Please keep Kern in your thoughts

[unknownphoenix]

Kern went into stasis… we took him to the vet as soon as we noticed he wouldn’t take a treat. In the morning when my fiance got home from work we fed him and he ate some pellets. But the afternoon when we woke up and let him out we noticed most of the pellets where still there and he refused treats. He came out of his cage but as soon as he did he just layed back down pressing his stomach to the ground. He is currently at the vet getting IV fluids, metacam, critical care, reglan, and had an x-ray done. He was still very active when we took him in. He put up a huge fight when we tried to get him in the carrier

I found out that he ate some of his bed I had in the hide hole in his cage. I feel awful that I didn’t pay closer attention to his bedding to make sure he wasn’t chewing on it. I called a few hours ago because we where very scared he may have a blockage. Turns out he does NOT (thank god!) and the vet said that there was gut sounds.. or could see gut movement? I cant remember exactly now how it was worded.  She also said he was eating hay and critical care feeding was going well. Unfortunately no poop yet.  

I am so scared because I know that sometimes rabbits don’t recover from stasis..I have read so many horror stories on here about it. I don’t want to end up having to post on the rainbow bridge that my baby boy died.  Ok I am getting myself worked up again.. but yeah healing vibes and good thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

 

[MimzMum]

Sending (((((((((recovery vibes))))))))) for Kern and ((((((comforting vibes)))))))) for you. He is in the best place to receive the care he needs, it sounds like your vet is good with rabbits so here’s hoping he’ll be doing better soon and back home with you.
I’ve had my bunnies eat quiet a few things they were not supposed to. Fortunately not in large quantities (I would often find they’d chewed something and spit pieces of it out where I couldn’t see them) but my Mimzy once ate a great deal of paper towel and I worried myself sick that it would block up his gut.

Sometimes when they do this it can mean they need more fiber in their diet. Perhaps speak with your vet about that. Usually though it’s just them being naughty.
They can also get intestinal gas that will have them tummy pressing and not interested in eating, or they can have dental pain which will cause them to stop eating…all these can lead to stasis.
Sorry if you’ve heard this all before. Haven’t been on here much so not sure of your history. Just thought I’d cover all bases.

[unknownphoenix]

Thank you very much I don’t think he has any dental problems, I know she took a quick look at his teeth and didn’t seem concerned.

For the past month I have noticed that he has been trying to eat a lot of paper. I had to take every single paper product out of his cage, had to stop using care fresh and switched to yesterday’s news and stopped using newspaper because he would tear off chunks and eat them like it was hay or his greens! I thought he just developed an obsession with being paper destructive but maybe its a fiber deficiency?

We feed him about 1/4 cup of ZuPreem Nature’s Promise pellets every morning, he gets 2 cups of mixed greens mostly romaine and red leaf every afternoon, and we get the oxbow harvest stacks from the binkybunny site that has chamomile in it that he has access to all day. Only hay he actually eats lol Not sure if this is of any help or needed but figured I would give his eating habits

[Bam]

((((((Kern))))))

His eating-habits are of course very important. I don’t know why so many buns seem reluctant to eat a proper amount of hay, when they so badly need it =(

[unknownphoenix]

Just called vet again. Been 6 hours since I last called, he is refusing hay now. They are still doing meds, fluids, and assist feeding but still no poop. they said they will call in a couple hours to give a full update and plan on what they want to do for further treatment. *sigh*

[Sarita]

Vibes for Kern!

[DebbieP]

Hope Kern is ok!

[unknownphoenix]

Thank you everyone. the vet called, still no poops, not eating on his own, he has to stay another night. They are gonna go out and get greens we know he likes, stuff like mint and Belgian endive and see if he eats that. We are going up this afternoon to see him and try and keep him from being depressed. See if the vet lets us leave his favorite bed (the one he didn’t chew up ) lol. Maybe even take up the hay he likes.

[LittlePuffyTail]

(((((Kern))))))

I hope he gets well soon and is able to go home.

[Tessie]

I know too well how worried you must be – thinking of you.

[Fiona Hopsalot]

Hoping for the best! Fingers and paws crossed he is home and well soon.

[BunnyLady1989]

Pray that God gives you peace and that little Kern feels better! Poor baby boy I do hope you get to spend some time with him today. I’m sure he misses his mommy.

