piperknitsRN
Well-Known Member
Olive is my ten month old Holland lop eared bunny. She is spayed and since about the middle of November of 2011 has been bonded to a bunny named Simon that I adopted from the humane society. She eats about a tablespoon of pellets a day, timothy hay, and greens, with occasional treats (usually given by my boyfriend) lately in the form of baby carrots. She is litter box trained and very docile.
Today, she was lying down in her X pen (kept in the kitchen) in a peculiar corner that wasn't normal for her. Since I had seen her eat her pellets this morning, I didn't think much of it, though even my boyfriend pointed it out to me. Around 530p.m., my boyfriend called me into the kitchen, saying he thought something was wrong--Olive was refusing carrots, which she normally loves.
I finally "put two and two" together and figured she might be in GI stasis--we picked her up, and her bottom was urine stained and had a soft poo smushed to her bottom. I surmise she was probably in a lot of pain and didn't bother to get up to use the litter box--and since I didn't see any fecal material around her where she was sitting (in the Xpen) I don't think she had been pooping, either.
Any way, my regular vet was closing for the day, so I took her to the emergency vet. I decided to let them keep her there overnight because her temp was "a little on the low side" so she could stay in the incubator, receive meds and fluids, and would have medical staff there if her condition got worse--rather than bring her home and try to play bunny nurse myself overnight. They called my vet to approve their treatment plan. Apparently my vet was, according to his partner, "in a class" after normal work hours, but they said they'd call me if something changed in the meantime.
I am very sad and feel guilty because I shrugged off her abnormal behavior this morning (sitting in that one spot for most of the day--I should have known better than to blow it off). I am glad my boyfriend tried to entice her with the carrots, because he thought something might be wrong with her. I would have never figured it out until I went to give them morning pellets, and by then, even more damage might have been done.
I am worried about my bunny, and worried about the bond between her and my other bunny, Simon. They have been bonded since mid-November of last year, and he wasn't allowed to stay with her overnight, so I'm afraid they might fight when she comes home (I brought him to the clinic with me, in the same carrier, but the vet wouldn't let him stay with her overnight and I had to respect the hospital's policy if I wanted to let her stay overnight, which I did, because she could get around-the-clock nursing and medical attention, and if she took a turn for the worse, they would be able to do something about it right away, without having to go back to the clinic in the middle of the night). I am also wondering how to clean her bottom/paws off as they are urine stained--another sign this afternoon that something was wrong with her, because she litter trained herself, more or less, and *always* uses the box. Except, apparently, when she's in too much distress.
I know lots of people on this forum have had their bunnies go through this... I make sure my bunnies have free choice timothy hay, limit their pellets and give them free-run time. I hope my bunny makes a turn around, although I heard this can be a slow process.
Today, she was lying down in her X pen (kept in the kitchen) in a peculiar corner that wasn't normal for her. Since I had seen her eat her pellets this morning, I didn't think much of it, though even my boyfriend pointed it out to me. Around 530p.m., my boyfriend called me into the kitchen, saying he thought something was wrong--Olive was refusing carrots, which she normally loves.
I finally "put two and two" together and figured she might be in GI stasis--we picked her up, and her bottom was urine stained and had a soft poo smushed to her bottom. I surmise she was probably in a lot of pain and didn't bother to get up to use the litter box--and since I didn't see any fecal material around her where she was sitting (in the Xpen) I don't think she had been pooping, either.
Any way, my regular vet was closing for the day, so I took her to the emergency vet. I decided to let them keep her there overnight because her temp was "a little on the low side" so she could stay in the incubator, receive meds and fluids, and would have medical staff there if her condition got worse--rather than bring her home and try to play bunny nurse myself overnight. They called my vet to approve their treatment plan. Apparently my vet was, according to his partner, "in a class" after normal work hours, but they said they'd call me if something changed in the meantime.
I am very sad and feel guilty because I shrugged off her abnormal behavior this morning (sitting in that one spot for most of the day--I should have known better than to blow it off). I am glad my boyfriend tried to entice her with the carrots, because he thought something might be wrong with her. I would have never figured it out until I went to give them morning pellets, and by then, even more damage might have been done.
I am worried about my bunny, and worried about the bond between her and my other bunny, Simon. They have been bonded since mid-November of last year, and he wasn't allowed to stay with her overnight, so I'm afraid they might fight when she comes home (I brought him to the clinic with me, in the same carrier, but the vet wouldn't let him stay with her overnight and I had to respect the hospital's policy if I wanted to let her stay overnight, which I did, because she could get around-the-clock nursing and medical attention, and if she took a turn for the worse, they would be able to do something about it right away, without having to go back to the clinic in the middle of the night). I am also wondering how to clean her bottom/paws off as they are urine stained--another sign this afternoon that something was wrong with her, because she litter trained herself, more or less, and *always* uses the box. Except, apparently, when she's in too much distress.
I know lots of people on this forum have had their bunnies go through this... I make sure my bunnies have free choice timothy hay, limit their pellets and give them free-run time. I hope my bunny makes a turn around, although I heard this can be a slow process.
