I came home from work tonight and became alarmed after my 1 year old house bunny Peter wouldn't eat his salad -- that has never happened before. Then I noticed the poop in the litter tray was small and some were strung together with hair (he's been shedding for about 3 weeks, so I had seen some hair recently, but nothing alarming). He was acting pretty energetic, but was doing weird stretches on the carpet that seemed out of character. 

He's free in the kitchen and dining room of my house while I'm at work, but has a cage on the floor of the kitchen where his litter box and food bowl are kept. I noticed today he seemed more into staying in his cage, instead of following me around as usual. Rather than the usual hunching / tooth grinding I've read about, he stayed in his house and did about 30 bunny flops in a row, which wasn't sweet but kind of alarming to watch. Yikes. 

So I just got back form the emergency care center. The vet did an exam, ran blood work, and did x-rays and told me:

- There were noises from his gut, but not as much as she'd like

- His abdomen was soft, but his belly was slightly enlarged, which she wasn't happy with

- His temp was 98.8, which is not good, but she didn't express huge concern

- His blood work was fine, but calcium and glucose were slightly higher than usual

- His x-ray showed no issues or blockages, but showed a large gas bubble in his stomach

He was administered sub-Q fluids there, then I was given metacam and metroclopram to give him when I got home. She told me to bring him back tomorrow afteternoon for more fluids, or tomorrow morning if he seems worse or lethargic. 

Now that I'm home, I'm still really worried -- I gave him the meds about two hours ago and spent some time holding him, which he normally wouldn't let me do for long periods of time. He seemed to be shivering a bit, so I've turned the heat up to 75 and out an extra blanket on top of his cage. Since then, he's been alternating between bunny flops and sitting on his stomach stretched out with his legs behind him. He's produced a few small pieces of poop with lots of hair in them. He still hasn't eaten anything. 

I have a few questions, but would love input on the above info just to reassure myself that I did what I was supposed to do: 

- Should his low temp be a concern?

- Why is he flopping and lounging when there's clearly something going on? 

- Has this happened to your bunny?

I haven't posted before, but I'm here all the time reading and learning. Thank you in advance for any comfort or wisdom you can provide. 

I think I'm just going to take him in to the vet in the morning regardless, just for my peace of mind. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I really don't want to lose him, or for him to suffer in any way. 

Hello
Sorry your guy is not feeling well!
A lot of what you describe is like what I see when my rabbits have a gas episode. It's one of the few times they'll allow me to hold them without giving me rabbitude. The flopping & stretching out oddly could be Peter trying to find relief from the tummy discomfort. As too his temp, it is a little low (maybe slight shock again from pain) so getting him warm is good. Hopefully the metacam the vet gave will make him more comfortable.

I would try massage on his stomach or giving infant gas meds like Gas-X. This is a link to a good article in helping stasis. It's long, so just scroll down to "Mechanical Treatments" and look thru Massage, Smithecone, and Temperature sub headings. www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

(((Vibes))) for Peter!

Edit to add: I just re-read part from that article on Temp. Sorry if I have alarmed you!  How did the E Vet take his temp? Do monitor him closely of course. Unless you can take his temp yourself, it's going to be some guess work. He could be "shivering" or trembling but I do think keeping him warm is going to be beneficial either way.

jess&peter-   You obviously love your bunny a lot and he is lucky to have you as an owner.  I went thru an episode with one of my bunnies involving taking him to an emer clinic, regular vet (work there) and then to an exotics vet.  And it was about 5-7 days to work to force feed my bunny, give him pain meds, I was able to give SQ fluids at home, and I used Simethicone (Gas-X) to help break up the gas bubbles and did what tummy massage he would allow.  Fortunately my bunnys temp never fell below normal like that- so it is a good thing you took him in!

Are you having to force feed Peter Critical Care?  Some vets do not like to use pain meds with stasis as that can also possibly slow the gut down- but my bunny was in so much pain that he did not start to improve until I gave pain meds.  But he was not prescribed Metoclopramide (Reglan) either as the vets were not comfortable with that.  But I called around after that and found another vet that seems to be more up on treating with Reglan (or other gut motility drug).  It was intersting to see his x-rays- he had them twice- first at the e-clinic and then 2 days later at the exotics vet and fortunately they saw improvement and that things were moving.  But I sure never want to go thru that again!

(((healing vibes for Peter))

I have pet insurance for Schroeder also- and I was reimbursed $300- total bills was about $600 (I was able to do SQ fluids at home- and he did not need to be hospitalized- since he was not hypothermic).  It is nice to get a reimbursement that is more than the yearly premium for him!

He's still doing well! He slept under the covers with me last night and stayed warm. He's eaten a TON of greens soaked in water, groomed himself, and most importantly, he's still pooping! It's not up to normal volume yet, but hopefully will increase as the weekend continues. We're still on the reglan and metacam for the next few days, too. I may take him in tomorow for more sub-q fluids just to be safe.

Next step is submitting the insurance forms. I'll keep you posted on the reimbursement...

I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic that he's turned the corner. Please continue to sending healing vibes, and I will do the same for your bunnies -- wishing you continued good health and love. : )

Are Peters poos normally round and uniform in shape when he is feeling well?  My bunny Schroeder, has Cow Poop Syndrome- something that rabbit expert Dana Krempels has reported and is knowledgable about- but vets don't seem to know anything about it.  But abnormal poos are a symptom of this disorder.  Schroeder has always had large, misshaped poos since I got him.  But now that I know he might have a GI disorder- I give him Enulose once a day- and he seems to do well (a prescription medication).

Yay! Thats wonderful that he is doing better! I would say that feeding him lots of green is good! I don't think you should necessarily pull back on them to make sure he is eating hay, but I am not sure, someone else might be able to tell you more surely.

My bunny Schroeder, has Cow Poop Syndrome- something that rabbit expert Dana Krempels has reported and is knowledgable about- but vets don't seem to know anything about it.

Cow poop syndrome? Is that when the poop is often irregular? I read it is when the bunny's poop is larger and more egg shaped. Is this true? Because Fern has always had irregular poop shapes, often because they have hair in them? Is this a problem? Is there anything I should do about it? (Sorry about asking a question in your thread Jess&peter)

EDIT: I will have to look at Ferns poop and compare it to your bunny Schroeder's poop (I found the tread about it on Binky bunny). So do you just feed your bunny lactaluse for this? - I read about it and I don't want Fern's intestines to get all scarred up if she does have it.

Moonlight Wolf-

  Schroeder's poos have always been large and misshaped.  I got him as an adult from the Humane Society- he was housed at a pet store for adoption.  He ate crappy pellets, limited hay and no veggies from what I can tell.  So I attributed this to poor diet at first and it did not seem to bother him- so I did not think much of it.  Now I know better.  Schroeder and Cotton are the same size (within a few ounces) both are Mini Lops- and his poos are about twice the size of Cotton's.  His poos are about the same size as Griffin's who is a much larger rabbit.

  My vet did not know anything about Cow Poop Syndrome-and even consulted other exotics vet thru an online forum that only vets can subscribe to and pay an annual fee for the "consult" service.  None of them knew about CWP.  But my vet read the info about CWP, and adivsed me to email a question to Dana Krempels at allexperts and see what the response was.  I have started him on the Enulose- I was nervous to start off at full dose- so I worked him up to the 3 mls.  Schroeder LOVES the Enulose- in fact he has ruined a couple of syringes by chewing the tip off- he always bites the syringe and tries to pull it into the cage.  Enulose is prescription- is not terribly expensive- about $30 a bottle that will last for quite a while.  His poos are still larger than what I would consider normal, but they do not look as dry, and they are still mis-shaped most of the time.  But I feel better knowing that I am proactively treating the problem.  His GI issue was horrid to deal with- my husband and I fought like terrible because I was exhausted from getting up to check on him plus the worry and constant treatment took its toll on me.  By the end of the treatment my husband had to take over gettng up in the middle of the night to give meds, rub his belly, etc because I needed to get uninterrupted sleep. 

  Schroeder also fits the color profile for rabbits that are predisposed to this GI disorder.

Well, he's stopped popping again. It's been about two hours -- I'm trying not to panic. I'm going to give him two more hours, then I'm taking him back in.

He doesn't seem to be uncomfortable -- no restless stretching or lounging yet. He's eaten TONS of greens today -- like three big bowls, eaten hay, pellets, and had plenty of water. He's still on meds for pain and motility. He's been active and happy, I think, since I got him home last night.

Fingers crossed I see something soon...

do you have any papaya tablets? maybe give him one?