Help! I think the vet has mis-diagnosed my rabbit and I'm scared he's dying.

My vet has said my rabbit needs a back tooth removed which is why he's not eating. But I'm convinced he has GI Statis or Gas. I know an over-grown tooth can cause GI Statis, but removing it will not treat the pain or cure it. I'm worried he has a blockage. And by the looks of him, he doesn't look like he will survive any operation- he's so lethargic. (He's 9 years old) Last night I thought he was going to die. He couldn't get comfortable and kept lying in weird positions, back legs stretched out and front paws stretch out. He flipped on his side and his heart rate was rapid. He's currently curled up in a ball and wont move (stomach to floor) and grinding his teeth loudly.

First it started with him eating a lot less (only hay is he did), refusing food he normally loves and not pooping. If he did manage to poo, they'd be really small.

We took him the vet and he took his temperature, examined him and said he couldn't find anything seriously wrong and just gave him a vitamin shot.
The next day, he didnt poop for ages and stopped eating even less so we took him back. The vet took a blood test and said the tests revealed he doesn't have a blockage. But Im not convinced... I thought an x-ray could only determine whether a bun has a blockage or not? But he said the blood test shows he doesnt. He massaged his stomach, listened to his heart beat.. did temperature. My bun has all the symptoms of GI statis or gas and im worried he's going to die from pain. I was think of giving him some (Simethicone) but if he does have a blockage this will make it worse? Please help I feel helpless.

I can't give advice on the medical side of it, but is your vet rabbit savvy? You could post 'urgent, rabbit savvy vet needed in' whatever town you live in. Somebody will hopefully be able to suggest one. Sending lots of vibes xx

You could take him back to your vet, or start another thread on here asking for a bunny savvy vet in .... (wherever you are) and take him there for an assessment as a matter of urgency. If he looks uncomfortable / in pain, isn't eating and has reduced output, he needs to be seen again by a vet.

Thank you for replying and you're concern The vet seemed to look like he knew what he was doing... but when he took a blood test and said there was no blockage I thought how on earth can he tell from a blood test :/ When i googled rabbit savy vets in my area they are all miles away, I've spent £80 in the last 2 days on pain-killers and something he gave me to get his gut moving again. But my bun looks like hes in so much pain, i dont know whether to give him something that treats gas but if he has a blockage this will make it worse.

ellenrose said:

Thank you for replying and you're concern The vet seemed to look like he knew what he was doing... but when he took a blood test and said there was no blockage I thought how on earth can he tell from a blood test :/ When i googled rabbit savy vets in my area they are all miles away, I've spent £80 in the last 2 days on pain-killers and something he gave me to get his gut moving again. But my bun looks like hes in so much pain, i dont know whether to give him something that treats gas but if he has a blockage this will make it worse.

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Vets do what is called a ''Blood glucose test'' to determine if there is a blockage. 15 or higher means there is likely a blockage, 20 or more means surgery is likely and 25 is an emergency. I was told this by a rabbit specific vet nurse, the vet may have taken the blood test to do one of these?

It sounds like your vet did a blood glucose test. If the rabbit has been unwell for some time with these symptoms and the test came back with a reading of less than 20 it is likely that it isn't a blockage. This isn't the be all and end all to diagnose though, I would expect an x-ray as well to find out what is going on. I had a rabbit who had blockage surgery 3 weeks ago and got her to the vets only 3 hours after she stopped eating. The blood glucose reading was (from memory) only about 12 then so not too much of concern. It's when it gets to 15 that you need to keep a close eye on them. It's 'likely to be surgical' when it reaches 20+ (though not in all cases). Gracie's reading was only about 18 when the vet decided to go to surgery because her stomach was getting really big, clear to see on x-ray and there was also evidence that the gas in the intestines was not moving.

It's very difficult to know what to advise but I'd be reasonably reassured, for now at least that there is no immediate danger from blockage if the blood glucose reading was lower than 15.

Reading your most recent post it looks like the vet has been prescribing gut stimulants so there is no harm in you giving Infracol etc as it won't do anything harmful that any other gut stimulant wouldn't have done, had there been a blockage.

