Bunny Buddy
Wise Old Thumper
Rudy has had 4 episodes of bloat in 12 months and Frances Harcourt Brown was discussing the issue with me this morning.
She said she had recently had a rabbit referred to her who had many recurrent bloat episodes and no cause could be found for it. She was unable to find any definitive evidence but came up with the theory that it was a possibility that the rabbit had a fairly minor gut slow down/blockage and the normal amount of gas was unable to pass, causing a build up and eventually pain etc. There was no obvious reason for it to happen to some rabbits and not others so, she though it might be to do with the rabbit's intestines. The only way to find out was to open the rabbit up and have a look. Her theory was correct and the rabbit had an abnormally sharp bend in the intestine which meant that 'normal' amounts of harder to pass matter were getting caught in the bend and unable to pass as they should, causing a build up of debris/gas. She straightened out the bend and it has successfully sorted out the problem. She has since carried out the op on another rabbit with the same symptoms caused by the same problem.
I just thought I'd pass on the info in case anyone here has a rabbit plagued with bloat episodes as it may be worth a referral/consultation. Rudy hasn't had enough episodes to warrant it yet but has been marked down as a 'possibility' if he continues to suffer. I got some really good advice on how to deal with it and what to look for, etc.
She said she had recently had a rabbit referred to her who had many recurrent bloat episodes and no cause could be found for it. She was unable to find any definitive evidence but came up with the theory that it was a possibility that the rabbit had a fairly minor gut slow down/blockage and the normal amount of gas was unable to pass, causing a build up and eventually pain etc. There was no obvious reason for it to happen to some rabbits and not others so, she though it might be to do with the rabbit's intestines. The only way to find out was to open the rabbit up and have a look. Her theory was correct and the rabbit had an abnormally sharp bend in the intestine which meant that 'normal' amounts of harder to pass matter were getting caught in the bend and unable to pass as they should, causing a build up of debris/gas. She straightened out the bend and it has successfully sorted out the problem. She has since carried out the op on another rabbit with the same symptoms caused by the same problem.
I just thought I'd pass on the info in case anyone here has a rabbit plagued with bloat episodes as it may be worth a referral/consultation. Rudy hasn't had enough episodes to warrant it yet but has been marked down as a 'possibility' if he continues to suffer. I got some really good advice on how to deal with it and what to look for, etc.