Fidgit is a 2 year old mini/dwarf lop buck. He is usually full of energy and mischief. a full months ago he started pulling his hair out. This was later diagnosed as a kidney infection and was treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pain killers for one week. Whilst things improved he continues to lick areas resulting in some hair loss but he currently has no bald patches, only small matted areas that he has been licking. I have been out all day and he has had the run of the garden as usual. This evening he seemed to by lying down more than he usually does. On putting him away he ignored all his food which he usually goes straight for and just lay in his litter box. I've bought him inside to observe him and he just doesn't seem to be able to get comfortable. He keeps lying down and then getting up again and stretching a few moments later. I have put a bowl of water next to him and he has his litter tray/hay/food in the room with him. I don't know what else I can do? I don't know if he may have eaten rhubarb in the garden but he has before and it didn't cause problems... He just looks unwell :-(
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Please help - SO worried :-(
- Thread starter RachyRach
- Start date
Alvins mummy
Mama Doe
do you have treat or greens you can tempt him with. if he doesn't eat within the next few hours he needs to go to a vet. Has he been pooping and peeing?
Vegan_Bunny
Warren Veteran
You must get him to a vet tonight.
You should ring the vet.
They will be closed but there will be another number to ring for emergencies; it sounds like your bun is in pain, and at the very least, the vet can give him some pain relief and examine his abdomen to see what the problem might be. I hope he will be ok x
They will be closed but there will be another number to ring for emergencies; it sounds like your bun is in pain, and at the very least, the vet can give him some pain relief and examine his abdomen to see what the problem might be. I hope he will be ok x
If he is pressing his gut down and not eating then I can only really recommend seeing a vet. It's stasis, but whether it is caused by a blockage or otherwise it isn't possible to tell without seeing the vet, and any course of action needs to consider whether there is a blockage.
If he is refusing food etc he is probably in pain and needs to see a vet as soon as possible as a bunny can soon become very poorly. The vet will check him over and must give him some pain relief and you may have to syringe feed him to encourage him to eat, but only after a vet has seen him and made sure that there are no blockages etc. The main thing is to get him to a vet.
He did do a normal poo as soon as I put him in his hutch this evening. He was pooing and weeing fine yesterday but as he's been in the garden all day I don't know what he has been doing. My husband says he has been running around as normal most of the day and he ate carrot peel a few hours ago. I have given him a little anti-inflammatory. He is still cleaning himself though. He just got up and cleaned his ears and then lay back down again. He has just let me give his abdomen a good massage which I don't think he would have let me do if he was in a lot of pain?
esupi
Warren Veteran
This does sounds very like the behaviour Truffle adopts when she has her stasis episode. If this is the first time this has happened, I would definitely agree with everyone else - vets ASAP! The sooner you catch these things the better with rabbits - if you leave it until he's in lots of pain, it may be too late.
Vegan_Bunny
Warren Veteran
Your vet doesn't seem to know rabbits. Leaving him all night when he is in stasis (if that is what it is) could end up with him dying.
He will also be in pain and I'm sure you don't want that. Can you ring a different vet and ask them?
I usually say that if a rabbit hasn't eaten in 2 hours, they need to see a vet immediately.
The first time Cloud stopped eating our vet just asked how long it had been then how soon we could get there for an emergency appointment, as well as how he was lying and the likes. If rabbits don't eat then their stomachs can't move and the longer they go without the harder it is to get going. So even if he *could* wait until morning recovery is made much harder and less likely by default.
I've been checking on him throughout the night and I'm so thankful to say that he has purked right up! He's passed some normal poo and a little wet one but is back to his mischief, trying to escape into the other room when I left the door open. I gave him a dose of Metacam at 22:00 that I had left over from an episode a few weeks ago. This looked more severe but he has eaten some hay and is currently munching away on his dry food having had a clean and a hop round the room. Panic over! It's amazing what an abdominal massage and some anti-inflammatory can do. I can actually sleep now...
Vegan_Bunny
Warren Veteran
I'd pop him to the vets when they are open to give him a full health check ad make sure his guts are working normally. :thumb: Glad he has perked up. Next time, though, don't leave him, he may not recover as well as he has today. x
This :thumb:
