On again off again gas and abnormal stools

[Kimomo]

My bunny Kimo who is about 9 1/2yrs has been having GI stasis and gassy issues for a month now. He was recovering, then rejected his veggies again last Thursday, and didn’t poop so I took him back to the vet. The vet discovered that in addition to his ileus, the x-ray showed some sort of tiny bony lesion in his hind right foot area that was seems to be a cause of an old injury. She suspected arthritis or that he hit his foot against something that made it hurt. There is also slight muscle atrophy, so she gave him an injection of buprenex, and sent me home with tramadol and metacam as painkillers, as well as sub-q fluid, metaclopromide, . Kimo’s back to eating his almost his normal amount of veggies and hay and is pooping normally. The vet instructed me to cut the metacam dose in half on monday, and he had been doing fine with that. Then yesterday, she said I could take Kimo off tramadol and see how he does. He seemed to be ok until I came home this evening and heard his stomach gurgle loudly. He seemed more lethargic and rejected his parsley until I gave him his small daily dose of metacam. Now he seems to be doing ok. I will call the vet tomorrow with the update. But does anyone else have to keep their bunnies on tramadol? Are there any serious side effects? Also, he’s getting super sensitive to sub-q fluids. I’ve been giving it to him for over a week now, and he’s been getting really jumpy. His stools are becoming larger, though still not the normal round shape that it’s suppose to be. I just don’t want to torture him anymore with meds and fluids I miss seeing my bunny doing binkies.

[Sarita]

Hi Kimomo, welcome. I think he is in pain so daily pain medication (at least for now is what I would suggest). I have had a rabbit on tramadol – this particular pain med did not work for him but it’s safe for rabbits. I have also had rabbits long term on metacam and buprenex for arthritis.

Did your vet do bloodwork on him? I imagine so at his age – if not it is important especially if you keep him long term on any pain meds. At his age, and I have 3 seniors who are 10 and up, my own personal opinion on this, is that I would keep my rabbits long term on pain meds if it relieved the pain – I know there are risks but many times they can outweigh the benefits.

I would discuss with your vet if he/she has concerns for Kimo being long term on pain meds and what they are. I think as with any rabbit, you may find one particular pain med that works better compared to others – I suppose it’s because of each rabbit’s own personal metabolism. So if the tramadol is helping as your vet the long term risks and see if he/she agrees that it would be beneficial.

[Sarita]

I also imagine the abnormal stools and possible gas are due to any pain he may be in.

[Kimomo]

Still waiting on vet to return my phone call and will discuss possibly keeping him on the pain meds with smaller dosage. He’s getting more energy now, and I think he was fighting for territory with my other bunny Tika. I think she got stressed out because now she’s not eating her hay and sitting hunched in a corner.

[Kimomo]

Still waiting on vet to return my phone call and will discuss possibly keeping him on the pain meds with smaller dosage. He’s getting more energy now, and I think he was fighting for territory with my other bunny Tika. I think she got stressed out because now she’s not eating her hay and sitting hunched in a corner. Thank you for the info!

[jerseygirl]

I completely agree with Sarita. And long term pain meds could help keep the bouts of stasis to a minimum. Have you tried probiotics with the rabbits before? Perhaps some of these to try get his gut back in balance.

How lovely for you to have a 9+ yr old bunny! I know it would be difficult seeing them age but I hear they still have some surprising spunk even in their later years.

[Kimomo]

I haven’t tried probiotics before. I will consider it and ask my vet the next time I see her. I’ve taken him off fluids and he seems to be doing well on his own, though he’s still on a half dose of metacam daily. We decided to only use tramadol if he looks like he’s in pain, but so far, the metacam seems to enough to hold off the pain. Thanks Jerseygirl! It is very difficult seeing them age, and Kimo isn’t as active as he used to be, but sometimes he’ll still throw in a binky or two in his daily exploration.

[Author]

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