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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Peter has Bloat – Need advice/support

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    • kiyisha
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        In short, I am devastated. He has been going to the vet (far too regularly) these past two weeks, today he spent the day at the vet with his brother while he lost his manhood, so the vet could keep an eye on him at the same time.

        We broke down and started a GoFundMe, I put more of the story in there if you don’t want to read the entire thread, though there might be some posts in here that have more information. If you could help me just by sharing on your facebook? Let your friends know? Twitter? Anything helps!! Pleasee https://www.gofundme.com/peter-cottontails-vet-fund-2vbwsms

        He’s been eating and acting regularly, but he is boney, and his stomach fluctuates from soft to really hard on a regular basis. I have done EVERYTHING I have been told by the vet, giving him ample amounts of hay, minimal pellets, cut out veggies, turned around and did the first two again, then gave him a variety of veggies suggested by the vet to try to regulate his stomach bacteria, again, nothing has worked. I have been giving him critical care 3x daily for the past 3 days, probiotics, and even otc baby gas medicine. I asked the vet about the heating pad, gentle massage, gentle vibration, she said all of those would only stress him out more (he’s a sweet bunny, but easily stressed at the moment – understandable)

        According to her I am doing everything I can, but I feel like there HAS to be something else I can do for him, it’s all I can do to keep from annoying the crap out of him and bothering him every few minutes to make sure he’s ok, but after the day at the vets, the stressful 2hr ride in the car, I think he needs some time with his brother quietly.

        The next 24hrs are crucial the vet said… My heart dropped. I am barely holding it together and I’ve cried more than I care to admit today, even on the phone and in front of the vet, nevermind the fact that I got up 3-4 hours earlier than normal just to take them both to the vet, and I’m tired and exhausted. I’m just so overwhelmed, and so so so scared… If I lose him it will break my heart.

        I regretted getting 2 more boy bunnies when I got them at first, as my first two held a heck of a grudge for a few weeks, but everyone has settled in, and the two youngest bunnies are just the sweetest bunnies ever. A raising experience I have yet to have, as simba and binky were both very shy and scared bunnies as babies, freckles and peter are quite the opposite.

        An idea of all that I am giving Peter (PLEASE tell me if any of this food adds to his gas issue!!! The vet said they were fine, she gave me the list, but I’m not above further advice)

        (A salad I make to share among 4 bunnies)

        4 Sprigs of Carrot Tops

        4 sprigs of cilantro

        2 Red leaf lettuce leaves

        2 Green Leaf lettuce leaves

        I also give peter one baby carrot with his probiotic medicine sprinkled on top, the vet wants him to take at least half of the pill, but the more the better, today I was able to get down 2/3 of a carrot dusted with it, normally he eats it like he’s starving. Same with critical care, today he ate it just fine at the vet, but when he came home to get his second dose he only ate 1 syringe, normally he’s climbing all over me looking for more after the 2 average he gets.

        He’s nibbling on hay, but not eating with the same excitement as normal. I know there’s not much else I can do, but I am at a loss, and I have already seen 2 bunny savvy vets, I am considering a third opinion, but I am also trying to be logical…realistically I am going to get the same diagnosis as the first two vets.

        Any advice at all? anything you know of that I can do that won’t stress him out further?


      • Luna
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          Luna sends her get well wishes to Peter! Sorry I do not have any knowledge/advice for bloat issues, but it’s good that you got a second vet opinion, and it sounds like you are doing everything you can right now.


        • Mikey
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            Im not sure if its like this for all bunnies, but constant cilantro makes my three bunnies bloat. What probiotic does the vet have him on? Ive never heard of a rabbit needing to take a pill


          • kiyisha
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              I promise next time I go upstairs I’ll check the name, she only put him on it because it was getting worse. Trust me she’s a really good vet, I’ve been around the block in the Denver area and she’s by far favorite, and the most expensive… But worth it.

              I’ll cut out the cilantro, he’s been eating more hay and his stomach seems to be getting smaller. This is such a stressful roller coaster. He took another syringe of critical care and another dose of gas medicine, the vet suggested only 3 doses, then to see if it works for him. She also put him on metacam for the pain, so hopefully he’ll be able to eat easier.


            • kiyisha
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                Also it’s not a pill, it’s a powder capsule I open over a damp carrot then feed to him, some sort of dust that feels sticky when wet, so sweet I assume


              • kiyisha
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                  Posted By Luna on 10/17/2016 8:52 PM
                  Luna sends her get well wishes to Peter! Sorry I do not have any knowledge/advice for bloat issues, but it’s good that you got a second vet opinion, and it sounds like you are doing everything you can right now.

                  Thank you


                • Mikey
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                    Ah ok. Still not what ive ever heard given to a rabbit so a name for the meds would be nice in case anyone here can give advice on what other meds might help with the non hes already taking I think metacam would be good if he is in pain often

                    If cutting the cilantro doesnt work, i would slowly cut back on greens all together. Something ive learned recently is that not all bunny tummies can handle greens


                  • Bam
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                      It sounds like you’re seeing some improvement. Anything he eats now is good, of course. And drinks – he must drink. A member here – Ellie from the Netherlands – just recently told us about how she makes hay-tea for her bunny. You pour hot water onto hay, let it steep, sieve off the hay and serve the tea once it’s cooled. It encourages drinking and it will also provide the bun with some nutrients and minerals.

                      I have a probiotic like the one you describe. It’s called Synbiotic D-C. It has enterococcus faecium, a bacterium that’s very prevalent in the healthy bunny gut. I don’t know if the same one is available in the US though, it’s a UK brand. But it’s the same principle, you open the capsule and sprinkle the powder onto wet greens.


