Rabbit is eating but hardly pooping!! HEEELP!!!

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Sachable

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Weatherford, TX
My rabbit George has been acting completely normal except the fact he's hardly pooping AT ALL and he's peeing A LOT more than usual. I've tried to give him some infant gas drops but its hard to tell how much he's actually ingesting- because a lot of it is lost simply in the process due to his squirming to get away :( this has been going on 3 days now...I just read to try an apple, as they're high in fiber so I'm going to walk to the store in a while, but any advice would be appreciated. I can't take him to the vet because I live in a small town where there ISNT a rabbit vet. I rescued George back in November from bad people who didn't take care of him, so never anticipated having this responsibility, but just couldn't leave him there. I love George so much - PLEASE HELP!!!
 
Not pooping for several days is so dangerous and can be fatal for a rabbit
Try feeding him apples and alot of hay
And if you could reach a vet he can give him a injection to make stomach movement faster and poop
But please do it as fast as possible !
 
You really do need to try and bring your bun to a vet if at all possible. Your bun could have a complete blockage that only surgery can fix, or there could be some other underlying health problem that is causing the lack of pooping.

In the meantime I would suggest not feeding apple or anything else sugary as this can disrupt the bacterial balance in your rabbits digestion and lead to overgrowth of harmful bacteria. Something he is already at risk of because of the digestion slowdown, so you don't want to be adding to that problem if at all possible. If he is still eating on his own, I would offer lots of hay, and if he is used to eating leafy greens I would offer lots of those. Those are the best things to get fiber and moisture into a rabbits digestion, without upsetting the bacterial balance. But you do have to make sure he is eating the hay and greens well. If he is eating them really well, I would stop feeding pellets for now, as these have sugars in them that can contribute to the digestive problems.

If he isn't eating or is hardly eating and you still can't find a vet that will see your rabbit, in a similar situation I might try syringe feeding(I use oxbow critical care mix) if my rabbit isn't eating very well or at all, to see if that gets him pooping again, but this does carry risks if the rabbit has a complete blockage, as it's bad to be putting things in when nothing can come out. So it could actually be fatal if there is a complete blockage or if the rabbit has a bloated stomach.

You can take a look at this link on GI stasis in rabbits, as it has helpful information concerning the problem.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

There is a listing for a rabbit savvy vet about an hour from your town in Mansfield if you can get there, though there may be one closer than that. This list has the vets name, phone, and address.
http://rabbit.org/rabbit-veterinarians-state-listings/#Texas
 
Feel his tummy. Is it bloated and harder than usual? Does he not want you to touch him there? If so there is a chance he might have an intestinal blockage of some sort. During a change in seasons when their coats shed they tend to ingest more hair which would be the cause? Either way, rabbits need to have a GI system that is constantly moving. The fact that he is eating and drinking it good but as everyone else stated, I would get him to a vet as soon as you can. GI blockages/GI stasis can kill rabbits very quickly.
 
You need a vet. If your rabbit isn't pooping at all, it can be a blockage, you'll need an x-ray to make sure. If he is pooping still, but not a lot, he'll need tummy massages every 4 hours and something to help his guts to move (Reglan / Emeprid). If the rabbit is showing signs of pain (doesn't seem to be the case, here), you'll need Metacam too. You don't need a great specialist in rabbits for that, any vet will do. Read the articles JBun suggested before going so that you'll be able to ask for what your bunny needs if your vet isn't all that good (I don't have a rabbit specialist in my town either, I just ask for specific exams and meds - my vet has accepted that I know more about rabbits than he does and just does the exams and gives me the meds, for something like GI stasis, it works just fine). I also advise against fruits or anything sugary. A rabbit with GI problems needs to eat hay and to have his guts hydrated (it's fine if he drinks normally - if not, syringe feed water and give wet leafy greens as keeping the guts "wet" avoid blockages). Watch closely your rabbit's hay intake and avoid things like pellets.
 
