7 week old sick ?

[bluekatt]

yesterday she wasquite fine but today or rather latertoday my 7 week old bunny mitzi has beenacting ...well odd
she spend the majority of the day in one place with her front paws in her water bowl
they are soaked but she doenst seem to mind or care
later on she had pulled her paws out ofthe waterbowl but was stil leaning with her head onit worrying
when picking her out of the cage she didnt wentlimb she was just letahrgic as if she justdidnt care
she was half soaking wet and ice cold
i coudl pic her hea dup with my fingerpush it up ( gently off course) and shewoudl let it slowly sag back when i pullmy finger back
i can push her head and nothing no response
she sits in my hand and doesnt care
quite frankly the alarm bells have turned in to sirens

is she just cold after being a little brat
starved for attention or is this something far more serious and sinister ?
right now i have her wrapped ina towel near a heatsource ( not directly aimed at her )
i am not prepared to lose another rabbit after i lost the second one
and she is far to young to die

if there was a vet near me i would not bewriting this i would be there already
unfortunaly there isnt



and if it turns out i have panicked over nothing theni rather did then and have herstil alive then be too laxabout her health and have her end up dead

 

[alfie and angel]

hi bluekatt, it sounds as though your rabbit issick. the loss of body temperature and feet in water bowl sounds asthough she is in pain from gas or experiencing GI stasis. You don'tmention whether you have actually seen her drink any of the water butdehydration would be my main concern. I would try and get some waterinto her as rabbits can dehydrate very quickly. Also, try checking thearticles on this forum about GI problems or use the search box at thetop to see if she has any other symptoms. Is she eating? Is she weeingand pooing normally?Well done for keeping her warm but try to get somefluids into her - I'm sure somebody more knowledgable than me will behere shortly but in the meantime try to locate the source of theproblem. Does her belly feel soft or hard and bloated?

 

[alfie and angel]

try using these links to determine the most likely cause of her symptoms:Bloat/gas
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11931&forum_id=10

stasis
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11918&forum_id=10


Really hoping she's okxx

 

[bluekatt]

im sorry to say but its too late i am too late
she just died in my hands after 2 convulsions and labored breathing
i should have brought her to the vet earlier

 

[alfie and angel]

I'm so so sorry for yourloss/images/emoticons/sad.gifIt'ssoo hard to lose a bunny and so hard to watch them go. You clearlyloved her verymuch.Sending condolencesyour wayxx

 

[alfie and angel]

A link to the Rainbow Bridge which has been ofsome comfort to others experiencingloss:http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11726&forum_id=1

 

[bunnydude]

I am so sorry for your loss:angelandbunny:

Please don't beat yourself up... bunnies can go downhill very quickly, in only a matter of hours.

 

[bunnyfarm]

omg im so sorry.

i lost a bun not long ago withexactly thesamesymptoms i searched the net 4 answers 4 hrs n finallyfound a really helpful site about vitamin defiecency called floppyrabbit syndrome its kinda like muscular distrophyvets say ithelps if you try to giv them pineapple juice.

im sorry i no its no help now but sometimes noing wot went wrong helps and can help with future buns.

i cant remembr wot the site was called sorry:imsorry

 

[naturestee]

I'm so sorry. The little ones get sick so quickly, sometimes it's hard to get them help in time.

Binky free, little baby.
urplepansy:

 

[SunnieBunnie Rabbitry]

That sounds like Mucoid Enteropathy to the T. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your bunny :X.





Excerpt from the Merck Veterinary Manual:

Mucoid Enteropathy:
Mucoid enteropathy is a distinct diarrheal disease of rabbits,characterized by minimal inflammation, hypersecretion, and accumulationof mucus in the small and large intestines. While the etiology isunknown, it may occur concurrent with other enteric diseases.Predisposing factors include dietary changes, dietary fiber <6%or >22%, antibiotic treatments, environmental stress, andchallenges with other bacteria. Clinical signs are gelatinous ormucus-covered feces, anorexia, lethargy, subnormal temperature,dehydration, rough coat, and often a bloated abdomen due to excesswater in the stomach. A firm, impacted cecum may be palpable. Theperineal area is often covered with mucus and feces. Diagnosis is basedon clinical signs and necropsy findings of gelatinous mucus in thecolon. Rabbits may live for ~1 wk. Treatment is unrewarding, butintense fluid therapy, enema removal of mucus mass, antibiotics, andanalgesics may be tried. Prevention is the same as for any rabbitenteropathy.

Excerpt from:http://www.ahsc.arizona.edu/uac/notes/classes/rabdisease/rabdiseases03.htm

Biology and Diseases of Laboratory Rabbits
RESEARCH ANIMAL METHODS - VSC 443/543
Lecture date: 10/22/2003
Susan E. Wilson-Sanders, D.V.M., M.S.
Director, University Animal Care
University of Arizona - Tucson

Mucoid enteropathy (ME, mucoid enteritis): Affects 8-10week old (1.3 - 2 kg) rabbits. One of the most important causes ofmortality in weanling rabbits. It is a subacute, frequently fataldisease, characterized by passage of copious quantities of gelatinousmucus with feces. Other clinical signs include anorexia, polydipsia andsubnormal temperature.

1. Lesions; Gel-like mucoid feces and plugs in intestine. Impaction of cecum and proximal sacculated colon.
2. Etiology: unknown. Suggested to be one or a combination ofbacteria, toxin, dietary irregularity, and impaction/obstruction.
3. Pathogenesis: Current research suggests that alterations inthe cecal environment favor the proliferation of an as yet undeterminedbacterium that produces this secretagogue. Low fiber diets increase thefrequency of ME.

 

[cheryl]

ohhhh noooo,im soooo sorry for you to have to watch your little baby pass away like that,she was just a baby



cheryl