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Not getting better from ileus

iggyperdyandme

iggyperdyandme

Alpha Buck
Both my rabbits have been off couloir since fri/ sat and spent the day at the vets today after totally stopping eating (they were just selective eating before and vet said to give them meds at home for a day) but I was just wondering if there is anything else I could do?

I have never had a rabbit off colour so long. Is it normal for them to be off colour so long?

They have had injections of a gut stimulant and ranitidine and metacam orally. They had subcutaneous fluids. One is now eating but fussily and the other is only sparsely nibbling hay.

Vet said they can come home to see if it helps as they both eaten.
 
Definitely yesterday. Betty has done some tiny poos. None from Walt since we got home but he is now nibbling a wicker ball. He sat in his box under the bed for a bit and had a little dig. I'm hoping it's the shock of the car. He pooed this morning before the vets though.n

Does ileus normally go on so long? I have had rabbits had mini episodes lasting under a day but never this long.m

I was wondering though, is the is metacam opiate based because opiates make people constipated? Do opiates have the same affect on bunnies? :(
 
Metacam is not an opiate

Ii can take several days for a Rabbit to fully recover from a severe case of gut stasis/ileus. Given that both your Rabbits are effected has the Vet suggested a possible cause ? Could they both have eaten something inappropriate ?

It is important to keep their fluid intake up so try to encourage them to drink as much as possible.
 
Thank you, will do. :)

They had suggested the eating but their food was open about a week ago and they are on a second bag of hay now with not much improvement. I can't think of anything nibbled. The only thing I could think was that one became ill and the other became stressed because of it?

I chucked the first bag of food anyway. The only veggies they had was kale from our allotment none since. I'm at total loss.

First vet suggested teeth but second said they were the same when he looked before. He suggested referring to specialist in Bristol. We going back in the morning so will ask then.

Thanks for the help
 
I would definitely go to a specialist as they may have some ideas. Can you tempt them fresh herbs.

Metacam doesn't cause constipation as my bunny is under a specialist as she suffers from it as well as other digestion problems and she is on permanent metaclop and has metacam if she is in pain.

My specialist doesn't let her come home until she is back to normal which is better for me as i can't keep an eye on her all the time and they give her fluids to get her going again.

Good luck.
 
Yes we all are on here. That's great news at least something is going in since something is coming out :)
 
He is still not right..I saw him eat his soft poo this morning but nothing else. His friend is loads better and eating normally. They have been admitted for the day again. :(

I feel so helpless. I am trying to keep busy but I'm just counting down till I can call. The vet said he is very gassy but pooing is a good sign right?

He stamped his feet twice too. I lost a rabbit to bloat about a year and half ago and I'm really scared he will go too. I spouse the only blessing is I was already off work.
 
I'm sorry he's still not better but pooing is always better than no pooing as it means the gut is still moving, albeit slowly. Sending massive (((((vibes))))) for a full recovery very soon.
 
Mackers said:
I'm sorry he's still not better but pooing is always better than no pooing as it means the gut is still moving, albeit slowly. Sending massive (((((vibes))))) for a full recovery very soon.
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Yes, the pooing is a very good sign. When normal vet service resumes you might want to have a blood test and make sure there's no underlying cause such as kidney issues (which affects eating).

I hope they continue to progress and get better. Are they still on gut motility meds from the vet?
 
MightyMax said:
Yes, the pooing is a very good sign. When normal vet service resumes you might want to have a blood test and make sure there's no underlying cause such as kidney issues (which affects eating).

I hope they continue to progress and get better. Are they still on gut motility meds from the vet?
Click to expand...

Thank you for your replies. They are home from the vets and we have lots of medication inc gut motility ones and critical care. The blood test is a good idea and i suggested it but the vet said that with christmas, they prob wouldnt be processed until after anyways so no point having them done today. We have an emergency vet service at our vets and they are open on sat so Im hoping we can see some improvement before then. My partner caught him drinking water so im keeping my fingers and toes crossed. The vet seemed hopeful that with some perseverance, he will improve. :)
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I hope that he will continue to improve today. Still sending lots of vibes for him xx
Click to expand...

He has had a syringe feed and meds and nearly managed a full 20ml before spitting it out. I did mix with 3tbsp of water though because it was very dry. He has nibbled hay and is having a nap by the radiator. I love him so. I read that critical care is horrible so was wondering about adding a blackberry which he likes but worried about it being too rich and upsetting his tummy? What do you think?

Hope you have a good Christmas and bunnies enjoys their day too :)
 
iggyperdyandme said:
He has had a syringe feed and meds and nearly managed a full 20ml before spitting it out. I did mix with 3tbsp of water though because it was very dry. He has nibbled hay and is having a nap by the radiator. I love him so. I read that critical care is horrible so was wondering about adding a blackberry which he likes but worried about it being too rich and upsetting his tummy? What do you think?

Hope you have a good Christmas and bunnies enjoys their day too :)
Click to expand...

You could try making a liquid feed using the pellets he normally has. Soak the pellets in boiled water until they are very soft, then mash then up and add more water til the mix is of a consistency that you can draw up into a syringe. I would try to avoid giving him fruit as the sugars in it may not help. Do you have any bramble leaves at all ? They would be good to offer him.

Has he poo'd today ?
 
He had definitely been in the litter tray and eating some smaller strands of hay. It's hard to know how much poop was him and how much his friend because they went in together (we have a small indoor cage with the litter tray in and door off). He certainly raised his tail though and look like he was going. I am keeping a close watch though. He showed some interest in his toys earlier and groomed his face.

I think we have dried bramble and strawberry leaves and hazel from the summer which I can give him.

Thank you for your help. :) I think he is very sensitive to change and all the upheaval with vets and Christmas has been a bit much for him, little love! Hoping by the time we go back for blood tests he will be a bit less stressed!
 
Still not 100% but had definitely been in the litter tray and eaten some hay this morning. He also stole and are one of his friends treats and chased her round last night.

Thinking about reducing the syringe feeds to encourage him to eat hay? They not having veggies or dry food at the moment but I thought encouraging hay might help?

His tummy feels a bit less squashy this morning so I'm hoping it's all full of hay. Putting off his syringe feed for half an hour to encourage him to calm down a bit after meds time. Rabbits are stressful pets!!
 
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