Help!! Had to take Charlie to emergency vet last night!! Had an awful night! UPDATE

Hi all. Had to dash Charlie to the emergency vet last night as he was not himself at all, just sitting hunched, grinding teeth, eyes closed. Not good, he had been fine all day, a bit quieter than he normally is but wasn't worried. Then went to put them to bed at 10 last night and he clearly wasn't well. Dashed him to emergency vet who said it could be a blockage as his tummy was very distended and that an operation would be the best way forward. I didn't want to do that, not sure why but it didn't seem to sit right with me. I said can we not try something else before surgery. He said we can try and get him moving with meds but he had a 50/50 chance and if that didn't work then it would be PTS.

I was there on my own in what seemed like the middle of the night, frantic, didn't know what to do.

So he gave him Katalax to try and free the blockage.

Two injections of Vomend and then he sent me home with some Critical Care and a small bottle with some more Vomend.

Not a helpful vet, obviously was putting him out as I had got him out at 10pm at night.

Anyway, got home, gave him the critical care which he took and put him in shed with snugglesafe and fleecy blankets which he lay down on.

Was worried this morning would find him dead to be quite honest with the bleak outlook the vet had given me.

Opened shed this morning and he came over to me. Seems brighter.

I took them both into the kitchen. Gave him some more critical care which he didn't seem so bothered about, put some pellets down for Casper and Charlie hopped over and had a few too! Hurray!!! And he has pooped, only a small amount but it is something.

Vet said to give him the Katalax again this morning, I have tried and he's not having any of it.

Have put them back in the shed and he is running around the run and popping back into the shed and acting normally.

Am waiting for a call from the vet to see if I should continue with the stuff the vet gave me.

Am still worried we aren't out of the woods yet though.

Oh gosh, how scary for you. I don't know enough to advise but I'm so pleased Charlie is hanging in there and send him lots of get well vibes. xx

Poor boy

Did the Vet not give any pain relief ?

If he suspected an obstruction why on earth did he give Vomend (Metoclopromide) ? It is contraindicated in a case of suspected full obstruction. Even if has passed a few fecal pellets, if his stomach is still distended a blockage may still be an issue at the outlet of the stomach-ie the upper GI tract

Did the Vet give subcutaneous fluids ? Another absolute essential.

Can you get him to a more Rabbit savvy Vet this morning ? Thank god you did not consent to surgery last night.......................

Jack's-Jane said:

Poor boy

Did the Vet not give any pain relief ?

If he suspected an obstruction why on earth did he give Vomend (Metoclopromide) ? It is contraindicated in a case of suspected full obstruction. Even if has passed a few fecal pellets, if his stomach is still distended a blockage may still be an issue at the outlet of the stomach-ie the upper GI tract

Did the Vet give subcutaneous fluids ? Another absolute essential.

Can you get him to a more Rabbit savvy Vet this morning ? Thank god you did not consent to surgery last night.......................

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Hi! Thanks for your response. Yes he did also give him subcutaneous fluids he didn't give pain relief. His stomach isn't as hard as last night, but am waiting for vet to call back and then I am going to see if I can take him in. Emergency vet wasn't my usual vet and I had to go to a completely different surgery than I normally go.

From what the vet said he thought he was going to die! I am so so glad that my instinct told me no to surgery. I could have lost my beautiful boy.

He is eating pellets at the moment, and has had some critical care and some water. He is a million times better than he was last night. I will get him to my vet though, just to be on safe side.

Thanks for your advice and support.

The other thing the vet kept saying was that it was probably a fur ball blocking him.

KarenM said:

Oh gosh, how scary for you. I don't know enough to advise but I'm so pleased Charlie is hanging in there and send him lots of get well vibes. xx

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thanks Karen!! It was really awful. I was convinced he was going to die last night, vet seemed to think that was it. Think he was giving in too easily, obviously not very rabbit savvy at all.

Charlie has eaten pellets now and some hay, so I am hopeful he will be okay.

Joanne Jenkinson said:

The other thing the vet kept saying was that it was probably a fur ball blocking him.

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I would get him to your Vet this morning and get some more fluids and pain relief. Keeping the gut contents hydrated is really important.

Idiot Vet last night should have given pain relief, I am sure he would be yelling and balling for analgesia if he had a severe gut ache. Honestly, I despair at times.

You have dont exactly the right thing and by the sounds of it Charlie is on the mend xx

Jack's-Jane said:

I would get him to your Vet this morning and get some more fluids and pain relief. Keeping the gut contents hydrated is really important.

Idiot Vet last night should have given pain relief, I am sure he would be yelling and balling for analgesia if he had a severe gut ache. Honestly, I despair at times.

You have dont exactly the right thing and by the sounds of it Charlie is on the mend xx

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Thanks so much!! I felt so awful last night, I didn't know what to do for the best. He was basically telling me I was giving him a death sentence not operating. that it would be too late if the meds didn't work, I was in an impossible situation but I just felt that to operate was not right. Not sure why but it didn't feel right to me.

I have an appointment at 11 to go to take Charlie to see normal vet. Fingers crossed he really is on the mend!

It's so hard sometimes knowing what decisions to take for them.

Have just looked up who the vet was and he's a partner in the practice. He might have shown a bit more care and compassion I must say!

