Please send some vibes Buddy’s way, he needs them…

[MissD]

Buddy’s very unwell today. I noticed something was wrong when I came back from work about 4pm. During one of our visits with the vet I was told not to bother coming in when he gets his tummy troubles and go ahead and give him his regular meds as usual, he responded really well every time, and it’s happened so many times, so that’s what I did today as usual. Well, it’s different this time – he did not respond to his meds at all, he hasn’t eaten or drank anything, he won’t let me touch his tummy (it’s making horrible noises by the way). It’s been 6 hours now since I noticed he was ill. It’s almost 10 pm here now, there is no 24 vet so I don’t know what to do to help Buddy. I let my Bud down… I so wish I never listened to the vet and took him in anyway. I tried syringing water but he just lets it run out of his mouth. I will stay up all night with him and will take him to the vet as soon as they open. I just don’t know what else to do to help him through the night. He seems to hate me at the moment – won’t let me stroke his head, won’t let me cuddle him, he’s just sitting in the corner looking uncomfortable. What if this is something else, not his tummy, would I have made it worse by giving him the meds? I so regret listening to the vet… Please send vibes and keep your fingers crossed for my Buddy…

[Nibbles123]

NO! take him to another vet ASAP. If you have to drive 8 hours do so. Or at least call another vet.
To me it sounds like bloat and it is DEADLY to a bunny, i know a bunny you passed away 3 days ago do to bloat. If its to late they cant treat it…
Please get him to the vet or even an animal recue .. sometimes they have vets there, or do you know somebody whos a vet? doesnt even have to be a rabbit vet, just to make sure its not bloat? Try some sugar less pine apple juice just to get thing in him “moving”. Celery is full of water, or pick some grass out side and dampen it. Try to get water into him. When is the last time he ate and drank? keep it eating and drinking at least every 12 hours. DO NOT give him alfelfa. Take it away. He can have timothy but alfelfa will make bloat worse. Good luck

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Poor Buddy vibes please keep us updated. Hopefully someone has some more advice for you but all I can offer is motion all support while you wait for morning.

Vibes for Buddy!

[Deleted User]

I’m so sorry, … very difficult to sit through nights like this.

Is there any vet you could phone, even long distance? They are very good about answering calls and may be able to give you a suggestion to help tie you over until the morning.

In the mean time if he’ll let you holding him may help. Check his ears to see if they are cool since sick rabbits lose body heat fast. If they are then maybe give him a hot water bottle, … something to keep his stomach warm since that helps things move properly in there.

Since you have specific meds for him, and are already trying to feed him water not sure what else to suggest. If he does take an interest in foods (I take it you’ve tried greens?) Serving something like lettuce very wet can help with the water in take, … but I’m guessing you are a while away from that.

Hang in there, … thinking of you Both, … please do let us know what is happening!

[MissD]

I’m glad to report that Buddy’s better, about two hours ago he started drinking on his own and now he ate a bit of readigrass and a few pellets and some mint and parsley. He pooped a bit but it’s almost totally soft. He’s relaxing now in his favourite spot by the sofa. I don’t have to wait long now so I’m a lot calmer. I might even go to bed for a couple of hours. 

Thanks NBO, Grey Dove and Nibbles (by the way – Buddy never has alfalfa, he’s an adult rabbit and I know it’s for babies only) 

[jerseygirl]

Thank goodness! I’m glad he comes thru these bouts but it must be stressful having them recur like this.

I would talk to your vet about your fear you had this time. Maybe they can give you some pointers for recognizing when you can manage at home v’s getting him seen. Giving motility meds and force feeding is not good if there is a true blockage. That’s not exactly something we are going to be able to detect ourselves.
If you’re more comfortable having him seen each time, surely they’d understand.

I think being able to take his temperature and administer subcutaneous fluids would be useful thing to know how to do in advance.

Rabbits can get bloat as mentioned. It comes on very quickly whereas gi stasis is more gradual.