                    • kiyisha
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                        Peter went back to the vet today, his bloat hasn’t improved and the only thing we could do that we haven’t already was to give him fluids under his skin. They taught us how to do it, though it looks frustrating and hard we’ll manage whatever we have to, we also learned how to am extent force him to eat his critical care, without stressing him out too much. He’s still nibbling hay and eating some things, just not much… So we’re giving him critical care more. The vet said he hasn’t improved, but there’s nothing left that anyone can do for him, it’s up to him and his body now, and of course we’ll keep fighting for him too. This is so hard, I have been crying or trying not to cry all day, I’m so afraid we’re gonna lose him.

                        I think his probiotics are similar to yours, they do the same thing with the gut bacteria. The brand is nutramax and the name is pro something, I’m downstairs and all of his medicine is kept upstairs near the veggies.

                        Please keep him in your thoughts, and us too, we’re so at a loss and feeling helpless.


                      • kiyisha
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                          Peter ate a couple baby carrots a few hours ago and about a quarter syringe of critical care, do they start hating the taste of that? And how often can I feed him, and how much, of the baby carrots right now? It seems one of the very few things he’ll eat at the moment. I know he’s in pain, I worry about how much his stomach is extended, but he seems to still be nibbling hay on his own, just not enough, at all. Trying to force feed him is working less and less, he just lets out drip out of the side of his mouth, when two days ago he was jumping over himself to get to it. He’s still binkying around when we take him out of the cage, but we’re worried about him right now and his brother just got fixed, so it’s best he stays with his brother, fortunately everyone is leaving the incision site alone, so it’s possible to keep them together

                          Not sure what to do, tried giving critical care on a carrot and that just made him reject the carrot.


                        • Mikey
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                            What tests have you guys done on him yet? Something is causing the gas, have you tried cutting anything else out besides cilantro up to this point?


                          • Bam
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                              How old is he? Has his inner teeth been checked? (A vet needs to do that with an otoscope).

                              Sub Q fluids are really good. It helps hydrate the contents of the gut, the bun can’t always effectively do that by just drinking.

                              I’ll be keeping him in my thoughts. ((((((Peter))))))


                            • Odette
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                                Kiyisha, did either vet do X-rays?

                                I would be cautious with the baby carrots. I think it’s unusual (in a good way) that he is eating hay and binkying with bloat. The hay and exercise help expel the gas. But as Mikey said, something is causing the gas.

                                You and Peter are in my thoughts. I wish him healing.


                              • Luna
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                                  Maybe other members can weigh in on this >>> If Peter is eating less now, could there be blockage that developed?


                                • Bam
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                                    A blockage can be seen on an x-ray. My vets always wanted to x-ray Yohio’s tummy first of all, every time we came in with symptoms of stasis. That was to rule out a blockage, since treatment is very different if there is a blockage. There never was a blockage with Yohio, and his tummy trouble was always attributed to his molars.


                                  • kiyisha
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                                      The reason they haven’t done an x-ray is because he’s pooping just fine, and so far today he’s been eating easier, he’s not fighting us as much anymore, and yes I’ve cut out many things, as well as tried new things that were high in fiber. Last feeding he took 7ml of critical care a large piece of lettuce and a few sprigs of carrot tops. We stopped giving him baby carrots as much as I was worried about him eating too much. He’ll be getting one at 3:30 just to get his probiotics down but I’m trying to stick to less high in sugar snacks anyway.

                                      They have sent his poo away to the lab but I’m still waiting on the test results, thinking of taking him to another vet at this point. He’s due for his fluids in a few minutes so I have to run, but we have noticed him eating more often, maybe it’s not too late to turn this around… Oh God I hope anyway ((


                                    • kiyisha
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                                        Also his age is only 3 1/2 months, he’s still just a baby


                                      • Mikey
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                                          Getting a second opinion can only help in situations like this. Either the second vet will find something different and offer some new advice to try, or the vet will find everything the same as the first vet which will help solidify what may be wrong

                                          He is a young little guy. What hay do you have for him? The only other thing i can think of is downsizing how many veggies and greens he gets for a week or so to see if that helps or improves at all. They dont recommend you start feeding veggies and greens until a bun is 3 months old, but some can be fed greens earlier and some need to be fed them later

                                          Other than that, i dont think i have any more advice. I have a nethie with constant bloat if we stray from his needed diet. It took about a month to learn what is and isnt ok with his tummy, and a lot of help from the vet and gas meds. But after we found what diet does work for him, we havent had an issue since. There is hope! Sending you some (((((luck vibes))))) and (((((hope vibes)))))


                                        • Bam
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                                            Oh, so he’s still a baby =(

                                            Then molar spurs of course are not the issue. It’s good you’ve cut back on the baby carrots imo, I have a bun who gets stomach upset from carrots, so he can never have any.

                                            ((((((Peter))))))


                                          • LittlePuffyTail
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                                              Just want to see along some vibes for your poor bun. ((((Peter))))


                                            • kiyisha
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                                                He’s been to two different bunny savvy vets now, do you think I should go ahead and find a third? The two vets were at the exotics animal hospital I’ve been taking my exotics to for the past two years, they’ve saved a life or two for me now, but Peter is having trouble. Baby gas drops seem to be helping, any idea how many times I can give it to him in a day? Still waiting on a callback from the vet.

                                                He’s been eating ok, and pooping, there’s clearly no blockages, but his tummy is still significantly bloated, maybe even a little more than yesterday… I set an appointment to see the vet tomorrow, but honestly if I can give him these drops frequently they seem to be working. He’ll get worse, then I’ll give him drops and he’ll go from not eating too eating just fine on his own… Really hoping he can safely have these frequently. My vet said they don’t always work for bunnies, but it seems to be the one thing that works for him. I stopped all veggies, though I have to give him one baby carrot or lettuce to get his probiotics down in a few hours. Cutting the lettuce didn’t seem to help, his bloat seems to have gotten a bit worse, should I give him the lettuce back?

