Hard belly??

[Ella]

Eli has not been pooping much today, maybe 30 little nuggets total. He ate his dinner and is still somewhat alert and curious and eating hay. He is still walking around and exploring his tunnels and hide aways but he does not seem like he wants to run laps like he usually does. 

I have noticed that his belly has been much harder than usual all day and after dinner it was SO big and firm, he would not let me even touch him! I have him gas-x chewable tablets and tried to massage his belly but he did not want me to.

Later, he had a good sit in his litter box and made a tiny pile of poo. After this, he let me massage his belly some and it was slightly less firm. I can hear gut noises when I put my ear up to him but they do sound a little louder than normal. 

So my questions are: 

– Would a rabbits belly start to feel hard if he just needs to poo?

– If he was in pain/sick/ or bloated would he still stretch out and flop over?

– I give him gas-x extra strength cherry tablets. They are 125 mg tablets so I only give about 1/6 of a tablet at a time. He HATED the liquid baby gas-x. I plan on asking the vet tomorrow about these tablets but does anyone have any idea if these are okay for him rather than the liquid?

He is about a year and a half and we have only been together for seven months, I am still learning!

I have a vet appointment for tomorrow morning. It was just supposed to be a wellness check up but after today, I have a ton of questions for her!!

[jerseygirl]

The gas-x tablets look to be okay. The other main ingredient appears to be calcium and rabbits get rid of excess calcium efficiently. You could probably give him 1/3 tablet at a time, if you think he needs it. 20-40mg is dose range for simethicone.

If he was in pain/sick/ or bloated would he still stretch out and flop over?

It depends. With gas discomfort, some rabbits will lie out and press their bellies to the floor. Even flop on the side to try get relief. Others will hunch up in in pain. With bloat of the stomach , they are not likely to stretch out. The stomach is right up near the ribs. The rest of the abdomen area is their lower gi tract and cecum. If the stomach (under the ribs) were really hard and visibly ballooned out, you would need to seek vet care asap. If it’s more gas build up in the rest of his tract, you can attempt to treat at home as you have been doing. But if they start to not want to eat and stop toileting, it’s vet time.

Does he have a water bottle or bowl? If a bottle, do check that it is working properly. I would offer a bowl also to encourage him to take in more fluids.

[Ella]

Thank you for your reply! He has a bowl currently and has been drinking out of it fine. 

The vet said he looks pretty good but that he could be slightly uncomfortable right now (based on some behavior I told her about) but is probably not in too much pain. She was not too concerned about anything going on in his belly but did say that she could feel that it wasn’t perfect.

I am keeping a close eye on him! He is eating, alert, he wants to explore some, and he is still excited for “treats” (since he is not doing well, his treats right now are just a pellet or two – still exciting for him). However, he still is not pooping much which has me worried but I am being patient and giving him his meds.

[Author]

Messages