(((Buddy))) hope his tum stays healthy!

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Have they had any idea on to why he is frequently having these episodes? Have you been able to find a hay that he likes yet?

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m glad to hear Buddy is feeling better.

I agree with everything Jersey said. If my buns go without eating for more than a few hours and seem in pain, I always bring them to the vet. You never know what the problem is just by the symptoms. It could be gas but it could be something like a blockage.

Also, if Buddy is getting recurring tummy problems, there is the question of what is causing it and only your vet can determine this.

[Sarita]

Has your vet ever done a fecal test? Perhaps you should do one.

[MissD]

Thank you all for your replies.
What happened is partly my fault – I really believed I could sort him out myself after the vet suggested it and, to be honest, I did so many times. He gets this about every two weeks and the meds always worked. They did this time too, it just took longer. But this time it was absolutely terrifying and I told my vet I will be taking him in every single time from now on. As to causes – he is shedding like nuts and will not let me groom him which means he ingests a lot of it, I have to get my partner to hold him for me so I can brush him a bit, and believe me – he puts up a fight, we end up scratched and Bud stressed out. All this mess with his tummy started in April when he first started shedding a bit. The other thing is he won’t eat hay much – he loves readigrass and will nibble on oat hay or timothy. That’s it. I’ve tried a few types, he’s got six available to him in his cage, most of it remains untouched. Why he won’t eat it is something I and the vet decided to look into so we will have his molars checked properly soon. The first two weeks of July he wouldn’t eat anything at all apart from readigrass, he was wolfing it down and nothing else interested him – didn’t want pellets, veg or his herbs that he normally loved. and then he went back to normal. He has had an x-ray of his tummy done and everything was fine there. I will ask about a fecal test Sarita. I’d love to be able to check his temperature and do subcutaneous fluids, I’ll look into it. Thank you all again.

[tanlover14]

MissD — Buddy has access to sand right?? I thought he was the one that has the sandbox he loves but I couldn’t quite remember.

Maybe this is what is causing all these GI issues?

I’m happy to hear he is doing better though!

[NewBunnyOwner123]

I offered that advice with his last bout and I think she took that advice just to see. Did you end up taking the sand away, MissD?

[jerseygirl]

My buns don’t like it either when I pluck lose fur off them. They can be cranky when shedding.
You might have better luck putting him on a countertop. If he can sit with all four feet on a solid surface, he might cooperate better.

[MissD]

Tanlover & NBO – yes, I did take the sandpit away, I did it when NBO first suggested it. Unfortunately it didn’t make any difference as far as his tummy is concerned but I never gave him his sand back just in case.
Jerseygirl – I’m not sure it will work, even our vet tests him on the floor because she’s afraid he’ll fall off the countertop, he really does fight when you try to hold him I will give it a go though. What we do now is we put him on the floor, my partner holds him and I gently pull as much hair off him as I can and then brush him but he struggles all the way through it and sometime my partner looses the grip and we have to chase Bud around the room to finish his grooming. It’s a proper battle every time

[Deleted User]

I’ve never tried it but someone recently suggested (in another thread) using a lint roller to collect loose fur. Since you want to get off as much hair as you can, as fast as you can, and as gently as you can that might be something that would help you make it as quick as possible? Also, if the hair you are pulling off is loose to start with a damp cloth passed over the fur can take off an impressive amount. Might just be a bit easier on all of you.

If he fights that hard I’d be reluctant to put him Up on anything in case he gets away and falls.

[MimzMum]

Hello Miss D, just coming upon this thread.
Has your vet taken a look in Buddy’s mouth yet? Spurs on the molars can cause bunnies not only to be fussy about or stop eating but to have recurrent bouts of stasis. If your current vet is not willing to look into this further, I’d recommend getting a more rabbit savvy vet. Once any spurs are removed, after a few days of adjustment, Buddy may well feel like eating hay again. These spurs don’t have to be big ones either, I see a lot of lops who can’t handle even the slightest deviation in their bite…mine is such a one.

