I recently was caring for a baby bunny (Eastern Cottontail) who's mother had been killed. The baby was also injured by the dog (small swelling on tummy area), the eyes were just beginning to open. The baby rabbit could only lay on it's right side, if you tried to put it on it's left side it would flop over. It could not sit without falling over to it's right side also. With help from a local rehab I nursed it to health, syringe feeding it KMR. It got stronger and began to sit on it's own and hopping but continued to fall to it's right side from time to time. I had it 10 days and it was doing better every day, even able to hop around without falling to it's right side. The poop was very very small, (like little seeds and oblong in shape). I started feeding it babyfood (mixed vegetable) in it's KMR on one day and introduced some cloves, which it ate well and added Benebac to it's formula. The next day I increased the amount of baby food with Benebac and gave it some dandelion leaves and clove. That night it got really lethargic and weak, then it passed some larger poops than I have ever seen it pass before and seemed fine. The next morning it was in his cage lying on it's side barely breathing and eventually died 2 hours later It broke my heart and I do not understand what went wrong...it was doing so good it seemed. I was feeding it 4x/day as much as it wanted to eat and giving it small amounts of water. I have heard that it is important for the young rabbit to eat cecotopes that it gets from it's mother to help it digest food...is this true....is there something I could have done to prevent this? I would have taken to a rehabber but there were not any available in the area. There was no diarehea or blot? I am just lost as to what I did wrong. Did I feed it roufage too soon or not soon enough (it was probably 10 day to 2 weeks old when I got it) Any insight would be really appreciated. I am thinking about becoming a licensed rehabber in this area for wild bunnies cause it seems like their population is dwindling but am unsure...if it is impossible to actually save their lives then I don't think I could handle it but if there is...I would be more than willing to do whatever it takes to tend to them. It was so confusing...even with talking to a rehabber and countless internet sites...to get a straight answer as to what I should do and should not do. I am hoping you are more of an expert and can give me solid information so I can sort the fact from the fiction. Are cecotpoes from the mom (or another rabbit) the key? Thanks for your time Tina

Tina, It sounds as though the rabbit had internal injuries caused by the dog attack. I doubt that what you were feeding it caused the problem. In order to legally care for wildlife, you will need to be licensed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. If you have interest in this, please send me an e-mail and I will provide you with the contact information for the person you would need to talk with about becoming licensed.

I came across this looking for info on how to help a baby gasping. In my experience if they reach this point it's likely too late. (I'm speaking babies 3-5 days old). I haven't been able to find any info about this online. My last encounter: 4 babies were found (estimated 3 days old) from where a dog had chased the mom away & removed them from the nest. (This was all confirmed by footage on security cameras.) The bunnies were examined and aside from being very hungry, they had only superficial wounds. The nest was located and they were returned with 3 siblings still in nest. Momma bunny did return. However 2 days later, there had been no sign of her for over 24 hrs, when she previously had been 2x/day. My initial thought was she was cutting back to one visit in prep for weaning, but she didn't return that night either. After missing 3 feedings I checked the nest & each bun. Most were great. 2 very mildly dehydrated and one on the bottom of nest was weak, not moving and severely dehydrated. I immediately went to store & purchased KMR milk supplement. By the time I got back home he started gasping. Total time from taking him from the nest & getting home to feed was 15-20 mins at most! (and he had body heat then entire time). I hoped he would eat a little and could be returned to the nest. My best assessment is he was too weak to "fight" his way to the top of the pile and nurse from his momma. I think I may have needed to intervene earlier in order to save this one. This is the first one that I've cared for and lost. All others thrived and were released. Im so upset and desperately seeking information on anything that could've helped save this baby! Is there anything at all I could've done? Is there anything that can be done to recover once they start gasping?? Also, at no point did his mouth or tongue turn blue/purple. He gasped for a few mins, 5 mins at most. Never moved, only the slight gasp as he inhaled and then simply & quietly died. I guess his heart gave out. Lack of oxygen. There isn't anywhere I could've taken him in the short amount of time this happened. Please, any information or instruction is much appreciated. Should this ever occur again I don't want to feel so helpless or wonder if there was anything more I could've done. (I did try extending diaphragm by holding up horizontally and doing the head down/up movement too.) I hope I get a response. Thank you in advance for any info or advice you can give.

Katie, I'm not a vet, so for the best advice, you should contact the great people over at the U of I wildlife clinic: http://vetmed.illinois.edu/wmc/

What I can tell you is that baby rabbits that have been attacked by a dog often do not survive, even if it appears that they have no obvious injury. There can be internal bleeding or broken bones (i.e., punctured lung) that you wouldn't be able to detect just by looking. There are also possible infection issues, even small cuts combined with being in a dog's mouth can spell trouble. And then there's the stress of being attacked and removed from the nest.

It sounds like you did everything right. Put them back in the nest for mom to feed. Kept it warm when you removed it from the nest. It was just too far gone at that point.

But I really do recommend talking to the vets/vet students at the clinic. They are a fabulous resource and always willing to share what they know.