                                                I want nothing more than to save him, I just don’t know if we can… Everytime i get hopeful something happens that sets us back. Said a prayer today, pretty sure I’m going to be saying a lot more of those, is heartbreaking to watch him be uncomfortable, I just want to make it better.


                                              • Luna
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                                                  ((((Peter)))). When you say lettuce, it’s not iceberg lettuce right? For the gas baby drops I know you can administer at least 1ml every 3 hours, but I’m pretty sure you can give more than that without it having any adverse effects on your bun. I don’t know if this is truth or a myth, but I’ve heard buns can’t overdose on simethicone? Again, more ((((Peter)))).


                                                • kiyisha
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                                                    Oh God no!! I know not everyone knows better, but I have done extensive research on all my pets, only red and green leaf lettuce.

                                                    My vet said he could have .3ml once a hour for 3 consecutive hours, but she never said how much to try if that worked, I think she expected it wouldn’t. But it does seem to give him some relief, even if it’s not physically visible, he certainly eats and potties easier when he takes them, not sure if they help him potty or just relieve some of the pain for him so he can. I only have 2 days left of metacam, but still unsure if that one is even helping, he does seem less boney now though so maybe he’s put on some healthy weight, he always was a bit of a chubby bun, but then his belly just got big, and instead of having chub he just had bones and belly, it’s nice to see he’s getting some nutrients.

                                                    I’ve given him two doses of simethicone so far today, his next is due in 15min, it seems to have helped, caught him eating hay and pellets so that made me happy, and he just got his fluids at noon.


                                                  • Odette
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                                                      How is his urine output?

                                                      I second Luna’s suggestion on baby Simethicone. I would also keep up the subq fluids.

                                                      I’d continue the lettuce. Get the lettuce very wet to get as much water as possible in Peter. Don’t let him sit in water obviously, but wet lettuce can help keep his hydration up.

                                                      You and Peter are in my thoughts. I don’t have an answer or advice regarding a third vet. I wouldn’t know what to do. But Peter is a fighter. He’s a brave bunny and you’re doing everything to find an answer. I send a hug across the internet for you. Give your boy a nose rub from me.


                                                    • kiyisha
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                                                        He seems to be peeing ok, but it’s really hard to tell I put fresh hay on their litter box constantly to encourage eating, I’ll take your advice and wet the lettuce good for him, I’ll hand feed it to him when I give him his next feeding, might try to get his probiotics on lettuce today so I can cut out the carrot.

                                                        We still have 5 days worth of fluids and needles to administer to him, and we’ll go get more as needed, money is starting to get tight now..but if I have to give up food for two weeks to afford what he needs that’s exactly what I’ll do. Our vet is really good about discounts, but this will be the fourth visit in a week, varying from 175 to 80 at cheapest, not to mention the visits before it turned to bloat and it was just gas…I had a bad feeling when they said he had gas, I knew it would lead us here


                                                      • Luna
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                                                          Does your vet accept CareCredit?


                                                        • kiyisha
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                                                            Yes they do the problem is we had a rough patch last year and a car got repossessed, we got it back and haven’t missed a payment yet, buy the damage is done to our credit and we don’t qualify. Believe me I’ve tried, I want nothing more than to have that to fall back on, we used our savings for all of Peter’s vet visits and medicine, as well as getting freckles fixed. Fortunately hubby gets paid tomorrow and what’s not going to bills will be going to peter, on the other hand he’s missed a few days of work due to having to emergency run Peter back and forth to the vet.


                                                          • Mikey
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                                                              You can also set up a GoFundMe page. Im sure a ton of people would be willing to share it and donate if you include all of the information youve written here. Hopefully that will be able to help you out with payments a little bit

                                                              Wetting the lettuce really well is a good idea. If you remove something from his diet, and his bloat gets worse, add it back into his diet. There is also this bit that might help you out here:

                                                              “The most prominent symptoms of gas are gurgling noises coming from the stomach, lethargy, decreased appetite, hunched posture or pressing stomach against floor, or low body temperature (under 100oF). So, what should you do if this happens to your rabbit? Try to keep your rabbit warm. In most cases, the body temperature will drop and keeping bunny warm is essential. You can achieve this by using plastic soda bottles filled with warm water and having the bunny lay up against them. You can also use your own body heat by holding your rabbit close to you underneath a blanket. You can also use a Snugglesafe, which can be heated in the microwave and is much safer than a heating pad. Pediatric Simethicone 1cc (20mg/ml suspension) can be given orally as often as every hour for 3 hours and then 1cc every 3-8 hours. Infant Mylicon drops work well. This will help to break down the gas bubbles and alleviate gastric dilation, as well. Pain medication can also be prescribed by your veterinarian. Also, be sure that your rabbit continues to eat and drink. If not, Pedialyte and baby food may be syringe fed to your rabbit. Be sure to do this slowly and carefully so that the rabbit does not breath it into his lungs. Gentle tummy massages also go a long way. If the symptoms do not subside within 12 hours, take the rabbit to a veterinarian immediately. Also, if the rabbit gets gas on a regular basis be sure to have him examined by a veterinarian because the rabbit my have an underlying illness.”
                                                              http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/se-pennsylvania/GIStasis.htm


                                                            • Bam
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                                                                I really think probiotics and an exclusion-inclusion diet of the type would Mikey describes would be the best thing for this. Young bunnies don’t have a fully diversified gastro-intestinal microbial flora, and that makes it hard for them to digest certain types of food. How their GI flora develop depends a lot on what mama-bunny was fed, and at what age they are weaned. Too early weaning is a well known cause for tummy trouble and failure to thrive in young buns. Brewer’s yeast (saccharamyces cerevisiae) has been shown to improve weight gain in young buns. Some probiotics contain this yeast.

