Constant Problems with appetite?

[Spring]

This is hard to post, but I needa bit of closure.

Has anyone heard of a rabbit that has chronic intestinal problems? I haven't heard of anything like what I experienced with Pepsi, and wondering if she was born with it or it's due to stress?

I doubt it's due to an improper diet. I fed her unlimited timothy hay, with high fiber pellets and lots of veggies and a bit of fruit as treats.

She's had this kind of thing almost every 1-2 months sometimes after a nail clipping, but sometimes like this past time it's just been out of the blue.

The only thing I can really think of is maybe she was interbred and had a defect with her digestion? Or could it have been maybe a tumor or something in her digestion? I really don't know.

Anyone know anything about this? It just happend so frequentley, I don't know what could have been wrong with her.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I haven't, but I knew someone who had a bunny that just couldn't stay healthy. I think they are like humans in that they all are different.

I know you did all you could to help her. I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[JimD]

One of our bunnies gets stressed very easily. When we first got her, it would only take something simple....like a stranger in the house....a new bunnie.....thunderstorm....the new puppy. Gosh, it seemed like I was constantly monitoring her to make sure she didn't go into stasis.

Usually she would be okay in a day or so, but it sure made a mental case out of me.
She's settled down quite a bit since we got her and she trusts me now. She's also gotten more use to our house being a hub of activity.

One time she actually did go into stasis and we almost lost her. I felt so helpless. She had gotten an infection in her GI and with her added stress, her system shut down. She recovered and is still with us.

~Jim

 

[pamnock]

Yes, just like humans, rabbits can suffer from chronic intestinal problems. In some cases, diet changes can help to alleviate symptoms.

I know this has been difficult for you, and I keep you in my thoughts.

Pam

 

[Runestonez]

Our first bunn Butters had chronic GI issues. She never went thru stasis, but she always had really soft cecals almost liquid. We did everything...we ran tests, did blood work...Our vet was stumped. We had her on a special diet by the end. One night we were sitting in the livingroom...Butters cage was in the library beside us. We heard a big thump (the ones she reserved for the cats when she was feeling cranky!) Tony got upto check on her. She was laying half in half out of the litterbox. The thump we heard was her either falling or having a seizure. By the time Tony walked the 15 feet to the other room...she was gone. She was just over a year and a half old. We decided against a necropsy...it wouldn't have brought her back. The vet theorized that it might have been a cecum rupture that killed her in the end. But whatever it was he thinks it was genetic. We had tried everything we could think of to make her better. The vet ran so many tests but nothing ever showed up. She would be OK for a while and then get sick again. So many ups and downs. Tony and I loved her more than anything! But in the end she had to go and we couldn't help her.

With Pepsi it could have been something genetic...stress could have been a trigger. But if it was genetic...there was nothing you could have done! If it hadn't been now then it would have happened sometime later! You did the very best you could for your girl! We've all seen how much you care for your bunns! If there was something that could have been done, you would have done it! I'm so sorry Pepsi had to go to the bridge!

 

[m.e.]

Like the others have said, it's not unlikely :hug2 I do know someone who had a rabbit that would bloat every other week. They did their best to stay on top of it, but in the end they lost her. Turns out she had an intestinal defect.

The important thing is that Pepsi had such a wonderful life with you. She had a loving, caring, and very attentive owner :bunnyheart

 

[Spring]

Thanks.

I think she might of had the same thing as Butters. On Saturday morning she was fine in her box with towels and hay and stuff she liked to sleep in, then I came down with a heated sock filled with rice and she was having a seizure. When I touched her she stillwas shaking, and when I went to pick her up she just went limp and stoped shaking. I held her close to my chest and walked to the living room where I could sit down with her.

Also, She kept opening and closing her mouth about 5 times when she was on my lap and her breathing wasvery bad when she was opening and closing her mouth. She was also making herneck go back during her seizures and a bit on my lap, then she calmed down around the time I felt herheart slow down. She was just limp. I don't think she was in pain when she died, but I know she was in pain during the seizure when she was in her cage, it just made me feel so helpless and scared. I thought she died in my hands when I picked her up from the cage, she just wobled in my hands when I tried to steady her and just went limp like a stuffed toy. She wasn't responsive or anything. I just don't know, it was just so upsetting her looking so helpless, and me feeling more helpless doing nothing to save my baby girl. It was just plain dreadful.

Thanks again for your input. I know it's too late, but I'm starting to feel guilty about not taking her to the vet. Maybe with some pain meds or some fluids she might have recovered, I just don't know. I try not to think about it, but it's a thought nagging at the back of my head that just makes my head ache.

