What to expect?

[denny]

Hi Everyone.

I am new to this wonderful community although I’ve had my sweet little bun for a bit over 2 years. His name is Dennis although he goes by Denny most of the time. He is a tan, 6lb lionhead who loves to run around the house.

Denny is unfortunately suffering from GI Stasis. Just a little bit of background: Since I first got him he has been a really picky eater, he takes a looooong time to try new veggies which I assume is completely normal but he also takes his time eating his hay. His diet consists of unlimited timothy hay, 1/4 pellets and leafy greens. He loves bananas as a treat and In the past I was pretty liberal and gave him a small piece of banana every other day which he would go crazy for. I was also feeding him too many pellets but I slowly corrected this in the last 2 months.On Monday night I noticed his left eye was really teary and the fur on his cheek was really wet. This literally happened overnight as that same day in the morning his eye appear just fine. I wasn’t able to get a vet appointment until Wednesday morning. Denny hates the ride to the vet he gets really anxious and once we got there the waiting room was packed, there was about 1 hour wait (day before thanksgiving!), there was a lot of noise from other animals and twice while we waited he started thumping in his carrier to show his displeasure at the loud unfamiliar noises. His doctor checked him and determined he had a blocked tear duct and there was an infection. His eye was flushed and we got eye drops and baytrill to be given every 12 hours. When we got home he was not a happy camper, went straight under his favorite sofa and didnt want to come out. Later I was able to give him the second dose for the day and by thursday night he really seemed to have had enough of being handled and having yucky medicine.

Friday, it was extremely hard to get him to stay still to give him the dose, I did noticed that his appetite was a bit low but the doctor did say that baytrill sometimes has that effect on bunnies to keep an eye on him. His droppings were still about the same size but less than the average amount.

Saturday morning  was the last day I actually saw him eat anything and it was just a few pieces of hay, none of the pellets and a few nibbles of his greens. I did see him drink  water throughout the day but by 9:00pm I could see there was something wrong because he kept trying to get comfy to lay down. I checked on him again at 12:00am for his last dose of the day and his tummy was doing lots of gurgling noises, He seemed really low on energy and was laying down with his tummy pressed to the floor. He kept hiding from me and I just wanted to rub his belly a bit but he just didnt want to come out and I didn’t want to stress him further. I went out and got some baby anti gas medicine and gave him 1ml. I massage his stomach some but it didn’t really seem to make a difference. His droppings were just a few and they were tiny and hard.

 Early Sunday when I woke up, he was still hunched down and he was grinding his teeth in obvious pain. His belly felt really swollen and the gas noises were still very loud. I gave him 15cc of critical care (he really, REALLY hates the syringe! so it was hard) and gave him some water by mouth as well. I also gave him 1ml of anti gas every hr for three hours like it is recommended, more massages yet there seems to be no difference. I call the emergency clinic listed on the vet’s card but they had no one with bunny experience on staff so they just gave him sub-q fluids. He still had not poop at all although he did pee plenty. I spent all sunday night trying to comfort him and offering water and hay. I also gave him a few more ccs of critical care. This has never happened before and all the great information on binkybunny and around the web really helped me know what to do to at least help him some until monday morning when we could see his vet.

 Monday finally came and he was really not looking good, he was extremely lethargic and grinding his teeth really loud. Took him there at 9 and the doctor determined there was no actual blockage just tons and tons of gas. He believes the combination of baytrill and the stress triggered the GI stasis. He got lots of sub q fluids and a lot more critical care as well was Metaclam and a gut mobility. The doctor recommended he stayed over night so they could make sure he gets all the critical care and more liquids to which I agree as it was extremely hard to get him to accept the critical care. Today I get a call saying that he was able to pass some gas but still had a lot more and he had pooped a little. They kept him there until 5:00pm to keep treating him with the food and liquids, he is now home but his belly is still rumbling a bit. Nowhere near as loud or as often as before and his belly although still a bit swollen has definitely decreased. However, he is still not eating anything by himself which is understandable as he still has gas. I will continue giving him critical care and hope that helps move things along. I was wondering when should I expect to see him start to get some of his appetite back? Any recommendations on what else I can do to help him get the gas moving besides his medicines? Any signs to watch for that I should take him back to the vet? This has really been hard for me to deal with as I suffer from colitis and just like my Denny, stress and worry brings on the flare-ups so I was sick all night yesterday.