                                                                Simethicone is a thing that many of us bun-owners swear by. There’s not much scientific evidence as to it’s efficacy in rabbits, but both Medirabbit and Dana Krempels recommend it for gas. It can be given on suspicion of gas. It’s not a substance that is absorbed into the body, it stays in the intestines and helps break up gas bubbles. It might also have a lubricating effect. Then it’s gotten rid of via the poop. Thus it’s very difficult to over-dose.


                                                              • kiyisha
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                                                                  I’ve read that before but totally forgot about how much thanks so much for posting that, I will also make him a warm bottle to hopefully help with his temp. He seems ok that way and snuggles up with his brother a lot, his room is really warm too, their cage is near a heating vent so I suppose that’s a good thing in this case. I how much is 1 cc though? My measuring thing for his meds is only 1ml. I imagine critical care and sub Q fluids are better than Pedialyte and baby food

                                                                  How long of a process was it for you guys to regulate the diet? I just feel myself losing hope and I’m so scared. I will make a GoFundMe in my husband’s name as I lost my wallet and can’t verify my ID at least with a valid one. I only have a expired ID. On top of all these little road blocks we’ve been having car trouble. Consequently I care nothing about the car, or anything but getting my baby healthy. If we absolutely have to we’ll pawn everything we can to save him. I just want him to be saved (( if I didn’t lose my wallet I could have done Etsy ages ago with my bead art, we would have had a lot more put away. *Sighs* days like this I sincerely wish I could work just for my babies sake, but even then money can only do so much, and I don’t think there’s much else we can do other than constantly checking up with the vet.

                                                                  All I want is for him to survive this, I’ve never known a sweeter bunny, he’s much too young to leave this world I’m trying to be positive, but realistic, and it’s the realistic part that’s KILLING me

                                                                  I hope no bunny else gets sick for years to come.


                                                                • kiyisha
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                                                                    Thank you bam, extra verification makes me feel better, and maybe that’s why my vet thought that it might not work for him, though it seems that it does and I’d like to keep using it as needed. It does seem to help him poop! I noticed a lack thereof for the night and got worried, first feeding this morning and I gave him the gas meds, not 30 minutes later he was eating and pooping. I’m about ready to swear by it myself since it’s the only thing so far that’s showing me it’s obviously helping.

                                                                    I can’t thank you all enough for the support, I’m on the verge of tears right now and it means a lot to have you guys helping me with advice, support, or just thinking of us. Just having folks that understand our situation and can offer help makes this entire process easier!

                                                                    Peter thanks you all as well, any more tips or ideas are greatly appreciated, we just wanna save our little love bun, I’ll take a picture soon so you guys can see him and his little heart mark on his face, it suits his sweet personality.


                                                                  • kiyisha
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                                                                      Also just looked it up, had no idea cc was the same as ml, now I feel stupid lol


                                                                    • kiyisha
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                                                                        hoping this works, sorry the cage is a bit messy, he’s been just kinda going everywhere just in case the pic doesn’t work here’s a link too
                                                                        http://tinypic.com/r/246pceg/9


                                                                      • Mikey
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                                                                          Such a cute and happy looking bunny 

                                                                          From what i can see on google, 1cc is equal to 1ml. Critical Care is much better than babyfood and the like, but sometimes bunnies hate the taste of CC so some owners mix some baby food in with the CC to make it more appetizing for the bunnies (I just saw that you didnt know what 1cc was either, lol, its ok, either did i!)

                                                                          It took my boyfriend and i about a month to a month and a half to figure out our nethies needed diet. He really liked tummy massages though, so for a while there those were a daily thing for him. He also learned how to roll over/on a ball to help massage his own tummy when we werent there. When you get the GoFundMe page up, please message it to me


                                                                        • kiyisha
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                                                                            Thank you so much for the ideas, what kind of ball did you use for him to roll on? We give peter gentle belly massages but we’re very careful because it bothers him if we do more than a gentle rub, I’m not sure how much it helps but I assume it would at least feel good to have pressure on the pain. The vet said for his size he should take .3ml once an hour every hour for 3 then see what happens, still haven’t heard back but it’s my normal vets day off and the other ones at her office have turned out to be morons to say the least…. And rude! We’re going to look for a new vet tomorrow, but just to be safe I set an appointment for Sunday morning, I had one for tomorrow but he’s still eating and pooping and we literally have everything at home that they have for him there, I realized it’s silly to rush him in quite yet, but he’ll be going Sunday whether to his regular vet or to a new one, I just have to call the Colorado house rabbit society so I can find out a good vet in the area, I assume they would know better than anyone.

                                                                            I just did his feeding and he took 13ml critical care, and another leaf of lettuce, can’t expect much else, v and he’s still eating hay and pellets. I’m concerned with how soft his poop is, but it’s not liquid, so that’s a plus at least. With the sub Q fluids, critical care mixed in water, and lettuce do you think he might be getting too much liquid?

                                                                            I gave him another 1.5ml of the gas medicine, I assume based on his size 1ml would be way too much, he’s still under 2lbs, I know overdosing is hard but I worry more about how his tummy handles that on top of the other medicine he’s taking, plus my vets instructions were pretty close to the online ones, she just didn’t give me the every 3 to 8 hours part, so it’s probably safe to assume .3ml is a good dose for him? Or should I try the 1ml? I’m not sure the size of rabbit that suggestion is made for. I’m sorry I’m so full of questions, I’m just a mess.

