Poorly bun! Please help :(

Fiver went to the vets yesterday and had his myxi jab which he was well overdue for He also had a health check and the vet told me he has spikes on his teeth but they haven't damaged his mouth that she could see. He has been eating fine and pooing fine but has had a few bouts of stasis (which he's never had before) the worst one being on boxing day where I had to rush him to an emergency vet. He picked up after a few hours of receiving the meds and was pooing and eating his hay again.
This morning, however, I woke up to find him flopped on the top shelf of his cage...something he never does. I opened his cage and he didn't move until I prodded him. He's usually bouncing about, pestering me to feed him but when I gave him his pellets he just growled at me and ignored them. He was perfectly fine last night, eating his hay, throwing his toys about and chewing his wooden ball.
I massaged his tummy and could feel poo in his guts but his tummy was making some funny noises as I massaged it. I don't know if it's his teeth or his tummy but I have work at 1pm and there's only 1 vet available at my vet clinic so I don't think I could get an appointment. He's obviously in pain/discomfort, he's sitting hunched up and is uninterested in anything. If it is his teeth, it seems like a big coincidence that he only had them checked yesterday after being perfectly ok and is now bothered by them. He is acting like the last time he needed a dental but he won't be able to get one until next week now and I really don't know what to do.
I lost Ellie in November after she didn't wake up from her dental and I don't know if she had an underlying problem or if it was my vets fault I don't know if I could go through with him having a dental at that vets but I don't know where else is good and affordable.
Any advice would be great, please!

If it is his teeth, he won't be able to wait a week unfortunately i very much doubt.

Would your vet at least dispense some dog metacam for you to give him, to ease the obvious pain and discomfort he's in, to at least possibly allow him to try and eat?

I would seriously consider trying to find another veterinary surgery perhaps for this treatment on this occasion.

I agree with Gray. It might also be a reaction to the vaccination if he is a bit more physically 'wobbly' at the moment. Some Metacam is a must whatever is going on. He needs to be seen today, to be honest.

If he hasn't eaten since yesterday then he needs to see a vet urgently. The longer they haven't eaten for the longer it takes their system to get going again.

He was eating his hay quite happily last night while I was in bed and that was at about 12:30/1am. I will ring my vets now and ask to speak to the vet if she/he is available. I have always used this vet practice and have never had a problem with them until I lost Ellie so I'm obviously in two minds...Ellie wasn't well but needed a dental and I chose to book her in and I lost her so it was probably my fault. He won't be able to have a dental until Monday at least, and that's if there is a vet in to do surgery. I will try to get him some metacam today...surely the vet can at least prescribe me some without seeing Fiver.
He seems to have been ill since I lost Ellie I don't understand why unless his teeth are causing the stasis bouts and mood swings.
I think I might have to ring in sick at work today, I don't think I could leave him while he's looking so bad. Even with the stasis before he didn't look so uncomfortable.

Why are his guts gurgling when I massage them? Is that a bad thing? Could it be he's been drinking a lot of water to compensate for the pain? Ellie used to fill herself up with water when she was due a dental.

Vet is going to ring me back as soon as possible but she is in surgery at the moment I'm shaking I'm panicking so much.

Oh no Fiver not again

I hope the vets ring back quickly. I wish I had something constructive to add!

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help

The gurgling is gas in the stomach. It means there is a problem but it is not indicative of how severe so don't panic. He needs you to be very calm. Just keep him warm and if he lets you you can syringe him gently some warm fluids/water. I'm hoping that he can go straight to the vet this lunchtime x

If you have lost confidence in your vet it might be best to look for a new one. Start a thread wit the title 'looking for rabbit savvy vet near (where you live)' and hopefully some people will have suggestions.


Poor lad, sending him loads of vibes xxx

Poor Fiver I hope the vet calls back soon. Sending lots of vibes xx

OK. He was in his litter tray and ate 1 pellet when I went to check on him. He is still all hunched up and fluffy-looking. The heating is on so my room will warm up in no time. My work has told me they need me in but said I'm waiting for a call back from my vet and will be in when I can. I will make sure I get to the vets before work so he can have pain relief asap.
I hope my baby will be ok. He's had such a rough time recently and I don't know what is causing these horrible stasis bouts. 3 times in 2 months and he's never had problems like this before

Vegan_Bunny said:

OK. He was in his litter tray and ate 1 pellet when I went to check on him. He is still all hunched up and fluffy-looking. The heating is on so my room will warm up in no time. My work has told me they need me in but said I'm waiting for a call back from my vet and will be in when I can. I will make sure I get to the vets before work so he can have pain relief asap.
I hope my baby will be ok. He's had such a rough time recently and I don't know what is causing these horrible stasis bouts. 3 times in 2 months and he's never had problems like this before

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When did he lose his bonded partner? Is he a dental bun? Has anything changed recently, his diet, his exercise routine, going outside less etc? How old is Fiver?
Personally, if he is still hunched and gurgling and not eating normally then I would phone your vet back yourself and say you need to bring him in as an emergency and can they see you as soon as you get there x

There is only one vet in and she is in surgery atm so ringing won't do any good.