 Besides hay, should I keep fresh pellets and veggies out for him? should I continue with the anti gas medication even though he is getting the metaclam for pain and the gut mobility drug? any advice is welcome as It will help me understand better the recovery process and help him get better as well as ease some of my anxiety over it.

[Dobby]

I’ve only had to deal with this once and it was very brief, luckily, but I do remember reading somewhere that you should offer your rabbit anything and everything he might be tempted to eat. I put out pellets, an assortment of veggies, treats and even tried some baby food apple sauce. He eventually decided to eat some kale and really improved after that.

I hope your guy feels better soon.

[Deleted User]

So sorry you had such a Terrible weekend!

Must admit I’m much better on what to do during the crisis however, the baby med is only to be given as a temporary measure; in cases like yours when you couldn’t get to a vet. Some times if it isn’t a serious amount of gas then it might just help clear it up, if it doesn’t in a few hours then (as you did) getting to the vet is the recommended course of action. So now just stick with the meds the vet has given to you.

I would like someone more experienced to confirm this but I do believe the goal now is to get him eating, as long as its a healthy food which type (I Think) is secondary. You also want to keep him hydrated so I’d think some of his favourite greens (left nice and wet) along with the hay and pellets all being available would be the way to go. I’m sure someone who is more confident will comment shortly, but his eating and digesting normally is what matters.

You might offer him a hot water bottle, comforting and nice for his stomach as it is still bothering him. I like to tuck one in a cardboard box, … keeps it warm longer and makes sure it and rabbit are both safe. Then its up to him to lie on it, next to it or move away entirely, whatever is most comfortable.

And remember you can phone your vet! If you get worried give them a call and ask if you should be. But hopefully Denny will be eating, drinking and being his happy self very soon.

Best of luck, please let us know how he is doing.

[denny]

Thank you Dobby and Grey Dove! I offered him a hot water bottle as suggested and wrapped in one of his blankies and he laid down right against it. I did spend a good amount of time gently massaging his belly yesterday night and making sure he got all his critical care. Let me tell you that’s a struggle! He really doesn’t like to be fed with the syringe and he gets fussy quickly. Today, the loud gurgling in his tummy is almost gone, he has a bit more energy and even ate a full cup of wet romaine leaves. I did rub a tiny piece of banana over one big leaf to entice him but he seemed happy to eat the whole thing. He nibbled his hay a little bit, nowhere near the amount I’d like to see him eat but I’ll take anything as long as he eats on his own!

One other question, he got a lot of subq fluids at the vet, is it normal for bunnies to pee A LOT after this? I’ve never seen him pee as often and as much as he has in the last hours!

[Deleted User]

So happy to hear about the positive progress! I’m sure all the massaging helped a lot! I didn’t mention that since you obviously knew about it and had already been looking after him so well.

The liquid has to come out some how so yes peeing is normal.

While getting food in is important if he is eating greens I wouldn’t try too hard for foods like fruit with lots of sugar in them, … better to get his stomach closer to normal first. That is just my opinion and the way I’d handle things.

I’ve never seen or used Critical Care but I have read many references to it and feeding it on this forum. I believe a lot of people have found their rabbits willing to eat it if it is mixed with a little apple juice or made into a thicker substance with pumpkin. Since pumpkin is high in fibre (and apparently popular with lots of rabbits, I did buy a tin but haven’t gotten around to offering it yet) it can be a good food to offer at a time like this. Just a few thoughts.

But it does sound as though you and Denny are over the hump and things should keep getting better.

