Rabbit is acting Ill, curious if vet opinion is right?

Hi there, i appreciate you reading and giving your opinion!

I have 2 rabbits, a mini lop and a dutch. I have had both of them for 4 weeks now and are both 12 weeks old.... when I got home yesterday I noticed that Foo Foo was acting different... he wont jump out of the cage when I open it like he used to, he doesnt come running when I crinkle the treat bag, and after i took him out of the cage to let him run around he only wanted to hide in the corner of the living room... when i pick him up he is sort of limp and when I put him back in the cage he doesnt move around. I noticed he stopped eating and drinking.. in fact when i tried to give him a treat he refused to eat it when normally he tried to steal the other bunnies treat from her! I can tell something is wrong. This morning I took him to the vet and they checked his blood sugar and asked me how he was acting. I always make sure they have water and hay and pellets. His blood sugar and temperature were both normal so they said he needs to eat more hay and he will be fine....

Does this sound like the issue? They said they are going to send me home with "grounded up hay" that I mix with water and put in a syringe to feed him as they dont think he has an obstruction. They said maybe not to make pellets so readily available to him so he will eat more hay. Im not sure.... I am worried that there is something else wrong with him and I wanted to see if anyone else has had issues like this and what the outcome was.... it seems like they eat hay because i have to often refill it but I do know Foo Foo really likes the pellets.... should the vet have given me something else to help him? I am going to be leaving work soon to pick foo foo up so im trying to see if there are any other concerns i should ask them when i get there. Would a rabbit who doesnt eat enough hay suddenly act so different?

Thanks again!!!

Have the vets listened for gut movements in his tummy. A rabbits guts are constantly moving. .If they stop then it's a problem. Bad bacteria builds up and produces gas..and a bun cannot expel that as you would expect. This can cause the bun extreme pain..and stop it from eating...which further exacerbates the problem.
Google GI Stasis. .It will tell you more.

At the very least you vet should be giving pain meds and ascertaining why the bun has stopped eating and give appropriate meds. Yes..pellets shouldn't be available all day...hay absolutely yes..must be available all day. But this on its own will not cause the bun to fall ill.

I don't think your vet is really qualified to deal with rabbits..Their advise and lack of pain meds is very wrong

Thank you for your reply. They said they see bunnies with this issue all the time, i mentioned the GI Stasis to him and he said that it usually occurs in older bunnies, and since he is fairly young that isnt the case..... he said that he needs the hay to get his gut moving. I didnt ask if he listened to his gut to see if he hears anything abnormal..... should i ask if they did?

My bunny does eat alot of pellets. Would this cause hin to stop eating if he was eating too many pellets and not enough hay?

Stasis can occur at ANY age.
The main problem with feeding too many pellets is that they might not eat enough hay...hay is essential for teeth wear and getting fibre through their guts.
Too many pellets can stop a bun from eating it's cecals which are sort of half digested food that come out as smelly grape like clusters. .Full of essential vitamins and minerals that a bun needs for a healthy gut.
You should really only feed 20 grams of pellets per 1 kg if rabbit. That's it. It can be topped up with fresh vegetables and dried herbs.
Too many pellets are very unlikely to cause stasis.
A fright might do it..but very often you won't know the reason why.
Whereabouts are you based? I would really suggest you find a 'rabbit savvy' vet...this vet is not good.

I live in Kansas City. The vet I used has many good reviews on exotic pets is there any way that he possibly could have eaten simething he shouldnt have? They both stay in a large cage during the day and when I come home I let them out to roam the living room, blocking off the other rooms and the couches but he has gotten under the couch before.... its clean under the couches but he may have found something im not aware of...l just want him back to normal and feeling well...

The vet said "well he seems to be acting just fine" but i asked if he has defecated and she said "no not since hes been here" and he has been there for 5 hours now! I said dont you think its odd he hasnt defecated yet? And she said yes but that the hay and water syringe will get his gut moving again so hopefully by this weekend he will be back to normal....

Im just hoping it works i guess and from now on i will have to make sure not to offer so many pellets so he will eat the hay more..... just wondering what is really going on here

Im sorry i forgot to ask... what do you mean by "a fright"? Like he got scared from something and wont eat now?? Sorry if that is a dumb question.... still learning here.

If a bun gets a fright...scared of something. .It can cause stasis..happened to one of my buns.
I have 8 rabbits..4 of them have had stasis. .They all have a really healthy diet and no reason for getting stasis..it just happens some times. The 5th one was because of the fright he got.