He lost Ellie in November. I changed from buying a big bail of hay to using timothy hay and the dandelion flavour one. He has always had different hay in his diet so it wasn't a big deal. He can't get out of the bedroom much because my parents don't like him anywhere else in the house (he's very destructive) but I've been letting him in the living room where he usually just lays on the couch with me getting cuddles. He's indoors so hasn't had the free ranging in the garden over winter but he's used to that.
He's only ever had 1 dental and that was last year but his teeth are currently sharp but not enough to damage his mouth. He has never had any other problems until his stasis bout on Boxing Day. He is about 5 years old.

I'm sorry to hear your bun is sick , sadly one of my buns just passed away this morning she stopped eating last Thursday took her to vets she seem to pick up a little then stopped again so she had a dental on her cheek teeth on Wednesday morning and I been syringe feeding her but she gave up on me this morning I can't stop crying she was my little house bunny , she lay on her side with slow breathing I picked her up and kissed her little nose and her head just flopped on me I'm devastated

Vegan_Bunny said:

There is only one vet in and she is in surgery atm so ringing won't do any good.

He lost Ellie in November. I changed from buying a big bail of hay to using timothy hay and the dandelion flavour one. He has always had different hay in his diet so it wasn't a big deal. He can't get out of the bedroom much because my parents don't like him anywhere else in the house (he's very destructive) but I've been letting him in the living room where he usually just lays on the couch with me getting cuddles. He's indoors so hasn't had the free ranging in the garden over winter but he's used to that.
He's only ever had 1 dental and that was last year but his teeth are currently sharp but not enough to damage his mouth. He has never had any other problems until his stasis bout on Boxing Day. He is about 5 years old.

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It may be a combination of factors, if his teeth are getting sharp then they may be irritating his tongue/gum and causing primary loss of appetite or pain that is causing the tummy to slow down, he may not be getting enough exercise being winter which will slow the tummy further (nothing much you can do about that other than see if he can run around the house a bit more) if the hay isn't one he eats such large amounts of this could contribute as well, maybe you could think about getting another bale and giving him free choice of a hay selection. At 5 years of age there is a possibility that he has some age related changes to his spine/hips/knees or jaw/teeth. With such recurrent episodes it might be sensible now to think about a GA and some thorough Xrays to look for any hidden sources of pain such as arthritis, and to check those very back teeth properly if they can't be seen with the otoscope. x

Wendle: That's awful! It's so heartbreaking having dental buns *huge huge hugs* There must have been something seriously wrong with her Binky free little one xx



I just went to check on Fiver, he scoffed his pellets form my hand and then started eating his hay. :? I'm very confused. Shall I still get him to the vets and some metacam?

Vegan_Bunny said:

Wendle: That's awful! It's so heartbreaking having dental buns *huge huge hugs* There must have been something seriously wrong with her Binky free little one xx



I just went to check on Fiver, he scoffed his pellets form my hand and then started eating his hay. :? I'm very confused. Shall I still get him to the vets and some metacam?

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Yes, because there is obviously something wrong.

It's the first time she's ever been sick in the 5 years I had her poor little lily R.I.P baby girl I tried my utmost to keep you going but you decided to give up on me 

If he is not showing signs of pain would it be worth giving him metacam? I don't want him to be having drugs he doesn't need.

Regarding the xrays, would the vets do that while he was in for a dental? Kill two birds with one stone. I really don't want to put him under GA but it's looking inevitable Would arthritis contribute to the stasis? I mean he's never shown any reluctance to move and binkies at me when it's feeding time. In the garden he runs around at about 100000 mile an hour and binkies like an idiot. Although if he isn't moving around as much with being on his own I suppose that could contribute :/

I was going to be seeing a doe on Tuesday who I was thinking about getting but I will need to find out why Fiver is being so poorly so often before I thinking about bonding.

I'm so confused!

The vet has rang me back. She said it sounds like there was some gas moving through his guts which caused him a lot of discomfort but he has passed it so feels better. I told her my concerns that this is 3rd time in 2 months but she just said to see how he goes over the weekend and that she's in tomorrow morning so if he gets ill again I can pop down tomorrow. She has prescribed me some Metacam to pick up today in case he shows any more signs of pain.

Would this be a satisfactory course of action? I could have a chat with my vet about his dental situation and reasons for his stasis/gas episodes. Possibly might be worth getting a dental done and see how he goes from there?

I feel better knowing she will be in tomorrow and that I have some Metacam there for me should Fiver need it.

I am going to have to go to work now. My brother is in and I'll make him check on Fiver and text me updates all afternoon! I finish at 5 and if Fiver looks even a little bit poorly again I'll be taking him straight to the vets. Although I don't think they could do much apart from give him Metacam and some gut stimulants.

Thankyou everybody for all the advice especially Pretty Lupin, I didn't realise so many things could be triggers for stasis. I think I will start to give him time out of the bedroom a lot more and get him the bail of hay once again and see if that helps. Also I think cutting out veg/fruit as he only gets them as treats and I don't think it will help him if it is gas.