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Is there anything more stressful than a rabbit that won't eat?

Inimical Me

Wise Old Thumper
A tiny bit of coriander, a nibble of banana and 3 strands of hay is all Fidget has eaten today. She's seen the vet nurse, had gut stimulants, metacam and I've managed to syringe a bit of SS recovery with some baby food into her.

Her poos are pretty wet and she's given up on her litter tray for wees. She has a wet bum for the first time ever in this weather :evil:. Other than that she is alert and laid out looking quite relaxed, but this the rabbit that walked around on a broken leg for 3 weeks without any typical 'bunny in pain' symptoms, so I don't know what to think.

Huge respect to those who deal with special needs and poorly bunnies on a daily basis, I can't cope with the worry. I had about 3 hours sleep last night because I spent half the night trying to tempt her to eat. I hate seeing my cheeky bunny looking so quiet. She's normally so naughty :love:.
 
I agree, I doubt if there is anything more stressful than a rabbit in stasis, & empathise with you.
It's exhausting too.
I expect that you've been having abnormally hot weather too.
May I suggest that Fidgit could well need some subQ fluids too. I know rabbits don't perspire, but when hot they breath faster & can lose a lot of fluid from their respiratory tract.
When they slow down fluid pours into the gut from the circulation to help to move things on, so they need to be well hydrated. My experience with Thumper was that when everything was stopped fluid couldn't get to the right place, unless he had subQ

I really hope things improve tonight. If you're still stuck tomorrow, send me a pm. The blackthorn leaves are only just ready & I can send you a selection of leaves & forage which used to help Thumper & quite a lot of other buns. Even if all is fine, they help to stabilise things out so bunny really takes off.
 
Thank you so much. The vet nurse said that gut sounds were "reduced", but naturally she ate some hay whilst we were there and went for a little walk so we got the usual "she seems quite bright" response, but I know how well she hides pain. She keeps getting up and washing herself but has only done a few small, moist poos and is just peeing where she sits. I've set an alarm for a couple of hours to syringe feed her again which will hopefully get a bit of moisture into her. I think she's getting annoyed by me constantly fussing her. It is very warm here, it's been 25 degrees indoors for ages now and we have a fan but she sits away from it so I'm not sure how the heat is making her feel.

Hopefully the gut stimulants will do the trick. She seems fairly stable, no laboured breathing or anything. She took the medication and syringe feed better than I expected (my first time - I normally disguise meds in food) but I can't stop worrying. If she's worse tomorrow we'll have to go to the emergency vet for sub cut fluids.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. I'm just thinking out loud really.
 
It's fine to think out loud.
You can have a smile at me, I could handle incredibly ill humans, with a very clear mind & I knew what to do, but I'm a nervous wreck with ill animals.:lol: I'm always frightened I've forgotten something important & have been sooo grateful for the support RU gave to me with Thumper. Someone checking I'd remembered everything.

Yes, mine "pick up" at the vets too. I reckon they're on hyper alert, & although staff are fastidious about hand washing I've a suspicion that buns can smell predators on them. Smell says there's human and predators luking somewhere they can't work out. I also find that they're much more subdued about taking meds.

I'm also hearing you about her hiding pain so well, as a possible cause of gut slow down, because although fairly warm 25C, isn't as excessive as we've had here, (30C -31C inside by day & 22C by night).

Weeing where she's sitting doesn't sound right for a stasis bun either.:?
I'm beginning to wonder whether she could have strained a ligament. Hopefully the metacam will help overnight. Please keep us updated.
 
Poor girl :cry:

Could she have a urine infection given that you mention her loss of litter tray training and her being all wet ?

The sluggish guts might be a secondary symptom of a UTI

Hope she feels better soon xx
 
Thank you both. She's reasonably bright today although she doesn't have much fight in her. She's eaten a strawberry and done some poos and I've managed to syringe a bit more recovery into her although she has mastered the art of letting it dribble out of her mouth now :roll:.

A UTI does seem like a likely explanation as her being hit and miss with her tray was the first symptom. I will suggest it to the vet.

My vets are good and I could have had her admitted, which tbh I would have preferred as I have more confidence in them than I do in me, but they have no exotics vets in until tomorrow and although they could have given injectable medication they are only there twice a day at the weekend, so there didn't seem much point when I would be keeping a closer eye on her.

Fingers crossed she remains the same/better until tomorrow morning when we can see our own vet (although typically the main bunny vet is on holiday for 2 weeks). I'm sure an un-rabbit-savvy vet could do more harm than good at this stage.

