Questions about gas???

[Zeroshero]

As some of you know and have seen Zero struggles with a gas/bloat issue. He used to always look like Violet Beauregard from Willy Wonka and The Chocalate Factory. Saturday was his first day of no Simethicone which he has been getting three times daily for over a month (vets orders). Now my concerns: Are some gas sounds okay? Should I give him a dose immediately? The gas sounds I have heard arise after I am petting him for a while and I don't generally stop petting and massaging his abdomen until they are gone. He does not seem to be in pain, he's playful, no teeth grinding, normal fecal pellets, no significant bloat, but at times audible gas. The Simethicone never entirely got rid of the gas sounds so I am starting to wonder what is "normal".

Thank you for your help

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

What is Zero's diet like? It is strange for this to a chronic problem.

 

[Zeroshero]

He was an orphaned kit at approximately 7 days old, he is almost 9 weeks old. He has a history of mucosal and bacterial enteritis and suspected mild bloat. He had two fecals both have been negative for bacteria and parasites. Alfalfa pellets/loose hay seem to be the culprit for most of his GI issues so he doesn't get any. (I know he "should") he gets 1/4 TSP of Critical Care twice a day, five pellets of Oxbow adult timothy pellets twice daily (increasing gradually) unlimited timothy and orchard grass hay.

 

[JBun]

You may hear soft gut sounds occasionally, or when drinking it can sound a bit loud(it does for some of my rabbits), but if you are hearing gut sounds regularly, and they are loud enough to hear standing a few feet away, then he is probably still having some gas. My megacolon buns will have some gut sounds that are a little bit louder than my other rabbits, but if they don't seem to be uncomfortable and are eating and acting normal, then I don't give them any simethicone. If you are hearing loud gurgling, and not just some gut sounds, that is usually more serious. If you think he is still experiencing gas and seems bloated, you may want to keep giving him the simethicone to keep it under control. You could talk to your vet about it.

If he is still experiencing some bloating, you may want to try just feeding hay and no pellets or critical care for a week, to see if it makes any difference. If it gets rid of the bloating completely, then you could start introducing veggies in his diet instead, to provide him with the needed nutrients, slowly and one veggie at a time.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Hmm, that is interesting! Thanks for expanding a bit on his background. I think your plan of action makes sense and it sounds like the best option for him at this time. It's difficult to successfully hand-raise rabbits (which I'm sure you're well aware of by now). We had one in a similar situation years ago, but unfortunately I can't remember exactly how we weaned her off of the formula and onto a "normal" diet.

Best of luck with the little guy. As mentioned, soft gas sounds may be noticeable occasionally, but hopefully it becomes less and less as he acclimates to an adult diet.

 

[Ape337]

Yep, I have a bun with GI issues too. Freckles can't eat any type of pellets whatsoever. I suspect he's a megacolon bunny too because of his various poo sizes. But sometimes his tummy is loud too and I just accept it as his normal as long as he's eating, drinking, pooing, and hopping around normally. And as long as he doesn't look like Violet also! He eats a tremendous amount of Timothy hay and very limited types of veggies. 2 weeks ago I gave him a tiny piece of a collard green, like the size of a dollar coin, and he swelled up like a balloon! Out came the baby gas drops and he was fine. Good luck with Zero, I know it's a challenge, but worth it for a loved bun :inlove:

 

[Zeroshero]

Thank you all for the replies, I suspected that his tummy sounds would be his "normal" he hasn't required a dose of Simethicone for three days yay! He did get a little jelly belly yesterday in he middle of he day so I don't have any idea what caused it except perhaps I missed a seed head in his hay. It went down pretty quickly after some exercise. This morning he weighed 601 grams so he is still gaining weight. He seems to really enjoy his new timothy hay. I was thinking that maybe it is time to start with a little greens, he just does not seem like he is ever going to do well on pellets. What quantity of greens should I start with? What seems to be easily tolerated for these sensitive buns?

Oakridge, I hand raised a litter of four pinky squirrels and three eastern cotton tails I thought that was a lot of work. Doesn't compare to one tiny domestic bunny!

 

[JBun]

Leafy lettuce, like green/red leaf and romaine, seem to be tolerated pretty well by most rabbits. After that you could maybe try some parsley or carrot greens. I would start off really small, maybe a one inch piece. Then wait two days. If there aren't any signs of gas, discomfort, or soft poop, then you can try giving the same size piece a couple times a day, for 3 days, and if there still aren't any signs of problems, then gradually increase the amount each day. But it would be good to wait a couple days after stopping the pellets, before you start the greens, just to see if you notice any differences with eliminating the pellets and if it stops his bloating problems, before you start something new.

 

[Zeroshero]

Zero is out for his playtime I have never seen him feel so good, he's been zooming around like a little wild guy. He's learning to pick up objects which he was having so much fun with he had to drop the measuring spoons and zoom a couple circles. He has been off Simethicone since Saturday, I was combing him and rubbing his tummy and I could feel just a little gas in there but it is gone. I am still amazed at how much this boy eats! I will have to measure it but I estimate he eats three to four cups of Timothy hay and one half to a cup of his orchard grass. I fill the big carrot bowl up twice a day. Attached is a photo of Zero doing what he does best, looking super cute!

 

[JBun]

Oh wow! He's gotten so big! I love the little baby pic you posted of him, all curled up, and now look at him. Such a big boy So did you stop feeding pellets and have you noticed any difference?

If you think he's wild now, just wait til those hormones kick in

 

[Zeroshero]

Jbun I am stopping the pellets for sure today, he seemed like he was tolerating them okay until this morning he had a smashed fecal pellet in his bed and a cecal pellet (just one) stuck in his hair. He is pooping normally and running arund my room now but I am not taking chances. He is such a little monster but I just love him anyway, I worked an 11 hour, stressful day yesterday and when I was almost home I started thinking of him and it made me smile.

 

[Zeroshero]

If you think he's wild now, just wait til those hormones kick in [/QUOTE]

I hope it is wild in energy and not aggression, he's such a sweet guy. This morning he made me late for work because he kept jumping up on my lap for kisses and snuggles.

 

[JBun]

Awww, he sounds like such a sweety No, I didn't mean aggressive. They can just tend to get a bit more hyper when they are hormonal. It's different for every rabbit though. Actually, I've found most bucks to be much sweeter than does. Boy! Are my does GRUMPY !