Lack of poop and other fun things

[goneforbaroque]

Ok. So I took my 3ish year old fixed 13 pound male NZ/Flemish mix to the vet because he had some sneezing/nasal discharge and loud breathing. He also decided to stop eating and pooping. The vet gave me baytril for the snuffles and another med to help with motility. I bought all his favourite foods and he has been eating with a pretty decent appetite. Not drinking too much but I soak his greens in water so I know he's getting some. He's also getting some moist fruits to keep him hydrated. (He is also very picky, doesn't like the pumpkin puree, apple sauce, fruit juices, squash baby food...). He's eating well but just not pooping much of anything. All that comes out is small and misshapen. He is not lethargic and is still interested in his surroundings and his buddy and binkies but I'm still worried. He is on antibiotics till next Monday but his motility drugs are finished (not that there was any significant change using them).

My questions:
1. Where is all his poop?! He is eating pretty normally but he's not pooping much at all.
2. Has anyone every tried the Oxbow papaya extract treats? I offered some today and he didn't want any initially but later on he ate one (At least I'm pretty sure it's him and not his buddy)
3. How can I tell the difference between tooth purring and painful teeth grinding? I've read about the differences but I'm just not sure. He doesn't look terribly uncomfortable to me most of the time?

So many unknowns!

 

[Pipp]

The output is probably partially blocked in the intestinal tract, thus the small misshapen poops.

Massage, exercise, gas meds if he looks uncomfortable and more massage. And hydration.

Pipp loves canned pumpkin but only if I dry it out and warm it up a bit. (She's such a diva). But that's how some of the other guys started eating it. A lot of rabbits don't trust strange food. (If you get his buddy eating it, he might start).

Is he molting per chance? Just the respiratory issue may set off the GI slowdown, although its also possible there's also something challenging his immune system and that's why the 'snuffles' surfaced.

Or the Baytril is giving him a mild upset and slowing things down.

I'm not a fan of the papaya treats, just more sugar to feed an imbalance if there is one. If he acts uncomfortable, his output stops or is soft or runny, not a good idea to give them to him.

With my guys the tooth purrs are soft, the pain noise is more of a loud clicking sound.

Hope this helps!


sas :clover:

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

This happend when Jelly was on Baytril. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Baytril, maybe no, but that happend to her. Just keep him eating. I took her for sub-q fluids and that solved the stasis that right away. Also, keep him moving to keep stuff moving on through.

A far as tooth grinding, yep, it sounds like hard clicking I think more when its painful, and you don't hear it realy if its happy purring.

 

[goneforbaroque]

Today he was ravenous and came out to run around and got a few binkies in. Then he went into his cage and acted uninterested in everything. Only a few irregular poops from last night. So odd. I don't know if he is molting (shedding?) but he is a VERY hairy rabbit in general so I assume that is a contributing factor :\

 

[gmas rabbit]

I would take him back to the vet. When Benjamin got stung by a bee his whole digestive system shut down. They did sub-q fluids and B12 together along with the mobility drugs. The mobililty drugs where for 5 days. He really came along quickly once he was hydrated and the B12 stimulates their appetite. The blockage in his intestine will need fluid to get it to move, the syringing is often not enough. Get some critical care by Oxbow, vet should have it or pet store. That will help fill up his gut and since it is mixed with warm water, help to continue to hydrate him. Directions are on it, but the wanted Benjamin to have it at least every 4 hours until he was eating and pooping good on his own. Fresh pineapple juiced is a better enzyme if you have a juicer. Let us know how you are making out.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[goneforbaroque]

Recently he has been eating all his greens and hay ravenously so it's not a problem with his appetite. I soak all the greens to help him stay hydrated as well. Not really looking forward to dropping another few hundred on a vet visit so I'm really hoping this will pass (no pun intended). I'll see how he does through the weekend?

 

[goneforbaroque]

Good news! There is normal poop! Today it was like someone flipped a switch. Merlin had tons more energy and a huge appetite and was pooping everywhere (which for now I am happy with). He also drank half of a crock of water in one sitting. I don't think he had been drinking any water during the whole course of this illness (I had been soaking all his greens to help with this). Oh man! Happy happy happy.

I think the Baytril was really messing with him (his treatment stopped yesterday). Has anyone else had problems like this with baytril? Also, his snotty nose has dried up and he is sneezing much less, but there is still a very prevalent snoring sound when he is sniffing and exploring. Any input on if it's worth round 2 of drugs?

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

*YAY!* Glad to hear he's going better!
~Yees,my bunnies had issues with Baytril it with neither of them did it work. =P blehk

 

[goneforbaroque]

His nose is snotty again. This is frustrating. Other than that he's 110%. Great appetite, tons of energy but snotty nosed. Is there something other than baytril available? I want him to be better, but baytril made him feel so terrible and didn't do all that much for his chest congestion.

 

[tonyshuman]

There are many other antibiotic options, and Baytril has been known to cause GI issues in rabbits. It's almost always given with a probiotic like BeneBac as well to help balance it out. I would go back to the vet and insist on a different antibiotic. Since he already had issues with Baytril, be sensitive to changes in his output on a different med. Sulfa drugs like TMZ are often used, but if they cause a GI reaction, it can go from bad to worse quickly--called Tyzzer's disease. Zithromax is a good drug for URIs but it also can cause GI slowdown. It would be a good choice in this situation I think. Other options are a bit more drastic, like chloramphenicol, which can't be handled by some people (you might have to wear gloves while giving it), or injectibles like penicillin, amoxicillin. The injectibles might be best because they seem to have the least GI side effects but you'd have to be comfortable giving him injections. Any anti-bio they put him on, make sure he also has a probiotic. BeneBac can be found at most pet stores in the dog/cat section (they also make one for small animals that is fine, and one for reptiles/birds that I don't reccommend). Another good one is made for horses and other livestock and is called ProBios. They have it at farm supply stores. Human probiotics can also be used.

 

[goneforbaroque]

Last time he was on Baytril he had a probiotic paste. I've moved since then and this vet (at an emergency clinic, though still savvy) gave him a motility drug that wasn't a probiotic which clearly wasn't working well. If we have to do anti-bio again I will insist on having something to keep his GI track in good order. His goopy nose dried up overnight. I'm going to see this through the weekend then reassess on Monday. His appetite is great as is his water consumption and energy levels so here's hoping he will mend. Thank you for the other anti-bio suggestions. I will keep all this in mind in case we have to do another round of meds.

 

[tonyshuman]

OIC. A lot of times things go away if something stressing the bunny out goes away, like temperature change or really anything. Our bunnies' have such strange/bad immune systems. I hope he stays well. Another option if you just can't get his GI system to work with antibiotics present, even with added probiotics, is to do daily sub-Q's (but I hope the anti-bios won't be needed).