I need help! first time with GI Status

[bunbunmommy]

my little guy was diagnosed with this last friday. My normal vet has been out of the office for quite a few months but they did have a back up vet that saw rabbits.
she told us to feed him leafy greens and hay only. we were given a pain killer and another med to make him poop. he was also given a pain med and poop shot (wish i knew the name of the med off hand) while in the office.

he has barely started pooping, tiny little things but will not eat on his own, and it hardly drinking water.
i called the vet again just a few minutes ago and they have a different vet now who suggested i force feed veggie baby food and start him on laxatone.

we were previously force feeding him crital care when he stopped eating but the first vet told us to stop.

so now im kind of at a loss.
any advice or suggestings would be appriciated. this is the first time he has gone through this. i need my little bun bun to be happy and healthy!

 

[Zeroshero]

I am sorry your bunny is not well, did the vet happen to do x-rays to rule out a blockage? Or do sub cutaneous fluid therapy? Hydration is very important in getting the GI system functioning properly. Perhaps it would be wise to consult with a different vet.

 

[bunbunmommy]

they havnt done an xray as of yet, but it was mentioned that if nothing seems to be working soon, that will be the next step
yes they did fluid therapy at each visit. i was told to give him a syringe full of water after force feeding him. or to mix the veggie baby food with water as well

I am sorry your bunny is not well, did the vet happen to do x-rays to rule out a blockage? Or do sub cutaneous fluid therapy? Hydration is very important in getting the GI system functioning properly. Perhaps it would be wise to consult with a different vet.

 

[JBun]

I can't understand why the vet told you to stop syringe feeding critical care Unless your rabbit was eating well on it's own, critical care is usually one of the best things for rabbits when they aren't eating on their own, unless they prove to be sensitive to it. Personally I would much rather syringe feed my rabbit specific food designed for sick rabbits, then syringe feed it processed baby food for human babies, that can be used in a pinch if you don't have anything else, but really isn't the best thing to be giving. You also need to be syringe feeding water if your rabbit isn't drinking very much. Moisture is critical in helping your rabbit to pass a blockage. The way I preferred to give my sick rabbit water was just mixing it into it's critical care feeding.

I would also be reluctant to be giving laxatone. It's believed that it isn't helpful giving that to a rabbit with a blockage as it can coat the blockage with oil and prevent it from absorbing moisture and being able to break up.

Leafy greens and grass hay are the best things for a rabbit coming out of stasis and starting to eat on it's own. The sugars and carbs in pellets can contribute to the gut slowdown that your rabbit is experiencing, so it's good to stop pellets until your rabbit is doing better, then you may be able to slowly reintroduce them, depending on what caused the stasis in the first place. When feeding leafy greens, I prefer to avoid feeding any of the cruciferous ones as some rabbits are sensitive to them and they are sometimes what started the gas and stasis in the first place. I usually stick with basic leafy greens like green leaf lettuce, cilantro, parsley, carrot greens. The greens are helpful with needed moisture and the fiber in the hay will help get his digestion moving better. It's good he's pooping even if they aren't normal, and as he starts eating the hay better on his own, his poop will start looking more normal. Since he's already pooping, there probably wouldn't be a full blockage involved, but that is really something the vet should be ruling out before prescribing a gut motility med, as it is contraindicated if there is a complete blockage. But it is important to keep food and water in them, so if he's not eating enough on his own, you'll need to supplement that with the critical care. If you don't know what caused the stasis, that is something important to figure out, so that you can prevent it from happening again.

Was the pain med Metacam and the gut stimulant metoclopramide or cisapride?

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=484#.UZ8FPbx7LTo.twitter
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

 

[bunbunmommy]

she said his stomach was distented and to only give him hay and leafy greens, this veg suggested to begin force feeding again.
he was given Metoclopramide and Buprenorphine twice a day. which i have been giving him.
how much water should i be giving him a day? I was afraid i was going to be giving him too much.. i was mixing the critical care with water but since im not giving that to him, i have been giving him a full syringe of water after his medications

I can't understand why the vet told you to stop syringe feeding critical care Unless your rabbit was eating well on it's own, critical care is usually one of the best things for rabbits when they aren't eating on their own, unless they prove to be sensitive to it. Personally I would much rather syringe feed my rabbit specific food designed for sick rabbits, then syringe feed it processed baby food for human babies, that can be used in a pinch if you don't have anything else, but really isn't the best thing to be giving. You also need to be syringe feeding water if your rabbit isn't drinking very much. Moisture is critical in helping your rabbit to pass a blockage. The way I preferred to give my sick rabbit water was just mixing it into it's critical care feeding.

I would also be reluctant to be giving laxatone. It's believed that it isn't helpful giving that to a rabbit with a blockage as it can coat the blockage with oil and prevent it from absorbing moisture and being able to break up.