I feel your pain regarding grooming. My Holland lop, Mimzy, has never really enjoyed grooming that much, but would at least sit still for the most part before he got head tilt. Now I have to hope I can grab the tufty fur as he speeds past me trying NOT to be combed out. (eyeroll) I wish I could just shave him sometimes!

Hope Buddy feels better.

[MissD]

Grey Dove – I tried the lint roller, we got lots of hair off but Buddy hated it It is quicker though so thank you.

MimzMum – we went to see our vet today (she’s not totally rabbit savvy but she got 20 years experience in treating pets and I do trust her) and she agreed his teeth need checking booked it and an x-ray for Monday. I am so worried, Buddy will be sedated and I’m not really happy about it, I know it needs to be done but I still worry. Does anyone here know if sedation is at all dangerous? The vet said he’ll only be “lightly sedated” and it’s perfectly safe.

[Sarita]

Might also do a fecal test as well.

[NuggetBuns]

So glad Buddy is feeling better! When I read the first post, I thought it was new, but glad he’s eating again. Poor Buddy! Hope everything goes well on Monday. If she’s an experienced Vet and Buddy will be lightly sedated, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Crossing fingers for you and Buddy that everything will be alright =)

[MimzMum]

Light sedation for xray is pretty common. Just enough gas to make them sleepy so they don’t struggle or injure themselves. Some bunnies can manage without it if they are mellow, but most can’t. He should be fine.
I’ll keep him in my thoughts and prayers that the xray goes easy and well.

[MissD]

Thanks for all your replies. Turns out Buddy was put under proper anaesthesia not gas or “light sedative” – he had an injection to put him to sleep and then another one to wake him up (I totally forgot to ask what drugs they used). He had his teeth checked and they’re fine, no spurs at all and then he had an x-ray of his tummy done which came back perfect. Looks like Buddy won’t eat hay because he’s picky, there’s no medical reason whatsoever. I picked him up from the vets almost two hours ago and he’s still so sleepy, he’s inside his house half asleep, his eyes just open. How long does it take more or less for a rabbit to recover from anaesthesia? He ate a bit of hay and some fresh and dried herbs and then hopped off to his house and he’s been in there since. He was given the anaesthetic reversal drug at about 1:30 pm which was about 4 hours ago. The vet told me to give him till the morning to start eating and drinking and if he doesn’t, to come and see her again tomorrow. What do you think? Should I leave him alone or make him move around a bit?

[NewBunnyOwner123]

It usually takes until morning before they up to speed again. I’d just go by doctors orders and if he’s not back to normal in the morning give her a call. If you’re concerned now, you can call her now. But I’m sure it’s normal for them to be loopy after anesthetics

[MissD]

OK, thanks. I’ll try to be more patient then

EDIT: Buddy’s a lot more alert and he started eating more but he’s got diarrhea now, is that normal?

[MimzMum]

Is this true (fecal) diarrhea or just mushy cecals?
If he is making the hard round dry pellet poos, then it is more likely his digestive system is off and the cecotrophes (night droppings) are not forming correctly so they come out soft and gooey instead of little bunches or grape like clusters.
He would need to eat a solid hay only diet to treat that, or perhaps an antifungal if that’s the problem, but it’s best to consult with your vet on the cause.

My Mimzy just had a dental yesterday with full anesthesia profile and he wasn’t done wobbling around fully until today. As always though if anything concerns you, please call your vet.
Hope Buddy is feeling better soon.

[MissD]

It wasn’t cecals, it was proper diarrhea, there was no dry poops at all. Luckily all is back to normal. I saw the vet this morning and she said it was stress, he’s fine now. I do worry too much about Bud. Scary to think what I’d be like if I had children. Thank you MimzMun, I hope Mimzy is doing well

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