Help Stephanie poorly!!!

Can anyone advise me as Stephanie appears unwell, she is very lethargic has been sleeping a lot today but I just thought cause of heat. This evening she refusing food, took little sips water, called emergency vet for advice who recommended giving her fibreplex as I had some from previous similiar incident six weeks ago. she hasn't pooped although just did a pee. any tips to get her to eat and poop??? she just seems very sleepy.

Does she feel hot? Her ears especially?

I would want to take her to the vets if she wasn't eating/pooping, surprised they haven't suggested it

ears don't feel hot, there is an emergency vet but it few miles away and very expensive but if you think i need to take her then i will.

It sounds like it could be heat stroke? Or at least ileus/stasis as she isn't eating/pooping.

Do you have anything to syringe feed her? The vet might be able to give her a gut stimulant.

She was out of the sun totally but just slept most of day. i have just spoke to different vet and fact that Stephanie has done a pee, has taken the fibreplex and a few wee sips of water she happy to TLC overnight and see in the morning, however if any deterioration to call back through the night. does that sound ok??

I think you need to call the emergency vet back and take Stephanie down to see them. Normally if you ring an emergency vet and explain the symptoms you have described to us they would say come down, so I am suprised they have not. Are there any other emergency vets you can try? If not, go down, I do think she needs to see a vet tonight, she is likely to be quite dehydrated despite the sips she has taken. She must not go all night not eating. I think she needs a thorough exam, pain relief and sub-cut fluids as a minimum tonight. You need to take her to the vet i'm afraid. Good luck x

Jacquiepoppins said:

She was out of the sun totally but just slept most of day. i have just spoke to different vet and fact that Stephanie has done a pee, has taken the fibreplex and a few wee sips of water she happy to TLC overnight and see in the morning, however if any deterioration to call back through the night. does that sound ok??

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This is only ok if you can get her eating and drinking NOW. If not, she must go down tonight.

I would try wet greens, grass, fresh herbs, wash them and leave them soaking wet to get her fluids up. You need to tempt her to eat and keep eating throughout the night, tempt her with whatever you can get her to eat. If you can not it is likely she is in pain and needs pain relief from the vet. Is she warm enough? Can you give her tummy a gentle rub and encourage her to hop around? This often helps. x

I know, I'm surprised too, this is what threw me. Perhaps they aren't as rabbit savvy as your normal vet? Good luck hun x

Jacquiepoppins said:

She was out of the sun totally but just slept most of day. i have just spoke to different vet and fact that Stephanie has done a pee, has taken the fibreplex and a few wee sips of water she happy to TLC overnight and see in the morning, however if any deterioration to call back through the night. does that sound ok??

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What do they mean by deterioration ? Are you going to stay up all night with her to monitor her and encourage her to eat?

thanks so much for all your help. she taken few sips, OH just going out to pick fresh dnadelions and grass to soak in water but if she won't take then phoning vet back.

stephanie off to vet with OH will let u know how she gets on, many thanks again.

Good luck chick :wave: I know the emergency vets is expensive (I just had a £600 bill at mine :shock but it's worth it. Hope all is well

Well done, I think this was the most sensible thing to do really considering how lethargic she is and not eating, it's never a good thing to leave a bunny like this overnight. I really hope the emergency vet provides pain relief and fluids, these are the most important emergency precautions for a rabbit not eating. Good luck x

yipee!!! Stephanie home from the vet and tucking in to dandelions!!!! vet gave her metoclopamide, pain killer, antibiotic and sub cut fluids. she is alert, washing, running around. £96 vet bill worth every penny. thank you all so much.

stephanie update

Stephanie hadn't pooped at 3am but just seemed exhausted. 7am stephanie pooped!!! small n dry - she must have became dehydrated in such a short time. She is eating her food, lots of grass, drinking water. I am going to keep such a close eye on her over the summer heat. Are some bunnies more susceptible than others?? thanks again xx

Jacquiepoppins said:

Stephanie hadn't pooped at 3am but just seemed exhausted. 7am stephanie pooped!!! small n dry - she must have became dehydrated in such a short time. She is eating her food, lots of grass, drinking water. I am going to keep such a close eye on her over the summer heat. Are some bunnies more susceptible than others?? thanks again xx

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This is the dried ingesta that is a result of total GI stasis and dehydration which is the first and most serious consequence. In order to maintain blood volume buns begin to extract water from the bowel and leave behind the ingesta that just gets drier and drier and goes nowhere. This is why the fluids the vet gave are SO important. At these times it is a good idea, if you can do so safely, to get as much fluid in orally as well if bun stops eating, you can use a 1ml syringe and try either water or what works even better for buns, brewed and cooled herbal teas (such as peppermint, camomile, nettle). You will be amazed how quickly a rabbit dehydrates in the guts. Well done for getting her to the vet.
£96 is a bargain! Our emergency vet visits for the same thing have been more like £150-200.

Er... no bunny is more susceptible than another to the runaway processes of GI stasis once the correct triggering event has occured, but yes some rabbits do have a susceptibility to GI stasis in the sense that they may have an underlying condition which precipitates it. Although isolated cases of GI stasis do occur, more often than not there is an underlying cause. GI stasis is a common manifestation of pain, stress and other things going wrong. The most likely causes are dental pain, physical or emotional stress - adrenaline release acts directly to slow gut function, or a poor/inadequate diet, although the list is endless these are the most common triggers. As you say she has had this before I would want her thoroughly examined by your regular vet, checking those back teeth, and looking for any other sources of underlying pain. I would also be reviewing her diet to make sure it is high in fibre and low in carbohydrates and protein. Have there also been any changes at home that could cause her stress? New baby, new pet etc?

Please be aware that the process of gut slowing can linger, so even though treatment last night was successful, it can take up to 2 weeks for gut function to get back to normal. You will need to watch her closely for the next two weeks and focus on keeping her eating and pooping with lots of fibre and fluids (grass and dandelions are excellent). If she shows any symptoms of gut slow down - smaller drier poops, lethargy etc she may need 'a course' of metclopramide/zantac to knock it on the head, rather than just the one-off dose she had last night. Some buns do. But well done and i'm so glad she is ok this morning.