[Elrohwen]

Healing vibes! Many bunnies recover quite well from stasis or gas episodes, so try to stay optimistic.

[unknownphoenix]

I just want to say thank you to everyone! Kern is doing great, we woke up to a voicemail from the vet. Kern is eating and pooping now. We get to pick him up today, leaving in a few minutes to get my baby boy, we are so happy. Not sure if we will still have to do critical care feedings or if he is completely eating on his own and if he will still need medication for a while. She didn’t give to much info other than he is eating and pooping.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Im so glad to hear that

[Roberta]

That is truly wonderful news…

[Zombie-Sue]

Good work Kern!

[LongEaredLions]

Yay! Glad he is almost all better!

[LBJ10]

Came to this thread late. Yay for Kern!

[unknownphoenix]

So he is home now. We have to give him 1.2mL of Baytril every 12 hours for 10 days. 0.2mL of Cisapride every 12 hours for 7 days. 1mL of Meloxicam every 24 hours for 3-5 days. And 10mL of critical care every 6-8 hours until he eats normally on his own.

This rabbit fought us so bad trying to give him his medicine when he got home. Poor thing was making little sounds, we had to burrito wrap him so he was very upset. It took almost a half hour to give him everything because he would flinch and pull his head away whenever he felt any liquid go in his mouth. I have never had to do this before so I was afraid of squirting it out too fast and choking him.

He is currently eating some pellets, he ate a few leaves of romaine, and he has pooped quite a bit since we brought him home. We are now nicknaming him “Rent” because his vet bills cost as much as our rent payment

[LBJ10]

Wooly goes absolutely insane if he thinks something is getting forced in his mouth. Crazy how he reacts like that (and the vet said there was nothing wrong with his teeth). Anyway, what I have had to do is wrap him in the towel. Then pull my knees up so I can sandwich him in the towel between my legs and my chest/stomach. So it’s a burrito sandwich. LOL Then I have to put the syringe into the side of his mouth so it doesn’t touch his whiskers or front teeth. He still jerks, so I have to make a few attempts. Then I squirt a little in his mouth and wait for him to decide to “chew”. I don’t know if that will help you at all.

[unknownphoenix]

That is actually exactly how we are doing it. Fiance does the holding though cause that makes me nervous to do it myself lol. But I squirt a bit in, he jerks and chews then I repeat the process

But now my next issue is, he isn’t drinking much water. In fact I haven’t seen him drink since we got home. He is refusing critical care and my fiance is at work so we cant hold him and force it. He is eating a few pellets here and there and he has ate almost 2 cups of wet lettuce today so I am hoping that maybe that’s enough food and we can hold out on the critical care? I know his water consumption needs to go up though for him to be back to normal amounts. Opinions on this and maybe some tips anyone?

[BunnyLady1989]

It may just take him time to adjust as far as the water intake goes. Poor baby is probly all medicined out is just keep an eye of it and continue wetting down his greens. And good luck with giving him the medicine! It’s definitely easier with too people. I have to do the burrito wrap and then have someone else hold her head. Once she peeks that little head out you gotta start over and re wrap her lol. Crazy little bunns sure put up the fight! I’m so glad to hear he is doing better and is home!!

[unknownphoenix]

Ok so update on Kern’s condition. We decided to get unflavored pedialyte and flavor it with cranberry juice to promote hydration. that worked for a day, but now he is once again refusing to drink. He is peeing like crazy though which I read that this is the result of one of the medications but I cant remember now which one. Hes eating well, eats a salad everyday and pellets and munches on hay.

The biggest problem we are having is his absolute freak out panic when we try give him his meds. I mean we are actually fearing for his life, he is freaking so bad. He cries and grunts and breaths so hard we are scared he will have a heart attack. He bit my fiance this morning during the medication feeding. He grabbed a hold of his skin and actually chewed it and put a hole right through. We dont know what to do, he needs these meds but if he dies from a heart attack… Not to mention he is becoming scared of us. He wont let us touch him, he gets nervous when we move or even talk to him. He has been peeing outside of his liter box.

