Kiwi is sick.. again...

[Mariah]

Hi everyone,
As a lot of you know, Kiwi my holland lop (3 years old), has chronic GI issues. She is on reduced pellets, but I had her up to 21 pellets twice a day, & she seemed to be doing so well.
This morning, I fed at 6am, she was happy & eating. I went to get ready for work, & when I came back to see her, she was all hunched up, & not eating. I immediately gave her 0.1mls of oval. I had to go to work, so I had my mum come over to check on her. She was eating at 830am
I got home at 1130am, & she was eating a tiny a tiny bit, but she still looked uncomfortable. So, i fed some critical care, which she did eat on her own, but not enthusiastically, & then gave metacam. She seemed a bit better, but I still gave her cisapride at 1pm, just to stimulate her gut. What I noticed, was that there was some poos that came out in a string... I pulled the poos apart, & it was all hair inside.. *sigh*
I gave another dose of oval at 330pm, (0.05mls) as I had to go back to work, & I wont be home till after 8pm. She was eating when I left (hay), so Im hoping all is well, until I get home.
My poor little Kiwi

 

[whiskylollipop]

Oh no I'm not entirely sure if it's safe for bunnies, but perhaps you could ask your vet about kitten hairball meds?

 

[Chrisdoc]

So sorry to hear this, poor Kiwi. Hope she recovers quickly and gets back to normal. GI issues are always a worry for us all but she's in great hands. Good vibes and nose bonks from my boys

 

[Aubrisita]

So sorry to hear that Kiwi is not feeling well. Sending lots of positive vibes her way and yours.

 

[JBun]

I'm sorry Kiwi isn't feeling well again. She has such a sensitive stomach, a bit like Zeus. I had to give up trying to reintroduce pellets as they made his poop look really bad. I hope your girl is feeling better soon.

 

[lovelops]

I'm so sorry to hear that Kiwi is having stomach problems. I hope that you can get it worked out and get her back to her normal self again soon!

Vanessa

 

[Imbrium]

Oh no I'm not entirely sure if it's safe for bunnies, but perhaps you could ask your vet about kitten hairball meds?

Those are a no-no - they coat the hairball, which can be helpful in getting it barfed up; however, rabbits are incapable of vomiting so their only means of getting rid of a hairball is to have it get broken up enough to pass through their system. Water/fluids play a *crucial* role in helping the bunny's system get a hairball broken up; the coating in cat hairball meds that helps them throw up their hairballs is hydrophobic - meaning it basically water-proofs the hairball (which, obviously, is more likely to make the situation worse than anything where rabbits are concerned).

Despite a disturbing number of "sources" online that suggest cat hairball remedies as a viable treatment option for rabbit "hairballs", it is NOT safe. An awful lot of people need to get with the times, unfortunately ><

As for poor Kiwi, the fact that hair-filled poops are coming OUT is a wonderful sign! Yeah, it sucks (and is scary) to think of all that hair being gobbed up inside of her... but the hair-filled poops mean that the hairball is breaking up and making its way through her GI tract!

Push hay, push fluids and push exercise - running around combined with the motility meds will help get/keep her gut moving and hasten the process of expelling the fur.

Above all, don't stress yourself out too much!! Yeah, I know, easier said than done (and I definitely empathize with you even more than usual today, as I'm also currently nursing a bunn through a bout of stasis)... but I'm sure she'll pull through just fine - by all accounts, it sounds like she's already on the road to recovery .

 

[Chrisdoc]

Hair for me is a big problem with Bandy being so fluffy and the other two groom him a lot. I find poops strung together with hair quite often. I haven't had a ptoblem so far and give them all a piece of dried papaya every morning. Don't know if it helps but they sure do love it

 

[Mariah]

Thank you guys for all the positive well wishes! For some reason I could not get onto this site, since I first posted this topic.

Firstly, I do now that kitty hairball meds are a no go! You could kill your bunny like that

Kiwi is feeling much better today I am still giving the oval (once daily), & cisapride (once daily), just to make sure all is ok. I also am still giving critical care, but I started reintroducing pellets. She had a total of 4 pellets today... I didnt give any metcam today, & currently shes zipping around the room, doing bunny blinkys with Papaya, & causing bunny mischief

Fingers crossed she stays happy! She wont be getting many pellets from now on... Its just so hard to not give her pellets cause Papaya gets them, & so does the little baby bun I have.

Imbrium---> how is your bunny doing?

 

[whiskylollipop]

That's great! Also - good to know about the hairball meds, lol. I think it came up on one of my google searches back when Rosebun was having tummy troubles.. hmm.

Anyway, happy to hear that Kiwi's feeling better. Must just have been a minor shedding blockage!

 

[Tammy B]

I was told that papaya and pineapple are good to help with the hair blockages.

 

[Imbrium]

Imbrium---> how is your bunny doing?

Pretty much better, I *think*... a bit frustrating trying to determine whether or not we're in the clear, as Gaz is my little Munchhausen bunny :headsmack.

