasis. That’s why it is recommended to always have some Baby Gas Drops or Simethicone at hand.
It works by relieveing gas build up and pressure inside a rabbit’s digestive tract. It also help them pass gas that is stuck and reduces bloating.
You can easy get it over the counter at your local pharmacy or the baby section of any super market.
12. Lactated Ringer's Solution
This is an optional item that you may consider keeping in your rabbit’s emergency kit. Lactated Ringer’s Solution is a rehydrating solution that has to be given to your rabbit in case they are dehydrated.
When rabbits get sick or injured, you may find them to stop eating or drinking. This can cause life threatening dehydration A rabbit cannot live without water for more than 24 hours.
In such an emergency, you may have to give fluids subcutaneously to your bunny.
That’s why you should have a pack of Lactated Ringers’s Solution which is the vet recommended subcutaneous fluid source.
13. Syringes & Droppers
Perhaps one of the most important part of any pet rabbit emergency care kit. Syringes and droppers have various uses when it comes to taking care of a sick rabbit.
Syringes and droppers can be used for
- Force feeding critical care or water if your rabbits is not eating or drinking
- Giving your rabbit various oral medicines
- Cleaning out their eyes
- Injecting Fluids or medicines subcutaneously
That’s why its always a good idea to have a few syringes and droppers of different sizes at the ready in your rabbit’s first aid kit.
14. Rectal Thermometer
The average rabbit’s body temperature ranges from 101oF – 103oF (38.3oC – 39.4o C). Any rise or fall in temperature out of this range may indicate that your rabbit is sick.
To better understand a rabbit’s condition, vets recommend that you have a thermometer at home to take their temperature whenever they are acting different from normal.
An abnormal body temperature may indicate an underlying problem before it can become dangerous. Always ask your vet to show you how to use the thermometer on your rabbit before an emergency strikes.
15. Heating Pad
If your rabbit get stressed their body temperature may drop dramatically. A dropping temperature may mean that your rabbit is sick and needs immediate attention.
A heating pad may be a lifesaver as it can be used to slowly raise your rabbit’s body temperature and stabilize essential body functions.
Just set up your heating pad by wrapping it with a thick towel and place it next to the rabbit. Make sure that your rabbit cannot reach the wire
16. Ice Pack
Similarly if your rabbit is overheating, that means it’s body temperature is above 103oF or 39.4oC, then it is running a fever.
Ice packs can be used to cool down a feverish rabbit and bring it’s body temperature back to a stable range. They can also be used cool down a rabbit during the hot summer days.
If your rabbit has lots of fur like a Angora or small ears like a Lop then it may be extra useful as some breed can be more susceptible to overheating than others.
17. Some Other Items To Consider
Here are some other optional things that you may consider to keep in your pet rabbit emergency care kit.
- Flossing String
- Bandaids
- Isopropyl Alcohol
- Hand Sanitizer
- Rabbit Carrier
And above all keep your rabbit friendly vet’s contact info at hand or refer to our list of Rabbits Friendly Vets.
17. Some Other Items To Consider
Here are some other optional things that you may consider to keep in your pet rabbit emergency care kit.
- Flossing String
- Bandaids
- Isopropyl Alcohol
- Hand Sanitizer
- Rabbit Carrier
And above all keep your rabbit friendly vet’s contact info at hand or refer to our list of Rabbits Friendly Vets.
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