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desperate...UPDATE now eating :)

Domino27

Mama Doe
Day two of my little girl not eating much. Day two also of gut stimulant injections at the vets.

Yesterday she ate some mint leaves and corriander but not much hay and poo pood her pellets. Today I went back to the vets as she seemed a bit brighter but not her usual self. She got another gut jab, vet said he couldn't feel any blockages or gas. She ate some mint leaves when home and I syringe fed her (4) mushed pellets. Then I had to go to work.

Seemed a bit brighter this eve, running up when I came in the room, ate a full pack of mint leaves. Still not eaten any hay or pellets. Poos are still small and black. I don't know what else to do.....
 
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I'm not hugely knowledgeable but my Nena is going through the same at the moment. Is she having metacam? Have you tried her with parsley/coriander/something smelly like that? As long as she's eating and pooping that's a great sign, a lot of people have told me that it took their bunny a week or so to get back to normal in terms of eating. Nena is only eating parsley and pellets at the moment. Make sure you keep a tab on whether she's eaten recently, I'll make sure I give Nena something to eat every 1/2/3 hours to make sure she's still processing food through. Hope someone can offer some better advice x
 
She won't touch corriander, usually she wolfs it down. Mint she is nibbling on every now and then. I don't have any metacam, she was given painkillers at the vets though. she is not really pooping :-(
 
She won't touch corriander, usually she wolfs it down. Mint she is nibbling on every now and then. I don't have any metacam, she was given painkillers at the vets though. she is not really pooping :-(

I've heard another thing to try is to let her have a run around, to help get her moving and stimulate the gut. Also gets her hungry, hopefully. Try giving her a good run around if you haven't already? Nena had one today and it seemed to help. Did the vet give you any critical care to feed her? Nena refused hers but it smelt quite nice (for a bunny!) and I've heard lots of bunnies really do munch it down when syringed it.

I've heard a lot of people give their bunny a little bit of porridge when they need to put on weight or are unwell, I'm not sure how they make it up but I assume just water and oats. I haven't had to do that with Nena, but I was going to try and even grate some apple in to make it tasty. You could try some dried herbs and flowers etc from a pet shop, see if any of those interest her? Definitely keep on top of the painkillers and get her some more gut stimulants when necessary, obviously! They gave Nena some subcutaneous saline incase she was dehydrated, I dunno if your vet has done that? She also mentioned if Nena wouldn't perk up and was a lot more lethargic she'd put her on an IV, perhaps that's something your vet might want to try if she's taking a while to perk up? Racking my brains here!
 
Not eating/reduced gut motility is usually a *symptom* rather than an illness in its own right. So the Vet needs to not only treat the symptoms ( Treatment should include PAIN RELIEF) but also to try to identify the primary cause. This could be Dental problems, pain from any other disease process/infection, ingestion of foreign body........etc....etc

So I would take your Rabbit back to the Vet to try to get to the bottom of what is going on. Fluids (oral,IV/Subcutaneous) are also an important part of treatment for reduced gut motility as dehydration *of gut contents* happens rapidly when the GI tract shuts down. This can lead to further problems as the dehydrated contents cant move through the guts.

So in brief, treating symptoms *after excluding a full obstruction* which would be a surgical emergency- pain relief, prokinetics,fluids, abdominal massage, supportive syringe feeding, ensuring maintenance of body temperature to stabalise the Rabbit. Then diagnostics to try to ascertain the primary cause of the gut slow down.

Good luck
 
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Not eating/reduced gut motility is usually a *symptom* rather than an illness in its own right. So the Vet needs to not only treat the symptoms ( Treatment should include PAIN RELIEF) but also to try to identify the primary cause. This could be Dental problems, pain from any other disease process/infection, ingestion of foreign body........etc....etc

So I would take your Rabbit back to the Vet to try to get to the bottom of what is going on. Fluids (oral,IV/Subcutaneous) are also an important part of treatment for reduced gut motility as dehydration *of gut contents* happens rapidly when the GI tract shuts down. This can lead to further problems as the dehydrated contents cant move through the guts.

So in brief, treating symptoms *after excluding a full obstruction* which would be a surgical emergency- pain relief, prokinetics,fluids, abdominal massage, supportive syringe feeding, ensuring maintenance of body temperature to stabalise the Rabbit. Then diagnostics to try to ascertain the primary cause of the gut slow down.

Good luck

:thumb:- spot on
 
Thanks all. no dental problems with her, I've been syringe feeding her warm water. she looks a lot better today, running around and some bigger, albeit soft poos this morn so I'm a bit happier. She's running around the garden this morn which is a good sign, no sitting and looking like she is in pain. Not seen he eat yet though this morn :-/
 
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Thanks for asking :)

Took her back yesterday, another gut stimulant and some pain killers. I was on a late shift at work so I syringe fed her some watery mushed pellets which she had. Asked ny OH to get some fresh herbs. He texted me to say she devoured the parsley and was tucking into pellets. Lots of poo but still dark coloured although normal sized.

I didnt take her to the vets today, she ate a bit of parsley and I gave her some fibreplex too and left her chomming on hand picked grass from the garden. She was a lit brighter after the fibreplex and running around.

We shall see!
 
Well last night she had two packs of mint, some parsley and honked at me as she came running across the room for more mint. She then did a bink and I knew we were on the road to recovery.

Today she's eating on her own, actively foraging for food and running about like the little monkey she is. She's not 100% but we're getting there and I am so so happy. She's still not eating hay or pellets but as I've read pellets are the last to come after a bout of this. No idea what was wrong with her, I think she was punishing me for going away and pining for the shed she had at KAYJ's :) think she didn't want to come home!!! She's eating parsley and brocolli at the moment...yay! :thumb:
 
Well last night she had two packs of mint, some parsley and honked at me as she came running across the room for more mint. She then did a bink and I knew we were on the road to recovery.

Today she's eating on her own, actively foraging for food and running about like the little monkey she is. She's not 100% but we're getting there and I am so so happy. She's still not eating hay or pellets but as I've read pellets are the last to come after a bout of this. No idea what was wrong with her, I think she was punishing me for going away and pining for the shed she had at KAYJ's :) think she didn't want to come home!!! She's eating parsley and brocolli at the moment...yay! :thumb:

Oh that's fab news :love:! Glad she's starting to feel better! Nena sends a snuggle x
 
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