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Bloat help please

Snowy

Snowy

Wise Old Thumper
How long does bloat last? and if a bunny isn't pooing at all how long can that continue?

Thanks
 
There is a report in a vets book about a bun that didn't poo for 2 weeks... the bun survived, so it could possible taken that long, alltough I never heard that myself...
Normally after neutering for example, I know rabbits who didn't poo for 3 days,but that is about the maximum that I know of...

Bloat...it depends where...
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Is it bloat or ileus?
Click to expand...

We had a bun in stasis that the owner claimed didn't poo for 2 weeks (it was 1.5 weeks before they came to see us mind: she survived. Obviously it's difficult to prove, as some will overestimate and some buns will eat the evidence...
 
I have had bunnies not poo for 3 or 4 days but they have been hospitalised and on a drip. If it is true bloat caused by a blockage of some sort then they need to be admitted for repeated x rays and fluid therapy.

I hope the bunny will be ok :)
 
With proper bloat, where the bun swells up like a football, it will last only about a day because the rabbit will usually be dead within 24 hours (if not sooner).

Stasis/ileus and gas are often confused with bloat, but the symptoms are much less severe than bloat, and the prognosis is much better.

I've found that stasis buns often alternate between no poops, diarrhoea, and normal poops for a week or so until things start to stabilize.
 
Blackie didnt have bloat, he had a blockage and didnt eat or poo for a week. He unfortunately didnt survive :(

Not too sure about bloat, havent been through proper bloat before!
 
Bloat is dreadful and horrendously painful for the animal. It can kill a german shepherd dog within the hour so a little bun would have an uphill battle that's for sure.

No wait and see with this one, if you think your bun has bloat he/she needs to go the vet now.
 
Bloat is horrible, i had a 9 day old kit i was handrearing who got it, if you rubbed his belly lightly with your finger, it actually sounded like a balloon :cry::cry:

He Didn't survive the night :cry:
 
What causes bloat in bunnies? I know in dogs it's often caused by eating or drinking too quickly and gulping too much air. Running a dog too close to meal time can cause the tum to twist resulting in gas build up so there's the double whammy of bloat and GI torsion.

But what causes it in bunnies? Sudden change of diet? Too much gassy food or something?
 
aussiebun said:
What causes bloat in bunnies? I know in dogs it's often caused by eating or drinking too quickly and gulping too much air. Running a dog too close to meal time can cause the tum to twist resulting in gas build up so there's the double whammy of bloat and GI torsion.

But what causes it in bunnies? Sudden change of diet? Too much gassy food or something?
Click to expand...

It can occur as an acute condition due to an obstruction. Or it can occur as part of GI stasis. Ingesta fails to pass out of the stomach and begins to ferment, producing lots of gas. The stomach can dilate so much that it causes the Bun to mouth breathe as their lungs cannot fully inflate :cry:
Thats why it is so important to know when not to administer syringe feeds to a Rabbit with a Gastrointestinal problem. Putting more food into a stomach that is not emptying will make matters much worse. Bloat is always an emergency and prompt Vet treatment is essential. As you say, it is extremely painful and shock can occur rapidly :cry:

Foods high in carbohydrates and sugar can cause bloating and gut dysbiosis.
A few of my Rexes have problems with veg from the cabbage family and will bloat if fed it.
Mycotoxins in feed are another cause.
 
Snowy, if the bloat is caused by chewing carpet or furniture, then it is a physical obstruction, and that piece of fiber can be blocking the small intestine.

If you notice your bun chewing the carpet, then hours later, he stop moving, then it's likely that it's a physical obstruction. Removal via surgery is high risk.

If it's not a physical obstruction, then it is fixable. I would go w/ infacol 2 ml every few hr. And I wouldn't feed anything for the time being, water or food.
 
abbymarysmokey said:
With proper bloat, where the bun swells up like a football, it will last only about a day because the rabbit will usually be dead within 24 hours (if not sooner).
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you mean this when the bunny has had no treatment.

I was working on the assumption that the bunny has had veterinary care. Walter was admitted for his bloat, he had tubes passed into his stomach to release the gas and x rays done every few hours to see if the blockage was moving. He was put on a drip to give him the best chance to rehydrate the blockage and give a lot of pain relief, but obviously no metaclopromide.
He was moved to the emergency hospital at night as he needed round the clock care.

He did recover after a few days but of course it took him a while to get back to normal. It turned out that he actually had major dental problems so we think the blockage may have been caused by him not chewing his food properly.
 
What are the symptoms of bloat? and what are the symptoms of Stasis?

If a bunny swells up and when you tap it's side it sounds like a drum, is that stasis or bloat?
 
Has this Rabbit seen a Vet :?

Symptoms of Bloat are usually acute in onset. The Rabbit's stomach dilates, there is anorexia and extreme pain (hunched position, teeth grinding, hypothermic shock). Faecal output ceases. Collapse and death usually occurs within 24 hours.

GI stasis can be slow in onset over days or even weeks with reduced gut motility leading to reduced faecal output and reduced food intake. As the ingesta builds up it 'dries out' and eventually can cause an obstruction. Even if a full obstruction does not occur untreated GI stasis will lead to ileus whereby the GI tract completely closes down.

Extract from an article on GI Disease in Rabbits by Anna Meredith :

Non Obstructive Ileus:
Gradual onset (days to
weeks).Gradual reduction in faecal
size and output.
Crave fibre
Initially bright, gradual onset of depression and abdominal pain
Mild to moderate dehydration

Radiographic findings:
Compacted material in stomach and sometimes caecum, often with halo of
gas.
As symptoms progress, entire GI tract gas-filled. Stomach
usually last to bloat.
Fluid only present late in disease

Obstructive Ileus
Clinical signs:
Sudden onset (24-48 hours)
Faecal output stops suddenly
Severe depression
Abdominal pain
Reluctance to move
Shock - slow CRT, pale mucous membranes
Severe dehydration
Death in 24-48 hours

Radiographic findings:
Fluid and gas present cranial to obstruction
Bubbles of gas in stomach,not halo
If caecal obstruction get fluid and bubbles of air in caecum
 
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