I think there is a link between blood sugar levels, liver enzymes, etc and potential blockages - so blood test results and a physical examination would tell the vet quite a lot. Ring your vet and ask them specifically what they meant. You could also ask them what else you can do. Pain relief and gut stimulants seem reasonable from what you have said. Were you given any advice on syringe feeding or fluids? Rabbits must eat to keep their guts moving. Not eating is serious - they can't go for a couple of days without eating. Stasis can take days to a couple of weeks to properly clear with appropriate treatment (if it is stasis).

I would just take him back again and express your concerns, point out that he is not improving, and ask what else can be done.

Find a better vet. Tell us where you are so we can advise.

Bunny Buddy said:

It sounds like your vet did a blood glucose test. If the rabbit has been unwell for some time with these symptoms and the test came back with a reading of less than 20 it is likely that it isn't a blockage. This isn't the be all and end all to diagnose though, I would expect an x-ray as well to find out what is going on. I had a rabbit who had blockage surgery 3 weeks ago and got her to the vets only 3 hours after she stopped eating. The blood glucose reading was (from memory) only about 12 then so not too much of concern. It's when it gets to 15 that you need to keep a close eye on them. It's 'likely to be surgical' when it reaches 20+ (though not in all cases). Gracie's reading was only about 18 when the vet decided to go to surgery because her stomach was getting really big, clear to see on x-ray and there was also evidence that the gas in the intestines was not moving.

It's very difficult to know what to advise but I'd be reasonably reassured, for now at least that there is no immediate danger from blockage if the blood glucose reading was lower than 15.

Reading your most recent post it looks like the vet has been prescribing gut stimulants so there is no harm in you giving Infracol etc as it won't do anything harmful that any other gut stimulant wouldn't have done, had there been a blockage.

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Ohh I see! :O Well, I just syringe fed him some "critical care" with water because hes not eating at all. Ive booked him in again for the vet...im being robbed, im so skint from the vets! Im going to ask the vet if hes absolutely sure that there is no blockage, and if not can he be treated for gas. Because his stomach is making loud noises as well, im so certain it he's not in pain with his tooth but more his stomach from the way hes acting.

Does anyone know on average how much an x-ray will cost me? The vet is gonna think im crazy...this is the 3rd day in a row im taking him back, he spent 40 mins with him yesterday. But hes still not pooing or eating. Thank you all for your answers and concern, its really helped!

If hes still not pooing or eating that is cause for concern and I would certainly take him back again.

If the vet thinks you are crazy then he's in the wrong job. If your rabbit is eating or pooing it is serious. Don't hold back on your questions or concerns, it's up to you for fight for treatment for your rabbit - he has no one else to do it for him. Don't think anyone will think that 'he's just a rabbit' and you are over-reacting, they are in the wrong if they do. Do everything you can for him.

X-rays at my vets are about £50 for first £20 for subsequent, I believe their prices are competitive so could be more than that. Just as a clue to how expensive this can get, my rabbit who had blockage surgery cost £822..... but treating stasis can be £200 easily.

Bunny Buddy said:

If the vet thinks you are crazy then he's in the wrong job. If your rabbit is eating or pooing it is serious. Don't hold back on your questions or concerns, it's up to you for fight for treatment for your rabbit - he has no one else to do it for him. Don't think anyone will think that 'he's just a rabbit' and you are over-reacting, they are in the wrong if they do. Do everything you can for him.

X-rays at my vets are about £50 for first £20 for subsequent, I believe their prices are competitive so could be more than that. Just as a clue to how expensive this can get, my rabbit who had blockage surgery cost £822..... but treating stasis can be £200 easily.

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£200?!! Oh no. If there isnt a blockage how do they treat Statis? I thought if there wasnt a blockage the main cause for pain is gas. I will pay whatever though if it means saving my rabbits life. I just dont want him dying in pain its horrible. The vet just gave him pain killers and something to get his gut moving but he hasnt improved at all. Also, he is supposed to be having this over-grown tooth out thursday but i cant see that helping. It may stop the cause of statis but it will still be there.