                                                                            Thanks again so much for the advice and support, I’ll let you know when we get the GoFundMe set up, hubby won’t be home from work for another couple hours. It probably won’t help that we’re pretty anti social though :/ i know GoFundMe depends on online friends or something right? And we don’t have many friends online or otherwise, we have a tendency to stay home with our furbabies instead of socializing with people haha. Bunnies are easier! (And softer!)


                                                                          • kiyisha
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                                                                              Wow, I got a response from my vet, I hope my google search is wrong. Is 1mg the same as 1ml?

                                                                              My normal vet is out of the office, so they asked a different vet the same question, how much and how often of the baby gas drops could Peter have. Their response was 80-100mg twice daily.

                                                                              Seems a bit extreme no? Makes 1ml seem far more realistic.

                                                                              If I gave him 1ml at his next feeding it definitely wouldn’t overdose him or upset his tummy? That’s over 3x the amount he normally gets, so I just want to be extra safe.

                                                                              Did I mention this is hella stressful

                                                                              Contacted my local rabbit house society to get info for a vet, and perhaps some better info on what’s a safe dose for his size and age, I still feel like 1ml is a bit too much, but what do I know, I just want to save his life and if 1ml is it, then 1ml is it, I’d just be surprised since he’s still so tiny.


                                                                            • Luna
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                                                                                1 ml is different from 1 mg. I think the conversion of mg to ml depends on the substance being measured, so the calculation will not be standard.

                                                                                P.S. Peter is adorable!!!


                                                                              • Luna
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                                                                                  Update: just checked out Luna’s simethicone box. Under the drug facts on the box, it should say something about X mg simethicone per X ml. I guess it’s a manufacturing requirement to include some sort of conversion, so if you have the box the baby gas drops came in, check out what it says on the back


                                                                                • kiyisha
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                                                                                    Thanks contacted local rabbit shelter for some advice and help, they said he should get 1.5ml every few hours or so, and suggested vibration heating pad, I have a bad back so I had one, wrapped him in a towel and held him atop it for about 20 mins, he didn’t try to get away until then, he started grinding his teeth as I pet him and held him on the pad, I think he liked it. I also got a suggestion for a vet

                                                                                    He seemed to feel better after the heating pad and vibration and his medicine, I’m calling that vet in the morning to try to get Peter in before my husband goes to work, again they were surprised he hasn’t had an x-ray, and he’s been to the vet four times, two different vets since this started, I even asked the last vet if they wanted an x-ray to be safe and they said no they knew what the problem was, his official diagnosis was gas, but the second vet called it a mild case of bloat


                                                                                  • Mikey
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                                                                                      We had several tennis balls the bunnies took claim over, so my bloaty bunny would roll on those. Im not sure how ‘normal’ that is for a rabbit, but hes always been a little different. For tummy massages, a gentle circle rub on the sides of his tummy is what we would do. He would struggle for the first few seconds before realizing what we were doing, then he would sprawl out and tooth purr until he would fall asleep. Tummy rubs are one of the few things that really calm him down (hes a stressy little bun)

                                                                                      Sorry to hear the other vets arnt the best at your current vets place D: I hope your normal vet will be able to respond tomorrow for you to get some answers. Getting vet recommendations from the local bun shelter is a really good idea, too

                                                                                      He could be getting a bit more water than average causing his poops to be a bit more mushy. If the poops are caused by an increase in water intake, i wouldnt worry too much about it unless the vet says otherwise. You can try to encourage more hay and pellets to help firm his poops up a bit

                                                                                      I would give him the same dose the vet said to give him every 3 hours. Im sure it would be safe to increase it a little bit

                                                                                      Aha! I agree that bunnies are much easier than people GoFundMe depends on people sharing it around on social media. I believe each share generates 1$ donated, and of course people can donate more money if they want to. If you tag it with “Animal” and/or “Bunny”/”Rabbit” if there is a tag, then people who type those tags into the GoFundMe search will be able to see your post and hopefully share it and donate as well

                                                                                      I think Luna covered the ml/mg thing for ya 


                                                                                    • kiyisha
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                                                                                        Peter has stopped pooping I am getting up at 7am, to wait until 8am when the vet opens to call and see what we can do..

                                                                                        I did make a gofundme, I might have put more information in it, I’m unsure, my memory isn’t the best these days. 


                                                                                      • kiyisha
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                                                                                          I won’t lie, I’m starting to panic a bit, and I can’t get away from the edge of tears. I know he’s just a baby but I’m already so in love with this bunny, he’s really the sweetest of my 4, I love them all, but he is special in his own way just as they all are, and his specialty is sweetness. I can’t imagine losing him, so so so young… I want so badly to save him! Ughhhh I don’t know what to do… Morning can’t come soon enough!


                                                                                        • kiyisha
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                                                                                            Peter pooped during the night while we were sleeping, I’m so happy!! We fed him and did another session on the vibrating heating pad, he LOVES it now


                                                                                          • Odette
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                                                                                              That is fantastic. Poop is the most welcome sight in the world after an overnight scare like that.

                                                                                              Yay, Peter!

                                                                                              He is beautiful, btw. His little face is just perfect.

                                                                                              You mentioned irregular poop. Is it egg-shaped?


                                                                                            • kiyisha
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                                                                                                It’s more like guinea pig poo shaped


                                                                                              • Odette
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                                                                                                  I’ve never had a guinea pig, but I googled. Kinda long and thin? That could be just from the gut imbalance. But did either vet mention megacolon?

