Ripley is very lethargic- Help!

[Bunnylova4eva]

Tonight when I went up to get ready for bed, I went to let Ripley out of his pen for his nightly run around the house. He's never refused this, and, usually he chews on the bars all day long to get let out. He is pooping and I'm not sure about eating so much, just gave him his dinner. I offered him lettuce which he loves, and he wouldn't touch it. I'm really worried about him. He's 1 1/2 yrs. old. As of morning he ate his breakfeast and seemed ok. Now he's flat out refusing to come out of his pen, just laying down each time I try to get him out-all flopped out. Help! Thanks!

 

[JBun]

Do you hear any gurgling from his stomach, and how does his stomach seem, is it bloated at all, does it feel firm? How are his poops looking, normal, really small, irregular? You are going to want to make sure he is still pooping? You'll want to clean out the litter box so you can keep an eye on it. If he is severely bloated, don't give him anything and get to him to a vet immediately! If he's not bloated or just slightly, there are a few things that may help. Don't feed him any sugars or carbs, you may even want to stop pellets, and just try and get him to eat lots of hay and non cruciferous leafy greens. If he drinks from a bottle, give him a water dish. It's very likely he is experiencing gas pain, which is causing the discomfort. You can give him some simethicone(infant gas relief), 1cc each hour for 3 hours, then 3-8 hours as needed. If you have any metacam leftover, give him some of that too. If he's not drinking, syringe him some water. It's important to get the gas pain under control and keep him hydrated. If he's gone more than 12 hours without food and you have some critical care, you may want to start syringe feeding him. Belly massages and letting him run around(if he will) can help too. If his condition changes and worsens, you'll want to get him to a vet. Here's some additional info on GI stasis.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

thanks! As of the other evening he started doing much better after I gave some simethicone. However, I just woke up to find him back to the same odd behavior. Time to bring out the simethicone. I've dealt with stasis before plenty, I'm just not used to it happening in a young bunny like Ripley.

 

[JBun]

You'll want to try and figure out if it's maybe something he is eating that is causing the gas pain to come back. With my rabbit, I noticed that right after he ate his pellets, he started laying down and squinting, like his belly was bothering him. I ended up having to take him off pellets, and haven't had any more stomach problems with him since. Sometimes it's too many carbs, and even some veggies can cause problems as well. If you eliminate food as being the problem, he may have a medical or dental issue causing the problem.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Update:
I hurried Ripley into the vet this morning, he looked horrible. They gave him a Vitamin B injection, Sub Q Fluids and Metaclopramide. He's doing alot better now and they said to keep him off his pellets for now and just on hay and give veggies as well. I think the problem may come from the fact that people in my faimly give him things that he shouldn't have like lots of dried fruits (Papaya, Cherries, Blueberries, Appricot, and Cranberries). I think that over time hasn't been good, but we'll see. The vet did see a bit of redness in Ripley's mouth so there could be the start of dental disease.

 

[HEM]

We are hoping the best for Ripley and a speedy and healthy recovery.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I'm curious if anyone knows what probably caused this with him..?
The Dr. did see some redness in his mouth so there could be something with the teeth going on but that's undecided. Other than that, I don't know why he ended up with stasis.

 

[tonyshuman]

It's definitely good to look into the cause of stasis since it doesn't usually happen for no reason. Was there any stress in his environment? A change in the daily routine? A new vegetable introduced? I am not sure how much redness your vet is talking about, because I wouldn't want to eat at all if my teeth were cutting into my tongue or cheeks even just a little bit. You also mentioned other people feeding him sugary things, which could have caused a bacterial imbalance in his gut, and that could have caused gas and stasis for sure.

 

[Imbrium]

aww, I'm sorry ripley's not feeling well - I hope he gets better soon! I'd also recommend giving him a probiotic, just to make sure everything is in balance