It may be that your vet is trying natural remedies first..The hay mixture is good stuff and water is essential for treating stasis. But I would be very concerned about the lack of poops. I'm in the UK and first thing my vet gives is pain relief and gut stimulant.
Hopefully your bun improves and starts pooping soon.

There is a UK rabbit forum called Rabbits United. .Lots of members from there are from the states. The people on the forum are very experienced rabbit owners and are a great help to anyone with buns having problems.

Hmmm i see..... well I would prefer them to give me the stimulant now so it will fix him instead of having to go back... i dont want him to die :'( i dont see why they wouldnt just prescribe the stimulant now instead of hoping the natural remedy will work.

Thank you for all your info! I am still new to this.

They said the hay and water should get his gut moving... does that ever work by itself or do they nees the stimulant to get it going again?

Im pretty sure they are sending me home with "critical care" fiber food to give him... hopefully it works.

The hay mixture will probably be stuff called Critical Care...which is very high in fibre and very commonly used in cases when a bun won't eat.
Water is essential too.
So yes..It can be all that is needed.
You really need to ask your vet WHY she has not given stimulant. .and even more importantly -pain relief. A bun that is in pain will not eat..end of. And buns can hide the fact they are in pain very easily.

I don't worry..I was new to all this too once. .and still learning all the time. [emoji2]

Okay i will make sure to ask that when i get there to pick up my little bun. Thank you so much!

No problem.
I really hope your bun will recover very quickly. .am sure he will be just fine.
Keep us updated[emoji2]

Well i got him home... the vet noticed a strange 'clicking' noise when he chews.... i have never heard this before but sure enough when i gave him his first round of critical care there was the liud clicking... its strange. Its not his teeth, the vet checked inside his mouth and he said it looked normal.... ever hear of a click noise when the eat that comes on suddenly? I feel so bad for foo foo, i dont see him pulling through but we are gonna do whatever it takes

No.never heard of this clicking. .very strange.
Stasis is awful...but buns can and do get through it so don't give up hope. You're doing all you can ...I really hope Foo Foo is better this morning.

Thank you, well he still hasnt defecated. Is that normal? I keep syringe feeding him but it worries me that he still hasnt pooped!!! If they survive, how long does it take for them to start to get back to normal? I appreciate your opinions thank you so much...

No poop is not good I'm afraid. He really does need gut stimulants.
Can take days. .up to a week in some severe cases.
But gut stimulant and pain relief really is key.

Have you noticed him grinding his back teeth at all?

They did give us pain meds after all 2x a day... they said that a stimulant isnt necessary as long as he eats the critical care... i dont know if there is any coming back from the shape he is in but i am hoping... YES he is grinding his teeth, i am guessing that is what the clicking noise is? It sounds like clicking or grinding, it was only when he was eating and now he does it more often even when he is not eating...

Rabbits grind their back teeth when in pain.
I'm not sure there is any thing else you can do. The critical care is not going to help if his guts aren't moving. It will just sit in his tummy.
If he is in pain..which he sounds like he is..and is not getting any better then the most humane thing is to let him go.
He just may recover but he sounds so very sick.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you. If you can you could get another opinion from another vet..It may help. I know you're doing everything you can.

It can take a few days for them to start pooping again, but if there is an underlying problem causing the stasis, your rabbit may not start eating again on his own until that underlying cause is treated.

If the vet only did a conscious dental exam, it's still possible there is a problem with the teeth. Sharp points on the back molars can sometimes be missed in a conscious exam, and it takes the rabbit being sedated for the vet to get a very thorough look in the rabbits mouth. Dental problems are a common cause for rabbits to stop eating, which then can lead to gut stasis occurring. With your rabbit having clicking noises when he chews, you really want to be sure that dental problems aren't the cause of your bun not eating. They may not be as stasis can be caused by many health problems, but dental issues are certainly a possibility.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.pdf

It might be a good idea to try and get a second opinion. Your rabbit may also need additional diagnostics, such as xrays and blood work, to see if there is an underlying cause that isn't related to a dental problem. Xrays of the head can also determine if your rabbit has overgrown tooth roots as well as infection, that may be causing pain.

If he is grinding his teeth in pain then you should get him to a vet immediately for additional pain relief and additional diagnostics. Tooth grinding from pain is not going to be the clicking noise you are hearing when he eats. Tooth grinding from pain usually happens when they are sitting hunched up in a corner and not moving. Your rabbits ears and body temp will likely be cold as well if he is in pain. In which case you need to take active measures to keep him warm.
http://mohrs.org/index.php?id=veterinarians