                                                                                                  How is he this morning? Doing ok? Give him a good nose rub from me.


                                                                                                • kiyisha
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                                                                                                    Peter is currently in the vet, I posted a full update on the GoFundMe page, but to cut a long story short he has stopped pooping, his temp was 99 so they kept him to incubate him and give him some mobility drugs, the new vet we took him to today took his temp, none of the other ones did at any visits…. Anyway they said there’s hope for him, he thinks he might know what it could be though I can’t remember the name, I’m more concerned about whatever it is just being fixed, and whatever I have to do to get it to happen. We’ve spent over 600 in the past week and expect today’s bill to be at least 200, with these visits, medicine, emergencies… I’m so worried about having enough to get through the whole process, and so angry at my inability to work and my body failing me, I really want to save our baby.

                                                                                                    Since I lost my wallet and don’t have an id I’m going to try to set up an Etsy under my husband’s name and try to sell some of my pixel/melty bead art, whatever i can try to do at this point to help. I’m stressed about the bills, but hopeful about saving Peter


                                                                                                  • kiyisha
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                                                                                                      I just got a PM saying I can’t post GoFundMe stuff on here, I have no friends on social media and know no one who does, so I don’t think this is going to work for us. I’m very disappointed as i got hopeful when I found out people might be willing to help us save him, but that’s not the case for us as we’re not the most social people. Idk why I tried, I’m so in over my head and our savings is gone, we’re cutting into our food and bill money after this next vet bill, depending on the price anyway, if it’s over 200 I’m worried.


                                                                                                    • kiyisha
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                                                                                                        Also, I realize that I sound like a whiney child. I’m simply under-rested and stressed. I understand the rules and why they are there, I just wish I could think of another way to make this whole situation less stressful on both of us, as well as baby Peter. I know GoFundMe fails more often than not, but I guess I felt obligated to try (and continue trying, even if I do lack the friends for something like this) for his sake, that sweet baby face.. Ugh, I can’t resist him, and I want nothing more than to save him, I would literally (begrudgingly) chop off a finger to save this bunny (though I hope it doesn’t come to that, one finger short would make life hard!)

                                                                                                        Sorry for being such a baby about all of this, sleep deprivation and stress can really take a toll


                                                                                                      • kiyisha
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                                                                                                          OMG I AM SO HAPPY I AM LITERALLY CRYING HAPPY TEARS FOR ONCE!!! I don’t care if we have to pawn everything we have!!!! PETER IS DOING BETTER!!!!! He pooped!! His temp is up! He’s eating!!!

                                                                                                          I don’t care if I have to live off old food for a year, as long as my bunny survives this )))) nothing else matters!!!!


                                                                                                        • Luna
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                                                                                                            Even if the GoFundMe doesn’t work out, at least you’re doing everything you can for Peter. So the new vet said it’s something other than bloat? ((((Peter))))


                                                                                                          • Luna
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                                                                                                              Yay! (to your post – forgot to quote)


                                                                                                            • Mikey
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                                                                                                                Im so glad to hear he is eating and pooping! Im very happy to hear the new vet was able to help out more


                                                                                                              • kiyisha
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                                                                                                                  Yes he thinks it could be something else. It’s not his stomach that’s bloating, it’s the area he makes the poo they re eat in, at least by the name of it that’s what it sounded like, and so his stomach isn’t the problem, which is even better. Or at least his stomach isn’t where the bloating is. I’ll know more after I pick him up in a couple hours


                                                                                                                • Mikey
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                                                                                                                    His Cecum is enlarged?


                                                                                                                  • Odette
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                                                                                                                      I am so glad Peter is doing better. The news from the vet sounds hopeful, for certain.

                                                                                                                      The Humane Society compiled a list of vet assistance programs on the national and state level. The list is not bunny specific and many are just spay and neuter assistance. But, it can’t hurt to take a look and make some calls.

                                                                                                                      Humane Society List

                                                                                                                      And this link is simply to your state’s house rabbit society. You can get through to a person who is in the know regarding bunny vet assistance in your state.

                                                                                                                      Colorado House Rabbit Society

                                                                                                                      Please keep us updated. We want to see your sweet boy back to healthy.


                                                                                                                    • Bam
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                                                                                                                        The new vet sounds promising. You could ask him about megacolon/cowpile syndrome. Peter has the coloring that is often associated with this condition. There’s lots of info on the Internet about this condition, there are Facebook support groups where you can get lots of tips about managing this disorder.
                                                                                                                        https://www.facebook.com/TheRabbitCrossing/photos/?tab=album&album_id=557122490998149
                                                                                                                        https://www.facebook.com/megacolonrabbits/?fref=ts

                                                                                                                        Even if you don’t have a Facebook account right now you could set one up just to check these groups out. You can make a FB page very private so noone can see your page, or just people you invite specially.

                                                                                                                        Here’s some info from Medirabbit, a very good source. As you can see Peter and the bun Beau on the pic does have a bit of likeness colorwise:
                                                                                                                        http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Mega/mega_en.htm

                                                                                                                        Ps: You don’t sound like a whiney child. You sound like a very worried bunny mama. And virtually all of us here can relate. 


                                                                                                                      • kiyisha
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                                                                                                                          I already contacted my local rabbit house, they were the ones who pointed us to the wonderful vet that no doubt saved Peter’s life today. He did bring up the cowpile and megacolon, he doesn’t think Peter has that, though he does think he’s susceptible to it in the future due to his coloring. I still for the life of me can’t remember the word that sounded like a sneeze that he thought it was, but after he got Peter’s poo moving, he realized it’s likely not that parasite anyway, since his poo isn’t taking on the correct color and consistency. On the other hand, he IS pooping, and that’s good enough for me. He suggested we add in some Alfalfa hay, a handful a day, and 1/8 cup of alfalfa pellets 2x daily, oxbow young rabbit preferred. He thinks the extra vitamins and nutrients from the Alfalfa will really make a difference, also we’re to cut out all of his veggies, down to the last lettuce leaf.