He hasn’t pooped since this morning, which is worrying us. Hes eating and active but no poop. We are going to get Bene-Bac today, as we read that the antibiotic may be messing with his stomach. We are not even sure if the antibiotic is worth it. Thinking about stopping it but not sure.

[BunnyLady1989]

Oh wow. Poor baby I do hope things get better with giving him his medicine! When Lulu had pastuerella last summer and was incredibly sick, we ended up bonding so closely because of it. There were many times I was afraid for her life and after several weeks of nursing her back to health she became much more affectionate and loving towards me. I can imagine how much you love your boy and I pray that you all get through this and that the bond between the three of you grows even stronger

[Zombie-Sue]

No, you shouldn’t stop giving any medication without the direction of your vet. I’d give him an immediate call.

To make your life easier, I would suggest burritoing the rabbit and flipping him on his back, or using a favorite treat to administer the medicine. I had a sick rabbit who was very difficult to feed medicine, so I mixed it with a spoon full of sugarless apple sauce and he would lick it off the plate eagerly.

[unknownphoenix]

Yep no worries, I will still continue the antibiotics but if the bene-bac doesn’t help him improve I will give her a call and see what she suggests. And I will definitely grab some sugarless applesauce and try it like that. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that, so thank you .

Within the time I posted that update Kern has pooped. Small pellets but at least it better than nothing. He became very active too so maybe he was just tired or still mad

[BunnyLady1989]

Yes I found that applesauce is a life saver…literally! I don’t know how id be able to treat Lulu with out it. I did have trouble with the ratio though. The less applesauce I’d use, the more she could smell the medicine, which smelled like fish food flakes , then she wouldn’t freely take it and I’d have to wrap her and give it to her in a syringe. Needless to say it was a very messy process, so hopefully you won’t have too much trouble with that

[unknownphoenix]

Does to much applesauce dilute it to the point of being ineffective by any chance? I don’t want to use too much and make things worse

[BunnyLady1989]

I don’t think so. For one pill I started using two spoonfuls of applesauce which ended up filling the syringe twice so I just gradually decreased the amount of applesauce to alittle less than a spoonful. My only concern was her having too much applesauce in her diet since we had to go through this twice a day.

[unknownphoenix]

We got some applesauce, he didn’t care for it though so we also picked up this Naked smoothie stuff, Berry Machine flavor, we only used like a tiny bit to lightly flavor the liquid medicine. He didn’t fight us as bad, so hopefully he tolerates taking medicine better now.

Hes pooping again, eating lots of greens, playful, and seems happier that we didn’t have to pick him up and make him think we were gonna eat him lol

We also picked up some bene-bac today from Petco…along with lots of other unneeded stuff but seriously who can go to a pet store for just what you need? lol

[NewBunnyOwner123]

It won’t dilute it unless he doesn’t eat it all lol as long as he eats everything with water ever the med is mixed in, he’ll get full dosage. Be careful with too much sugar. Those naked drinks is lots of fruit which means lots of sugar. I’d only add a little bit to lightly flavor the meds.

[BunnyLady1989]

Silly bunny butt I’m glad to hear it’s some progress though! And that is so true about going to the store! I always feel guilty if I don’t get the animals a new toy or treat even if I’m just needing litter. Oh the life of being a slave to a bunny

[unknownphoenix]

So this morning we had to take Kern back to the vet . Stasis came back full force and he refused to eat or even drink water. We gave him his morning dose of Cisapride and pain killer. He started to breath really heavy from what we assumed was fear so we let him be for an hour. Checked on him periodically through that time but breathing was still heavy and stomach felt a bit firm so we took him in.

Vet prescribed reglan in conjunction with the cisapride. She also did another round of sub-q fluids. She said she was able to look at his molars and noticed a slight amount of overgrowth but there was no swelling or irritation so we aren’t sure if that could be affecting his will to eat at all. He was also a bit cold so it was possible he was slightly dehydrated.

We have also decided to start forcing critical care. Before he was eating normally so we didn’t feel this is necessary but now we are kind of forced to do this. Fiance just left to get a liquid gas relief so hopefully this will help

[NewBunnyOwner123]

Awe vibes

[unknownphoenix]

His cold temp is really worrying us. Right now he is wrapped in a blanket with a warm water bottle to try and get his temp up. We are worried if he is in pain that his body might be going into shock.

