Bonnie is not acting normal

[HoOn]

Hello everyone!

Early this morning my wife called me at work and told me that Bonnie doesn't seem like her normal self. She wasn't as excited or active when it was feeding time. She noticed that Bonnie was just sitting there and seemed like she was trying her best to go potty. My wife said she saw poo come out and then Bonnie ate a little bit but went back to her corner.

I told her not to panic and just watch over her for a few more hours to see if there are any changes. I plan to bring her to the Vet when I get home later. Do bunnies get constipated?

Bonnie is a Mini Lop around 1 year old and she is fixed. We feed her a cup of pellets a day and Timothy hay throughout the day and night.

Any response would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Pipp]

If she is pooping, it's a good bet she's got gas, poor girl. I'd pick up some gas meds containing Simethicone and give her some loooong tummy massages and some gentle exercise.

You can also try some vibration therapy -- I use an vibrating toothbrush for the tummy massage, but a massage tool or even putting her on the dryer or taking her for a ride in the car will help.

A cup of pellets is an awful lot for a bunny her age. She probably should be getting more like a quarter cup now that she's an adult. I suggest weaning her down gradually.

She should be eating mostly grass hay and a variety of veggies, as long as they agree with her. Some veggies will cause gas in some bunnies. Did she eat anything new before she started feeling poorly?

If she still isn't eating or drinking after 12 hours or so, I'd be concerned, and 24 hours is pretty much an emergency. At that point she'll need to be syringe fed some canned pumpkin or Critical Care and taken to a vet for some fluids and an exam to pinpoint the cause.

How were her poops? If she stops pooping or the poops get small and hard, really push the fluids and give her some canned pumpkin. If that doesn't help it's off to the vet.

Could she have a blockage? Has she chewed any carpet or anything?

I suggest picking up some Pedialyte -- an infant re-hydration drink -- as well as the Simethicone.

Let us know how she's doing!


sas :clover:

 

[Maureen Las]

This could be the beginning of stasis or possibly right now just gas.
You should tell your wife to get infant liquid gas meds only containing simethicone(Mylicon Infant gas drops or possibly GasX) Read the back of the box. Simethicone should be only active ingredient
Give the bun 1 cc of the simethicone and possibly do some tummy rubs that are gentle or encourage her to exercise and move about thus breaking up the gas bubbles. if she doesn't seem better in about an hour or soyou can give another 1cc of the simethicone and also repeat this dose again if necessary(3 doses in about 3 hour period)

if this doesn't do it your wife will need to get some more items..a baby electrolyte drink (pedialyte) , a probiotic (benebac) which can be purchased at a petstore, a fresh pineappleto give her some fresh pineapple juice
it may also help your rabbit to give her some fresh greens ( not a lot if she never gets them ) preferably something like fresh parsley . Leave the greens wet before you put them down.

I don't know your rabbit's weight but 1 cup of pellets would be enough to feed a very large bun. Your rabbit should be getting a lot of good quality timothy or grass hay which keeps the GI tract moving and also wears down the teeth. So push the hay rather than the pellets

try the liquid somethicone first.

rabbits do get gut slowldown but if often can be handled with aggressive treatment by the owner and serious issues avoided.

 

[HoOn]

I just realized that 1 cup of pellets is a lot. The cup we're using is small and is really maybe around 1/4 to 1/3 cup. lol She eats the pellets only in the morning so it was the hay. Hay causes the gas problem?

I'll tell my wife to get some for Bonnie then.

Thanks for the responses. I really appreciate it.

 

[Pipp]

Did she have any veggies last night? It wouldn't be the hay.

She may have gorged out on pellets, chewed something else or she has a 'bug'. Gas can be a symptom of something else that's disrupted her system, so make sure she's pooping and peeing normally and doesn't have any parasites, injuries or anything like that.


sas :clover:

 

[Pipp]

PS: What kind of pellets is she getting?

 

[HoOn]

Well good news! My Wife just called and told me that Bonnie started running around so it seems she's okay now. It must have been gas? Or she was just being Lazy?

The food we give her is this

I confirmed with my wife and we indeed give her only 1/4 cup every morning then hay the rest of the day/night. We didn't give her any treats like vegetables last night so I'm not sure what happened. We're just happy she's back to normal.

Thanks again for all your help Aangieluv and Pipp!

- JOhn


_____________________
Check out Bonnie in LOLcats LOL

 

[tonyshuman]

If it happens again, you should have the vet take a good look at her teeth. Sometimes bunnies with sore teeth don't eat as much hay as they should, which can lead to gut slowdown. The lops have smooshed-in faces so they get tooth problems more frequently. It takes a special instrument to look at the teeth in question--the cheek teeth that are farther back in the mouth. Also, if you give any petstore treats that could be the cause. I have a bunny that cannot tolerate Yogies, which really are terrible to give them anyway.