                                                                                                                          We are to keep giving him 1.5ml of gas drops every 3-8 hours, a dose I got from the owner of the CO house rabbit society, they were kind enough to help me with ideas and support up until 9:30pm last night. (If you can’t tell I’ve been hitting every corner of the internet in attempt to find ways to help him, lol) We have had a good 4 sessions with my back pad, basically a semi-fancy car back massager, I have a bad back so I have a sorta-decent one. Doesn’t seem to heat up as much as I would like, but it does a great job with the vibration, and we just wrap Peter in a towel to warm him up while we snuggle him atop the vibrating pad. His first vet told us absolutely to not put him on a heating or vibration pad, even though everyone I have spoke to who has bunnies with bloat swear by how helpful it is, she said it would stress him out too much. She also said rubbing his tummy would stress him out too much…but I’ve tried both things now despite her advice because of the fact that he went downhill, turns out he very much enjoys them both.

                                                                                                                          Tomorrow morning we will get a phone call from his new vet, finding out what the test results are from the poo. Based on what the vet saw this morning while he was hospitalized, it seems to be more of a diet issue and we just have to find out the right mix of things to ease his discomfort.

                                                                                                                          Cecum is the poo that he eats right? I assume there’s a special area inside his body where those are produced, somewhere near the stomach? I don’t know if the poo’s themselves are enlarged, but from what I got from the vet (a lot of it was gibberish to me, mostly I just got that Peter was doing better, and couldn’t stop grinning. Simply tried to retain the important information, like what to do for him) is that yes, that area is bloated, not the stomach itself. Which is a VERY good thing, because his heart and lungs sound good, and with how bloated his tiny body has seemed to get I have been worried about his stomach bursting, or perhaps shoving into other organs and causing pain or worse. Again no xray, but by the third vet I see I imagine if no one wants to xray, they might just have a reason for it. His teeth, organs, everything else seemed ok, the vet said he is in great health (at least now, since we’ve been doing the critical care) it’s just the bloating we’re worried about. He put him on .3ml metacam, double the dose he was on previously, I imagine this will help a LOT with his discomfort.

                                                                                                                          You guys don’t have to worry about me keeping everything updated, I’m keeping up with the GoFundMe, even without a decent online following of friends, I’ve already made the darn thing I might as well stick with it. I keep updating that, then after that I come update here. I know if I was following someone’s story I would be just as interested in how their bunny is doing!!! Besides, it helps talking to ya’ll, you make me feel a bit less crazy!!

                                                                                                                          @bam Thanks, I have had some seriously emotional moments lately, so I feel like a bit of a nutter, I broke down in the vets this morning crying, before I even realized my other vet just made this all sound far worse than it is, she made it sound like he’s on his last leg, whereas his new vet thinks he’s doing great and there’s plenty of hope.

                                                                                                                          A part of me is scared of that sliver of dread that will always be there, but there’s so much more hope than there was, I can’t stop smiling today, I imagine this attitude will also help Peter when I’m around him, Hubby say’s I radiate stress and sadness when I’m around him sometimes, and that just stresses him out. I try to keep calm, but being so scared of losing him doesn’t help much.

                                                                                                                          Gosh it’s easy to get really attached to animals.


                                                                                                                        • kiyisha
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                                                                                                                            Of course there’s a couple things I realized I forgot to mention, like how we only have to give Peter another 4 days of fluids, and he should be good enough on his own after that. He also said we don’t need to be as on the dot with critical care as we have been, as long as he’s eating ok on his own, we should let him do most of that on his own and just supplement. We’ve been feeding every 3-4 hours, and will probably continue every 4hrs for another day or two just to help get that extra fiber in, but we’re safe to let him recover on his own at this point, as long as I keep up with the gas meds since they seem to help him eat and potty, and the pain meds that do the same thing… I think we’ll be ok

                                                                                                                            Also, Peter seemed quite happy to see me when I went to get him today, I got a few nose to nose rubs and lots of teeth grinds ^_^ guess he likes me as much as I like him. It was also nice to see him stretch out in his carrier and lay down against my arm, I haven’t seen him anything but hunched up for days! He didn’t much like the fact that his daddy had to go to work, so I wasn’t able to stick my arm in his carrier and comfort him the entire ride home (he likes to snuggle with my arm/hand, he hates car rides!) but once we got to hubby’s work to pick him up so we could run home and do Peter’s fluids real quick, I switched seats and gave him all the cuddles, it was quite sweet.

                                                                                                                            Did I mention he was laying flat, stretched out, NOT haunched??

                                                                                                                            That made me happy


                                                                                                                          • Chelsea
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                                                                                                                              Yay! That is such an awesome update. I hope things continue to improve.

                                                                                                                              BTW, I recently discovered Sherwood rabbit food in the search of a fix for my bun’s constant odd shaped and frequently sticky poop. It’s been 5 days, and there is a clear and immediate difference already. It makes me wonder if he is allergic to the soy that is in most rabbit foods like Oxbow. Anyway, just another option if you still feel like things aren’t quite right after a while.


                                                                                                                            • Mikey
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                                                                                                                                The cecum is where the cecals are produced, yes The cecals are what they are supposed to eat. Im glad to hear its likely not megacolon or a parasite! Also great to hear that all of his other organs seem unaffected by everything and are doing well as well! 


