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1BunBao

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[EMERGENT] Bunny Not Feeling Well

Hi everyone. It is my first time posting here and I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice.

My bunny (9 month old Netherlands Dwarf) has not eaten much since yesterday morning (6/10). The day prior (6/9), he jumped off the table, lost his footing, and landed on his right side onto the hardwood floor. He struggled to get up a bit, but recovered. He ran around (didn’t notice a limp) and continued to eat and drink and poop and pee like normal.

It wasn’t until yesterday morning that my family noticed that our bunny was not eating and drinking normally and was withdrawn. Refused to eat lettuce. Only ate a couple cilantros. So we took him to the vet. The vet didn’t feel any bone displacements/possible fractures and said it might be just soft tissue swelling. The vet also mentioned the odd behavior might be due to early GI stasis. This may have been instigated from the trauma/fall. The vet gave a dose of Buprenorphine, another pain medication as well, and some subQ fluids. We were sent home with pain meds and Critical Care.

He was really dazed coming home. Managed to give him a small piece of banana and mango and some cilantro. He peed a couple times and also pooped? They were all soft cecotropes.

We have an absolutely difficult time trying to syringe feed him Critical Care. He refused to be held and towel wrapped. I looked up other threads on Reddit and Youtube videos for tips, but it hasn’t worked out. Only success was giving him his pain med. I’ve been trying to give him Critical Care this whole day. I don’t want to make him more stressed than he already is.

I don’t know what to do and am at a complete loss right now. I feel discouraged, but I really do not want to lose my bunny. He is still running away from us as we try to handle him. Also still grooming himself. When we leave him alone, he jumps on the second tier of his cage and stays there.

Wondering if my bunny can still be drowsy after receiving the Buprenorphine? He received his dose around noon. It has been 15 hours.

I’m currently running on very little sleep. I can’t sleep at all worrying about my bunny. I just managed to get him two cilantros and half a lettuce. He ate very little hay. I kept putting the food at his mouth and he kept pushing them away.
 
I don’t want to make him more stressed than he already is.


You'll have to jump over your shadow there, this is not the time to feel sorry. I can't wrap my bunnies either (about 10lbs), I placed them on my lap, facing me and putting really small amounts of food from the side behind the front teeth. I let them bite away at my winter jacket (got some bruises anyway), and continued when they calmed, such a session took 10-20 minutes.

The thing is, they didn't hold a grudge. One doe, 7yo, allowed me to pet her after that episode was over, never did that before. Don't worry about stressing him.
 
You'll have to jump over your shadow there, this is not the time to feel sorry. I can't wrap my bunnies either (about 10lbs), I placed them on my lap, facing me and putting really small amounts of food from the side behind the front teeth. I let them bite away at my winter jacket (got some bruises anyway), and continued when they calmed, such a session took 10-20 minutes.

The thing is, they didn't hold a grudge. One doe, 7yo, allowed me to pet her after that episode was over, never did that before. Don't worry about stressing him.
Thank you. I will definitely try again. After he ate the cilantros and lettuce, he had some cecotropes again. He’s running around now and grooming himself.
 
Hm, could have been drowsy to the medication for sure. It sounds like he's recovering if he's able to start eating and hopefully his poops become regular again.

Just a side note: Try to focus more on the hay. I would lay off the fruits temporarily until his stomach is feeling better. Keep some gas drops (simethicone) at hand. When I notice that my rabbit hasn't pooped in awhile, I give her some to help her stomach. 1cc (20mg/ml suspension) can be given orally as often as every hour for 3 hours and then 1cc every 3-8 hours but I've been lucky enough to only give her one dose before she starts pooping again. If you also feed mint, it'll help with digestion also.
 
Hm, could have been drowsy to the medication for sure. It sounds like he's recovering if he's able to start eating and hopefully his poops become regular again.

Just a side note: Try to focus more on the hay. I would lay off the fruits temporarily until his stomach is feeling better. Keep some gas drops (simethicone) at hand. When I notice that my rabbit hasn't pooped in awhile, I give her some to help her stomach. 1cc (20mg/ml suspension) can be given orally as often as every hour for 3 hours and then 1cc every 3-8 hours but I've been lucky enough to only give her one dose before she starts pooping again. If you also feed mint, it'll help with digestion also.
Thank you! Will be getting those gas drops today. I have been him giving him belly messages and he seems to tolerate them well.
 
Thank you! Will be getting those gas drops today. I have been him giving him belly messages and he seems to tolerate them well.
He does better than my rabbit then. She doesn't like her belly massaged by me (but she will by my ex lol). The gas drops definitely give them a little boost in pooping. Best of luck!
 
This may help with syringe feeding:

Thank you!
He let out a stinky fart! Lol. Just got some Simethicone and will give it to him when I get back home. Will continue with the belly massages too. He pooped a little more today. Early morning, there were some cecotropes. About an hour ago, he had some form ones but they are still small.
 
This may help with syringe feeding:

My bun hates to be held and she recently had a bad bout of GI. Had to have meds for 7 days 3x a day plus Critical Care. I found the technique of letting her stay on the ground to be very helpful. It also ended my fear of her hurting her spine when she struggled while I tried to hold her. You can also add in a towel over top of him while he is on the ground. Just to help contain all the limbs. Good luck, and keep him nourished and moving around.
 
My bun hates to be held and she recently had a bad bout of GI. Had to have meds for 7 days 3x a day plus Critical Care. I found the technique of letting her stay on the ground to be very helpful. It also ended my fear of her hurting her spine when she struggled while I tried to hold her. You can also add in a towel over top of him while he is on the ground. Just to help contain all the limbs. Good luck, and keep him nourished and moving around.
Thank you! And thank you everyone for your replies! My bunny is doing a lot better than yesterday! He’s running around and chasing us like he would do.
 
Thank you! And thank you everyone for your replies! My bunny is doing a lot better than yesterday! He’s running around and chasing us like he would do.
Good news I am glad he's all good. Late to the party only see your thread now, sorry.
 

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