Not acting right---very sick bunny (Resolved)

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Fynnagin

Well-Known Member
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Feb 9, 2009
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Location
DFW area, Texas, USA
- Location-- Dallas Texas

- Description (Breed, color., weight) Mini-lop mix, gray, about 5 pounds

- Age-Unknown, was abandoned, maybe a year or so

- spayed/neutered? neutered

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? he has urinated but he peed on himslefand is pooping outside of box---completely abnormal
- When did they last use their litterbox? just peed on himself now
- Any unusual behavior? yes, not moving,not very responsive

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? was abandoned at my vet in June, ahd full physical and neutere then

- Diet - what does your bunny eat? unlimited timothy hay, unlimited water, lessthan 1/4 cup pellets every other day
- when and what did s/he eat last? hasn't touched pellets, unknown on the hay, did eat a leaf of romaine lettuce about an hour ago

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach? no

- has the rabbit been outdoors? yes




Logan was fine last night, seemed a little off this morning, noticed he has not really eaten any hay, not drinking water. I have tried to syringe him pedialyte but he will not swallow it. I have simethicone but since I can't get him to drink the pedialyte how am I supposed to get him to take it. He does not care if i lay him on his side or back, he does not right himslef and he does not seem to care at all.
 
So I have been syringe feeding pedialyte, don't know how much he is actually drinking. Gave 1 cc simethicone. Husband is on the way to get fresh pineapple juice. Talked to vet, she said massage belly, give pineapple juice, I can pick up metacam or buprenex if I need too. I put him on spin cycle on washer to move any air bubbles, have been rubbing tummy. He seems a little more alert. She told me to get him moving as well, so I had him run around the yard, he didn't seem to mind that and he is not standing hunched up.
 
I can not offer any advice...

But I do offer you my thoughts and wishes that everything turns out ok...




 
Hydration is very important with a bunny who is not eating. Hydration will help any impactions loosen up and start moving. Also, a thirsty bunny will not eat.

Keep trying to get fluids into him. Fresh pineapple juice is good, and some more pedialyte if possible. You can give 1cc of simethicone per hour for 3 hours. If he's got some gas (which can be painful), then that will help him get it out.

If he's not taking in much fluids, you may need to get him in to a vet to get some Sub-Q fluids (under the skin).

Also, peeing outside the litter box or a sudden change in litter box habits can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, which can be very painful. A rabbit in pain also does not eat.

I would try to get a urine sample to the vets to be tested for infection. I also think getting some pain meds into him might help as well, but most pain meds require the bunny to be well hydrated to avoid kidney damage.

--Dawn

PS: You can also soak any veggies in water before feeding if he's still taking vegetables. This will help boost his hydration.
 
Thanks, he is no longer taking veggies. Just gave him a break from all the syringing and belly rubbing. He does run around when I take him out in the yard. He is resting right now. Will give more simethicone in a few minutes. Then I am on my way to vet's to pick up pain meds, and bag of fluids.
 
If you can give sub-q fluids on your own, then all the better. I would definitely be giving him some.

What kind of pain medication is the vet giving you? Any other medications?

--Dawn
 
No advice....just offering support. Behr was 'off' last night, so I know the stress and worry a sick bunny can cause. In our case, it was gas and he's 100% now.

I hope Logan is doing better.
 
Gave him SQ fluids, he has Buprenex for pain meds, he just got that. Going to try to temp him with some cilantro and parsley--his favorite veggies.
 
Sounds like you're doing good. Personally I wouldn't try to treat a lethargic/nonresponsive on my own, but pain meds, gas meds, and hydration should help a lot. Pineapple juice can be good in moderation because it has some sugar--that can be good to get the blood sugar back up, but too much sugar can cause gut microbial imbalance. Another better option that you can give a lot of is pedialyte.

Simethicone is a gas medicine and you can find it in baby gas medicine, usually store brand or Mylicon. The liquid formations are dosed at 1mL/hr for the first 3 hours, then take 3hrs off and you can give another dose. You can also do gentle belly massages and offer a heat source. A heating pad (supervised), pop bottle with hot water, or uncooked rice in a sock microwaved a few min are good source.

Make sure he's a normal temp. It's best if you can take a rectal temp (see http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html ), but you can get an idea for if he's hot or cold by feeling his ears. Obviously not as good as a real temp, but it can help. If he's really hot you can cool him down with ice packs or letting him lie on a tile floor (don't make him sit on the packs). Warm towels can also help warm him up.

Good luck--if he gets unresponsive, I'd take him in--they can give oxygen and other stuff.
 
Oh, I'm not treating him alone. I have 3 different vets that I have been in contact with.

He has had 3 doses of simethicone and 3 hand belly rubs along with 2 washer spin cycles and 3 dryer massages.

He is doing much better now. He is fighting me for syringe feeding, he drank some pedialyte from his bowl on his own. He still isn't eating hay but he did eat some of the veggie puree I made for him. And he has pooped 8 poop berries, they are small but they exist which is much better than earlier when there was none at all.

He is due for more fluids in about an hour and more pain meds as well.

Keeping my fingers crossed and being cautiously optimistic.
 
Well, so much for more fluids.....he is NOT about to let that happen, he will not be still and is desperately trying to get away from me. I gave him a lot of SQ fluids when I gave them to him earlier so I decided since he is able to put up such a fight and I can still feel some of his fluids that have not absorbed yet I will wait until tomorrow when I have help. He also peed and pooped again(only a few, but at least there is poop.)
 
So he did not eat any hay last night, he might have drank some pedialyte or just ran into the bowl and spilled it I am not sure.

He is very active, but he is acting like he can't see. He is running into things and very "reckless" when he hops around. It is like he went blind overnight.

I am so confused.
 
Not sure yet, I have called but had to leave a message. Waiting for a return call now.

Just gave him more fluids and offered fresh veggies. He ate 3 leaves of red leaf lettuce, 4 sprigs of parsley, 5 springs of cilantro. Did not give pain meds because he was fighting me and I did not want to overly stress him, plus if he is eating on his own I am guessing he is not in pain, he shows no outward signs of pain like he did yesterday.
 
I have never experienced a rabbit having symptoms like those you are describing.

I have one bunny who has a cataract in his left eye. That seemed to show up rather quickly, but it does leave a grey film over the eye.

I hope your vet gets back to you quickly. It really sounds like you are doing as much as you can for the guy. Perhaps there is something else going on besides just an upset tummy.

--Dawn
 
Thank you for your insight Randy, I really appreciate it!!!

He is resting/sleeping now. I am going to give him a few hours and then go from there.

Talked to vet, she said he could have some other issue besides just stasis...could be E.Cuniculi but she needs to see him first. I will take him tomorrow if he is not doing much better.

For now, I am moitoring closely and making sure he eats some. His eyes are not cloudy, red, irritated, there is no discharge and he was squiting earlier but does not seem to be now.
 
Sorry I wasn't on earlier. I worry that his eyesight might be bad because he's not getting enough food in, etc. It's good that he's fighting you though. It's also possible that he has an inner ear infection causing the balance issues, and the pain from that caused him to stop eating. I hope you can get him to the vet soon.

E cuniculi doesn't usually come on so quickly--it's a bit more of a slowly degenerating disease, and usually starts with hind leg paralysis and urine issues. EC can cause neurological issues, but those are usually only in the late stages of the disease. Vets often point to EC as the cause of any neurological symptom.
 
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