Hospitalization and nursing care

From time to time your rabbit may be admitted to your veterinary practice for nursing care needs. This is usually when the care is intensive, specialized or if your rabbit is very poorly and needs 24-hour care. When hospitalized your rabbit will be cared for by veterinarians, nursing and support staff, all treating your rabbit with care and dedication.

©Kevin Eatwell

Rabbits that need to have surgery or are ill will need to be admitted to your veterinarians for hospitalization and nursing care. This means your rabbit can have expert care which would be impossible or very difficult to provide at home. The length of stay will depend upon the reason for the hospitalization and how much progress your rabbit makes.

What will happen to my rabbit in hospital?

Once the rabbit has been admitted, they will be placed in a comfortable, safe and secure kennel. This may be in a rabbit only ward, or if this is not available, it will be in a kennel as far away from predator species, such as cats and dogs.

Even if they are admitted for surgery, they will be also be offered food and water because rabbits are unable to vomit, and must have constant access to food and water. This may be removed 30-60 minutes prior to surgery to try to make sure no food is within the mouth.

They will be given litter trays, hides to hide in/under or to sit upon and you can take some of your rabbit’s favorite toys and food for them to be given also.

The facilities that each veterinary practice has will vary from practice to practice. Some are purpose built, some are redesigned houses or buildings, and some are situated inside pet stores. Some practices are ‘branch’ practices of a connected, larger practice, so in this instance you would need to take your rabbit to the main practice if hospitalization is required. In all cases your rabbit will have a kennel of suitable size, with food, water and comfortable bedding. If your rabbit has a companion, where possible, they should accompany your ill rabbit for their stay.

The care of your rabbit will be instructed by your veterinarian. They are responsible for prescribing medications, undertaking surgery and monitoring progress. They are supported by Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVN’s) who have undertaken and passed their qualification. RVN’s will be caring for your rabbit, giving them medication, syringe feeding, cleaning them out, giving and monitoring fluid therapy, pain scoring and reporting to the veterinarians. Within the practice may also be Student Veterinary Nurses (SVN’s) who are undertaking their RVN qualification. They will be under direct supervision from a veterinarian or RVN at all times. Some practices also have Veterinary Care Assistances (VCA’s), who help with day-to-day care such as cleaning and feeding. All of these people will work as a well-oiled team to ensure your rabbit receives gold standard care.

They will all make sure that your rabbit is:

• Pain free and will pain score at regular intervals and report back to the vet who can advise if further pain relief is to be given.
• Given a suitable diet and syringe feed if the rabbit is noy eating or eating enough.
• Provide fluid therapy either with intravenous or subcutaneous fluids and also make sure they have access to water in a way they are familiar with and able to access.
• Kept clean and dry, both themselves and their environment, cleaning them and litter trays/kennel regularly and recording what has been passed.
• Given the correct medication at the correct times and dosages. Rabbits may be on a variety of medications such as pain killers, antibiotics or prokinetics (medications to help keep the digestive system moving).
• Has any wounds checked several times a day for signs of discharge, swelling or interference and to ensure they are healing correctly.
• Offered the opportunity to exercise each day in a safe and secure area.

If you rabbit likes to be stoked, they will receive lots of attention. Some rabbits may not enjoy the experience by a stranger and for these rabbits a more hands-off approach will be instigated so they are not stressed further.

If the veterinary practice is open 24 hours a day, then your rabbit will stay where they are. If not, your veterinary practice may have a pet taxi service who can transport them to the out of hours care provider for night-time care and then bring them back the following day. Otherwise, you will need to transport your rabbit to the out of hours care provider so overnight care can continue and then collect and take them back to your regular veterinary practice. Whilst this may seem less than ideal, if your rabbit needs continued care, it is important that they receive it.

Should I take their companion rabbit?

By and large, companions should always stay together so if one rabbit needs to be admitted, ask for their companion to also be admitted. This helps to keep the rabbits bonded, as rabbits will smell differently when they come back home, which can cause problems with bonded companions. It also offers both rabbits support and helps to keep their stress levels lower. Situations whereby admitting a companion may not be advised include fractures, seizures and emergency surgery.

Although at the time of admission it may not be advised to admit a companion, when your rabbit is recovering it can be helpful to have their companion with them then in hospital.

Ideally your rabbit will be with their companion, so they will have someone who is familiar and can offer support. If your rabbit doesn’t have a rabbit companion, they are unlikely to feel sadness at not being with their owner. Often the rabbit will be poorly, and it is not known if rabbits feel and suffer ‘missing’ a person. Be assured that the veterinary staff will treat your rabbit as if they were their own.

This may be possible in some circumstances but will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Some rabbits may be distressed if their owner visits and then goes away again and some may be too poorly to be visited. You will need to discuss this with your veterinarian and if possible, arrange a time that suits everyone. You will also get telephone calls from the veterinary team with updates on how your rabbit is. These will be at least once per day and often more frequently.

For every day your rabbit is hospitalized there will be a charge, and also for the medications and veterinary care required. You can ask your veterinarian each day for a running total, so you know how much the bill is and therefore do not get a shock when you come to pay the bill. Insurance may cover the cost, but you will need to discuss this with your insurance company.

How long will my rabbit be hospitalized?

This varies depending on why your rabbit is in hospital. For some procedures, like neutering, the rabbit is likely to only need to be in for the day and as long as your veterinarian is satisfied, they have recovered well, they will be discharged the same day.

Rabbits who are admitted because they are ill, may be in for one or more days, and sometimes it may be several days until they are well enough to be discharged.

When your rabbit is well enough to be discharged, your veterinarian will arrange for you to come in and discuss their ongoing care at home. They will go over what medications you need to give and when as well as demonstrating this to you. They will also discuss signs you need to look out for which may show your rabbit is getting ill again and arrange for them to come back in for a check-up where necessary. It is imperative that you listen and ask any questions during this discharge appointment so you can care for your rabbit correctly once they are home.

You will need to discuss this with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will suggest the treatment that is best for your rabbit and if this includes being hospitalized then you should listen to your veterinarian. If hospitalization is not possible for whatever reason, then your veterinarian will try and come up with a treatment plan for home but bear in mind this is likely to be a compromise rather than the best thing for your rabbit.