Boy bunny died, girl bunny won’t eat, not sure if drinking.

[Adam]

Given the holiday I’m not sure what to do now.  It’s 6am here and she hasn’t eaten anything in 18 hours.  Right now she’s sitting next to her water bowl.  Like she wants to drink, but can’t or something.  I see her dip down for brief moments, but I don’t think she’s actually drinking.

Do you guys think she’s sick or just depressed? Does this sound normal? I’m going to try to syringe her some water.  We treated her with antibiotics for a UTI a couple months ago, we have antibiotics here.  Not sure if I should give them or what.

Please give advice.

[Sirius&Luna]

I’m sorry for the loss of your boy bunny. How did he die? Was he sick? How long ago was it?

It does not sound normal. She could be sick or depressed, it’s hard to know without more details. Depression can lead to GI stasis. Does she have any symptoms other than not eating? Is she pooping?

It’s really important that you get her to a vet as soon as possible. Can you tempt her with her favourite treats or herbs? Can you hand feed her hay?

Please do syringe her water, that will help. You can also try syringe feeding a mash made from her pellets soaked in water. Are there any emergency vets near you?

[Adam]

Boy died suddenly, some sort of seizure or heart failure.

She has peed a little, no more poops for at least 12 hours. Doesn’t want her favorite treats.

Vet said she was going to be gone for the holiday. How long should I wait or do syringing before trying to get a vet on thanksgiving or the day after?

[Sirius&Luna]

Sorry, I know it’s upsetting, it’s just important to make sure he didn’t die from anything contagious.

Can you hear any gas in her belly? Is her belly hard and bloated?

Rabbits not eating for 12-24 hours is a serious problem. At this point, anything that you can entice her to eat is fine, whether that’s treats like carrots, or lettuce, pellets or hay. If you can’t entice then I would syringe so at least she’s eating something.

It sounds like stasis, but obviously I can’t diagnose over the internet, which is why I really really recommend you try to find a vet today. The problem with force feeding is that if it’s not stasis, and its a blockage or bloat, then force feeding will make it worse.

I’m hoping someone else will chip in soon!

Please syringe her some water immediately – wait and see what others say about food, but I would say food too, personally, if there is really no way to get to a vet.

[Bam]

I’d syringe some water for starters. Baby gas drops (simethicone) can also be tried. Oftentimes gas drops take effect within half an hour. Gas is painful for rabbits and make them lose their appetite. Simethicone is not absorbed by the body but acts loacally in the GI tract. It can be given on suspicion of gas according to Medirabbit and Dana Krempels. Rabbits can easily get GI upset from stress, and the death of a bonded partner is of course very stressful. Stress actually changes the pH in the rabbit gut.

This is my fave article on GI stasis is buns: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html It has lots of good info and tips on what to do. It might seem longish, but it’s really helpful when you have a bun that’s lost its appetite. I’d not try an enema at home though, I think that’s better left to the pros.

[Adam]

I think she’s depressed. And I didn’t let her have time with the body because I had no idea about that. I’ve read they can die from this. What do I do to MAKE SURE 100% this does not happen. Please!

[Bam]

You can’t make sure. The safest thing is to contact a rabbit savvy vet. A vet can x-ray the tummy to see if there’s a blockage or if there’s just gas/an empty GI canal. They also as a rule give warmed up fluids with vitamin B12, a painkiller (metacam) and if there’s no blockage, a motility drug.

Please read the article I linked to. I’ll log back on in 20 minutes. Meanwhile keep girl bun warm, either with hand warmers/a hot water bottle in a towel or by sitting her in your knee so she gets warmth from you. I’d recommend the latter in your sitation, because she’lobprobably benefit from being close to another living being.

You can give a light tummy massage like in this video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m so sorry for the loss of your bunny.

Can you get some Critical Care? Some vet offices carry it. It’s made by Oxbow and can be used to syringe feed a bunny that won’t eat.

[Adam]

I bought critical care in advance, and am feeding that to her along with water and pedialyte. Called another vet and they said they had no one specialized in exotics and wouldn’t want to see it anyways because I’m already apparently joined to a different vet and they seem to have some sort of rule about that here.

