My bunny might be dying...

[s’moresthebunny123]

Hi guys. I have a 7 year old bunny named S’mores and he was my first pet ever. He used to live in a hutch outside but he has been free roam for quite some time now. I’m getting worried about him. Whenever i give him his veggies(spring mix with romaine lettuce and herbs) and1/4 cup of pellets he barley eats it. Usually he eats it all up right away. He also has been pooping wayyy less. There is usually a lot of poop piled in his litter box from just one night. Now there’s only a few poops for several days. He’s not eating his hay either. He’s not playing with his toys and seems really lazy. What can I do for him? Please help

 

[Hermelin]

Force feed him critical care and find a good vet to take a look at him. He really need a vet now.

 

[Blue eyes]

Sounds like he is having GI issues. Those can usually be fixed if treatment is sought right away.
Since it's already the evening there, you can offer him some baby gas drops. The drops won't hurt him and can only help him.
The baby gas drops (simethicone) for humans can be found at any wal-mart or pharmacy. You can administer :
1-2cc per hour for 3 hours, then 1cc every 3-8 hours as needed

I'd suggest doing this right now.

Then first thing in the morning, call a rabbit savvy vet and get an appointment booked for the same day. The one answering the phone may not be aware that rabbits need to be seen right away, so don't let them put it off to another day. A rabbit with what you describe needs help sooner than later.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I agree with what Blue eyes and Hermelin have said. Here is a link on Gi-stasis that helped me when Theo got sick: https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/.

 

[s’moresthebunny123]

Thank you all for your response. I can’t leave my house to take him to the vet because corona virus in my area right now. How can i force feed him? I don’t have any of those drops and can’t go out. I feel awful for him. I hope i’m not letting him down right now. Is there anything I can do at the moment? I can’t imagine my life without him. He nibbled on a carrot (his favorite treat) but left all his veggies and refused to eat hay. I still haven’t seen any poop in a few hours. I’m very worried now.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Start smacking hay in his face to get him to bite it away from you. Once he gets the taste in his mouth he might start eating it.

Do you have fennel seeds, peppermint tea, or camomile tea? You can brew the seeds or tea bags in hot water (NO HONEY) and after it cools you need to syringe it to your rabbit. It should help with gas. I'm typing up a Word doc with detailed instructions that I will post when I finish.

Do you have Critical Care? If not smash some pellets and mix them with water until you get a very watery mixture (like pancake batter). You need to syringe feed it to your rabbit 6 times a day until he starts eating on his own.

 

[bunnylove2024]

I completely agree with blue eyes and theo, please mix hay and pellets with water and syringe feed him. try to get as much water as you can into him. rub his stomach and keep him warm. try banana, it has a lot of fiber and could help! please look for @Theo instructions as they will help, theo has had it before. Also please be safe and stay healthy, but keep on taking care of your rabbit!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I have already mentioned some of this before but wanted to mention it again just to be safe.

Your bunny most likely has Gi-stasis. It is fatal if left untreated. There are several things you can do to get him through the night though. Please do all these things if possible.

- Get the rabbit to a vet. This needs to happen, but since you cannot get out of your house it might not be possible. Your rabbit has a high chance of dying if it is not taken to the vet. I cannot emphasize how much this rabbit needs to go to the vet.

- You can brew fennel seeds, peppermint tea, or chamomile tea in hot water and syringe feed it to your rabbit after it is cooled. NO HONEY. Syringe it to your rabbit every hour. These should help get gas out. It is a substitute for Infant Gas Drops.

- Give tummy massages. Massages help get gas bubbles out. Here is a link on how to do it properly: .

- Make your rabbit run around. It may be that you must push him around and make him mad in order to get him moving, but it will be worth it. Moving around will get his gut moving.

- Give fresh pineapple juice. It can help with dissolving hair in the intestines which could be clogging him up. If you don’t have fresh pineapple you can use canned pineapple, but it does not work as well.

- Syringe feed Critical Care 6 times a day. If you don’t have Critical Care you need to soak pellets in water until they are mushy. Then smash them in the water until you have a mixture the consistency of pancake batter.

- Cut Timothy Hay with scissors until the hay has turned to powder. It will be very long hard work, but it will be worth it in the end. Mix it with water until it is also the consistency of pancake mixture, and syringe feed it to your rabbit when you syringe feed it the pellet mixture.

- Syringe water 6 times a day. Fill a bowl with water so that the rabbit can drink freely. Add some apple juice or pineapple juice to make it more appealing.

- Give fresh veggies (Romaine lettuce, cilantro, parsley, and kale). Soak them in water for a minute and feed them to your rabbit while wet so your rabbit gets water. You can crush some pellets and put the pellet powder on the wet veggies.

