Both rabbits "bloated" abdomen at + 3 weeks.

Both my house rabbits have abdomens that do not feel soft, not hard but there is definitely tension. Some facts:
# Been like this for + 3 weeks.
# Symptom much more significant in the larger female rabbit - seems to be getting worse.
# Belly of female rabbit feels heavy.
# Female rabbit seems in discomfort when rear of tummy palpated.
# Both rabbits producing normal looking / quantities of poo.
# No unusual urine.
# Other than the change in abdominal firmness both rabbits look and are behaving normally.
# No vegetables for last week, just pellets, continuous hey, and water - no change.
# Been giving rabbits a new source of hay from a local farm for about the last 4 weeks (rather firm hey, not green).
# A young persian cat joined our household about 6 weeks ago, rabbits and cat are kept separate at the moment.

I'm planning on taking them to the vet next week. Any suggestions on what could be causing this?

Poor bunnies

If they were mine i'd get them into an emergency vet tomorrow as bloat can be very dangerous

Pregnant possibly?

Have they been to a vet yet?

Tbh, there's not much we can help with. They both need to see a vet as soon as possible. If they are eating and pooing, they could wait until Monday, but they will need to see a vet by then at the latest.

Have they been showing other symptoms of pain, without you touching them? Lethargy, hunching, grinding teeth.

Thanks for your replies. Is there a precise definition of bloat? When I feel their abdomens they are quite subjective. Certainly gently palpating particular the female rabbit, I can feel tension in the abdomen and towards the rear it is not uniform.

Vegan_Bunny said:

Have they been showing other symptoms of pain, without you touching them? Lethargy, hunching, grinding teeth.

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I don't think so. Because of the wet weather I haven't had them in the garden run for a while, so I may put them out to see if they run around as usual.

TD86 said:

Pregnant possibly?

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Shouldn't be! They're both neutered.

The female rabbit does have a history of chewing on a lot of newspaper. Initially I was wondering if there could be some kind of accumulation of blockage of ingested paper? However now the other male rabbit is showing similar symptoms I'm baffled as to the cause. I thought perhaps I was feeding them too many vegetables. However after a week of no vegetables and in particular the larger female not improving, it is concerning me.

Should I continue with no vegetables until I take them to the vet?

Django said:

Thanks for your replies. Is there a precise definition of bloat? When I feel their abdomens they are quite subjective. Certainly gently palpating particular the female rabbit, I can feel tension in the abdomen and towards the rear it is not uniform.



I don't think so. Because of the wet weather I haven't had them in the garden run for a while, so I may put them out to see if they run around as usual.



Shouldn't be! They're both neutered.

The female rabbit does have a history of chewing on a lot of newspaper. Initially I was wondering if there could be some kind of accumulation of blockage of ingested paper? However now the other male rabbit is showing similar symptoms I'm baffled as to the cause. I thought perhaps I was feeding them too many vegetables. However after a week of no vegetables and in particular the larger female not improving, it is concerning me.

Should I continue with no vegetables until I take them to the vet?

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You should take them to a Vet as a matter of urgency

Three weeks is a long time to watch two Rabbits deteriorate and not seek Veterinary advice

Jack's-Jane said:

Three weeks is a long time to watch two Rabbits deteriorate and not seek Veterinary advice

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I agree, but hindsight can be a luxury. It is only during the last week - from Thursday to be precise - that the female rabbit has shown signs of discomfort when her belly is palpated. Up to then I really believed the feeling of their bellies was due to weight gain. In the past other members of my household have not followed my feeding plan (much to my annoyance) and the rabbits gave gained weight. The behaviour of both rabbits has been "normal" otherwise and no changes in toileting habbits.

Anyway, yes, I hear what you say.

Hope you can sort out what is causing the problem. I agree that the sooner they see a vet the better. It's good that you have a full list of facts to take with you that along with a vet examining the rabbits will hopefully point a way forward.

Django said:

Thanks for your replies. Is there a precise definition of bloat? When I feel their abdomens they are quite subjective. Certainly gently palpating particular the female rabbit, I can feel tension in the abdomen and towards the rear it is not uniform.



I don't think so. Because of the wet weather I haven't had them in the garden run for a while, so I may put them out to see if they run around as usual.



Shouldn't be! They're both neutered.

The female rabbit does have a history of chewing on a lot of newspaper. Initially I was wondering if there could be some kind of accumulation of blockage of ingested paper? However now the other male rabbit is showing similar symptoms I'm baffled as to the cause. I thought perhaps I was feeding them too many vegetables. However after a week of no vegetables and in particular the larger female not improving, it is concerning me.

Should I continue with no vegetables until I take them to the vet?

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Could it be that since they haven't been out as much due to the weather, they both may have ingested more newspaper than usual? Sometimes rabbits will copy each other's habits :?

I would follow your gut instinct if you feel they are not right (it does sound as though they could be in some pain), and get them checked out as soon as possible.

Thanks for your replies. Vet visit tomorrow. In the meantime I was wondering if the change in the hay I've giving them could cause these symptoms? The hay is rather "stalky" and not as soft as hay they've had before (I do also give them a handful of timothy hay forage mix each weekday, so it's not just the bail hay they get.)

I would be at the emergency vet now.

Having lost a bun to stasis/bloat in October (was taken within an hour of noticing symptoms but passed away the following night even with intensive care) I would be at the vets now too.

Thanks for your replies and interest. Saw the vet and thank goodness he could not find any clinical abnormalities in either rabbit! It's worth mentioning that I checked the female this morning and there seemed to have been a noticeable improvement over night (less tension) - ironically the first improvement in her for 3 weeks! I also noticed a large quantity of poo overnight too. Nevertheless, from my point of view I've noticed a change and I'll continue to monitor them closely.

The vet suggested that I leave off the vegetables until everything has definitely settled down. He emphasised grasses and (of course ) hay in the diet as opposed to vegetables - I got the impression I may have been giving too much vegetables. He suggested that I consider changing the hay to see if this made a difference given that both rabbits had similar symptoms. I think I will maintain using the hay for the next few days if things keep improving - I want to be able to rule out the hay as a cause. He also prescribed a short course of Protexin.

He also pointed out - and I hasten to add that some responders to this thread might want to consider this (it's why I was asking if anyone knew a clinical definition of "bloat") - that given the symptoms had persisted for some + 3 weeks, then whatever was causing the changes I noticed was probably not an acute condition; otherwise the rabbits would have shown more significant signs of distress and deteriorated far sooner.

I'm interested in what people think about this? Anyway for the time being - relief!