I will probably call the vet tomorrow in hopes that they can do something more, but the guy I spoke with this morning from my regular office (but not my regular vet) told me that she should be fine for a few days, seeming to fly in the face of everything I read. So I don’t have much confidence.

[Bam]

Many buns do make it just fine with home care. It depends a lot on the general condition of the bunny. If she’s taking her CC and you keep her warm, her chances are good. The best thing is to see a rabbit savvy vet, but that’s not always possible, because rabbit-savvy vets don’t exactly grow on trees.

Have you see any poop yet? Pee? If you do it’s a big yay. Please keep us posted.

[Boston's Mama]

My boys have had gi issues a lot and the biggest tips I can give ( other than syringe feeding as that is the priority of course to get the gut moving ) is to :
Look up bunny massage for gas , there are many helpful tips on how to gently massage the gas through
Keep her warm – if her ears are not warm she is cold and warmth is needed to keep the gut moving , a fleece blanket you can place over her if not stressful for her – or if she likes touch you can warm her with your hands gently

Calling your usual vet office tomorrow and seeing if you can push for a appointment is very important if she has not started pooping and eating but it is important to get food in her now as others said above

[Sirius&Luna]

How’s she doing today?

[LittlePuffyTail]

(((((Feel Better Soon Bunny))))) Give her a big hug from me.

[Adam]

Posted By Sirius&Luna on 11/24/2017 5:17 AM

How’s she doing today?

You guys deserve an update.  She pooped all over the place between 3:45 and 7:45, peed.  And after syringing her some pedialyte, she ate some of her favorite treat.  She also ate a little bit of greens and a few twigs of hay.  I feel less stressed now. 

She went crazy tearing apart a cardboard box, possibly eating bits of it, not exactly sure.  Not her typical behavior, but nothing is right now.

Will update again later.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Adam on 11/24/2017 10:13 AM

Posted By Sirius&Luna on 11/24/2017 5:17 AM

How’s she doing today?

You guys deserve an update.  She pooped all over the place between 3:45 and 7:45, peed.  And after syringing her some pedialyte, she ate some of her favorite treat.  She also ate a little bit of greens and a few twigs of hay.  I feel less stressed now. 

She went crazy tearing apart a cardboard box, possibly eating bits of it, not exactly sure.  Not her typical behavior, but nothing is right now.

Will update again later.

It’s sounding very promising!

[Bam]

Great news!!! Pooping all over the place – that’s wonderful! I hope you’ll soon get her back to eating. We’ll be very happy for updates.

[Adam]

Since her pooping spree the 24th and then the 25th, she has stopped pooping except for 3 megacolon sized soft droppings. Almost nothing in 36-48 hours.

I took her to the vet. I need opinions, should I give her the metoclopromide? What is the opinion on that as a treatment for no-pooping but decent eating?

Thanks.

[Bam]

Metoclopramide is good when there’s no blockage. It’s the most used gut motility drug for rabbits. Did she get any Metacam for pain?

I’m very sorry she’s had a relapse.

[Adam]

No matacam. Pooped a decent amount overnight, so I’m holding off on the motility. Vet said there was no blockage she could detect. No xrays though.

[Bam]

If she pooped there’s not a blockage.

Metacam is sometimes given together with a motility drug because it can be a bit painful for the bun when the gut starts moving.

It’s really great that she pooped “by herself” ?

[LittlePuffyTail]

(((((More Healing Vibes))))

[Adam]

Thanks guys, more poop earlier today, but nothing for the last 8 hours.

[Sirius&Luna]

I’m sorry to hear she’s got worse again. It might be that she’s missing her bonded partner a lot. Are you spending a lot of time with her? Sometimes just company will help.

[Adam]

Spending all of my time outside of work and sleep with her. More poops. Oddly the samples I brought to the vet she said were all cecatropes, but I’ve seen snuggles eating them also, so she must be producing nothing but right now.

[Author]

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