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Bunny
Emergency Kit Essentials
Written by Laura Tyler
- Pet fire sticker in
the window and carriers for pets next to exit in
house
- Pedialyte - to
rehydrate and keep hydrated
- Phazyme - to
relieve gas symptoms
- Assorted Oral Syringes
(minus needles, of course) - to force feed, force
hydrate
- Canned Pumpkin or pureed
baby veggies in a jar - baby foods - for forced
feeding. Also see : http://www.magpage.com/~laurat/petbunny/diet/syringefeed.html#Mush
- Eye Dropper
- Probiotics: Acid-Pak
4-way - as a probiotic to stabilize a bunny with
chronic soft cecal stools. GI flora imbalance. Mix 1/4
teaspoon to a gallon of water and fill bunnies water dish
with it. It smells kind of vanilla-y, should drink it
willingly. Used for a few months with good success.
- BeneBac
- Non-dairy Acidophilus
- Prozyme - to help
digestion - Prozyme is enzymes - prozyme works better than
papaya, pineapple or other plant enzymes because prozyme
is made of enzymes specific for the animal intestine.
- Probiacin - for
good gut bacteria. Note on Prozyme and Probiacin: They do
two different things. I would not, however, mix them or
give them close to one another. It's possible that the
enzymes could damage the bacteria and make them less
likely to survive the stomach.
- Nail Clipper
- Quik Stop or Styptic
powder to stop bleeding - for nail clipping
accidents
- Saline solution to
clean out the eye if needed.
- A wound disinfectant,
such as betadine, polyhydroxine or chlorhexidine/clorahexadine
(Sp.) solution (very dilute concentration to flush out
wound) - for cleansing minor wounds and scratches.
- Neosporin antibiotic
ointment, triple antibiotic ointment (or generic) -
Neosporin Plus is a no - no.
- Scissors (to cut
hair away from wound site)
- Tweezers
- Disposable razors
(to shave hair around wound).
- Sterile gauze
- Sterile absorbent
bandaging pads
- Sterile KY jelly
(keeps tissue from drying out)
- Q-Tips
- Sterile cotton balls
- Varying sizes of butterfly
bandages.
- Vet wrap (white
won't bleed, like the other colors do).
- Elizabethan collar
(already fitted to your bun, use mole skin around the
outer edge to protect your bun's ears) [[Keith's
note: for multi-bun homes it may be wise to invest
in two or three sizes from dwarf to average to Flemish
Giant]]
- 3M makes these new
bandages that work great, I think they are called "Clear
Strips" but the skin needs to be shaved for them
to work
- Pain killer with
dosage written on it.
- Thermometer
(digital) and the thermometer covers - Pediatric rectal
thermometer, KY jelly. The best thing is to have your vet
show you how to do this, so you don't hurt the bunny. But
here are some general guidelines... The best, safest tool
is a *plastic* digital thermometer that gives a relatively
quick reading. I've found that the easiest position is to
hold the bunny on her back so that the back is resting on
a towel on a countertop. Gently part the fur behind the
prepuce. The anus is the one that "winks back at
you" when you gently touch it with the *COLD, ICY*
thermometer! Lubricate the tip of the thermometer with K-Y
jelly or other appropriate lubricant and insert it into
the anus about 1". Never force anything! Gently move
it around (you'll pretty much be inserting straight down
if the bunny is slightly curled on her back) until the
thermometer can be easily slid into the bun bum....and
wait for results. Normal body temperature ranges between
101 - 103 Farenheit. Lower temperatures are as great a
concern as higher temps! A bunny with a temperature lower
than 100ºF should be seen by the vet ASAP! Rabbits
thermoregulate via their ears, and it's normal for the
ears to be pretty warm. Normal temps. for bunnies, 39-41°
C-- which works out to 101-104° F.
- Bag Balm / for
topical application to wounds, sores, scratches.
- Petromalt/Laxotone
- in event of GI slowdown - Mixed thoughts on this.
Personally I won't use it. (I think it can *gunk* up the
works.)
- Brush -
grooming
- Flea comb -
grooming
- Soft towels - to do
a bunny burrito, or to wrap and comfort them.
- Those instant cold and
instant warm packs, that you just need to bend to
start.
- Heating pad/hot water
bottle - in case of hypothermia (never use a temp.
that is uncomfortable).
- Ice pack - for
overheating/heat exhaustion/heat stroke. Convenient to put
in a car carrier if you're taking your bunny somewhere and
the weather is hot. Wrap it in a towel and bun will curl
up against it to cool off. Heat stroke is really really a
risk for bunnies.
- A vet otoscope
($$$) for examining ears, molars, etc. (an item for a
compulsive bunny parent...) - less expensive otoscopes
will do the job for most situations. Some pharmacies have
them. Some don't. They can be quite expensive or fairly
cheap. Get a cheap one. The ones sold in pharmacies are
made for humans, in most cases adult humans, and the
expensive ones conduct sound better through a big
well-padded body.
- You don't need this kind
of sophistication for a stethoscope for first aid
to a bunny. A cheap one that's still good would go for
about $25. If your pharmacy doesn't have one, the closest
uniform store that carries nurse's supplies will.
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