Eastern Cottontail Rabbit Recovers From Injuries

This story about an Eastern cottontail rabbit was shared by licensed wildlife rehabilitator Deanna Epps of Waxhaw, North Carolina.

September 30, 2021, I received an adult Eastern cottontail rabbit that was found lying in a ditch. It appeared that a car may have driven over her, and she rolled into the ditch, but this was unknown for sure. Her weight was 1,294 grams (about 2.8 pounds).

On exam, she had a severe head tilt to the right and bright red blood drainage from her left ear. Her pupils were equal and reactive to light. Her spine felt intact, and she had positive reflexes to all legs. There was an approximate 3 to 4 centimeter abrasion to her lower back. No other injuries were noted.

I started SQ LR (subcutaneous lactated ringers), meloxicam and gave wound care (cleansed wound with chlorhexidine, rinsed with sterile saline, swabbed Betadine and applied silver sulfadiazine cream). I let her rest for a few hours then fed her EmerAid IC Herbivore, 6cc. She swallowed very well. I continued SQ LR.

Day 2 (10/1/2021) at 7 am, the rabbit’s head was lying to the right and she was flat on the towel. Her right eye was irritated, so I started Ofloxacin eye drops. I made a horseshoe-shaped doughnut for her to lay in and help hold up her head. I fed her 12cc of EmerAid IC Herbivore plus an additional 6cc of water. She ate very well. I continued the 12cc of EmerAid IC Herbivore twice a day until 10/3/2021.

Day 3 (10/2/2021) at 9:30 am, I found her sitting upright on her own, head up, no tilt. She had good urination and defecation. I continued all treatments, and she maintained good posture throughout the day.

As I put fresh greens in her container on day 4 (10/3), I noticed she had eaten all of her greens through the night. I stopped the EmerAid IC Herbivore feedings and started putting EmerAid Sustain Herbivore in the dish for her to lap. I put a fresh dish in her container in the morning and one at night. I also added some oats and fresh water, too.

She ate every bit of her greens and the EmerAid Sustain. She moved around like nothing ever happened.

As days went on, she got more stable, head moving normal and wound healing very well.

I continued the EmerAid Sustain up until she was released. She loved that, and I truly believe that was the key in her recovery.

She was doing so well that she started jumping and trying to get out. She nearly ate me out of house and home.

On 10/10/2021, I released her. A huge thank you to Lafeber EmerAid! It’s really a pleasure to know that this product works so well every time I use it. I also enjoy talking to fellow rehabbers about how the micro nutrients work as opposed to regular formula!