He definitely has gas. He keeps shifting around trying to get comfortable but its not working. Hopefully pain meds and gas drops start to work soon so he feels better

[BunnyLady1989]

Oh no poor baby! Prayers and healing vibes your way! Shower him in love and kisses.

[Rufus]

Vibes for Kern!!!! (and for you too..)

[unknownphoenix]

Kern got worse…. We took him back to the emergency vet and had another xray done in the afternoon. Vet is not sure if he has a blockage from the bedding he ate before going into stasis or if its food that’s not moving. She said she was not expecting to see that on the xray and was very shocked. He does have a pocket of gas in his stomach that’s causing distention so definitely worried about bloat. He is back at the vet getting sub-q fluids, pain meds and reglan injections. As well as them doing massages and critical care. She talked to us about having a DNR placed on him….that was a hard conversation because it is unsure if he will make it through the night. I am not sure how much longer he is gonna hold on for. The stomach distention scares me.

I called about an hour ago and she said that he’s not better but not worse either. Basically no change. No poop and not eating on his own. But he still fights her trying to give critical care. He will probably fight that up till his last moments no matter how exhausted he is because he absolutely hates being syringed fed lol. I forgot to ask when I called if his breathing is still heavy. If it is that I am going to assume that his stomach is pushing into his lungs. When I called she said that he’s not better but not worse either. Basically no change, but he still fights her trying to give critical care. He will probably fight that up till his last moments no matter how exhausted he is because he absolutely hates being syringed fed lol.

She is going to call us in the morning to give us advice as to what she thinks is best if he makes no improvement by the morning. And I am worried that he will make a recovery today and then in a couple days rebound again like this last time.. Basically she said that its a waiting game and no idea if he will be able to pull through this. The way she looked at us though I can just feel the doubt.. He’s always been a tough bunny though, ever since we got him..hopefully he will fight through this and stay with us.

[BunnyLady1989]

When I read this last update I started crying for you all. I can’t imagine being in your situation and it breaks my heart I hope they can figure out what is best for him,poor baby…. I’m glad to hear he is a fighter though, and it definitely sounds like it.

[Bam]

((((((((Kern))))))))

[Hazel]

Posted By unknownphoenix on 01/21/2014 02:31 AM

Vet is not sure if he has a blockage from the bedding he ate before going into stasis or if its food that’s not moving. She said she was not expecting to see that on the xray and was very shocked. He does have a pocket of gas in his stomach that’s causing distention so definitely worried about bloat.

I forgot to ask when I called if his breathing is still heavy. If it is that I am going to assume that his stomach is pushing into his lungs.

If he’s not pooping then forcing food into his stomach is not going to help, especially if he already has gas trapped in there. Stuffing him more and more even though nothing is moving through is only going to make his breathing worse and cause him more pain. There’s only so much room in there.

It’s good that they did an x-ray and since they are suspecting a blockage, I think surgery is the next step. I understand they are trying to get things moving again, but at some point that’s just not going to work anymore. If there’s a blockage then surgery is the only option.

Don’t let them delay things too long, the “wait and see” approach can become deadly at some point, in a situation like this.

[Sarita]

You definitely don’t want to do surgery if at all possible. Lots of fluids are going to help break up the mass in the stomach. Surgery is the last possible thing you want to do.

I had a rabbit who had a blockage in stasis for about a week – we did heavy duty fluids to try to break up the blockage.

[NewBunnyOwner123]

I wouldn’t be pushing food :/ sounds kinda worrying to push food into an animal that’s GI isn’t moving. I thought that was the last thing to do when diagnosed with a blockage. But I would be pushing lots of fluids. Wouldn’t food make things worse?! Plus fighting the food swallowing air, causing more gas. Idk. Also, rabbits don’t do well with surgery to remove a blockage. It’s just something that’s really hard to come back from.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m so sorry to hear Kern is so unwell. (((((Kern- Get well Little Buddy))))))

Please keep us updated.

[unknownphoenix]

This little brat keeps scaring us..he’s back to being better. He is at home munching on hay right now. In the morning I am calling our regular vet to get dental x-rays done and see if that’s causing him to stop eating. But his gut is moving again thankfully. Active again, pooping, eating greens.