                                                                                                                              • Odette
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                                                                                                                                  Tell your new vet that he had a collective cheer from a group of bunny people today. That is beyond fantastic. The first two vets should have been more thorough, but I won’t harp on the negative. This vet is a keeper.

                                                                                                                                  The thing that sounds like a sneeze– snuffles?

                                                                                                                                  Give your baby a nose rub.


                                                                                                                                • kiyisha
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                                                                                                                                    We don’t have a lot of social media friends, an we don’t succeed at this sort of stuff due to it, so I’m calling on ALL of my friends to share this for me, if you guys can help me by sharing continuously maybe together we can get somewhere with this. Take some pity on this bunny lover, and take some pity on the sweet little bunny!! Offering *free* (thank you gift) bead art to donors, from a keychain all the way to a foot and a half in size, depending on your desires, the donations, etc. Once again, please please please just share for us, spread the word, we need your help!

                                                                                                                                    I agree that this vet is a keeper, I have no doubt hubby is aboard this train as well!! We are beyond thrilled with his findings, the care and attention he put into Peter, and just his entire business as a whole, nothing but pleased with them!

                                                                                                                                    No no, by the “thing that sounds like a sneeze” I was referring to the possible parasite that the vet named off, I couldn’t pronounce it, so to me it sounded like a sneeze XD THANKFULLY it’s NOT the snuffles, ugh, so thankful for that, that’d just be another scary headache to deal with!

                                                                                                                                    I just got done giving Peter quite a few nose rubs actually n_n he does seem to love those! We spent 15 minutes on the vibration/heat pad, and another 15 minutes trying to force down some critical care (MAN he is starting to really HATE that stuff!!) he only took 8ml that time, but I felt anything is better than nothing, and he’s eating pellets and hay as far as I can tell (and I am checking frequently!). Still not as much as I would like, still not as much poop as I would like, but he is doing both, and I even got a cute little binky out of him when he ran away so I couldn’t catch him. I’ll take it!

                                                                                                                                    Haven’t seen him stretching out anymore, but I have also been trying to give him some space, only checking on him about once an hour. On the other hand, his bloat seems to have gone down some, for the first time in days his tummy actually feels like it has some pressure relieved! Keeping fingers crossed and hopes up

                                                                                                                                    I have to admit the utter refusal of critical care, and lack of as much poop as I would like to see kind of made my heart freeze for a moment, but I am trying to remind myself that he IS recovering, and I can’t expect everything to be normal quite yet. What’s important is that he is eating, and he is pooping. If he stops either of those again I suppose that would warrant another panic attack, but until then I should try to keep it together


                                                                                                                                  • kiyisha
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                                                                                                                                      Well, he hasn’t pooped for about 4 hours now, should I be worried?


                                                                                                                                    • Bam
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                                                                                                                                        All you can do is the same that you are already doing. Try to make him move around, it helps the the movement of the intestines (fancy word peristalsis). It’s also very gentle on the system.

                                                                                                                                        The parasite the vet mentioned could have been coccidia. It’s a parasite that’s fairly common in rabbitries and that young bunnies are especially sensitive to. It tends to present with ample, runny, mucosy stools and the young bunny declines very quickly due to loss of fluids. It’s treated with sulpha antibiotics.

                                                                                                                                        Your new vet sounds great. So glad you found him.


                                                                                                                                      • kiyisha
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                                                                                                                                          He is great, just wanted to update you guys, Peter has been doing well, pooping and eating, the poop is actually round again, I daresay the pain meds gave him the ability to eat easier because he seems so much better. The tests came back negative, still no idea what’s wrong but I got him on 5 different types of hay, pellets and critical care only about 4x daily now, trying to encourage him to eat on his own mostly and it’s going well! He seems much happier today


                                                                                                                                        • Mikey
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                                                                                                                                            Thats awesome! Im glad the new vet was able to help out so much


                                                                                                                                          • Odette
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                                                                                                                                              That is fantastic and a huge relief.


                                                                                                                                            • kiyisha
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                                                                                                                                                It was anyway, he’s back to irregular poop, not seeking quite as happy today as yesterday, still better than a couple days ago, but still worrisome. Our bed broke last night and we have no savings left to speak of. Not that Peter’s healthy enough but he was showing aggressive signs of puberty today, which would make sense seeing as his brother did about a week ish ago and got fixed last Monday. But that’s a problem since he’s not healthy enough and the funds we saved to get him fixed were needed for the emergency. So that means if he isn’t healthy enough to get fixed we’ll have to separate, which is very bad for Peter as he’s very much a social bunny. On top of having to come up with the money for these surprise vet bills and a broken car, we have to come up with the money for a new bed too. I have serious back problems and can’t sleep well on the floor, in will for Peter, but it’s likely going to end in another herniated disc.


                                                                                                                                              • Odette
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                                                                                                                                                  I’m sure he’s tired of being unwell. Though at least he is well enough to be aggressive.

                                                                                                                                                  One thought– do you think five varieties of hay are too many to start back on after the elimination diet? The vet said Alfalfa because Alfalfa is high in calories (though it will need to be phased out later). After that, Timothy is probably best. I do think a variety is good for a healthy bunny, but until his gut is healthy, I’d personally keep it to the Alfalfa and maybe one other. Most of the grass hays are fairly commensurate in what they offer nutritionally. If he has a reaction, you’ll have an easier time knowing which one he is reacting to if there are only a couple. Just a thought.

                                                                                                                                                  I am sorry about the bed and car. Those kinds of vet bills would knock many of us here. Everything will get easier, I’m sure, but I am sorry that things are a struggle right now.

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                                                                                                                                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Peter has Bloat – Need advice/support