Leafy greens and grass hay are the best things for a rabbit coming out of stasis and starting to eat on it's own. The sugars and carbs in pellets can contribute to the gut slowdown that your rabbit is experiencing, so it's good to stop pellets until your rabbit is doing better, then you may be able to slowly reintroduce them, depending on what caused the stasis in the first place. When feeding leafy greens, I prefer to avoid feeding any of the cruciferous ones as some rabbits are sensitive to them and they are sometimes what started the gas and stasis in the first place. I usually stick with basic leafy greens like green leaf lettuce, cilantro, parsley, carrot greens. The greens are helpful with needed moisture and the fiber in the hay will help get his digestion moving better. It's good he's pooping even if they aren't normal, and as he starts eating the hay better on his own, his poop will start looking more normal. Since he's already pooping, there probably wouldn't be a full blockage involved, but that is really something the vet should be ruling out before prescribing a gut motility med, as it is contraindicated if there is a complete blockage. But it is important to keep food and water in them, so if he's not eating enough on his own, you'll need to supplement that with the critical care. If you don't know what caused the stasis, that is something important to figure out, so that you can prevent it from happening again.

Was the pain med Metacam and the gut stimulant metoclopramide or cisapride?

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=484#.UZ8FPbx7LTo.twitter
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Simethecone--baby gas drops, if his stomach is distended. I'd also find a better vet. Look in the library here for gas treatment, lots of info.

 

[Barley N. Hopps]

Bunbunmommy, I can sympathize with you. Barley went through this earlier this year and gave me quite a fright. Our vet prescribed Cisapride and Metacam, and Critical Care for syringe feeding. I syringe fed him twice a day for almost 10 days, even though he was pretty much eating on his own, just to try to get his weight back up. He's completely back to normal now - better, in fact. He no longer gets commercial treats or rolled oats, just lots of greens, hay and pellets, and he's producing nice big droppings, plenty of urine, very bouncy and happy, although right now he's driving me nuts with all the shedding... Best of luck with your little fella! Don't get discouraged! It's a long haul but it sounds like he's doing better already.

 

[bunbunmommy]

I plan on taking the same route, no more commercial pellets/ treats
i would LOVE to see a full litter box right now. his normal weight is 5.2, im hoping he doesnt drop too much

Bunbunmommy, I can sympathize with you. Barley went through this earlier this year and gave me quite a fright. Our vet prescribed Cisapride and Metacam, and Critical Care for syringe feeding. I syringe fed him twice a day for almost 10 days, even though he was pretty much eating on his own, just to try to get his weight back up. He's completely back to normal now - better, in fact. He no longer gets commercial treats or rolled oats, just lots of greens, hay and pellets, and he's producing nice big droppings, plenty of urine, very bouncy and happy, although right now he's driving me nuts with all the shedding... Best of luck with your little fella! Don't get discouraged! It's a long haul but it sounds like he's doing better already.

 

[nora123]

Its such a worrying situation like others have suggested when mine have had either a gassy stomach or gut slowdown My vet has told me to syringe feed either critical care or liquidised pellets plus pain relief plus luke warm water I usually feed about 15x1ml syringe fulls about 4 times a day and about 5 mls of of luke warm water x4 times a day but it can take over a week for them to start eating again you need to be patient mine usually will start eating fresh picked grass dandelions herbs etc first and then they eventually eat their pellets and then lastly hay hope this helps
ps if its just a gassy stomach bloat they have got usually a couple of metaclopramide works but if its a gut slowdown I have had to carry on with the metoclopramide or emepride and pain relief for over a week. so dont give up.

 

[bunbunmommy]

the vet found a mass in bun bun's stomach.. the next step is surgery. im waiting on the estimate costs.. thankfully the vet charged us nothing for the test and visit.. im at a loss at what to do at this point
my heart hurts

 

[Azerane]

I'm so sorry to hear about that, did they mention what sort of mass it is? Do they mean it's just a blockage that isn't likely to break down, or some other sort of growth?

 

[bunbunmommy]

I'm so sorry to hear about that, did they mention what sort of mass it is? Do they mean it's just a blockage that isn't likely to break down, or some other sort of growth?

The x-ray showed a blockage, the vet wasn't sure if it was a tumor or something else..they won't know till they open him u. I'm so worried. I want him to be well again. The cost of the surgery is almost $1000.00 dollars. If it will make him well then that's whai have to do. I started a donation page because I just don't have that kind of money. Turns out people really have a heart. I'm so grateful

 

[Azerane]

If he's still pooping then the blockage may slowly be moving. It's tricky to know whether to hold off and see if it breaks down a bit on its own or to do the surgery as soon as you can. I mean, if you need the time to save for the surgery then there's a chance it could start to right itself by then too. I would keep encouraging lots of water intake and lots of fiber from hay, syringe critical care if he's not eating much etc. How old is your bun?

 

[jennykon]

I am so sorry to hear about that... don't lose your hope


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[DogCatMom]

What breed(s) is your rabbit? If he's long-haired, it's possible that he has wool block. The treatment for it is fairly specific, but more effective when begun early in the wool-block process. One Angora breeder's approach to wool-block prevention is here.

I have no idea whether the mass in bunbun's stomach is a wool block, but just in case it is, I thought I'd add this bit of info.

Best wishes, and good luck to you both. :hearts

 

[nora123]

Hi i have had 2 rabbits with wool block the treatment was emeprid 3 times a day at a dose of 1/2 ml per kg of rabbit t plus zantac 0.25ml once a day plus pain relief syringe fed pellets or recovery food and syringe fed luke warm water it took over a week of this treatment to work but my vet says surgery for wool block is the last resortis hope this helps I would try this treatment first if the vet will agree. good luck hope your bunny recovers.