Bunny's blood test results

I had been waiting in anticipation (and agony!) for Bunny's blood test results since early this morning.  We got an appointment at 12.30pm and off we went to the vet's. 

It is a relief of sorts that his blood test shows his kidneys and liver are fine and functioning well.  There is only an indication of dehydration (which is to be expected).  His white blood cells are also normal, which means there is no infection?  But wait...for Bunny's case, this is not conclusive because he is FIV+.  Having a compromised immune system, his body might not be able to react to combat any infection by producing an increase of white blood cells (as in the case of a healthy cat or any animal).  So, for Bunny, a normal WBC count does not rule out the possibility of infection. 

The other abnormality is a low platelet count.  This is quite puzzling, but again, we cannot draw any conclusion from this, but it probably can account for the fact that his vomit has brownish blood.  The blood is not able to coagulate.  Bunny has not vomited today, and I am really keeping my fingers crossed that the brownish vomit may only be due to the acid reacting on the lining of the walls of the stomach.  I felt there was a need to address this, and asked if we should begin force-feeding Bunny.  After all, it has been five days now that he has not eaten.  The vet said this is still not a necessity but we can do it, if I want to.  The vet preferred that Bunny eats on his own, because when that happens, it would be a good indication that he is getting well. 

But I did not want Bunny's stomach to be empty for so long, so we opted to forcefeed him.  We opened a can of AD and put a tablespoon of the tasty paste in front of Bunny.  He wasn't interested.  Then, the vet took a small blob and put it into Bunny's mouth.  He ate it, albeit reluctantly, but did not struggle at all.  All in, the vet managed to feed him about two tablespoons (we did not want to push our luck by giving too much), and with each blob, it got easier.  Bunny was more willing to eat the AD.  He chewed and swallowed all of it.  But he was fed.  He did not eat willingly.  Well, never mind.  At least he is eating. 

I will (force)feed him this way every few hours.  I hope he will eat without any struggle because in his condition, it is very important that we do not stress him.  He should be as relaxed as possible.

The vet told me that he often encounters this problem with FIV+ patients where you can't really be sure what is wrong, especially when the blood test shows that everything seems to be okay.  Their body might not react to problems as a healthy animal would.  So, the purpose of the blood test is just to eliminate possible problems.  For Bunny's case, it is probably not his kidneys or liver.  It may not even be his bladder as well. 

The vet also said Bunny's disposition looks good.  He is still very alert and his eyes are bright.  His weight has gone up a little, but that's probably due to the subcutaneous fluids administered yesterday. 

So, what is wrong with Bunny??

We still do not know.  Something could be wrong inside, but we cannot find out through our conventional methods. 

The vet still thinks it could be some infection somewhere, so Bunny is now put on another antibiotic, Baytril.  We are really hoping that Baytril will do the trick. 

The best bet now is that Bunny starts eating again.  If he does, the vet says we can close the case, be happy and it would be another case of "unknown cause".  

I understand that Bunny's problem is more complex because of him being FIV+, so please do help Bunny in sending him positive thoughts and prayers.  

Here are some photos of Bunny taken after I brought him back from the vet's this afternoon.  

I thought it would be good to let Bunny have a feel of the grass again after having been confined in the bedroom for a few days.  A healthy dose of sunshine might also do him some good. 

The vet said he had a full bladder, so I let him wander a bit in the garden so that he could ease himself.  He chose to do it in my planter's box!  Big brother Cow, is looking on.

Scratch, scratch, scratch, to cover up the evidence.

How are you, my friend?

Good old Bobby is always on hand to greet all his feline friends.

Ooh...I haven't scratched this for so long. 

Our rattan trunk is the cats' favourite "scratching post"

Happily scratching...

And now, it's time to groom myself.

I think Bunny feels much better after yesterday's subcutaneous fluids.  I'm hoping the AD will also perk him up.  Let the cause be unknown if there is no way we can find out.  I just want him to be well and happy again.  After all, sometimes, there is just so much that we don't know. 

Many thanks to those who responded with suggestions and thoughts.  Thank you for sharing what you know, and thank you for caring.

Get well soon, Bunny!