Suspected Blockage

Hi everyone!

I havn't beenbeen able to post muchrecently because I'm in the middle of exams at the moment. I'm really worried about my bun Rodney, and was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice.

I think Rodney has a blockage, because for the past few days his droppings have been darker, very small, and sometimes linked with hair. He was molting very heavily during the past few weeks, and I brushed himevery day.I have given himdried papaya and giant amounts of grass, alfalfa and oaten hay to get him eating as muchhay as possible.

I have also tried to give him fresh pinapple juice and pumpkin, but he is very fussy and refuses to take any of it. I have tried using a syringe and he just lets it dribble back out of his mouth and then wipes his mouth out with his paws.

He is still eating, drinking and urinating as normal, but pooping very little. I have taken him to the vet, and she said his intestines feel very full and that he is constipated. The vet told me to increase his hay intake (which I've already been doing) and to take away his pellets fora few days. Am I right in taking his pellets away and giving him only hay as she has suggested I do? Also, she has told me to come back in a few days if he still has small droppings. Is she taking the situation too lightly and should I drive Rodney to a more experienced bunny vet (whom is about an hour away) asap?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, any advice would be very very much appreciated.

Eve

Won't hurt anything to remove pellets for a couple days.Keep up thegreens and moist foods such as apples or carrots. The dried papaya is also good for tempting him to eat.

Pam

Thank you so much Pam! I'm glad to hear removing the pellets is ok. And I will get him some greens, apples and carrots right away. Thank you again

I've found that sometimes a rabbit will eat finely grated carrots when it won't touch other foods. The carrots also help to add moisture to the gut.

Pam

Yeah, increasing his water intake can help a lot. Along with the wet veggies, you can try giving him a second water bowl flavored with vanilla or a little flavored Pedialyte. He might drink more because he likes the taste.

Loki sometimes gets like this when he's molting, but he loves pumpkin. Usually his poops go back to normal after getting a tablespoon of pumpkin twice a day. He just needs the extra liquid to keep everything moving nicely.

Thank you Pam and Naturestee!

Rodney is happy eating the carrots whole at the moment, but if he losses his appetite Iwillgive hima bowl of finely grated carrot like you suggested Pam. Thats a great idea, thank you.

And I will go to the store to get some vanilla flavouring to add to his water, thank you Naturestee. He is drinking today, but not as much as he usually does so hopefully he will like the vanilla water.

Thank you both for all of your help!

aww.. i hope rodney feels better soon!:kiss:

Thank you peapoo_bunny!

I hope Peapoo and Petey are doing well. How are they going? Are they still in seperate cages?

hows rodney doing? hope he's doing better:bestwishes

peapoo and petey were together for a few dayswithno problems, but todaytheyre separated again..and peapoo's extremely grumpy..she's even attacking people who walk by..ive got some serious cuts now..ouch

Thank you Peapoo_bunny!

Aww, I'm sorry to hear about Peapoo being so grumpy and the nasty scratches she's caused you. Was she grumpy like this when she was going through puberty? And poor Petey. The poor little darling must be so confused about Peapoo's behaviour. How is he doing? At least they can still keep each other company being side by side in seperate cages. They are so gorgeous, I love your bunnies.

Rodney wasn't pooping at all this morning, and he was lying with his eyes closed and not moving all afternoon. I wrapped him in a towel and took him outside to get some fresh air later in the day, and he seemed to liven up a bit outside and even did a few binkies on the grass. He atelots ofapple when I took him back inside, and the vanilla flavouring in the water has made him drink a whole lot more.

It's about 1am now, and he just did a pile of the most beautiful big poops! I am so so happy! I've never been so happy about poops before. So it look's like he'sdoing a lot better now.Thank you so much for your advice Pam and Naturestee! I don't know what I'd do without you. :kiss:

no, peapoo wasnt near this bad when she went through puberty..

yay! im so glad to hear that rodney is doing better!!!!:bunnydance::jumpforjoy::happydance

Thank you!

I really hope Peapoo settles down a bit with her grumpy moods, for your and Petey's sakes. She looks like such an angel in your avatar, I can't imagine that sweet little face being so grumpy.

I hope Rodney continues on the road to getting better..Sounds like your doing a good job..

cristy

Yay Rodney! :sweep [color= brown] o o o o o o o [/color] :headflick:

Thank you Cristy!

Thanks Greta! You have quite a skill with the picture making, that cracked me up.