Made bunny sick by accident ....

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oatmealbunbun

oatmealbunbun

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Hello

I'm new here and decided to ask any of you that would be willing to help my poor bunny out...

I just got my bunny about 1 and a half months ago !!! I was told he was about 2 and a half months old. I did plenty of research before I got him since he is my first bunny !!! I am feeding him the pellets the breeder was feeding him (alfalfa based pellets nice and green no treats and such in it) and alfalfa hay !!!

About a week ago I noticed his poop was small and he had gas. He was also shedding like crazy and I had been brushing him every single day. I knew that gas in bunnies is very painful and took him to the vet right away. Our vet was supper nice and kinda told me I was freaking out over something that could be fixed if I was feeding him correctly because it turns out that he is actually about 4 or 5 months old. She gave me critical care and told me to give him some pineapple juice mixed with water to help him with his digestion. Also to feed him veggies since he is old enough to have them !!! he eat his critical care and was a happy bunny his poop got big again and he started to eat some pellets. By this time I thought it would be a good idea to start veggies and also change his pellets to oxbow. well everything was fine until saturday afternoon he had diarrhea (or liquidi type stool with clumps) which i'm thinking is his cecetropes (?) because he licked it right up and gas again .. I took his pellets and veg away and he is still eating plenty of hay I also started to feed him critical care and simethicone drops. he drinks water on his own also.

anyways I know it was my fault he is sick again because there was to many changes to his diet. my question is ... if there is anything else I can do for him right now while his tummy is upset?


I feel so bad for him please help !!!

Thank you!!!
 
Has the diarrhea cleared up and are his poops completely back to normal? Are you only feeding him the alfalfa hay right now? What specific new foods where you introducing at the time that this happened? Were any medications also being given? Are you noticing any signs from your rabbit that his digestion is still bothering him, any loud gurgling sounds or bloating?

Digestive problems happen sometimes with rabbits, even for experienced rabbit owners. Some rabbits just have a sensitive digestive system and it can easily be upset by food changes. It's always best to introduce new foods one at a time and very slowly so that you can watch for digestive upset and adjust how quickly you are introducing the food, or stop it if you notice any signs of it causing problems. The exception to this rule is grass hay. Sudden introduction is usually well tolerated, with a few exceptions. If you introduce too many different foods at once, that makes it difficult to know which food is causing the problem. This is actually a pretty common mistake made.
 
JBun said:
Has the diarrhea cleared up and are his poops completely back to normal? Are you only feeding him the alfalfa hay right now? What specific new foods where you introducing at the time that this happened? Were any medications also being given? Are you noticing any signs from your rabbit that his digestion is still bothering him, any loud gurgling sounds or bloating?

Digestive problems happen sometimes with rabbits, even for experienced rabbit owners. Some rabbits just have a sensitive digestive system and it can easily be upset by food changes. It's always best to introduce new foods one at a time and very slowly so that you can watch for digestive upset and adjust how quickly you are introducing the food, or stop it if you notice any signs of it causing problems. The exception to this rule is grass hay. Sudden introduction is usually well tolerated, with a few exceptions. If you introduce too many different foods at once, that makes it difficult to know which food is causing the problem. This is actually a pretty common mistake made.
Click to expand...


Hello

Thank you for getting back to me. I put he has had diarrhea since saturday but no it was yesterday morning (sorry) after that he was fine and his poop even looked some what normal only slightly smaller not like a week ago !!! but this morning he again had a mess in his condo so I'm not sure why it only seems to happen in the morning ??? I did notice him eating his cecetropes last night and they were not runny.... I introduced a leaf of rommaine lettuce, but I think I was giving too much I feed him a full leaf for about 2 days ... and I changed his pellets from alfalfa to timothy hay... ( I did this because I wanted to get him eating a better quality pellet and no one around my area sell the oxbow alfalfa pellets) I only mixed in a little bit with his other pellets.

The vet did not give me any medications only critical care (which he eats very well) And yes he is still really gassy ( loud gurgling in his tummy ) that is why i am giving him the baby gas drops...

Thanks for the help !!!
 
