Kind of an emergency - Simethicone and rabbit!

[thetwobunnies]

So yesterday out of no where my rabbit started acting very lethargic and was not excited about his veggies (very unusual he usually goes crazy) but he ate, but after that he was just sitting by himself and not really moving at all. Today, he's a little better - moving a little more but he's been sitting in the corner ALL day (well at least when i leave my room and come back he's still there in the same position) I gave them veggies again (just red leaf lettuce, because I've been feeding them a certain type of parsley and collard greens, and other things, which are not what they usually eat but they have eaten them before but I like to switch out the veggies so I thought that maybe it could have been the food?)

And he ate - very slowly and cautiously but he ate. He's now sitting hunched up in the corner - like he has been since I woke up. I gave him belly massages (not sure if I was even doing them right?? It's hard to get under his actual stomach so I just gently massage his sides in circles, and I try to to get under neath as much as possible but he runs away if I make it too obvious)

anyway, i know it could be dental problems and not gas, but I thought i'd try this first. The thing is though is that I haven't heard ANY gurgling from his stomach, usually I do after he's done eating but I haven't at all.

My rabbit a male holland lop around 4.2lbs (let's just say 4lbs) and below I have attached the syringe and meds I bought like 20 minutes ago. It says "ML" so is 1 cc = 1ML? it seems like a lot for a rabbit like half an inch = 1ML?? Is that correct? This is an oral syringe.

How many CC's do I need? and is 1ML=1CC??

 

[JBun]

Sitting hunched up all day, isn't going to be from dental problems. It is possible that there are also dental problems, but sitting hunched up and not moving around, indicateds pain and discomfort. It's not good that he has been like this for more than a day. When is the last time he pooped? You can try the simethicone. Dosage of the 20mg/ml suspension is 1-2cc every hour for 3 hours, then 1cc every 3-8 hours as needed. If it is going to help, usually you will see improvement sometime after the second dose.

Yes, 1cc = 1ml.

 

[thetwobunnies]

Well I administered 1CC of simethicone like an hour and a half ago, and he seems to be moving more but still seems to want to sit by himself in a hunched position rather than hop around - which isn't like him. I will be giving him another dose in 30 minutes, he seems more "active" IF something is going on. Like if I make noise (treat bag) then he'll come running but then he'll sniff the treat and eat it extremely slowly, but he's only done that a couple times.

I don't know what it could be.... He's been munching on this willow stick for a few seconds a few times today, and has eaten everything I'e given him (pellets, dried carrot treats, hay and veggies) but EXTREMELY slowly and just sits or lays in a corner after and isn't interested in anything.

Any ideas on what it could be? Right now, he's laying with his stomach on the ground, but feet aren't flopped out. I'm so nervous! He's acted like this before (Think it was gas) and he was fine the next day. I have 2 rabbits, so it's very hard to keep track of which poop came from which bunny. I did clean out the litter box in hopes of making things easier - but he hasn't been interested in the hay or anything which is again very unlike him. And the hay is kept in the litter box so since he's barely in there it's hard to say

If he is not his normal self by tomorrow, should I call the vet? What if he is much better, but still not himself, should I still call or wait and see if he gets better on his own?

 

[JBun]

The fact that he is eating at all, is one good thing, but the subdued behavior is concerning and it would be good to get him checked by the vet asap. Definitely have the teeth checked, but if he is acting like his belly hurts, then it may be a urine or digestive issue.

 

[thetwobunnies]

Thanks for all the help, hopefully he is back to his normal self by tomorrow, but if not I will be calling the vet. It's hard to say what I think is hurting him, I mean I think it's stomach related because he's just sitting hunched in a corner and not excited about food. But I guess the vet can find out, right?

 

[thetwobunnies]

Also I was just wondering, let's say this isn't a gas related issue at all - would the simethicone harm him? I just administered the third dose (1CC each) and i will leave him alone till morning. So that would be a total of 3-3.5CC, which is kind of a lot I suppose for a small rabbit. Would there be any negative side effects to this? I heard that simethicone is not "absorbed" rather it breaks down the larger gas bubbles... But since this is MEDICINE, I am still concerned. Also his stomach is kind of "in" like he's been starved and you have to reach in his "rib cage" to feel his stomach. He is around 4.2lbs for a holland lop, and looks healthy, but my other holland lop's stomach is "out" and I can easily massage her's just by feeling her sides.
Is this normal also?

 

[Zeroshero]

My bunny has basically lived on Simethicone since he was two weeks old, he weighed approximately 164 grams when he started taking it. Just last week he was having several bloat episodes, gas, and a gurgley belly. I was giving him .5ml of Simethicone every four hours around the clock. He is 13 weeks old and still weighs less than 2lbs. I have found that if there was an adverse reaction was probably from an innate ingredient such as sugar or some sweetener. My vet finally gave me some Cisaprde and Metacam which allowed him to go longer periods of time between doses his condition seemed to improve. When he is experiencing bloat his belly seems to ooze out from under his rib cage, it gets distended and very hard his "normal" belly is difficult to palpate. He still struggled with the sugars in his compounded medicines until I cut him down to one dose of each per day (Cisapride and Simethicone), he eats only timothy hay in large quantities. If you take your bunny in they will probably want to do a fecal to rule out a bacterial infection, I have learned that my bunny is not very cooperative with giving a sample once we are at the clinic. Before you go collect a fresh pellet and put it in a little zip lock bag inside of a moistened paper towel to keep it as fresh as possible. Good luck with your bunny, hope he feels better soon.