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phone call from friend./update- she's been told to starve him overnight!

H

halfpenny

Wise Old Thumper
i've just had my friend on the phone and her rabbit isn't well. she gave him some white clover a couple of days ago. his temperature is low he isn't eating and isn't pooing. i told her white clover isn't good for many animals and he is probably in stasis.
i said she needs to see a vet (her vets aren't very bunny savvy), get him on a heat pad, give fibreplex, get metachlopromide and metacam injections and syringe feed him, to get him .eating
i've told her the right thing haven't i, i always worry i make a mistake and cause more problems.
 
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thanks maria.
i'm not sure about white clover but it there is a theory that it is linked to grass sickness in horses and it isn't good for goats to eat, although red clover is ok. maybe he hasn't had it before. i'm waiting for her to call back and let me know how he is getting on.
 
friend just called and vet has given metacam and metochloprimide, although she wasn't keen to give the metochloprimine, and she's given another injection for my friend to give needed if needed. she has also said not to feed him tonight :?, i didn't think this was a good idea.
 
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hmmmm.... he should only be on fluids solely if they suspect a blockage..Was he given any zantac to counter balance the metacam?


metoclopramide should be given three times a day in cases of stasis....
 
Personally I don't rush to syringe feed when a bunny is in stasis. You want the food to start coming out the other end, not to add to it. Syringe feeding fluids is vital.
 
SarahP said:
Personally I don't rush to syringe feed when a bunny is in stasis. You want the food to start coming out the other end, not to add to it. Syringe feeding fluids is vital.
Click to expand...

If a bunny is in stasis solely it's vital they are syringe fed in order to keep the guts moving. The only time you should hold out on syringe feeding is in suspected cases of a blockage as it can then cause the gut to rupture....if a rabbits stomach feels empty I wouldn't hesitate to force feed.
 
Well OK, but I've got my bunny out of stasis countless times, and I don't syringe feed food - just fluids. It's different if it's been absolutely ages since the bunny has last eaten.
 
it came on very suddenly, he was fine this morning, apparently, i think she thought he had a gassy tummy. how common is a blockage compared to stasis, he's a dutch and hasn't had any hairy poohs. i've always tried to feed mine, even if it is a few leaves of dandilion, hope he's ok.
 
Don't get me wrong, I always try to get them to eat voluntarily, I just don't syringe feed.
 
I guess it depends on the severity of the stasis.. I've had instances when I have caught it early and they haven't needed force feeding, just some metoclop, ranitidine and pain relief and they have been eating on their own by the end of the day. Then i've had bunnies that have been seriously ill, lethargic, unresponsive etc and would not have survived if they had not been force fed. My friend is a vet who specialises in rabbits and i've just always had it drilled into me that force feeding is vital :)
 
the thing is she has been told to starve him, not let him feed.
i also only offer food initially and only syringe feed them if they won't start to eat.
 
SarahP said:
Don't get me wrong, I always try to get them to eat voluntarily, I just don't syringe feed.
Click to expand...

I'm the same as Sarah, syringe feeding is a last resort for me. When a rabbit is eating voluntarily it has a greater impact on restoring gut motility than force feeding will and syringing fluids initially ensures whatever gut ingesta is already present will be well hydrated and malleable before any extra food is added to the gut.

The last thing you want is to cause an impaction.

That said, I would not have advised fasting because that means preventing voluntary feeding too :?
 
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halfpenny said:
it came on very suddenly, he was fine this morning, apparently, i think she thought he had a gassy tummy. how common is a blockage compared to stasis, he's a dutch and hasn't had any hairy poohs. i've always tried to feed mine, even if it is a few leaves of dandilion, hope he's ok.
Click to expand...

If the vet did a full examination of his abdomen she should have been able to detect a possible blockage. I would definitely get fluids into him and try and encourage him to eat. I haven't lost any of my own to stasis before but i've seen how quickly others have gone.

Without seeing the bunny or knowing exactly what the vet said it is difficult to know why she recommended starving him.... a bunny should never be starved unless like I say it's a blockage. Has your friend described how the bunnies tummy feels? is it bloated, tense etc? Does she hear any gassy sounds?
 
i think she said she thought it was gassy, surely if the vet thought it was a blockage she wouldn't have given metochloprimide, would she. he did get sub cut fluid though, she said he's a lot brighter since being home and drinking more and has biolapis to put in his water,. i did wonder if he was brighter because of the painkiller or being warmed up.
 
Agree to an extent Sooz but would not leave a bunny longer than 24 hours without eating....after that I syringe feed. I've had a couple of occassions where it's taken four days or so for a rabbit to eat voluntarily. If force feeding is stressful for a bunny then I will hold off but it's one of those situations that can go either way.
 
halfpenny said:
i think she said she thought it was gassy, surely if the vet thought it was a blockage she wouldn't have given metochloprimide, would she. he did get sub cut fluid though, she said he's a lot brighter since being home and drinking more and has biolapis to put in his water,. i did wonder if he was brighter
because of the painkiller or being warmed up.
Click to expand...


It could be the painkiller...he might have simply been experiencing some slight discomfort hence the stasis. Hopefully he will be fine by tomorrow!!
 
she's going to phone me tomorrow and let me know how he is.
it just kind of threw me when she was told to starve him, as its something i alway thought you shouldn't do. i'm just worried for her (and him), she got him as a companion for a bunny she rehomed from a college that breeds them to show students the procedure. she's got a male before, but he died shortly after being castrated.
 
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