Constipated? Vet now?

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dheditor

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Hi, all. When I checked in on my bunny today, I noticed that there were hardly any poops in his litter box (I changed it two days ago), and the ones that are there are very tiny--much smaller than normal. Bunny seems a bit lethargic. I checked his hind end, and he had a fair amount of stool crusted around it that didn't seem to be blocking his anus.

I've cleaned that off, and I gave him some apple and carrot (which he readily ate) in case he was constipated. I had switched his food a week or two ago to Kaytee Gourmet Recipe (which has a lot of seeds). I'm regretting that now. :-/

I'm planning on cleaning out his cage and litter box again, and then watching to see if he poops within the next few hours. If he doesn't, is that a sign he should go to the vet today? I don't want to overreact (I'm aware I'm a worrier), but I want to be safe, too.

Best,
Deanna
 
Your right about the food. Rabbits should be getting a plain pellet and free choice of hay.
If bunny hasn't pooped or peed in a while it sounds like he's going into GI Stiatis. Which sounds like it's happening with the smaller poops. I would take bunny to the vet right away. If u can't do that keep him hydrated.
 
He's eating his hay, and he did eat the carrot and apple I gave him. He just had a bowel movement of six very tiny poops. Should I give him till tomorrow to see if he's improving, or is this still a worry?


 
I would get some pedialyte and see if he will drink it on his own from a bowl, and if not then try syringing him some. Keeping him hydrated is very important, especially during GI episodes.

I would not feed the seeds in the food anymore. Pick out just the plain pellets and feed that, and transition him back to a plain pellet. But for the next couple of days I would just have him eating hay, lots of hay and lots of fluids.

If you are feeling uncertain, or he is still lethargic, I would take him in to the vet. Some fluids giving sub-q (under the skin) would probably really help him. And some critical care food.

You can also give him some probiotic, either plain human acidophilus or Benebac from the pet store or feed store. Alos, plain canned pumpkin is very full of fiber and is great to feed to a bunny who's not eating properly. Make sure it is plain with no spices (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain canned pumpkin).

-Dawn
 
Good advice already given. When my guys' guts slow down, I first try to determine if they have gas. If you can hear tummy gurgles, especially if you can get your ear right on the belly, it would be gas. Baby gas medicine (simethicone) can be given to help that.

Whether it's gas or not, I take away pellets and sweets, and put out a bowl of pedialyte in addition to the water bowl, plus a good helping of pumpkin puree. They also always get a dose of probiotic.

Also, it's good to change the litterbox regularly so you can keep a close eye on the output. My bunnies are all in bonded pairs so I usually have to separate them from their partner so I can monitor their output better. I always make sure they can see their partner and groom through the bars of the pen, though. Not really relevant here, but worth mentioning.

If it's been a few hours and they haven't eaten or drank, I will start syringe feeding them pedialyte and pumpkin puree, about 5mL pedialyte and 2 mL pumpkin per hour.

If he gets lethargic, listless, slow to respond (to touch, sound), or starts grinding his teeth in pain (it's a different sound than a happy tooth grind), it's time for a vet. Usually we don't say it's an emergency to get a bunny to the vet unless it's been 24 hours since the last poop or the last time they ate. However you know your bunny and can tell when he's really upset. Sometimes they push their bellies toward the floor when they are hurting them, too.

Like Dawn said, the vet can give sub-q fluids and critical care food. However, other than that, it's just a waiting game. I prefer to not go to sub-q's unless it's been 24 hours or the bunny won't take fluid orally--doesn't let you put the syringe in his mouth, spits it out, lets it all dribble down his face, etc. Some vets that are more familiar with cats will give products that aren't appropriate for a minor slowdown of a bunny's GI system, like gut motility drugs (which are ok but only in certain cases) and oil-based laxatives instead of water and fiber, which is what a rabbit really needs in this case. Their GI is much more like a horse's than a cat's.
 
Thank you. He's had two more bowel movements and a pee since I last posted, so I'm feeling a bit less immediately worried. I got the name of a nearby rabbit vet from the forum about them and am going to drop him off with her tomorrow morning for monitoring, though.

Thank you all for your replies and help! I will let you know what the vet says tomorrow.
 
Hi, all. When I cleaned out Hiphop's most recent bowel movement (very tiny feces), I noticed that they were stuck together with hair. I'm definitely taking him in tomorrow, but hopefully the hair doesn't make it an emergency.
 
Just try and keep him as hydrated as possible, and let us know how the vet trip goes.

Jen
 
Pedialye (a children's rehydration drink) has been mentioned earlier I think, and is great for rehydrating buns.

Alternatively, 'spiking' a bun's water with natural fruit juice (apple, pineapple etc.) or vanilla extract can encourage your bun to drink.
:)

Jen
 
Some people do recommend pineapple juice, but it has to eb fresh, ie from a fresh pineapple. The theory is that the enzymes in pineapple help break down the fur that can be clogging the GI tract. However, these enzymes don't act very fast and will probably be broken down while they pass through the stomach. The juice also has a lot of sugar, which can make the bad bacteria grow quickly, causing more trouble.

However, I know that Angieluv (Maureen) has had success using it with bunnies in stasis. We can't figure out why, but it seems to help for her guys. My guys won't eat pineapple at all, much less the juice.

It's possible that the acidity of the pineapple juice makes the rest of the GI tract more acidic, which can help good bacteria grow, and the readily-available glucose in it can perk up a bunny that's tired and has low blood sugar from not eating. It's up to you.
 
tonyshuman wrote:
Some people do recommend pineapple juice, but it has to eb fresh, ie from a fresh pineapple. The theory is that the enzymes in pineapple help break down the fur that can be clogging the GI tract. However, these enzymes don't act very fast and will probably be broken down while they pass through the stomach. The juice also has a lot of sugar, which can make the bad bacteria grow quickly, causing more trouble.

However, I know that Angieluv (Maureen) has had success using it with bunnies in stasis. We can't figure out why, but it seems to help for her guys. My guys won't eat pineapple at all, much less the juice.

It's possible that the acidity of the pineapple juice makes the rest of the GI tract more acidic, which can help good bacteria grow, and the readily-available glucose in it can perk up a bunny that's tired and has low blood sugar from not eating. It's up to you.
Click to expand...

If you can get them to eat the fresh pineapple, that is brilliant too.
A must in an 'emergency kit' is a can of pineapple (no additives and no added sugar) ;)

Jen
 
Canned pineapple apparently has been processed and doesn't have the ingredient that is said to help with hair digestion regardless.

The hydration and the natural sugars can help stasis bunnies, although if they're suffering from bacterial overgrowth in their gut, the sugar isn't a good thing. But a bunny with a slowdown and hair in their system is probably okay with the calories.

The hair is normal during molts, whenever mine are molting, they get canned pumpkin.

Can you put your location in your profile? It will help when we make recommendations like this seeing as canned pumpkin isn't available in the U.K.


sas :clover:
 
It does have lots of fibre though? I've seen canned pumpkin recommended so many times here for buns that need digestion help.:?

Jen
 
No, I said canned pineapple doesn't do what fresh pineapple is expected to do, which is dissolve hair or the mucus binding the hair.

Its not useless, though. The canned pineapple still provides much needed fluids and in many cases, calories.

Only some nutrients or ingredients in specific foods are destroyed by canning, each case has to be considered individually.

Canned pumpkin is an awesome wet fiber that is very palatable, most bunnies love it or at least will develop a taste for it.



sas :expressionless:
 
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