I was about to write and ask how things were, so glad you posted, … please do let us know how it goes.

[denny]

He is still eating veggies mostly romaine lettuce and cilantro (which he never wanted to eat before) but still no increase in hay consumption. I dont want to take away the veggies because it seems thats the only thing he eats (about 3 cups a day) plus critical care.His droppings are small and some oddly shaped and he isnt producing that many but he is drinking water and pooping every day which is good. He is still on baytrill for his tear duct and im not sure if that could be preventing him from fully gaining back his appetite. I was hoping he would be back to eating normally by now so Im getting worried

[bunnluff]

Just as in a human, antibiotics kill not only the bad, but also the good bacteria. After my girl was on Baytril she got bad poopy butt. Sometimes just mushy poo and sometimes full on diarrhea. It wasn’t until I gave her Benebac probiotics that her gut started to normalize. Whether it’s constipation or the opposite, medicine can affect the gut and other parts of the body in different ways. So get those probiotics stat! And if you get them, make them a daily part of your bunnys diet. When I ran out, my little lady started having some infections return. Hope this helps!

[denny]

Thank you Bunnluff! I will start him on some Benebac. Do you have any experience with vitamin b12? I read that is a good appetite stimulant for bunnies and not sure If I should give him a drop or two.

[Deleted User]

Denny, you said that the original course of antibiotics your vet proscribed isn’t finished yet, … isn’t that right? I would strongly suggest you not give ANYTHING new, particularly any other medications, supplements or vitamins until you’ve ended the proscription. If you do start adding things now and there is any complication or bad reactions you will not know what is causing them and since he is recovering and is not yet back to normal you may make a situation that is righting itself into something else entirely. And honestly I wouldn’t start giving your rabbit such things until first his eating is back to normal, and second you’ve spoken to your vet about them. Considering that he isn’t eating his usual amount it is scarcely surprising that his droppings are smaller then normal, … not at all the same cause for concern as a liquidy or overly soft problem.

My own feeling is that it may indeed take a bit to get back to normal but the important things are that he is eating and drinking, and that even if small he is passing regular droppings. As long as the hay and pellets are offered he should right himself. Very often animals know what is most likely to help them feel better and if offered a choice of good foods they will eat what their body most needs. However, since you are uneasy (I sympathize completely) I would again suggest phoning your vet, telling him precisely what you posted earlier today and asking if he thinks it is a side effect of the antibiotic, or if there is any reason for you to feel concerned?

Thinking of you both and hope you do keep letting us know how it goes.

[denny]

Hey Grey Dove,
I tried contacting our vet today but he was out of the clinic for the day, I will try calling him tomorrow to check if its ok to add a probiotic. He did say that given the fact that he has a pretty clean diet and this all started right after his watery eye, that baytrill was probably the main cause for the stasis as well as stress (long drive and long wait at the clinic the day of his eye infection) however he did not mention giving him some supplements to make up for any “damage” baytrill may have done and he said I should continue with baytrill so the infection in his tear duct can clear up. He did lower the dose a bit. Sunday will be the last day he is on it so maybe adding a probiotic will help restore the flora in his gut like Bunnluff mentioned above. I will keep you all posted! Thanks again for the advice and good wishes

[denny]

I’m happy to report that Denny has made a full recovery. Exactly a day after his last dose of baytrill he seemed to gain back his energy and most of his appetite not sure if a coincidence or just the fact that baytrill was too harsh on his tummy.

[Deleted User]

Hey denny (great name, chuckle), wonderful to hear! I was reading your forum but didn’t add to it cause (luckily) I haven’t had a bunny health scare yet, but my dog ‘George’ was on medication only this week and she had a bad day, so suggested to my hubby to stop the medication (she only had 2 days left) and 24 hours later – she too is back on track! I too wonder if her medication was harsh on her tummy? Anyhow, all’s that matters is that denny (lol) has made a full recovery, and is back to being hoppy (happy) again. Cheers!

[Author]

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