Sending mega vibes for Charlie. xxx

Hope Charlie continues improving xx

I'm glad to read your bun came through this well. This is a familiar story to me!
I had to take my minirex, Fiver, in to an ER vet... in the middle of the night on a weekend (always the way!) last June... that I was warned was not rabbit savvy. I'd noticed during his evening cleanup that he'd begun to expand at the ribs alarmingly and despite all my attempts to turn him around I was unable to help him and was certain I'd be just taking him in to say goodbye. I know that surgery is really a last ditch option after everything else has been tried, simply because rabbits do so poorly with this method. I was lucky though since we live 30 minutes from town that this vet did her best to research what to do, plus I'd been through this with my other bun and had some background to guide both of us through. She was very kind to accept my insistence of xrays and pain meds and sub-q fluids even though you could tell she considered me a bit overboard, but I didn't care...just wanted Fiver saved if possible. Not all vets are receptive to input from owners of course. (And I'm just speaking of vets whose specialty is not the pet species in front of them. If you have a knowledagable vet, they usually don't require prompting.)
So scary though, to see your bun go through this. I've learned there are simply some things Fiver can't eat and as we've eliminated these things from his diet we've had no further trouble....touch wood. Good for you for advocating for your bun, and continued healing vibes! (((((((((Charlie)))))))))))))

How scary Hope Charlie feels better soon. Sending lots of vibes xx

Update

Hi all
Been to vets. Charlie's tummy has got a lot softer and it is not as swollen as last night. She said to keep giving him the Katalax and the Critical Care for the next couple of days to make sure he is getting something down him and that the Katalax dislodges any blockage.

He is a lot better and is eating hay and readigrass and he had a small amount of pellets this morning. Just given him his Critical Care and he wasn't that keen but got some down him.

Not entirely sure of the competence of any of these vets. Am going to see if I can find one that is more of a rabbit specialist near to me.

AM SO GLAD I SAID NO TO OPERATING!

So sorry to hear about Charlie. I hope that he keeps improving and is back to himself in as little time as possible. I wouldnt have done surgery either. That definitely doesnt sound right. Im glad you didnt do it. Keep us updated!

I hope he continues to recover now

Thanks all. He is eating and drinking tonight and is bright and running about. Such a relief.

I spent a long time in the shed with them tonight to make sure i saw him actually eat and drink.

Vet said to give him critical care for next couple of days but is that necessary if he is eating and drinking normally?? HE really didn't want it this afternoon and I don't want to force feed if not necessary.

Joanne Jenkinson said:

Thanks all. He is eating and drinking tonight and is bright and running about. Such a relief.

I spent a long time in the shed with them tonight to make sure i saw him actually eat and drink.

Vet said to give him critical care for next couple of days but is that necessary if he is eating and drinking normally?? HE really didn't want it this afternoon and I don't want to force feed if not necessary.

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Personally I would not give him the CC if he is now eating for himself. Just make sure he has a good water intake, offer him water in a bowl as well as a bottle and serve any Veg left a bit wet. Keep a check on his poos too as output will be a better indicator of gut motility rather than just noting intake.

So pleased to here that Charlie is now doing well

Jack's-Jane said:

Personally I would not give him the CC if he is now eating for himself. Just make sure he has a good water intake, offer him water in a bowl as well as a bottle and serve any Veg left a bit wet. Keep a check on his poos too as output will be a better indicator of gut motility rather than just noting intake.

So pleased to here that Charlie is now doing well

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thanks so much for your support and advice Jack's-Jane! This morning he is bright and bouncy like he was before he was ill. He has eaten all his pellets and I watched over him as he drank lots of water! Have put a bowl down as well as the bottle, but that could end in disaster as his brother does like to tip bowls up, but at the moment it is still there! Last night I gave him some coriander and basil soaked in water which he ate happily. His poos are small but there are lots of them, so am hoping they will get bigger. He is tucking into hay now and have mixed a bit of readigrass in there too.

I still keep going over in my head why surgery was the only option for the emergency vet. I just can't get my head round it. I have to stop as I keep thinking if I had gone ahead Charlie might have died and that would have been too awful. Anyway, at least he is (hopefully) showing signs of recovering, which I am so relieved about. He is such a joy I would be heartbroken to lose him.

Joanne Jenkinson said:

thanks so much for your support and advice Jack's-Jane! This morning he is bright and bouncy like he was before he was ill. He has eaten all his pellets and I watched over him as he drank lots of water! Have put a bowl down as well as the bottle, but that could end in disaster as his brother does like to tip bowls up, but at the moment it is still there! Last night I gave him some coriander and basil soaked in water which he ate happily. His poos are small but there are lots of them, so am hoping they will get bigger. He is tucking into hay now and have mixed a bit of readigrass in there too.

I still keep going over in my head why surgery was the only option for the emergency vet. I just can't get my head round it. I have to stop as I keep thinking if I had gone ahead Charlie might have died and that would have been too awful. Anyway, at least he is (hopefully) showing signs of recovering, which I am so relieved about. He is such a joy I would be heartbroken to lose him.

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Fantastic news that he is now doing so well His poos should get bigger over the next 24-48 hours.

Gosh, sounds like an awful experience! Stupid vet. :evil:

I don't have anything to add but I wanted to send some healthy gut vibes to Charlie - keep pooing little man!!!