Update :

The simethicone seems to be working... but this morning he was not comfortable until I gave him his gas drops after that he was jumping and following me around demanding I give him more hay !!! but the gurguling noises still worry me... I'm going to keep watching him until I can get him to the vet (unfortunately the rabbit savy vet is not in until thursday) For now I will try to keep him hydrated with a full tummy !!!
 
The loud gurgling sounds are a bit concerning. If there is a way to get him to the vet sooner, that would be a good idea, it may even be critical. Dangerous bacteria and/or parasites can sometimes start to occur when a rabbit has had a GI upset. They can produce dangerous toxins and can be the cause of the runny stool. Another result can be loud gurgling sounds and excessive gas. If this is the case, it would be best to get your rabbit to the vet right away. If you aren't sure, you could always phone the vet and tell them what is going on, and maybe bring a fecal sample in for them to test for bacteria/parasites. Your rabbit may need some medications to help get it under control if this appears to be the problem.

In the meantime, I would suggest feeding only hay(unless he's not eating on his own, then feed the critical care). Don't feed pellets, veggies, and especially any sugary or starchy foods as these can contribute to the bad bacterial overgrowth. You could try adding some timothy hay as the extra fiber may be helpful.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
 
JBun said:
The loud gurgling sounds are a bit concerning. If there is a way to get him to the vet sooner, that would be a good idea, it may even be critical. Dangerous bacteria and/or parasites can sometimes start to occur when a rabbit has had a GI upset. They can produce dangerous toxins and can be the cause of the runny stool. Another result can be loud gurgling sounds and excessive gas. If this is the case, it would be best to get your rabbit to the vet right away. If you aren't sure, you could always phone the vet and tell them what is going on, and maybe bring a fecal sample in for them to test for bacteria/parasites. Your rabbit may need some medications to help get it under control if this appears to be the problem.

In the meantime, I would suggest feeding only hay(unless he's not eating on his own, then feed the critical care). Don't feed pellets, veggies, and especially any sugary or starchy foods as these can contribute to the bad bacterial overgrowth. You could try adding some timothy hay as the extra fiber may be helpful.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
Click to expand...


Yes I agree with the gas and bacteria building up in his tummy ... The weird thing is the diarrhea is only in the mornings (when I'm sleeping at night and I don't give him his gas drops) I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the problem ...

Okay I will take the critical care away since he is definitely eating way more hay than before !!!

I would really like to not change his vet so I will give her a call !!!

Thanks again!!
 
The diarrhea only in the mornings could have to do with something he is fed the night before. Maybe critical care? Though critical care is a great recovery food for sick rabbits, it can on occasion, cause digestive upset as well. I have one rabbit that I can't give it to as it causes him to get mushy poop. Or it could be that it is just because that's when his cecotropes come and those are the only poops that are runny. As long as he is eating and drinking well on his own, there really isn't any need to feed the critical care, or to put him through the stress of feeding it to him.

If the vet will just let you bring in a fecal sample for testing, that may be the easiest thing to do. Then you won't have to stress your bun by taking him to the vet again. I think the best one to take in would be a sample of the runny poop, though I'm sure they will give you instructions on what to do.
 
Yes I do believe its his cecotropes that are runny in the morning because he will immediately start to lick his bum and the floor to eat them up ... a sample of that might be hard to get ... And yes I don't want to stress him out more

He doesn't like being touched or held much and when we took him to the vet he actually let us hold him (which scared me because I felt it showed how upset he was)

I at least want to get him some pain medicine or something else for his gas...

Thanks again !!!
 
Yes, definitely ask for metacam. The vet really should have given you some when your bun first had stasis, as controlling the pain is an important part in a rabbits recovery from it.
 
Update !!!

Well I spoke to the vet and she said that cecotropes that are loose in the morning are normal (when bunny is trying to balance for good flora) ?
she also said as long as he is eating them its okay ... never heard this before but I'm trusting she knows more than I do (obviously)

She did seem worried about the gas but suggested that I stop feeding critical care ( like Jbun suggested )
told me to offer more hay, Herbs, & dark leafy greens (but in very small small small amounts)...

I'm going to hold off on the dark leafy greens but just thought I would share that with you !!!

