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  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

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    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

URGENT- Cocoa Puff

B

brigitte

Warren Scout
Hi,

I took my spayed mini-lop doe, Cocoa Puff, to the vet six days ago due to a hair loss problem. She gave her a Corizone injection and sent her home. Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that she was not eating or pooping normally - very little on both. Today, all she would eat was a couple bites of a banana and she drank a little pineapple juice. She also had a papaya tablet last night. She still is not pooping much at all. I will be taking her back to the vet as soon as they open in the morning.

Is there anything I can do in the meantime? I mixed up some water-soaked pellets with a little bit of banana and some pineapple juice but she isn't interested. I'm afraid force-feeding her will stress her out more than what it's worth, especially if its GI Stasis, which is what it's looking like.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,


Brigitte
 
Can you have a gentle feel of her tummy to see if it is bloated? Give it a gentle rub, down towards her tail and get her to run around a bit to try and keep her tummy moving. Keep trying to tempt her with food. Is she trying to eat? Or is she just not interested at all? When Luuna had teeth problems, she tried to eat but couldn't because it hurt her, so get the vet to check her teeth too. If shes losing a lot of fur then she might be ingesting it which could cause stasis. Try to get her to drink too, this will keep the stomach contents moist and moving. Like you said, get her to the vets as soon as you can tomorrow. I hope she will be ok :)
 
The best thing you can do for her over night is to give her some Infacol, gentle tummy rubs and try to encourage her to run about a bit to get the guts moving again.

Syringe feed her some water or water mixed with pure fruit juice (not OJ) just to make sure she stays hydrated through the night. If you have probiotics in the house mixing that in will help to.

Have you tried tempting her with spring greens or grated carrot?
 
Hi everyone,

I took Cocoa to the vet today. She's down to 6 pounds - normally around 8 pounds. They took x-rays and her liver is enlarged and hard to the touch. The doctor is pretty sure she has liver disease or liver cancer. He gave her an injection of vitamins and I brought her home - I just couldn't make that dreaded decision today. I bought her some kale (her favorite) and some of her favorite treats. Her bottom is also swollen and she has what looks like a small scrotum although she is a spayed doe.

I need some advice here from some of the experts or anyone who has had this diagnosis with any of their buns. I need to make a decision but would like some advice first. I don't want her to suffer. She's still not eating much at all and no noticeable poops. She is urinating - she's pretty much incontinent and was never like that before.

Thanks,


Brigitte
 
Has your vet considered Encephalitozoon Cuniculi as a possible cause of the liver problems?

It has been known to manifest in liver/kidney disfunction, excessive drinking nd urination and also incontinence?

EC is treated with Fenbendazole and in some studies also with steroids *but* it will only stop progression not undo any damage already caused :(
 
Thanks for your reply, Sooz. I lost a bun to EC last January but she has none of the symptoms he displayed - loss of balance, head tilt, blindness. I guess I didn't even consider that the problems she's having could be due to EC.

I will be checking back in with the vet in the morning to let him know how she's doing and will ask about EC.

She did lick some strawberry yogurt from my finger tonight (I know, rabbits are lactose intolerant, but it's the only thing I can get her to eat) and she is resting comfortably right now.

I'll give you an update tomorrow after I speak to the vet.

Thanks again,


Brigitte
 
EC causes lesions in various parts of the body and where they are effect the symptoms so two rabbit might not have the same ones. More on EC here: http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/ecuniculi.htm

It could also be that the not eating is a secondary symptom of something else so while your investigating that getting her eating will help. You could try fruit/vegetable baby foods, if she'll take that add probiotics and recovery mix (the powder you make up with water to syringe feed). Alternatively mushed up pellets work. Is she drinking still? If not adding apple juice to her water might encourage that. You can try syringing water (mixed with apple juice if you like) and see how she goes with that then add more solid stuff. You might find you can kick start her guts working. Sometimes a couple of syringe feeds are enough to get them eating again.

Tam
 
Did you have the rabbit you lost in January at the same time as Cocoa puff?

As Tamzin says no two rabbits will display the same EC symptoms....infact some never go onto develop problems and instead 'carry' the infection.
 
Urgent-Cocoa Puff - Update

Just wanted to let everyone know that Cocoa is being treated with Panacur. The vet doesn't think she has E.C., but said it couldn't hurt to try this treatment considering what the alternatives are.

She will eat baby food and pedialyte from a spoon and seems more alert today - she had her first dose of panacur last night. Still no poops, but I'm hoping that will change today. I gave her a nice belly rub last night.

Yes, I had Cocoa Puff when Mr. Buns contracted E.C. and passed away. I also have five other buns which I had at that time. They are doing fine.

As always, any suggestions or advice are appreciated. I will keep everyone updated and thanks for your support.

Brigitte
 
**Urgent Advice Need** Cocoa Not Pooping Yet

Hi,

I need some advice. Cocoa is on Panacur and I have been syringe feeding mushed up pellets mixed with pineapple juice. She seems more alert but still no poops. Have been giving her belly rubs also. Is there anything I can give her to help get her guts moving? The vet suggested yogurt, which I've done, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

Any suggestions and/or advice is needed and appreciated.

Thanks,


Brigitte
 
Firstly rabbits are lactose intolerant and giving them yoghurt is a huge no-no, especially in one with an already upset stomach. Was it a particular type of yoghurt your vet suggested?

Secondly I dont know if the drugs share the same names in the US but over here our vets prescribe Metaclopromide (injectable), Maxalon (oral) or now banned here but I believe still available in the US Prepulsid.

These are gut stimulants designed to get the tumy moving again however your vet must establish there is no actual blockages before prescribing these drugs.
 
Cocoa Puff - Update

Just got back from the vets again...her weight is down from 6.6 pounds to 5.11 pounds in just two days. He gave her another shot of vitamins and recommended a heating pad and infacol.

Her liver is more enlarged as is her stomach. His diagnois is liver disease so I guess I need to make that dreaded decision. I'll give her a few more days and see how she is doing before I do that. I really hate being put in this position again.

Any input would be appreciated.

Please send all the vibes you can for Cocoa Puff.

Thanks,

Brigitte
 
Did the vet not give her a gut stimulant? If her guts have stopped moving then she needs an injectable gut stimulant, like Sooz said. I'm not sure what good a vitamin injection will do! Her liver may be effected as she hasn't been eating for a while, maybe this could be the cause of the problem? Luuna had a blood test when she had an operation, this showed a slight liver abnormality, the vet said this was most likely caused by her having not eaten for a while. Is your vet very experienced with rabbits? If he isn't then it might be an idea to find one who is well trained about rabbits, as not all vets are. Hope your bunny will be ok :)
 
She seems to be doing better after her first dose of infacol - she ate quite a bit of kale and hay and I noticed a few small poops. Hopefully, this is not the calm before the storm and she is on her way to recovery.

Thank you everyone for your input and I will keep you updated on her progress.


Brigitte
 
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