Tummy Ache?

I don't normally post on these forums, but here goes.

I have a 3yr old black and white english lop eared called Chester. At the age of 21 my mum was hoping i had grown out of the furry animal stage.
His normal behaviour is that he doesnt like to be handled and will struggle, also will run away from me, yet loves the dogs and will follow them round the house.
During the summer he lives out doors while in the winter he will come inside and stay in my room.

Last night my parents where cleaning out the fridge and decided to spoil him by giving him a bag of salad, half a celery and a small amount of tomatoes.
This morning i found him hunched in the corner, allowing his head to get wet by the water bottle above him. He didnt seem jumpy at all, and when i picked him up he hardly struggled and cuddled up to me.. I put him outside hoping that will cheer him up and instead he is huddled in his bed really sleepy. At one point this morning his ears where cold also.

Is this a case of a tummy ache!? I know rabbits stomachs are very sensitive and normally he gets a carrot once a week on top of his daily rabbit food, hay and water.

Please help. Becky x

It sounds like he is in pain, I would get him to the vet immediately and tell them what you have given him. What was in the bag of salad as rabbits can't eat some lettuce i.e. iceberg. It could have caused gas/bloat if he is not used to so much.

Tummy ache can be serious in bunnies but if caught early enough can be successfully treated.

I hope he feels better soon.

You need to get him to a Vet straight away

It is very likely that the salad has caused a severe GI tract problem, possibly bloat which can be very, very serious

Your Rabbit will be in a lot of pain and the fact that you say his ears feel cold indicates that he is almost certainly critically ill

Please contact a Vet right away and also get your Rabbit close to a heat source such as a heat pad or wrapped hot water bottle.

Agree get to the vet, it sounds as though he has had some foods he shouldn't have, I don't think tomatoes are good for a buns yum either.
Make sure he also has plenty of hay available to him, as if he is in the mood for eating this will keep his bowels moving.
I'm sure you know that when a rabbits bowel are not moving along properly they can go into something called stasis, which can be fatal xxxx

Agree...vets pronto!!!

Yes - agree - get him to the vets.

Soon after we got Bobo last February we fed him too much water cress (in sheer ignorance ) and he ended with gas bubbles in his intestines and in a lot of pain. It's not something that 'will just pass'.

Good luck and let us know how he gets on!

Just tried seeing the vet and they have nothing until the morning.
When asked for advice the receptionist didnt know anything.
Ive brought him him and he hopped around my bathroom (Just incase he has the runs)
Ive cleaned out his cage so i can see what droppings he does, if any at all.

bbrown91 said:

Just tried seeing the vet and they have nothing until the morning.
When asked for advice the receptionist didnt know anything.
Ive brought him him and he hopped around my bathroom (Just incase he has the runs)
Ive cleaned out his cage so i can see what droppings he does, if any at all.

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This is an absolute emergency and they must treat him as a very urgent case.

He needs to be seen immediately.

Some vets aren't so familiar with rabbits, so your vet surgery may not have understood the urgency of the situation, and it really is urgent that your bunny sees a vet today with the symptoms you describe.

I would suggest looking for a different vet and trying to get him in there this afternoon. Or if you let us know the general area you are based in, I'm sure someone will be able to recommend a vet in your area. There are people from all over the country on this forum.

Agreed...ring all the vets in the area if you have to. Is he dragging his tummy on the floor? Is he continually getting up and lying down again? Does his tummy look distended? Does he flich away if you try and touch him tummy? If any of the answers to these questions are yes, then tell the vet when you're trying to make the appointment. Any good vet knows the signs!

has he eaten or pooped at all ?

He hasnt easten since i noticed the symptoms and he hasnt pooed as yet.
Mum is on the phone to vets as we speak.
We have horses, and when this problem happens (Known as mild colic) we have to keep the horse moving. As horrible as it sounds im having to do that with Chester. He isnt dragging his tummy at all (Reference to another post) x

bbrown91 said:

He hasnt easten since i noticed the symptoms and he hasnt pooed as yet.
Mum is on the phone to vets as we speak.
We have horses, and when this problem happens (Known as mild colic) we have to keep the horse moving. As horrible as it sounds im having to do that with Chester. He isnt dragging his tummy at all (Reference to another post) x

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Yes, he definately needs treatment now if it's been that long. They can give him an injection which will kickstart his guts and hopefully get things moving. I personally dont keep mine moving when theyve got bloat as its stresses them. I gently massage their tummies for as long as they'll put up with it. It works wonders with mine (breaks up gas pockets). But if you try this you must be gentle, as their organs are very delicate. Sending vibes for your bun and I hope you can get him treatment asap!!

good luck at the vets...tell them he hasn't eaten or pooped since yesterday and you are sure he has gone into gut statis. Also make sure they prescribe you metacam for the pain, recovery sachets to get him eating and an injection of gut stimulant. Get them to make sure they dose the metacam correctly to a high dose as the doses are much larger now than previously prescribed. Good luck I hope he manages to recover from this. x

I'm glad you have knowledge of horses, as this is really similar to colic in a horse and is excruciatingly painful and cannot be left.

Your bun really does need to see a vet for pain relief and possibly gut stimulants etc to get him through this.

One of mine suffers from bloat occasionally and she shakes with the pain. Quick veterinary attention is an absolute must.

If the vet can't fit you in I'd find another vet and I really hope your bun gets seen very soon

Another tip after he has been to the vets collect some grass, dandelion leaves or bramble leaves (if you can find any) or get some herbs as they are often picky when starting to eat again and tend not to touch their pellets until last.

How is he doing?

Update on Chester

Firstly I want to say thank you to all that replied with my thread concerning Chester's health. Apologies that I didn't get round to reply yesterday but I had other things on my mind.

Wednesday evening my parents drove down to the vets with Chester for an emergency. The vet at the time said he had a blockage and he was kept in over night on a drip and painkillers to help him.
The next morning (Thursday) we get a call about Chester. That despite he seems more relaxed with all the pain killers he still hasnt managed to eat or poo. They also found out that his back teeth were growing into his tongue and therefore not allowing him to grind his food down properly, let alone eat.

I was then given three options. The first was to have him carry on the treatment with the drip until he makes a full recovery and then to go under extensive dental work. This work would then have to be repeated every two months.
My second option was to have him put down.
However, my third was that a vet at the surgery had fallen in love with him and was quite happy to look after him. She had a female bunny that needed a companion and all the dental work would be done for free as she would carry it all out.

It was the most hardest decisions I've ever had to make, I chose option three.
I personally couldn't afford the ongoing treatment for him, was upsetting realising that while at the vets. She broke it down to every last penny and i still couldnt find it.
But the vet was really friendly and said she would keep me updated.
I was able to say goodbye to him and we had a few last cuddles and nuzzles. I will love him always.
I've never cried so much. I don't care what anyone says until they have been in the position myself. If it wasnt for that vet i would have had to unfortunately have Chester put down.

He wont get an acre of land to run round, or dogs to chase but at least he is get the treatment he needs and with a fellow bunny friend.

Again thank you for all your help.

Becky

I think that was a very responsible decision to make, I'm sorry you couldn't keep him but at least he has gone somewhere where he can get the special care he needs.

That's a very brave decision you made, and I know Chester will be grateful and love you always x