need advice

[tracey27]

hi.....just had this site recommended to me...hope someone can help
we have a 7 week old dwarf lop, 5 days ago we noticed he wasnt leaving any droppings or eating anything, so we bought him indoors. we have been syringing water,infacol and calpol into him since then. a couple days ago he started to eat a bit of hay and a dandelion leaf and has started to drink water from his bottle. today we found some droppings in his cage(the first in 5 days!)...he is not his usual lively self although he is moving around a lot more than he was. our concern is that is belly looks very swollen...it has been swollen since friday but doesnt feel as hard as it did...he is eating small amounts and we are keeping check on his fluid intake...what else can we do...what is wrong with our bunny

 

[ellissian]

Hi so glad you joined.

Can someone please move this to the infirmary so it can get more replies, thanks

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

ellissian wrote:

Can someone please move this to the infirmary so it can get more replies, thanks

Ok, I moved this for this new member.

Maybe gas? Let's see what others have to say, it could be a range of things in a bun of this age.

Welcome to the forum, we're glad to have you. I hope your bun will be okay.


Oh, and could you please add your location to your profile so that we can help you more efficiently? Location matters in what we can tell you what to get for your bun, vets, things like that. Thanks!

 

[ellissian]

Thanks Crystal.

 

[tracey27]

thankyou

 

[Haley]

Hi Tracey and welcome to RO

When you listen to his belly, do you hear any gurgling noises? Try gently massaging his tummy in a front to back motion. You can even lift up a tad as you pull your hands back to see if you feel any relief of gas. This should help if it isgas.

So he is eating a little when you offer it to him? And pooping a little?

If it is gas (you can usually hear a gurgle) the simethicone should work. You will also want to be sure he is eating and drinking, even if you have to syringe it to him. You can make a pellet slurry by watering the pellets down. Children's pedialyte works well to hydrate.

Is there no way you can get him to a vet? Im just a little concerned that this has been going on for a few days now.A rabbit savvy vet would be able to listen to hear whether its gas or a blockage.

Also, why calpol? I just did a quick internet search and it looks like childrens cough syrup or something??

 

[ellissian]

Infacol has simeticone in it. Calpol is childrens paracetamol, is this safe?

 

[tracey27]

today we started to hear a slight gurgle in his tummy ....before that we heard nothing...infacol is a baby gas relief so we will keep on using that...calpol is a baby pain relief which we have been using in very small doses.
he is eating a small bit of hay but prefers to eat dandelion leaves but i am unsure whether we should be giving these to him at the moment. we saw droppings for the first time in 5 days today, they are soft and to begin with were covered in mucus although thats gone now.

 

[Haley]

I dont know anything about Calpol. I wouldnt use it until we know for sure (anyone in the UK help here?).

Sounds like stasis or gas if hes eating just a little and had some mucous covered poops today. Keep with the belly rubs and gas meds (you can give about 1cc every couple hours for today an then taper off tomorrow if it gets better).

Dandelion greens should be fine, basically you want him to eat anything to get his system moving at this point. Try to get him to eat some hay as well. And if he wont eat pellets on his own, try wetting them down and syringing some into him. Keep him hydrated too, this is important.

If he's eating and pooping even a little thats a good sign, but you have to keep him eating/drinking to keep his GI tract moving.

This is what I would do if I couldnt get the bun to the vet to be sure...

 

[Haley]

I see calpol recommended by someone on rabbitrehome, but Im not finding anything else to back it up. Looks like its used as a pain relief.

Also, forgot to mention that while buns have recovered from being in stasis for longer than this, its probably getting a bit critical at this point. Work fast to get some food/water in him and get him pooping over the next day or so..

 

[ellissian]

This is the best info I can find on Calpol if it's the 2 month + one.

http://www.mypharmacy.co.uk/medicines/medicines/c/calpol/calpol_infant_suspension_sf.htm

Sorry about the huge URL

Even if the vets in your area are not rabbit savvy they should still stock Science Recovery food, which should help him.

 

[RexRabbit]

Hello

I would suggest you get your baby Rabbit to a Vet ASAP.

Calpol contains paracetamol. This is extremely toxic to the Liver. When a Bunny stops eating his Liver function is quickly affected so Paracetamol really is not safe to use.

Also, if the Bunny's guts have stopped working oral medication will not be absorbed by the GI tract into the bloodstream. So repeated doses of Calpol will just remain in the stomach until such time as the GI tractstarts working again. Then ALL the Calpol will be absorbed, over-dosing the Bunny

A Bunny who has not eaten or pooped for more than 12 hours really needs Veterinary attention as the correct medication needs to be administered via injection

If your Bunny is now eating and pooping then I would give him some probiotics. Fibreplex is good as it has both pre and probiotics plus added fibre.

http://www.petvetcare.co.uk/acatalog/Small_Animals_Pets.html

Scroll down on above link and you'll find it.

Once again please do get your Baby Bun to a Vet today. Tummy problems in Baby Buns can become very serious. A 'pot belly' might be the result of bloat or possibly coccidiosis. If Baby develops diarrhoea the latter is more likely

Good luck and I really hope your Baby gets better very soon

Janex

 

[ellissian]

She has telephoned her local vet who advised her it was best to put the bun to sleep and not waste her money. So you can understand her not wanting to visit these particular vets.