My poor girl has been through a lot lately. No health problems at all in the first 8 years of life and then a broken leg, surgery and now this 10 weeks later. She has a pin in her leg and the bone is healed but she is still dragging it around like a useless thing so god knows what will happen there too.

Thanks do much for your replies. I don't spend a lot of time in Rabbit Chat because I never have anything useful to contribute but I really appreciate you both replying. x
 
Hiya :wave:

I also agree that a UTI could be a possibility. My Charlotte recently went into stasis and it turned out to be secondary to a UTI that was causing her pain :( A weeks worth of abx later and she's as right as rain :)

A poorly rabbit really is the most stressful thing. It's all I can think about when one of my buns is ill, especially if they're not eating :cry:

Loads of vibes :wave:
 
Thank you. I've been fearing the worst so I'm hoping it is a UTI as I know there must be an underlying cause because it's so unlike her to be off her food.

Although she's still off her food, on a brighter note I've just seen her drinking from her bowl. I've been so frightened that dehydration would get her in this heat.

What are we like? Fidget is my special bunny and I don't think I'll have another like her. I hope she'll be back to her normal bossy self soon.
 
Yep, definitely the most stressful thing I can think of! :( We went through the same with Alfie last weekend - he's much like Fidget and usually seems to have a high pain threshold & will eat through anything, so it was a worry for us too. His also turned out to be a uti and, even after a couple of days on the antibiotics, he was much better and is now back to his normal naughty self. Lots of vibes for Fidget. xx
 
Yes, it's awful isn't it, they're normally SO excited about food. Hope Fidget is back to her normal naughty self soon, sending vibes.
 
It's sounding a bit better today.

There's a very easy way for the vet to diagnose a UTI. which as I understand, can usually be treated without a c&s - (more experienced people can correct me there)
You need to take a drop of her last wee to the vets. If she's on a hard surface it can usually be syringed up, if on carpet I wonder if she'll lie on a tissue, & saturate it? Put in polybag & put bag in a lidded container (I know it sounds gross) container goes in fridge - needs to be kept cool.
Hopefully there'll be enough for the vet to wet a dipstix = reagent strip. Excess protein & microscopic blood =UTI. You get an answer immediately.

Another thought is that many people with bunnies prone to UTI, give then cranberries. It won't cure a UTI but helps to prevent it & importantly sooths the bladder = less painful. They work whether dried or fresh.;)

I understand your worry about her hiding pain too. When you've got over the crisis perhaps consider offering her willow twigs or leaves, (natural NSAID) When she has pain, she'll crave them before there are any other signs. I only advise it as an early warning sign of pain & rely totally on metacam (standardised dose) as analgesia.

We've everything crossed for you both.

I'm not on RU much either, but want to say a big thank you. So many of your posts have given me a good chuckle.
It's time for us to support you as best we can.
 
I'd also be wondedring about EC, which can also present with the symptoms you describe. You can get lapizole online from Vets UK or panacur from Vet/pet shop. If she's lost weight I'd certainly treat for it as a precaution.. Do hope she's better soon...
 
Yes, I was concerned about EC. I'll discuss it with the vet this morning.

She had improved slightly - she is drinking from her bowl a little and will eat cabbage leaves and the occasional strawberry, but not much else.

She has stopped sitting in her urine and has been trying to clean herself up. She's free ranging and rather than her tray I've given her a newspaper in the corner of the room so she's peeing on that and then laying on the carpet. I feel much better about that as it doesn't seem like she's incontinent as she's able to mostly go on the paper (although she's not really moving that far).

I've syringe fed her a little this morning although how much she actually ate remains to be seen! She's eating a leaf on her own now. She's lost a little weight but I don't think it's drastic - about 20g (although she's only about 1.8kg normally so there's not a lot of her) We're off to the vet at 9.30. When I made the appointment last week all I could say to them is "she's not right in herself". I felt like I was ringing them for nothing. I'll have more confidence in my intuition in future!

Thanks again for all your replies, they've been really helpful.
 
She's been admitted (although she's eaten a little this morning). They're going to take bloods and xrays to make sure the pin in her leg isn't bothering her. I discussed my concerns about a possible uti etc but the vet seemed to think otherwise. I don't think it's the pin because you can touch that area without eliciting a response from her. When she was in pain with it you only had to go near the area and you'd get a grunt and a nip. But what do I know?

It wasn't the vet I expected (there's 3,mine is away and I expected the other one) so I don't know if I've done the right thing by letting them keep her or of xrays are even wise at this stage. I feel terrible, I don't know if I'm being dramatic. She was gradually improving at home and I don't want the stress of the vet to send her downhill :cry:. I don't know. I was in tears on the bus on the way home. My o/h has been trying to convince me she'll be ok, she's tough, but it's so hard.
 
