Thumper's having one of her shivering "episodes" again - U/D POST 6

Let the bunnies out this morning; all was well. Been busy during the day so didn't get to check them again until tea time (they'd been in the shed all day but the hutch was open (also in the shed) so they could wander about at will). Thumper was lying down; not a problem as they are allowed to. However, she was shivering . Her ears weren't that cold and the soft fuzzy bit at the base of her ears/neck was warm so I didn't think she was actually cold. She did go out into the garden but wasn't herself; hardly running around/foraging, sat on the snow, shivering. Anyway, I thought better of it and got her back in the shed to dish up tea. Not interested (Coco meanwhile is stuffing her face). Rang the vet and actually spoke to the vet herself and she advised that I take her in. By now, Thumper had eaten some tea :thumb: but sadly was still shivering intermittently, so off we trot. An hour later and £50 lighter :shock: she's had an injection of a gut stimulant (just in case) and I've come home with the oral equivalent to be given 3 times daily for say 3 days, plus using metacam and baytril (luckily still had those in my cupboard with the correct dosage on the bottle). Dosed her up and she seems okay now, has stopped shivering and she's nibbling hay. Their hay consumption has dropped anyway (see different thread) but their poops were large and golden so they'd obviously eaten enough.

The vet, however, is stumped. She can't find anything wrong - temp's fine, can't hear anything internally, nothing. She's suggested that if it continues (as this is the third bout inside a year) they may have to sedate her to take X-Rays of her jaw/spine/bones and blood samples to try and get to the bottom of it. They won't sedate her at present as she's obviously not herself and therefore being knocked out may be disasterous. The vet checked her teeth and she has a very tiny spur at the back but that is not interfering with anything i.e. no soreness, not catching her tongue or anything so the vet highly doubts it's that - but that wouldn't make her shiver anyway and some of the shivers are quite violent.

The vet thinks that she may have climbed onto something and fell off and has hurt herself as shivering could be to do with pain. That's possible but wouldn't explain the other episodes (unless she fell of the ladder in the hutch).

Sorry for the long post but I'm a bit worried I guess. If only she could speak. I'm not asking for ideas as to what's wrong, just vibes really :?

What a worry for you Hope she will be fully recovered soon xx

Sending vibes for Thumper. I hope she is feeling better soon.

These bunnies can be such a worry. Whoever said that they are easy to look after... got it wrong.

I have posted about same type of thing with my bunny. He is over 7 yrs old and always gets better himself within a day. He also trembles when he is like this but is not cold. AFter seeing 5 vets I have found a vet who only treats small animals and is much more bunny savvy than the others. She thinks its gut as he stops eating and drinking and stretches out.

What triggers it is the million dollar question, we have possibly narrowed it down to green food and or the weather!! so he is now on diet that never varies and the amount of food is weighed out every day to see what happens.

As my bun is an old boy vet won't do anything invasive or sedative unless he is unwell for longer than 24 hrs.

Thanks, everyone :wave:

Hannah, the vet (who was brilliant and very thorough and oh so gentle with Thumper ) thought it may be worms, or EC? But then she checked her records and doubted it herself because I'd wormed them just after her last bout in August.

*sighs* they're as much as a worry as human children! More so in a way because they can't speak :?

Well after putting the girls back into their hutch/shed on Sunday morning when they were both perfectly fine again :thumb:.

Went to them this morning after the school run to find Thumper lethargic, off her food and she basically went back to bed - buried herself into the straw bedding and shivering. Again.

Have an appointment at the vet at 11.10 today.

Phoned Petplan who have assured me they will cover the costs of any tests which were suggested i.e. X-rays, bloods and may well pay me back some of the money I've already forked out over the last few months as it's all for the same problem.

I'm at a loss. I love that little bunny and I'm sat here with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I don't know what to do. I've put her a snugglesafe in but she's not cold so I've made sure she's not lying on it but at least it's there if she wants it. I tried to give her metacam but she had just over half the dose as it upset her too much. She then let me properly cuddle her for almost 10 minutes - and that's unheard of normally.

Angie B said:

Well after putting the girls back into their hutch/shed on Sunday morning when they were both perfectly fine again :thumb:.

Went to them this morning after the school run to find Thumper lethargic, off her food and she basically went back to bed - buried herself into the straw bedding and shivering. Again.

Have an appointment at the vet at 11.10 today.

Phoned Petplan who have assured me they will cover the costs of any tests which were suggested i.e. X-rays, bloods and may well pay me back some of the money I've already forked out over the last few months as it's all for the same problem.

I'm at a loss. I love that little bunny and I'm sat here with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I don't know what to do. I've put her a snugglesafe in but she's not cold so I've made sure she's not lying on it but at least it's there if she wants it. I tried to give her metacam but she had just over half the dose as it upset her too much. She then let me properly cuddle her for almost 10 minutes - and that's unheard of normally.

