Chippy was a sick little bunnie with Clostridium perfringens

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Chippy wants to thank everyone for being so concerned about her.
She's feeling fine now!!!



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ra7751 wrote:
I do have one small question. The good news post said there was no bacterial imbalance but that Metronidazole (Flagyl) had been prescribed. If you can go back on some of my posts regarding stasis/ileus, this drug specifically targets the bacteria Clostridium which grows due to a die off of beneficial bacteria...and imbalance. When the gut starts to move, most of the time it will be a very smelly event and many times with mucous.
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Randy,

You were right on the money with this!!!

I just got avoice messagefrom my vet. We've been waiting for the results from the lab on Chippy's fecal sample.

It showed a growth of Clostridium .

She seems to be doing fine except that her poops are still a bit odd shaped and rather dark in color.

I was only able to get a few doses of the Metronidazole into her.
I don't think crushing the pills and measuring out doses that were mixed with water was the most effective procedure, to say the least.
Not to mention that it was a major pain..and tasted nasty.

I'm wondering ifit should be re-administered.

I have to call the vet tomorrow and I'll check with her....and also to see if they have the Rx in liquid form.

~Jim


 
The vet made out like this isn't too serious, but everything I can find says that it can be.

None of the other buns are showing signs. And none of them have direct contact with Chippy...her pen is on the far side of the room by itself.

I'm tossing all of the food and treats. Everything was near the end anyway, and I've got new stuff already.
 
I've got a call into the vet to see if she can fax me the lab report.

I'll pick up some Pedialyte on the way home this afternoon.(Randy's advice)

I can get some dandelion greens out of my back yard. Chippy's had them before. Might help purge any toxins.(Randy's advice)

I noticed that Chippy has started to eat and drink less in the last 48 hours.
Her poops are good size & quantityand still are moist, but I'll keep a close eye on her and I'll be prepared if anything happens.

~Jim

 
That really sucks Jim. I will be thinking of you both and hoping for the best.
 
Awww, Jim. I'm so sorry that Chippy and you are going through this. Have you heard anything, and how is Chippy holding up? How are you holding up? We've got our hands and paws together here in the Gap for you guys. :pray:Keep us posted....
 
Update time!!

Chippy is doing well.

She's eating and drinking almost normally. One thing I did was give her a bowl to drink out of. She got so excited when she figured out what it was for. She'd drink and then run around her pen and stop each time around to get a drink. She was so cute.....like a kid with a new toy!!

I also gave her about 6 dandelion leaves....which she tucked right into and then came looking for more.

She's eating LOTs of hay and hay cubes, too.

Her poops are still not normal shape and are still large....but they're back to what was normal for her before this all happened. After seeing this from Pam, it may explain why...
pamnock wrote:
We've raised Dwarf Hotots for about the last 10 years and as Naturestee mentioned, they can be more prone to GI problems. This is a congenital defect related to cell migrationof the nerve endings in the intestines. The same gene that controls the nerve cell migration also controls pigment cell migration (hence the relationship between hotot markings and GI problems).

Diet can help. Additional roughage works well. I've also found oats to be helpful.



Pam
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Just a few things I learned:


Monitor your bunnies on a daily basis.

Early detection of an issue helps.

Don't panic.

Stick to the basics when it comes to home treatment.

Don't over react with treatments...find out what the problem is first.

Have a proper diagnosis by a vet.

Hydration is a paramount concern.

Pain can contribute to the problem.



Thanks to all who have contributed in any way!!!
~Jim & Chippy
 
I just read this thread and I agree, great education for me. Poor you and Chippy!
I am happy to hear she is better at the moment but I will send prayers and stay healthy vibes. Thank you for updating so diligently with details, it's very helpful to those of us who are learning :)

Rubs and scritchies from me and my bunch.

~Sealy
 
Hi Jim,

Such good news about Chippy. And I think you gave everyone some excellent advice. As you and I discussed, what you basically have with a sick rabbit is like a ship in a storm. You need to steady the ship. If you panic, not only will the rabbit sense that, remember that with a rabbit, nothing good happens fast.,,,and with that panic, without a good plan you might makean inaccurate decision. The key....as you mentioned....is early detection. Know how a rabbit works and have a plan but keep things as basic as possible. One thing you don't want is a violent swing in the opposite direction which usually will walk your bun right into another situation. A panicked and uninformed decision mayresult in aship that rolls over...not good. And I know I have harped on this before....but being able to supplement hydration is a life saver. While oral hydration is better than nothing....infusion by SQ or IV is so much more effective. Many of the top rescues now require a potential adopter to be able to administer supportive fluids. Insist that your vet teach you how to do so.

And one huge word of caution....don't believe everything you read on the internet as far as treatment. I cringe sometimes when I read what some people do to their animals....all species. And also remember that for everything you do...for every drug you use....there is a trade off. The thing with medical treatments are to be educated enough to make a judgement call of if the benefits of a treatment outweigh the risks.

Congrats Jim on a job well done under very difficult circumstances. And we are very happy for Chippy.

Randy
 
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