It only happens as a result of her legitimately not feeling well, at least... but apparently she really gets into being pampered and given things she doesn't normally get (whee, medicine? >.>). When she starts feeling better, she'll start inhaling food. When she remembers that if I know she's better, things go back to normal, she'll go back to shunning food just enough to worry me into medicating her and such... then after she gets pampered (often literally *right* after), suddenly she's inhaling again.

I've been attempting to call her bluff today - leaving her alone/in the cage with Nala and doing my best to not look like I'm monitoring her eating and such. I'm not sure if her food intake is 100% back to normal, but she's definitely eating enough that I don't really need to be worried and I'm still giving her metacam daily/metoclopramide every 8h or so.

 

[Sage's mom]

The House Rabbit Society at; http://rabbit.org/living-with-a-house-rabbit-2/

recommends Petromalt. Sage's vet approves of it, and it has done wonders for Sage when he was in GI Stasis. Metacam is much more apt to cause renal failure and other complications than Petromalt ever will...

Ask your vet. Don't rely on the opinions of folks online. Your vet will know best.

 

[Mariah]

Pretty much better, I *think*... a bit frustrating trying to determine whether or not we're in the clear, as Gaz is my little Munchhausen bunny :headsmack.

It only happens as a result of her legitimately not feeling well, at least... but apparently she really gets into being pampered and given things she doesn't normally get (whee, medicine? >.>). When she starts feeling better, she'll start inhaling food. When she remembers that if I know she's better, things go back to normal, she'll go back to shunning food just enough to worry me into medicating her and such... then after she gets pampered (often literally *right* after), suddenly she's inhaling again.

I've been attempting to call her bluff today - leaving her alone/in the cage with Nala and doing my best to not look like I'm monitoring her eating and such. I'm not sure if her food intake is 100% back to normal, but she's definitely eating enough that I don't really need to be worried and I'm still giving her metacam daily/metoclopramide every 8h or so.

What is a Munchhausan bunny? Lol...

I am glad Gaz is "mostly" back to normal! I feel like you. I also think kiwi is "ok" but I'm also scared to stop the meds. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sits & panics & watches their buns for eating etc. It's hard when you have two buns housed together, cause you can't always tell who's poo is who's,
& who's eating more if you don't watch them.

Metacam is my vets drug of choice for my buns. I have never even heard of the other one.

 

[Imbrium]

Munchhausen as in "Munchhausen Syndrome" - the term for people who fake illnesses in order to get attention . Metoclopramide is the US equivalent of cisapride.

And yeah, the first day of the stasis, I had Gaz in the bedroom with me with her own (brand new) litter box - she didn't go back with Nala until after I was seeing a decent amount of poop again (not counting the vet trip, which I took all three of them to so as not to upset the girls' bond or derail my trio bonding progress).

 

[Mariah]

Hahaha, now I understand! I think papaya is a big faker too. I had to give him oval yesterday too cause he was sitting staring at a wall, & not eating... Lol I think he saw all the attention kiwi was getting, & wanted some attention too. Both of them go nuts when I pull put the syringe with meds in it. They both try to steal the meds from each other. My buns are a bit crazy haha

Kiwi seems fine this morning, but I'm going to give her one last dose of oval & maybe cisapride today, as I'll be out for the afternoon, & can't monitor her.

 

[Imbrium]

Lol... when I had to give Hobbes (one of my gliders) Flagyl and metacam for enteritis, Hurricane was *always* trying to swoop in and steal his medication. If it happens again, I think I'll try a modified version of your trick and put a little glider dose of simethicone in a syringe to give her as a placebo .

 

[Mariah]

Lol... when I had to give Hobbes (one of my gliders) Flagyl and metacam for enteritis, Hurricane was *always* trying to swoop in and steal his medication. If it happens again, I think I'll try a modified version of your trick and put a little glider dose of simethicone in a syringe to give her as a placebo .

Good idea!

And regarding the pineapple, yes you are correct, that is good for hair blockages. I totally forgot about it! The only thing is that it needs to be a fresh pineapple, and not the kind in a can.

The problem for me with Kiwi, is that because her tummy is so sensitive, the pineapple has a lot of sugar in it, and that can cause an issue for kiwi. With my previous bun Citrus.. I did use to give him that when he was having tummy issues, but he wasent sensitive like kiwi to sugars.

Kiwi is just my special little girl :brat:

Edited to say: Kiwi seems to have made a FULL recovery. Shes bright, happy, alert, & up to no bunny good tonight

 

[lovelops]

Great! I was getting ready to ask you how is Kiwi doing!!!

Vanessa

 

[Chrisdoc]

Good to hear Kiwi is doing fine, she had us all worried. I bought a fresh pineapple yesterday so my boys will be trying some today. I think mine have iron stomachs, nothing so far seems to bother them including all the gassy vegetables everyone avoids.

We would love to see a pic of the happy patient :bunnieskiss