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To me it sounds as though the shivering is pain related. My Dermot trembles all over when having one of his 'gut episodes', These are NOT gut stasis, he continues to poo but gets sudden onset and severe abdominal pain. He has had numerous tests with no definitive diagnosis ever being found. He is treated symptomatically- pain relief, (opiates are often needed as the pain is too severe for just Metacam)-fluids both SQ and oral, Zantac and on some occasions metoclopromide. These episodes can last for no more than an hour or they can go on for over 24 hours. Recovery is as instantaneous as the onset of pain. The attacks are totally random and are not effected by diet. But stress can bring one on. It is absolutely awful to see a Rabbit trembling with pain, I can totally empathise with you.

I hope that your Vet can help Thumper xx

Thank you for your support, Jack's Jane.

Not long back from the vet. She did a blood test and the glucose was just over 16 which indicates possible stasis starting . We've come back home with yet more medicine (baytril and summat starting with a Z to get gut moving) so I've dosed Thumper up and put her back to bed.

Within a few minutes she was eating the straw bedding and I gave her some broccoli and a small piece of cabbage - and she's munched most of them, so that's a start. She's also washed her face. Have put some hay in her bed too but she's ignoring that as she evidently prefers the barley straw to meadow hay. Says a lot about the quality of the hay ... :lol:

She's definitely perked up a little bit but she's still in bed with a snugglesafe.

The vet is going to ring a Rex breeder to see if they have any ideas/have come across it before because she says it is rather rare to have such symptoms but with nothing detectably wrong. Next step is for possible hospitalisation so they can inject the meds (though she does take it orally eventually - she refuses it mixed into food) and/or x-rays. She doesn't think it's dental because she checked her teeth only last Wednesday.

*sighs

Will check her in about an hour, see how she is. Hopefully she'll be back on her feet, so to speak.

Jack's-Jane said:

To me it sounds as though the shivering is pain related. My Dermot trembles all over when having one of his 'gut episodes', These are NOT gut stasis, he continues to poo but gets sudden onset and severe abdominal pain. He has had numerous tests with no definitive diagnosis ever being found. He is treated symptomatically- pain relief, (opiates are often needed as the pain is too severe for just Metacam)-fluids both SQ and oral, Zantac and on some occasions metoclopromide. These episodes can last for no more than an hour or they can go on for over 24 hours. Recovery is as instantaneous as the onset of pain. The attacks are totally random and are not effected by diet. But stress can bring one on. It is absolutely awful to see a Rabbit trembling with pain, I can totally empathise with you.

I hope that your Vet can help Thumper xx

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Thank you for describing Dermot as this also sounds like my bun who I have posted about in the past although he does not appear to be in the amount of pain that Dermot and Thumper are in but like Dermot his attacks are out of the blue and can resolve totally within an hour or at most 24 hrs.

I have never managed to get pain relief from any vet having seen 6 of them even the last one who is most bunny savvy I have managed to see as they all say he is just uncomfortable and not in pain. He trembles very slightly on and off when he is like this. OF course when he gets to vet and its all new scenery he perks up no end!!!

The last better vet said as she was sure he was not in real pain she was wary of giving pain relief as this can slow guts even further and my bun stops pooing and peeing and eating during one of these attacks, she said to wait until later in day and if he was still same she would act then.
I did specifically ask about pain but didn't feel I could insist and she took alot of trouble explaining everything and her reasons.

Interesting that stress ets Dermot off as we are still trying to find out what is the trigger with my bun.

HOpe Thumper improves and sorry for hijacking your post but Jane is such a wonderful help with info.

Angie B said:

Thank you for your support, Jack's Jane.

Not long back from the vet. She did a blood test and the glucose was just over 16 which indicates possible stasis starting . We've come back home with yet more medicine (baytril and summat starting with a Z to get gut moving) so I've dosed Thumper up and put her back to bed.

Within a few minutes she was eating the straw bedding and I gave her some broccoli and a small piece of cabbage - and she's munched most of them, so that's a start. She's also washed her face. Have put some hay in her bed too but she's ignoring that as she evidently prefers the barley straw to meadow hay. Says a lot about the quality of the hay ... :lol:

She's definitely perked up a little bit but she's still in bed with a snugglesafe.

The vet is going to ring a Rex breeder to see if they have any ideas/have come across it before because she says it is rather rare to have such symptoms but with nothing detectably wrong. Next step is for possible hospitalisation so they can inject the meds (though she does take it orally eventually - she refuses it mixed into food) and/or x-rays. She doesn't think it's dental because she checked her teeth only last Wednesday.

*sighs

Will check her in about an hour, see how she is. Hopefully she'll be back on her feet, so to speak.

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Has she had pain relief ?

Could your Vet call a Rabbit specialist, I'd personally not feel overly confident with advice obtained from a Breeder :?

Dermot is a Rex

I tried to give Thumper some pain relief this morning but she only had just over half as she got too stressed out. The vet advised against giving too much as this can have its own side effects, so no, she hasn't had pain relief today. She has had a decent amount of baytril though, given in one dose and some gut stuff starting with a Z which I have to give the latter 3 doses per day. Next one's due in 2 hours. In fact, I must go and check on her now, see how she's doing.


*trots off ...