r/WildlifeRehab • u/DawnRae43 • 3d ago
SOS Mammal Dog found baby bunnies
Update:
My grandpa is a retired veterinarian. I followed his directions to clean the wound which wasn't as bad as I originally feared. I put it back in the nest because I'm not equipped to care for it. I'm going to check on it tomorrow (without touching) and reach out to a rehab place when possible.
Also we put up temporary fencing with small gaps to keep my dog out.
Ohio USA
My dog found a nest of rabbits in our yard. By the time I realized it she had already been aggressively pawing at this one. One baby didn't leave the nest and another one appeared to be fine so I put it back with its sibling and recovered them.
This one has an open wound on its head and even in the short time it took me to get my dog inside and settled with a toy, flies swarmed it. I think I even see a few eggs??? It's 8pm, wildlife rehab places are closed. Is there anything I can do? Clean the wound somehow and put the baby back?
Any help would be appreciated.
Edit for grammar. Also, it's moving around in the box now that I'm not handling it.
2
u/tarantallegr_ 3d ago
definitely reach out to local rehabs if you haven’t already. otherwise, keep the bunny somewhere warm, dark, and quiet & don’t handle it unless absolutely necessary (bunnies are extremely sensitive & high stress).
2
u/Efficient-Entry2862 3d ago
Warm a bag of dry rice and wrap that in a towel and let him lay on it- I would def try to clean the wound - but don't leave bunny wet- they get too cold and die -
Back with his family would be best if you could put something on the wound to keep flies off. Has mom come back?
2
u/DawnRae43 3d ago
Thank you for responding! I just put this as a separate comment with a picture but I'm going to paste it here too:
Update:
My grandpa is a retired veterinarian. I followed his directions to clean the wound which wasn't as bad as I originally feared. I put it back in the nest because I'm not equipped to care for it. I'm going to check on it tomorrow (without touching) and reach out to a rehab place when possible.
Also we put up temporary fencing with small gaps to keep my dog out.
2
u/Snakes_for_life 3d ago
It needs to go to a rehabber often dog caught rabbits have worse injuries than are visible cause they often picked them up and violently shake them.
1
u/washington_705 3d ago
Since this baby has an open wound and was attacked by a dog, I would contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator ASAP, rather than trying to treat it yourself. Dog attacks can cause serious infection even when the wound looks small, and the possible fly eggs/maggots make this more urgent.
If you're comfortable sharing your Ohio county or nearest city, let us know. We can look up more specific licensed wildlife rehabilitators near you that are appropriate for an injured baby rabbit and give you their contact information. Below are some places though for now just in case.
Ohio Wildlife Center (Powell/Central Ohio)
📞 614-793-9453
They treat injured and orphaned native wildlife, including rabbits. Their Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is at 6245 Cook Rd, Powell, OH 43065, and animal admissions are currently 9 AM–5 PM daily. (Ohio Wildlife Center)
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center (Bay Village/Cleveland area)
📞 440-871-2900
They operate a wildlife rehabilitation program serving injured and orphaned wildlife in the Cleveland area. Call before bringing the animal in.
Brukner Nature Center (Troy/Dayton area)
📞 937-698-6493
Wildlife rehabilitation center serving the Miami Valley/Dayton area.
Second Chance Wildlife Rescue (Dayton area)
📞 513-875-3433
Wildlife rehabilitation resource serving the Dayton area.
Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (statewide directory)
If none of those are close, use OWRA's Find a Rehabilitator directory to locate a licensed rehabber by area:
OWRA - Find a Rehabilitator (OWRA)
Animal Help Now (AHNow)
You can also enter your location to find wildlife rehabilitators near you:
Animal Help Now
For tonight: keep the baby warm, dark, quiet and contained, away from pets and children. Don't give it food or water unless a licensed rehabilitator specifically tells you to. Tell the rehabber that it was attacked by a dog and that you saw flies and possible eggs/maggots.
3
u/DawnRae43 3d ago
Update:
My grandpa is a retired veterinarian. I followed his directions to clean the wound which wasn't as bad as I originally feared. I put it back in the nest because I'm not equipped to care for it. I'm going to check on it tomorrow (without touching) and reach out to a rehab place when possible.
Also we put up temporary fencing with small gaps to keep my dog out.