I've taken pellets away, and he is eating A LOT of greens (kale, parsley, cilantro, romaine lettuce and celery- tho not all at once, haha) but i don't see him eating much hay? its so weird? He physically seems fine, playing and just being George - but he's only pooping a little bit? I know he's eating those "1st poops"- forgot how to spell that - cet...idk. But i put a clean litter box in before I go to work and when get home theres hardly any poops- but LOTS of pee, way more than usual. The vet i took him to who neutered him suggested Laxatone for cat hairballs but i couldn’t find any at petsmart...idk what else to do so i pray for him. Jesus saved him from ACTUAL gi stasis about 4-5 months ago, after i tried EVERYTHING to get him to eat and he was physically suffering and lethargic; after i layed hands on himand prayed, after saying Amen, he got up and started eating! This time tho he just doesn't seem to be in discomfort? Its only that hes not pooping like he used too...quite the quandary...thanks ALL of you :) i will keep you posted on George's progress.
 
George seems to be doing fine :) pooping, just not as much as before. I kinda think he might even be eating some of it- tho i cant imagine why? But he's definitely going more than he was this last week! Thank you ALL <3
 
All rabbits eat their feces- the ones that are soft and mushy and gross (called caecotrophs). This helps them get all the vitamins they need to stay alive! So that's a good sign if he's eating caecotrophs.
 
My rabbit George has been acting completely normal except the fact he's hardly pooping AT ALL and he's peeing A LOT more than usual. I've tried to give him some infant gas drops but its hard to tell how much he's actually ingesting- because a lot of it is lost simply in the process due to his squirming to get away :( this has been going on 3 days now...I just read to try an apple, as they're high in fiber so I'm going to walk to the store in a while, but any advice would be appreciated. I can't take him to the vet because I live in a small town where there ISNT a rabbit vet. I rescued George back in November from bad people who didn't take care of him, so never anticipated having this responsibility, but just couldn't leave him there. I love George so much - PLEASE HELP!!!
You need to get CRITICAL CARE powder from your vet or animal hospital. This is the method I have found very successful:
1. Mix the powder 1 part to 3 parts hot water into a wet paste.
2. Allow to cool - stirring and adding water if it gets too thick.
3. Get a large plastic syringe; I use the ones that you use to refill the ink for printers.
4. Mix a little pineapple juice (unsweetened) with the watery paste.
5. Fill the syringe; if it is too thick then add enough water so it can be drawn into the syringe.
6. Get 2 (plastic garden furniture-type) chairs next to each other.
7. Put the Critical Care syringe in a bowl on one chair.
8. Capture your rabbit and put it across your knees (with its belly on your lap), with its head facing the other chair.
9. Place one hand under its belly and gently rub its belly.
10. Feed the rabbit the Critical Care mix with your other hand; this should take a good few minutes so don't rush it.
Repeat this procedure 2 to 3 times a day until your rabbit gets back to normal. Almost forgot: Check that the rabbit's teeth aren't preventing it from eating. If the upper from 2 teeth are bowed, get the vet to trim them.
 
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To me hay is the answer to everything. As is water. If you can massage George's tummy every so often it might help. If one of my rabbits refuses to eat I take a fistful of hay and tap him on the nose. If he turns his head away don't stop, just follow it. He will get angry in a way and then bite at the hay. He may just bite it and spit it out but will eventually start eating it. Sounds like a cruel thing to do but its not.
Like I said I think is important but try to get the freshest you can. Sometimes when haying season is over it can be difficult to get it. This year I bought 6 bales of second cut which hopefully will last until haying season starts next year. That is for 4 rabbits.
I had a rabbit that would never eat hay. He had one small carrot and one quarter-size piece of apple each day plus generic pellets from the local feed shop. He lived to be 13 years old. He was a learning experience you might say as now I feed my rabbits differently. They love hay and to see them take hay over pellets is heartwarming.
Good luck with George and thank you for rescuing him.
 

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