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Dont know whats wrong..

Poppy_Rabbit

New Kit
Hello,

I got my little 8 week old bunny Poppy on Sunday and she seemed fine and happy to start with. However the last day or two she has had slightly runny poo which just looked like uneaten cecals but it has gotten worse today and she also has bit of mucous in these softer poops this evening. Also her belly is really noisy it sounds like a rumbling tum as if shes hungry but then a lot of soft poop came out.

I'm really worried as shes gotten really quiet over this evening and havent seen much eating going on. I have some oxbow critical care should I feed her some of this to get some food into her? Does this just sound like a digestive problem or something more serious? I have brought her into the house so I can keep a close eye on her but am really worried.

Thank-You
Emma
 
Diarrhoea, especially of a watery / mucusy sort, is very serious in young rabbits and can be fatal.
You should really get her to the emergency vets tonight.

(You have every sympathy from me as I had to deal with this same problem 24 hours after bringing new young bunnies home and had to go to the emergency vet on a Sunday night.)
 
It could be the beginnings of gastric stasis or perhaps there is too much sugar (from fruit and carrots) in her diet. I think you had best take her to the vet as soon as you can just to be on the safe side. In the meantime make sure she is drinking at least a few times a day (rabbits don't drink much as a rule) and is not going into shock; symptoms include a slow faint pulse (felt by placing a hand gently around your rabbit's chest or by placing a finger in the groin area) and being extremely rigid and cold. You can also check a rabbit's gum colour. It should be a healthy pink. Bluish or pale gums indicate a severe circulatory problem and would require immediate veterinary attention. If your rabbit is very cold you can give her a heat pad wrapped in a cover of some sort. I hope Poppy will be ok though but its always good to know what to look out for.
 
I think at this age it can be very serious and I would really try and get her to vet tomorrow morning at the latest. She can go down hill so quickly. :(
Have you introduced new food to her, especially veg as this can cause an upset stomach? I would try and keep her on only hay and if she hasn't eaten for six hours then syringe some critical care. The mucus worries me the most.

Could you get a picture of her and one of her poo?
 
Thank-You for the quick replies.

This is how she has been sat for the last half an hour or so and hasnt moved much:
iphone015.jpg


I didnt get a picture of her poo but it looked like the one below in this link but there wasnt as much mucous as in the picture:
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=mu...art=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0&tx=61&ty=82

This has only been tonight there has been no mucous or tummy sounds before this as I have checked every day.

Thanks again
Emma
 
They can go downhill so quickly, and it's not a good sign if she's so still when she isn't usually.
As the article with that picture says, mucoid enteritis is serious.

Do you have access to an emergency vet where you are?
 
Baby bunnies are really sensitive so I agree, a vet asap.

Have you changed her diet since you got her? A change in food on top of the stress of a new home can often trigger problems.
 
Diarrhoea, especially of a watery / mucusy sort, is very serious in young rabbits and can be fatal.
You should really get her to the emergency vets tonight.

(You have every sympathy from me as I had to deal with this same problem 24 hours after bringing new young bunnies home and had to go to the emergency vet on a Sunday night.)

I'd strongly agree with this.

It probably sounds like an over-reaction but these symptoms are extremely serious in one so young and can be fatal very quickly. From what you describe of the bunny now being inactive it sounds very serious already.
 
I will call the vets and see what they can do :( We have given her the same food as they said they were feeding her so as far as we are aware everything is the same so not sure what has caused this :(
 
Don't blame yourself. Baby rabbits' immune systems and guts can be affected by a change of home, no matter how well handled it is. Also they may have common infections that don't show up for a few days after you bring them home (and which may only turn into illness because the bunny is stressed by its change of environment.)

The important thing is to take care of her illness.
 
Hello,

Sorry for the slow reply have been out at the vets early as possible this morning. We called the emergancy vet last night and they said to feed her some critical care and check she wasnt dehydrated untill morning. Poppy was ok through the night and took some critical care food but she seemed worse this morning and was really lethargic and uninterested in anything.
The vets are keeping her in on a drip and giving her pain relief and meds and going to see how she is after 24 hours. I am so worried about her poor little baby :( I will keep you all updated when I hear from the vet.

Thank-You for all the help and support for Poppy

Emma x
 
Unfortunatly I bring a sad update about Poppy she died at the vets not long ago :cry: She was so small and fragile the vets tried to help her and brung her back once but she was just to ill but still I cant believe shes gone :(

Thanks again for the help and advice from you all it helped a lot.
Rest in peace little Poppy x
 
I'm so sorry to hear about little Poppy.

Is she kept outside in a hutch at the moment? She may also be feeling the cold if she has recently been seperated from litter mates to cuddle up with, or if she has previously been kept inside. This would also upset her gut movement, as well as all her recent changes.

At least now she is getting the treatment she needs, so hopefully she will soon start to perk up. But I wouldn't put her back outside for awhile yet; not until she's more settled and the weather is more agreeable.
 
Hi Emma,

I'm so sorry. It sounds, to be honest, like your vets let you down, but due to the nature of how sick she was, that may not have made any difference anyway. You did the best you could for her and she's lucky that she found herself in your care.

Binky Free Poppy.
 
I'm so, so sorry to read the update.

Please don't think you did anything wrong, they are so fragile, as described in an earlier post, and just the change of environment can be too much for them if they have something in the background that's not obvious before and you sought vet advice as soon as you needed to.
 
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