Sick Bunny- cool ears and laying all stretched out

[alice_the_bunny]

I have a 2.5 year old female Netherland dwarf rabbit (Alice). About 3 weeks ago she ate some carpet (which has been slowly working it's way out) and has been battling with with GI problems since. She's not been eating the amount she would normally eat and she's being very picky when she does eat (eating her favorites of Kale, romaine, celery, and an occasional blueberry or bite of banana). Since she's not been eating much I've been giving her Oxbow Critical Care to help supplement her lack of nutrition. She's ignoring her hay and pellets that she would normally be munching on all day long. We've been to the vet twice now and she did seem to be getting better over the last few days producing more poop and eating a little more, however this evening almost all of the sudden she got cold (ears feel cool) and she's been laying all stretched out with her tummy on the floor, she'll move around but then lay and stretch out again. The vet said both times her GI was making good movement noises but gave her Reglan to help. She's off the Reglan now just on some Critical Care food. She has lost weight in the last week or so and I know it's because she's not eating as much as normal but I can't seem to get her completely back to normal. I did give her warm water bottles to lay next to. I'm very concerned and I have to rabbit vets near me but I can't get to them until morning. Any suggestions to get her through the night?

 

[JBun]

It's important for a rabbit to be warm before you feed, so if the warm water bottles aren't helping warm her up, then you could also try warm towels. So, has she stopped pooping as well? Is she bloated, cause bloating needs immediate vet attention. Do you have any metacam for her? That would really help. Simethicone may help as well. 1cc(20mg/ml) every hour for 3 hours, then every 3-8 hours as needed. Tummy massages may also help.

Here's some additional info on stasis.

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

 

[alice_the_bunny]

She's been popping but not enough. She wasn't at all last week so it's getting better, and it looks better than it did, just not the volume we're use to. I'll try the towels too, thanks. No metcam on hand, I'll have to wait until morning. She's just never felt cold like this before and she's been going through this for almost 3 weeks now. I thought she was doing so much better this week

 

[JBun]

That is good that she is still pooping, even if it isn't very much. Try the simethicone. If she has some gas, then it will help, and she may start eating again on her own. It took my rabbit that had stasis, about two weeks to finally get back to normal, but his stasis was caused by stress. Have you been checking her poop to see if she passed the carpet fiber yet? If not then it could still be working it's way out. Did you gradually wean her off the Reglan, as a sudden stop could cause the digestive problems to flare back up?

I have a few suggestions for when she is eating again on her own. Because the gut slows down with GI stasis, it's best to avoid sugary starchy things, as it can cause an overgrowth of bad bacteria, which will make the stasis worse. Leafy greens are really good, as well as grass hay. In fact, it might be good to also decrease or even stop pellets for now, and then gradually reintroduce them back in when she is feeling better. Pellets also have grains and sugars in them that can also contribute to gut slow down. Unlimited grass hay(non grain hay) is really the best thing for a rabbit with this, as the fiber really helps get the gut moving well. With my rabbit, I had to take him completely off pellets, as the stasis caused permanent damage to his digestive system, and now he can't tolerate pellets, or sugars and carbs any more. So he is on a hay and veggie diet now.

Also, you may want to ask the vet about getting some metacam suspension, to have on hand for this, as it is really important to have to control the pain when they aren't feeling well, and hellps get them started eating again on their own.

 

[tonyshuman]

How is she today? The behavior sounds like gas pains, which could be treated with simethicone. Is her fluid intake ok? Warm fluids might help in a situation like what you described. I also sometimes give my bunnies a bowl of pedialyte when I am worried about their GI as it is tasty and very good for hydration. I would also try probiotics as part of returning her GI system to normal.