Huge hugs - there is nothing worse than a poorly rabbit. When my cats have been ill I have obviously been worried but the stress/anxiety levels are nothing compared to when one of the rabbits stops eating. I always doubt whether I have done/am doing the right thing.

I hope that the vets can work out what is going on and that Fidget is home very soon. Vibes to you all xx
 
Big hugs from here too.
I know it's a tough one, but I think that we need to know what's causing the stasis & treat that in order to get her out of it properly.
Thinking of you both with everything crossed for a good outcome.
 
Thanks again for your responses everyone.

Big hugs from here too.
I know it's a tough one, but I think that we need to know what's causing the stasis & treat that in order to get her out of it properly.
Thinking of you both with everything crossed for a good outcome.

Thank you :wave:. This is my point - there has to be an underlying cause, and in Fidget's case (given that she hopped around on a broken leg for weeks) I expect that the underlying cause was something causing her a fair amount of discomfort. The blood results were fine and the pin in her leg is fine (I knew this anyway because she will freely let me touch her leg and the area where the pin slightly protrudes, but I didn't want to not confirm it and then find out later that I was wrong and that it actually was the cause of the pain) and she has eaten a little more. The x-rays showed her abdomen - there is food in her stomach which "should" pass.

I know bunnies can be sensitive and sometimes the smallest thing can trigger an episode of stasis but to be honest she's a tough little thing (my bridge bunny Daisy was the opposite, a sensitive soul) which makes me worry that there is something serious and underlying.

I have made it clear that I think there is an underlying cause and was actually quite snippy with the vet (he called me yesterday to tell me that she hadn't eaten? I said, "I'm not sure how clear I've been, but I brought her to you because she is. not. eating. and. has. to. be. syringe. fed" :roll:, but feel like I'm being a bit of a pushover.

I understand what it is like to work in an industry where people disbelieve the things you tell them even though they aren't an expert, and I don't want to be that person who knows it all and disbelieves a qualified vet at a good bunny savvy surgery.

On a more positive note, I'm pleased that the blood tests are clear and that her leg is ok (although she drags it around like a useless thing, which we think is because the muscle has wasted through not being used because the bone is healed). She is also no longer just peeing where she sits and her bum is clean. She's eating a little more, although certainly not back to normal. They offered to keep her in to continue the gut motility treatment but I can't cope with her not being with me, and although I'm at work, she won't be on her own for more than 3-4 hours at a time and she takes medication well by mouth. If she deteriorates again I'll have to get over my pushover-ness and get them told :oops:.
 
I'm really sorry that we haven't come up with an answer for Fidget yet, but at least some things have been excluded.
Oh my but you were very patient with the vet - seriously.
I've been trained "listen to the patient -they're trying to tell you the diagnosis." (by describing the symptoms) IMO it doesn't matter whether the patient is human or animal.

I'm really pleased that the pin hasn't slipped & there's no sign of infection there.
I'm not too good at working things out at the mo. I hear you very strongly about her high pain threshold.
I didn't realise she was 8 though. Please don't panic about where I'm going.
Her urinary symptoms are improving without treatment, & her stasis is a bit better.
She was dragging the broken leg as if it was useless but could hop for the vet nurse so it'a not paralysed, more very painful somewhere?.
Suppose it was just too painful for her to get in the litter tray & too painful for her to clean herself? = needs a lot of spinal curvature.

Can you bear with me & the only video I found about how rabbits move? I know it's running.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iic2IJovJ38 starts at 1.26.
I was really impressed that all the power comes from the rear end & the flexability needed in the spine.

OK I know that humans & rabbits are very different but if we have a painful leg, we favour the other side & the muscle inbalance twists our back, so we get low back pain. I'm sure Fidget would cope with this fine. But suppose she slipped? Maybe she's strained her pelvis/back & that was very painful.

Earlier this year I crushed a lower vertebra to a pancake - it was painful but was fine in a few weeks. What isn't fine, is that I also tore the large pelvic muscles - much much more painful than the bone injury! They don't hurt on the outside but boy it hurts to forage!!!
Sure, we don't run like a rabbit does. What I'm getting at is her back is a bit older - she's had a broken leg - could a slip have been a final straw which floored her & precipitated stasis???

Still being hopeful - perhaps what she needs is better pain relief. Metacam only lasts for about 8 hours in a rabbit they need it x2 daily a double dose for through the day pain relief. Again we need to watch hydration, but the best index of that is the wee output.

Does that make any sense as the person who knows her best? No offense if I'm barking up the wrong tree!
 
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