Possible stasis – again

[Louisa]

I was working from home today and noticed that one of my bunnies wasn’t as active as normal, was lying down a lot and wasn’t eating this afternoon. Cue panic, as these were the same symptoms that he had last year that lead to a 6 night stay in the hospital and treatment for stasis

So i took him to the vet this evening, she said that his blood glucose was fine (it’s 11.5, and above 15 is a problem) so that didn’t indicate a potential blockage, and she said his tummy wasn’t tender, but it did feel a bit gassy. She gave him Metacam, Zantac and Emeprid and i’m taking him back tomorrow.

Since we’ve been home, he’s sitting in a different place, hasn’t eaten or pooed, and generally isn’t himself. i have some critical care to syringe feed him, which i will do shortly, but my question is, is there anything else i can do for him, to make him comfortable? i feel awful as he’s clearly not a happy bunny – his sister is standing guard over him and grooming his ears – she growls when i go near him.

help please, my poor little bunny is worrying me

[Luna]

You could try simethicone or tummy massages. I’ve never actually done tummy massages so I don’t know how to do them, but I believe you can find videos on Youtube. Is he drinking water at all? I hope your little guy starts feeling better after he gets the critical care.

[Bam]

Here’s a nice video on how to massage a bun that has gas pain:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M

Also keep him warm. It’s good if you can wrap him in a fleece blanket and sit him in your lap. You can try an elevate his butt a little, to make it easier for gas to escape.

[Louisa]

thanks guys he isn’t a cuddly bunny at all and hates being touched, so i fear that a massage may stress him out – i managed to give him 5mls of critial care before he went mental, so i decided not to push that. he’s just sitting behind the sofa at the mo, at least he isn’t lying down.

[Louisa]

here he is, he doesn’t look uncomfortable, but he’s just not himself

[Nara mk]

OMG he is so black I can’t even see his face! So cute!!

As mentioned above, simethicone and massage might help relieve him. Even if he doesn’t start pooping right away, he’ll be comfortable enough to stretch out. Some say the simethicone would help within 30 minutes, it took my rabbit 40 min in which I had been massaging her for 15

Also if he isn’t cuddly you don’t have to do the massage as shown in the video, my rabbits won’t let me pick them up like that either. You can slowly and gently tuck your fingers under his belly (if he’s sitting like a loaf of bread, or massage the sides if he has his legs out) and rub circles (or pulses like how you’d massage a sore muscle) ever so lightly, my vet says start right where the rib cage ends all the way down between his thighs. I would do gentle circles and if I feel some bubbles moving I’ll focus on that area. but be careful and do not exert too much force into rubbing. If he moves away then let him, give him a few minutes then try again.

For the food, try laying out a variety of leafy greens/herbs in front of him, if he chose one and ate it I would stick to it and then start offering other herbs as the appetite gets better. and maybe he’d like the CC by spoon instead of a syringe? Rabbits are pickier than toddlers I tell you

[Louisa]

Just a wee update. the Fat Rabbit is much better – after two trips to the vet on Friday and Saturday, £200 and lots of medicine, he was eating normally by Sunday morning and has spent today whizzing round the house. He’s back to his old self – and I have attached some real-time photos of him today looking far less like the poor soul he was on Friday  .

thanks for your advice, it’s really because of this forum that I knew there was something wrong the first time, and this time round I trusted my gut when it happened again and thankfully nipped it in the bud.  If anyone’s in any doubt about their pet’s health – go to the vet! and get pet insurance – I can’t tell you how much I regret not doing so in the beginning!

[sarahthegemini]

What a cutie! So happy to hear he’s okay. I definitely agree with you about pet insurance. It’s saved me financially quite a few times!

[Author]

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