• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Floppy's not eating again - p9 help needed again please

weedug

weedug

Mama Doe
Just waiting on my vet to open to get him seen. The problem is that I'm sure my vet will suggest PTS, given his other problems (luxated and subluxated patellas). I don't feel that he is ready to give up.

Would I be totally wrong to fight to keep him going?
 
Last edited:
How old is Floppy?

If he were mine I'd ask for him to be treated for gut stasis with gut stimulant, pain killer, fibreplex and sub cut fluids and see how he goes. If there's no improvement and he's clearly suffering then I'd consider pts then but I have a 7yo stasis-prone rabbit and despite having a few episodes this year (and looking very miserable with each one) we still have her and the meds always help.

Let us know how you get on but don't allow the vet to pts if you don't think it's the right time, definately go with your gut instinct.
 
Floppy is not quite 2. He has been struggling a bit with the pain from his legs, but was managing better on stronger pain relief.

Thanks for the reply Crunchie, you have confirmed what I thought. I'm just really struggling just now as my dog has been seriously ill, and Blossom had problems after her spay.
 
PTS has to be your decision of course and if you don't think he is ready he isn't ready Weedug, but if you trust your vet then you need to talk to him about why he thinks it may now be appropriate from his point of view. If Floppy is having recurrent episodes of stasis despite the higher pain relief then maybe the pain relief is just not controlling the situation any longer and you do need to rethink his quality of life at this time. I don't know at all, this isn't my rabbit and I only know about him from what you post on here, I don't see him everyday and can not make that assessment, only you can. x
 
prettylupin said:
PTS has to be your decision of course and if you don't think he is ready he isn't ready Weedug, but if you trust your vet then you need to talk to him about why he thinks it may now be appropriate from his point of view. If Floppy is having recurrent episodes of stasis despite the higher pain relief then maybe the pain relief is just not controlling the situation any longer and you do need to rethink his quality of life at this time. I don't know at all, this isn't my rabbit and I only know about him from what you post on here, I don't see him everyday and can not make that assessment, only you can. x
Click to expand...

What this wise lady said.

Good luck at the vets.
 
My vet was happy to treat Floppy just now. He has bloat, and got the usual injections, but only metacam pain relief, as he reacted really bad to the stronger stuff last time. He took a couple of mouthfuls when he went back into his cage, but isn't touching anything else.

I really feel he isn't ready to give up. Obviously if he continues to struggle, I know I'll need to reassess.
 
How often should I syringe feed Floppy during the night? Do I keep with every 2 hours, and how much roughly should a 1.7kg bun have each time?
 
weedug said:
How often should I syringe feed Floppy during the night? Do I keep with every 2 hours, and how much roughly should a 1.7kg bun have each time?
Click to expand...

Has there been any fecal output ?

I would be reluctant to syringe feed a Rabbit with bloat, especially if it is the stomach that is bloated

Is he having Ranitidine ? I am wondering if the high dose Metacam may have caused some GI tract ulceration
 
Floppy has passed a pile of poops, just a little while ago, thankfully.

He is looking much brighter than he was and hopefully will not need continued syringe feeding all night, but I want to be prepared.

Floppy is getting Zantac. He has been on it this past week while his metacam dose has been so high.

If there isn't a marked improvement in him in the morning, he will be back to the vet again.
 
I generally use Oxbrow critical care if syringe feeding is required and they suggest three tablepoons per kilo of body weight per day, so you would be looking at about 5 tablespoons. I generally measure out a heaped tablespoon mix it with warm water. One heaped tablespoon does approximalety 4-5 syringes of a 5ml syringe. Be prepared though, both my OH and I tend to end up getting some on us as well as in the bunny. Cleo after her spay was happy to lick it off the spoon but none of my others ever have.

Hope that helps

NB: I only ever syringe feed if advised by the vet to do so and their tummy has been palpated and no blockage found.
 
lauraj27 said:
I generally use Oxbrow critical care if syringe feeding is required and they suggest three tablepoons per kilo of body weight per day, so you would be looking at about 5 tablespoons. I generally measure out a heaped tablespoon mix it with warm water. One heaped tablespoon does approximalety 4-5 syringes of a 5ml syringe. Be prepared though, both my OH and I tend to end up getting some on us as well as in the bunny. Cleo after her spay was happy to lick it off the spoon but none of my others ever have.

Hope that helps

NB: I only ever syringe feed if advised by the vet to do so and their tummy has been palpated and no blockage found.
Click to expand...

Many thanks :wave:. My vet advised the syringe feeding.

Floppy has started to eat bits himself, so I will hold off with the syringe feeding for now. Hopefully he will keep nomming himself!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
Showing no symptoms - then stops eating
Replies
18
Views
980
bunny momma
bunny momma
KCG
Something is going wrong
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
892
KCG
KCG
dex179
Head tilt but it's not E Cuniculi - Help!
2 3 4
Replies
70
Views
2K
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top