 

[Runestonez]

Even if you'd taken her to the vet I doubt it would have helped. It would just have added more stress for the poor girl. Maybe hastened things along.

I was a total headcase for the first few days after Butters died. I kept wondering every once in a while if we'd taken her to the vet if we'd have caught something and could have saved her...but looking back now that some time has passed I can see all the little things that had happened over time...pointing to something not being quite right.Time gives us the greatest perspective on things like this! Best to take a deep breath and admit somethings are beyond our control. Other than being a bit "off" there was nothing that would have indicated that a trip to the vet was in order for me or for you! I am a total paranoic when it comes to our "kids" and I can honestly say that I had no idea things would go that bad that fast! It had to be something genetic. A little time bomb that we couldn't see. At least you had the time with her that you did! It seems that our best friends are the ones who can't stay as long in this world!

 

[naturestee]

I remember hearing of someone whose young rabbit had frequent digestive problems. I think he was only a year or two old when he died. The owner had a necropsy done and the vet found an intestinal tumor.

It's unfortunate, but sometimes these things happen. I honestly think you did everything you could for Pepsi. You gave her a great, happy life and I doubt that you could have done anything to change what happened.

urplepansy:

 

[Spring]

I just can't get over how sudden she died. It started like a week before where she left more pellets in her dish, then even more pellets left but was still eating lots of everything else.

Then she went back to normal consumption of pellets, then suddenly stopped but was still eating tons of hay veggies and drinking normal water. Then she started leaving her veggies (they're usually gone when I wake up) and finishing eating themaround noon ish which is unlike her. Her poops were still fine at this point, and it was probably around tuesday.

Wednesday she was eating more hay then veggies, but would still go nuts over her favourite little snack apple and carrots and would eat celery leaves and romain lettuce if I left and came back in 20 minutes or so, but wouldn't eat if I held it in my hand.

Then Thursday, she ate a bit of romain in the morning and some apple, but then didn't eat much until the night where I got her to eatsome bits of celery and she nibbled on a few pieces of hay. She was still pooping lots.

Then Friday, she was still kind of bright eyed and was eating half decently, and pooping, it was firm but tiny. Then Friday night she just went lethargic, had her eyes half closed and wouldn't even touch anything I tried to give her. She had some mushy poop, but there was still some hard firm little ones, so I figured it was just the cecels and maybe toxins from pooping less. I gave her some warm water in the evening with the syringe and a bit of simthecone (I had given her a few doses in the morningand let her run around). When I put her back, she didn't even move from the doorway just sat there. I cleaned the mushed poop off her fur, cuddled her for awhile, heated up her rice sock and left.

Then she died in the morning. I just don't know what could have been wrong with her. It doesn't sound like statis to me, and she's gone atleast a day in a half eating nothing before on her serious cases, even with vet help. I just don't know. Unless I got a necropsy, I don't think I'll ever know butI just can't get over how sudden it was.

 

[Runestonez]

It was the same with Butters. You just keep going back over things over and over trying to find that one clue that would tip you off. Was there one thing that would have told you. Honestly...no there probably wasn't. It could have been anything. And if it involved her GI tract there is nothing you could have done about it! Butters was eating and poopingtoo. Not as much as usual but nothing that would have tipped us off. We had just come home from my sisters, I was making my nieces Hallowe'en costume and I decided to sit down and finish hemming it. We heard the thump from Buttershutch maybe 10 minutes later. I will always wonder what would have happened if I gone in to the library and said hello to her first when we came in the door. Would I have noticed something? Honestly Spring...there is nothing you could have done for her! Just think how happy she would have been to know her mom was there with her at the end! She wouldn't have wanted to be alone!

It sounds like something was wrong with her GI tract somewhere and it slowly got worse overtime. Even if it wasn't genetic...if it wasa tumor or cyst or something...the chances of recovery after GI surgery of that sort is next to none for bunns. If it wasn't stasis the fact that it kept happening points to something chronic. If it hadn't been for your care and love she most likely would not have made it as long as she did. She was a very lucky bunny girl to have a mom who cares as much as you do!

 

[Spring]

Thanks, your posts made me feel a lot better.

 

[Runestonez]

Butters was our first bunn...at the time we only had her...no other bunns. I will never forget how it felt to lose her. I thought my heart would never stop hurting. I only wish I had been part of a forum at the time with others to talk to and ask questions! This forum has a lot of very kind people who all share the same experiences and love for their bunns! It's nice to know that we aren't alone...when we lose one of our babies all the forum grieves with us. It's nice to know you aren't alone sometimes!:hearts::hug2