- Order Critical Care and Infant Gas drops so that you can have them ASAP. Here are the links:
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Remed...ywords=infant+gas+drops&qid=1584239049&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FKACX...olid=1WPEFZJ54GMSE&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[s’moresthebunny123]

I have already mentioned some of this before but wanted to mention it again just to be safe.

Your bunny most likely has Gi-stasis. It is fatal if left untreated. There are several things you can do to get him through the night though. Please do all these things if possible.

- Get the rabbit to a vet. This needs to happen, but since you cannot get out of your house it might not be possible. Your rabbit has a high chance of dying if it is not taken to the vet. I cannot emphasize how much this rabbit needs to go to the vet.

- You can brew fennel seeds, peppermint tea, or chamomile tea in hot water and syringe feed it to your rabbit after it is cooled. NO HONEY. Syringe it to your rabbit every hour. These should help get gas out. It is a substitute for Infant Gas Drops.

- Give tummy massages. Massages help get gas bubbles out. Here is a link on how to do it properly: .

- Make your rabbit run around. It may be that you must push him around and make him mad in order to get him moving, but it will be worth it. Moving around will get his gut moving.

- Give fresh pineapple juice. It can help with dissolving hair in the intestines which could be clogging him up. If you don’t have fresh pineapple you can use canned pineapple, but it does not work as well.

- Syringe feed Critical Care 6 times a day. If you don’t have Critical Care you need to soak pellets in water until they are mushy. Then smash them in the water until you have a mixture the consistency of pancake batter.

- Cut Timothy Hay with scissors until the hay has turned to powder. It will be very long hard work, but it will be worth it in the end. Mix it with water until it is also the consistency of pancake mixture, and syringe feed it to your rabbit when you syringe feed it the pellet mixture.

- Syringe water 6 times a day. Fill a bowl with water so that the rabbit can drink freely. Add some apple juice or pineapple juice to make it more appealing.

- Give fresh veggies (Romaine lettuce, cilantro, parsley, and kale). Soak them in water for a minute and feed them to your rabbit while wet so your rabbit gets water. You can crush some pellets and put the pellet powder on the wet veggies.

- Order Critical Care and Infant Gas drops so that you can have them ASAP. Here are the links:
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Remed...ywords=infant+gas+drops&qid=1584239049&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FKACX...olid=1WPEFZJ54GMSE&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

thank you so much for the reply. i’ve massaged his tummy and gave him a warm water bottle. he seemed to like that. i saw him sniffing his food and hay but never really eating it. I tried to syringe feed him critical care but he refused!! i put him in a counter and tried to hold him but he jumped off and almost got hurt. then he thumped so i put him back after multiple tries. i’ve seen a few small black poops and i saw one oval shaped one(almost like two poops joined together) i haven’t seen him drink water and he won’t let me syringe it.

 

[bunnylove2024]

then you should keep up with the heat! I am glad you have critical care but keep trying, one of my boys wouldn't eat it for the first few hours and then he tried it and ate it all really fast... it helped him poop! don't give up!

 

[s’moresthebunny123]

then you should keep up with the heat! I am glad you have critical care but keep trying, one of my boys wouldn't eat it for the first few hours and then he tried it and ate it all really fast... it helped him poop! don't give up!

i kept trying and eventually he ate out of the syringe! not that much but he ate it! i heard his stomach making noises the first time he ate its after that i gave him water and now he’s eating his hay again! i’m so happy he’s ok now. he’s been pooping a lot more (still small and dark ones because he hasn’t had enough fiber). I hope he’s better by the morning. it’s almost 1 am and i think i’m going to bed now that i know he’s eating again.

 

[bunnylove2024]

that's a good idea, I am so glad he is better! I have been waiting to see how it goes so I'm going to bed too, but here it's only 11:50! I hope he is happy and healthy in the morning!

 

[s’moresthebunny123]

that's a good idea, I am so glad he is better! I have been waiting to see how it goes so I'm going to bed too, but here it's only 11:50! I hope he is happy and healthy in the morning!

Thanks for being so helpful! He’s having normal poops after eating hay and he finished all his salad this morning. I think he’s really doing a lot better. He’s really active too and doing his normal stuff(binkys, digging, and throwing toys). He’s 7 years old and hopeful he has many years to come.

 

[bunnylove2024]

That is great! I am so glad that we could help but it was mostly @Theo! Anyways I am so glad he is better, I hope you have a great night!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Thanks for being so helpful! He’s having normal poops after eating hay and he finished all his salad this morning. I think he’s really doing a lot better. He’s really active too and doing his normal stuff(binkys, digging, and throwing toys). He’s 7 years old and hopeful he has many years to come.

No problem! I didn't want you to lose your rabbit and figured I could help. I'm so glad he is better now! I hope he continues to improve.