We think it was our fault he may have rebounded. We probably kept pushing to much food on him and since his gut is slow it didn’t have a chance to break down. So we are sticking to the vet’s recommended amount of greens. We were giving him 3 cups a day when he last came home because we thought “oh he’s eating it, he must be hungry and this is good” Well its possible it did more harm than good. Oops.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m so glad to hear that ! A bunny dealing with tummy issues really can be a roller coaster for their Mom/Dad. I’m happy to hear he is eating and pooping. I think it’s a good idea to get his teeth checked. Even something minor with the molars can cause a bunny to have digestive upset.

[Rufus]

That’s fantastic news! I’m so happy to hear that UP. I bet you’re feeling a whole lot better

[unknownphoenix]

Thank you and yes this was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. This stress and anxiety is eating me up.

You know, I have always had animals growing up. But its been a family pet. It definitely is not the same feeling when a pet is sick until its your own and you are the one taking care of it and making hard decisions. Him and my girl Bleu are our first pets of our own since we moved out of parent’s houses. Totally different feeling having to do this. Being a grown up sucks lol

Ok so quick question. He just went in his liter box and his poops are a little soft. Not squishy but soft enough that if you picked it up it would probably feel gross. Is this normal because of medication and how much sub-q fluids he had or should I call the vet?

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yes, my buns usually have weird poos (squishy and/or mishapen) after a period of tummy upset/no poos. It will take his system some time to get back to normal, especially with the fluids and meds, those can cause squishy poos. Just keep a close eye on his poos. They will probably start to firm up in a day or so.

[NewBunnyOwner123]

So relieved to read he’s made a comeback! What a fighter that one

[Donut]

Came to check on Kern & I’m glad to see he’s alright! (I’m a little late but….)

[LongEaredLions]

Wow, this must have been so scary for ou guys! So glad Kern is ok, he is a strong little man!

[BunnyLady1989]

I’m so glad to hear he is better! It is so true that when it is your own it is much harder. It’s like they become your children and when they are sick you are distraught. Been there! Thank goodness he is on his way back to his normal little self

[Bam]

It’s great to hear that Kern is doing better. What a brave little fighter!

[JackRabbit]

I don’t get to post often but I’ve been checking in on my phone (can read on my phone but can’t post on it) a few time a day just to see how Kern is doing.  So glad Kern’s feeling better!  After I read your post  when he was so sick I just hugged by bunnies and cried.

[manic_muncher]

Yay Kern! Glad he’s all better now!

[unknownphoenix]

Thank you everyone Kern is still doing very well. Fights us like crazy when we try and give him his meds. Fiance has the battle wounds to prove it lol. But we are learning how to catch and hold him without causing to much stress. Its been a learning experience

I am calling the vet in the morning to make an appointment for his teeth. Was gonna call yesterday but wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to rebound overnight again.

[BunnyLady1989]

So glad he is still doing good! Keep this thread updated for us

[unknownphoenix]

Kern has actually almost made a complete recovery. We are still worried about him possibly being in pain, his Meloxicam ran out yesterday. We are unable to get a refill on it, the vet wants to run blood tests to make sure it wont affect his organs to keep getting it everyday. Well a blood test at the emergency vet is $300 so that’s completely not an option. And we cant get in anytime before Tuesday at our regular vet.

I called our regular vet and he has an appointment for his teeth Tuesday, so hopefully he will be fine until then with any possible pain. We are kinda thinking its gas pain vs teeth because he chews on hard stuff and his hay appetite has increased since we cut him back on pellets. We are having trouble getting this stupid gas bubble to break up. Even tummy rubs isn’t making it go away

But so far so good, happy, active, pooping. Just need to figure out whats causing his pain

[MimzMum]

Is your vet aware that bunnies process metacam at a faster rate than dogs and cats do? (sorry, haven’t caught up with the rest of the thread, this just stuck out) If he is in pain it could stop him eating again and start the whole cycle over. He will certainly need it after a dental.
Mimzy has early onset arthritis and have been taking daily metacam since he was three. He has suffered no ill effects. He is 7.
If there are other organ problems that would cause contraindications I apologise, but keeping bunnies pain free is imperative.
I hope Kern will continue to improve day by day.

[Author]

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