Does anyone know of a rabbit-savvy vet in her area?

How is your little boy doing this morning?

 

[tracey27]

hes still fighting,we made sure he was eating and drinking all night. he looks a little fed up, but this might have something to do with being in the small indoor cage hes in...when i let him out he bounded all over the floor. he likes to climb on me and lick my face not sure why.

 

[Spring]

I searched rabbit savvy vets in Wiltishire and came up with these.. any within driving distance to get to? Maybe even just to give thema call?

http://www.bunnymail.co.uk/vets.html

Great Western Referrals



[*]Dr. Mark Kombert DVM and Dr. Vanessa Morey MRVCS
Glenleigh veterinary surgery
Wingfield Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 9EW
Tel. 01225 754021


[*]Dr. Jayne Gibbons
Harris, Hill & Warner
4 Paxcroft Way
Trowbridge Wiltshire
BA14 7DG
Tel: 01225 760630


[*]Thameswood Small Animal Hospital
62-64 Purton Road
Swindon
Wiltshire
Tel: 01793 526780

How is the little one doing? Lots of hugs, thoughts, and love being sent your way.

 

[ellissian]

tracey27 wrote:

hes still fighting,we made sure he was eating and drinking all night. he looks a little fed up, but this might have something to do with being in the small indoor cage hes in...when i let him out he bounded all over the floor. he likes to climb on me and lick my face not sure why.

He is telling you he loves you by grooming you and licking your face.

I'm so glad he is still fighting, is he still passing poops?

 

[Raspberry82]

I sure hope your bunny is going to be ok. Keep us update on how he's doing

 

[Flashy]

How sad

Like someone else said, there are loads of things that can cause this in a baby.

I'm not sure if feeding the dandelion is a great thing to do though. It's good that he is eating it, but that could cause gas problems or other baby related problems because fresh foods can do that with babies if they are not used to it, or not introduced to it gradually.

Does your baby like hay? Maybe you could try different types and see if he prefers one type more than another and might be more inclined to eat that.

I'm not too sure if it applies with babies, or in this situation, but generally with stomach problems people advise others to make sure the bunny is eating hay and drinking lots of water. You could also try making a pellet slurry by crushing the pellets and soaking them in hot water, leaving it to cool, and then feeding it (via syringe if necessary).

If none of those rabbit savvy vets are within striking distance, maybe try calling your local rescue and ask what vets they use and if they can recommend anyone that is good with rabbits.

I really hope you babe keeps fighting.

Keep us updated

 

[tracey27]

we spoke to a vet...he said he would see us but as we live so far away the stress might be too much for our rabbit...but he also said that we are doing the right thing by using infacol,and told us to also put some probiotic in his water,which we have done.he said it was probably down to what we have been doing so far that has kept our rabbit going.
there are more droppings in his cage although they are still quite soft,we have also just bought some timothy hay which he has had a nibble on...he is a little fighter and we are not giving up on him....we have managed to get him pooping again..now we need to try to sort out his little fat belly.....

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

Your rabbit is going thru a very difficult weaning. The gut is doing it's conversion from a baby gut to an adult gut. The climate in the GI is quite different as the bun weans. If you look back at some of my previous postings, you will see I reference lots of issues back to my work as a rehabber for wild rabbits. The dreaded gut conversion is when most rehabbers lose their cottontails and the difficulty in getting thru that is why many refuse cottontails.

To try to compress a very complicated situation into something readable, a baby's gut pH is neutral or thereabout. The bacteria that helps digest the food starts to establish and grow. During weaning, the pH in the gut changes drasically and starts going acidic. The pH in an adult gut is 1-2. The quick change in climate results in a die off of the beneficial bacteria. It's like how the first cold weather of the year changes the leaves on plants...in a simple explanation. The die off will result in a slow down of the gut...few poops...a form of what we call "stasis". The mucous passing with the poops now are an indication of a bacterial imbalance in the GI tract. The body produces the mucous in an attempt to protect the lining of the GI tract. The bacteria that is being killed off starts to decay and produces gas....which will cause bloat and pain. The die off will also allow harmful bacteria...such as e coli and clostridium to grow....they are related to tetanus and botulism and can be fatal.

Simethicone and hydration are the two most important issues to help overcome this issue. Simethicone will change the surface tension of the gas bubbles and allow them to pass. Hydration requires no explanation. If the rabbit is dehydrated..and that is very likely.....sub-q fluids would be in order to help replace the electrolytes that have been lost. Tummy massages are helpful. And keep the rabbit warm and use supplemental heat if necessary. Their body temp will drop during these events and it will go into shock. In rescue, we use an antibiotic that specifically targets the types of harmfulbacteria that usually grow in these situations.

This condition should be considered an emergency and quite honestly, very few vets understand the forces at work here and how to deal with them. This causes severe pain in which the rabbits sees as an attack and it's body will react as programmed by nature and sometimes that is not a good thing. Please PM me if you would like more detailed information. Good luck.

Randy