Bloated Stomach, what to do?

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Satrevino

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
48
Reaction score
50
Location
San Antonio, Texas
My 1.5 year old holland lop has a bloated stomach. The vet is going to be available tomorrow, but I've read that bloating causes a fast death. Can I do anything to help her untill tomorrow? She is barely eating and not drinking at all.
 
I don’t really know much about this stuff, but someone like @JBun should be able to help. Hope he gets better!
 
If it is true bloat, you need to find an experienced rabbit vet to get to today. True bloat can be fatal within hours if it is the bloat that has blocked the stomach. It causes pressure to build up and this can compress the heart and lungs, causing dangerous complications. If it is intestinal bloat, that is usually from pathogenic bacteria causing gas build up in the intestines. It's different from stomach bloat, but it's an emergency as well, as it can be caused by the clostridium bacteria which releases harmful toxins causing enterotoxemia.

https://www.petplace.com/article/small-mammals/general/gastric-bloat-in-rabbits/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Acute_gastrointestinal_dilation
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
If it is minor to moderate gas pain from food and not an obstruction, that isn't as immediate of an emergency as true bloat. Gas pains can end up being critical if it continues and the rabbit stops eating for more than 24 hours, but often with or without giving baby gas drops, the pain subsides and the rabbit returns to normal within 12 hours.

https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/
 
We are able to make it to the vet today. The bloat has not increased, but she has been barely eating and not drinking at all.
 
If it is true bloat, you need to find an experienced rabbit vet to get to today. True bloat can be fatal within hours if it is the bloat that has blocked the stomach. It causes pressure to build up and this can compress the heart and lungs, causing dangerous complications. If it is intestinal bloat, that is usually from pathogenic bacteria causing gas build up in the intestines. It's different from stomach bloat, but it's an emergency as well, as it can be caused by the clostridium bacteria which releases harmful toxins causing enterotoxemia.

https://www.petplace.com/article/small-mammals/general/gastric-bloat-in-rabbits/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Acute_gastrointestinal_dilation
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
If it is minor to moderate gas pain from food and not an obstruction, that isn't as immediate of an emergency as true bloat. Gas pains can end up being critical if it continues and the rabbit stops eating for more than 24 hours, but often with or without giving baby gas drops, the pain subsides and the rabbit returns to normal within 12 hours.

https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/
if it's minor can you give a tummy massage to help pass the gas?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top