Thanks
 
Yes, unlimited timothy hay and water is the best course of action right now.

My bunny, Sweetie, gets gas once in awhile and I massage her tummy which makes her feel better.

It is not your fault that your bunny got sick. Just remember to introduce new foods slowly.
 
Sweetie said:
Yes, unlimited timothy hay and water is the best course of action right now.

My bunny, Sweetie, gets gas once in awhile and I massage her tummy which makes her feel better.

It is not your fault that your bunny got sick. Just remember to introduce new foods slowly.
Click to expand...


Thanks !!!

I know bunnies have sensitive stomachs but I feel like caused this upset ...

I will be introducing timothy or orchard grass hay (I think I'm alergic to timothy) later today for the added fiber !!!

I wish my bun would let me massage his tummy...:

me: petting and trying to massage his tummy
oatmeal : :grumpy: "NO!! Human slave don't touch me there !!!"

lol
 
The fact that he doesn't want a massage might be a good sign. I see a lot of accounts of buns who are usually protective of their tummies tolerating rubs when their gas is bad.

I know it's almost impossible to do anything about your emotions, but you feeling stressed and guilty might stress him out too. That's definitely what happened to me the one time Aria had a brush with GI stasis. I was so anxious that my husband had to send me out of the house just to give her a break.
 
I'm glad that you got to talk to the vet. It can be that as a rabbit is recovering from a digestive upset, the cecotropes will be mushy for a little while. More concerning though is if it is actual watery diarrhea along with loud gurgling, as it can also indicate a more serious problem. I guess just keep a close eye on your bun for any changes in behavior or health. If it were me, I wouldn't be trying to feed veggies either, especially since they may have been the cause of this latest GI upset, along with the fact that your rabbit isn't used to them. Not sure that is the best thing to be suggesting. Though veggies can be a helpful food for sick bunnies, it's best if they are already used to them and have no known problems with them. Hopefully you'll start seeing some improvement soon on just the hay and water.

Since your bun won't tolerate tummy massages, letting him run around is also helpful with gut movement and function. Better not to stress him trying to massage that belly if he won't tolerate it.
 
Thanks so much for everybuns input !!! I really appreciate it !!!:rabbithop

middlemuse I think I do need to tone down the emo in me .... and since I work during the day bun is at home stress free (while I'm in my office freaking out)

JBun Thanks so much for the helpful advice !!! Once I started to talk more to the vet we both came to the conclusion that the pellets are the problem. I had a feeling that the pellets where the reason he got sick last time and told her of my suspicion she immediately agreed because he got better once he was off of them. So now all I can do is hope that being off the pellets, critical care and veggies for a couple of days will help with the gas !!!

I will keep you guys updated once I get to see the vet !!!

Thanks Again!!!:hug2:
 
OH forgot to mention that he gets floor time every morning and afternoon/night !!! I have had him jumping/running up and down the stairs to get his gut moving !!!
 
Everyone has given you great advice! I just want to add veggies are more likely to be problematic than herbs in my experience, so I agree with holding off on the leafy greens. Cilantro/coriander is usually very good for tummies, you could slowly introduce that when Oatmeal is feeling better. Another safe herb I use is basil. You have to be sure to wash it thoroughly first though, I've found that herbs always seem to have pesticide residue.

Some people also add a small amount of apple cider vinegar in their bunny's water to encourage good gut flora, although I personally haven't tried this.
 
whiskylollipop said:
Everyone has given you great advice! I just want to add veggies are more likely to be problematic than herbs in my experience, so I agree with holding off on the leafy greens. Cilantro/coriander is usually very good for tummies, you could slowly introduce that when Oatmeal is feeling better. Another safe herb I use is basil. You have to be sure to wash it thoroughly first though, I've found that herbs always seem to have pesticide residue.

Some people also add a small amount of apple cider vinegar in their bunny's water to encourage good gut flora, although I personally haven't tried this.
Click to expand...


Thanks so much !!!

and yes I agree everyone has been great with their advice!!!

I will be trying cilantro when he is feeling better !!!

good advice on washing the basil thoroughly I usually wash my veggies very well especially if I feel it has a residue on them !!!
 
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