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Urgent: Gut has stopped

Mia

Mia

Warren Scout
Have just brought Miffy back from vets as I wasnt happy with the way he was today. The vet has said as far as she can tell, his gut has completely stopped. Much to my horror she said that she has never known a bunny to come back from this.

He has been eating today, and to the vets surprise Miffy is still remarkably grumpy and strong, but she says there is nothing I can do other than to keep him fed and watered.

She gave him a gut motility injection and I am taking her in for another one tomorrow.

In my heart I just dont feel like this is Miffy's time. It cant be. Can anyone offer any advice or had similar experiences?
 
Gut Stasis is a common problem and whilst it is serious it is certainly NOT always fatal.

Is your Rabbit passing any feces at all ?

Did the Vet give any pain relief. Pain relief is very important.

Is your Rabbit still eating a bit and drinking ?

Did the Vet look at your Rabbits teeth using an otoscope ?
 
yes I am used to gut stasis, or more like a blockage when they are in moult. I just keep them watered and massage their tummies and try and keep them moving around a little. Normally I manage them at home, as I keep metacam etc at home (have run out now though)

But the vet said there was no gurgling or any gut noise. I asked for pain relief for him straight away as I know how painful "gut rot" as I call it, is. However the vet said the rabbit seemed in little pain, and to give her her due, he is at the moment scampering around the garden, and he ate nuggets as soon as he got in. Normally they sit very still and kind of writhe and wriggle a bit due to tummy pain.

Normally when any of them get normal gut rot they dont eat at all. But wierdly Miffy is.

This seems a bit different this time. I am confused.

Oh, also Miffy has no teeth left! And at present he is passing no faeces. He normally passes alot of caecotrophs too but none at present.
 
Stasis is curable, I think your vet is really overreacting. I would:

A) Ask your vet for more gut motility drugs. A single injection might not be enough. The recommended dose for Metoclopramide or Cisapride is taken every 8 hrs. Also, ask her about Domperidone. It did miracles with Mandy.

B) Get a bottle of Simethicone (gas medicine). Its an over the counter med. Bun in stasis tend to get very gassy, which not only hurts, but makes it hard to pass the poops. You can give this medicine to your bun freely, as it doesn't get absorbed by the body at all, it just lowers the superficial tension of the gas bubbles, allowing them to merge into bigger bubbles, which are easier to pass. My bun takes this med by the truckloads.

C) Tummy rubs. LOTS. It helps plenty.

D) Some painkillers, just in case. Stasis tends to hurt a bunch, and pain can make the situation worse.

E) Water. try to give her as much fluids as possible. If you fear dehydration, buy one of those powder solutions for rehydration, and give it to her.

F) Keep her on the move. Make her run around etc. The movement helps the gut a lot.

And most important, never give up.

Best of luck!
 
Ditto to the above. Pea recently had severe bloat and my bunny savvy vet didn't think she would make it. She did :D. Don't give up hope.
 
thanks for all of your advice. Yes I have already booked him in for another gut motility jab tomorrow morning.

Its interesting you mention indigestion/gas tablets. I have seen other entries where owners have given their bunnies zantac. What is the dose for this?

You have advised all that I normally do (with the exception of zantac) but worryingly the vet told me not to bother as would not work in this case. She is a young vet and I dont think she is very bunny savvy. There is a more experienced one on duty tomorrow when he goes for his next gut motility jab.

Thanks guys, the way the vet described it to me there was no hope. I should have trusted my instinct and done all the usual. I will ask for some more metacam tomorrow too as I am bit annoyed she said it would exacerbate his current condition.
 
he needs pain relief for sure. a bun in pain will not eat therefor make the problem worse.
a lot of us on here use Infacol which is a baby wind relief med, you can give 1ml every 3 jours if need be.
good luck and dont give up on him!
 
Mia said:
Its interesting you mention indigestion/gas tablets. I have seen other entries where owners have given their bunnies zantac. What is the dose for this?
Click to expand...

Not sure on tablets, I usually get the pediatric version for humans, its liquid, and tastes nice. I give my bun the dose you would give for a human child, 3 times a day, everyday (you wouldn't believe the difference).

Depends a lot on the brand, but it should say somewhere whats the usual dose for children, and just go with that. Like I said, you can't overdose her with it, as it doesn't get absorbed by the body at all, it just goes through popping gas bubbles :)

Good luck!
 
Hi all

Miffy is better, pooing and clearly not as ropey looking. I took him for another gut motility injection on sat, and also asked for pain relief which i now have a small bottle of to give when needed.

I will ask for one of the more experienced vets when he goes in again for a check up. It seems though that wherever I go, I seem to know whats better for my bunnies than the vet does. This website is also invaluable and I think vets should read it to learn a thing or two!!
 
Mia said:
Hi all

Miffy is better, pooing and clearly not as ropey looking. I took him for another gut motility injection on sat, and also asked for pain relief which i now have a small bottle of to give when needed.

I will ask for one of the more experienced vets when he goes in again for a check up. It seems though that wherever I go, I seem to know whats better for my bunnies than the vet does. This website is also invaluable and I think vets should read it to learn a thing or two!!
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it! =D

And ya, you end up knowing more than the vets themselves. Its quite funny when you can correct the vet on certain things =P
 
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