The vets I use are rabbit specialists therefore they know that anyone who takes a rabbit there wants all the treatment appropriate throwing at them. When I used to use my local vets they are aware that not everybody wants to spend a lot on rabbits - I think this is the main reason they don't x-ray when they initially see the rabbit, unlike my rabbit specialist who will 80 - 90% of the time x-ray them when they are consulted with them. The £200 generally adds up from consultation (c£30), maybe a couple of x-rays - one at the start, one to check progress, blood glucose test on arrival, if it's high more checks until it's at normal level, medication - so gut stimulants, painkiller etc. Usually because I'm a distance away they will admit the rabbit if not eating at all so that is about £20 for 24 hours (absolute bargain compared to all the stress of nursing them at home), this can be 2 - 3 days. if the bill has reached £200 it probably included an out of hours consultation in the first instance which can be £100 if late.

In the case of your bunny I'd say money would be well spent by having an x-ray to confirm what's going on. It does sound like your theory of him not eating because of pain from the gas is a very strong theory and it would be good to get evidence for that. Your vet would need to know how to interpret what he sees on the x-ray of course, if he's not used to doing them then the information might not be much use ... but then it could be really useful. (sorry, that's not much help!). I've no idea re the treating the stasis v tooth removal as I've little experience with dental problems, it does sound a bit catch 22 unfortunately. But I'd say if you can be reassured there is no blockage then getting him eating is your priority for now.

Re the question of treating stasis - basically what your vet is doing but syringe feeding is really important if they won't eat on their own otherwise all the other medications won't aid recovery, their digestive systems need something to do to prevent them shutting down altogether.

Ditto all the great advice given here - Fluids are also very important to help bunnies with Gut Statis -

If your bunny is not eating, drinking or pooing normally I would think a bunny savy vet will hospitalize to get them to hopefully a stable level. I think normally GT Statis (if not blockage related) is generally the cause of an underlying problem rather than a condition specifically on its own, so although sometimes Gas can be a cause it, it can be a number of other reasons such as teeth etc but the important thing is to get the bunny to a stable level where he is eating and pooing and drinking. I also personally feel when a bunny is critical injectable metacam works better and seems to be more effective together with injectable gut stimulants.

Soaking favourite vegetables/herbs in water can also help with fluid intake.

My bunny was hospitalised this year - a blood test and Glucose Count was taken and it was high - he was taken for xray the same day as hospitalization - bunny stomach xrays can be difficult to interpret and it wasn't conclusive that it was a blockage in his particular case but non the less there was definitely a gut problem.

Fingers crossed for your bunny keep us posted

Without knowing where you are no-one can recommend a good vet for a second opinion.

fillygal said:

Ditto all the great advice given here - Fluids are also very important to help bunnies with Gut Statis -

If your bunny is not eating, drinking or pooing normally I would think a bunny savy vet will hospitalize to get them to hopefully a stable level. I think normally GT Statis (if not blockage related) is generally the cause of an underlying problem rather than a condition specifically on its own, so although sometimes Gas can be a cause it, it can be a number of other reasons such as teeth etc but the important thing is to get the bunny to a stable level where he is eating and pooing and drinking. I also personally feel when a bunny is critical injectable metacam works better and seems to be more effective together with injectable gut stimulants.

Soaking favourite vegetables/herbs in water can also help with fluid intake.

My bunny was hospitalised this year - a blood test and Glucose Count was taken and it was high - he was taken for xray the same day as hospitalization - bunny stomach xrays can be difficult to interpret and it wasn't conclusive that it was a blockage in his particular case but non the less there was definitely a gut problem.

Fingers crossed for your bunny keep us posted

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Just got back from the vet, we saw a different one this time and she seemed more rabbit savy. She diagnosed him with GI Statis which is what I suspected. She said it doesnt feel like he has gas but she can feel his food in his stomach like he's constipated. She gave him an injection to get his gut going (again) but this time for his front gut, something to hydrate him and a stronger pain killer which all came to £68. She said to keep syringe feeding him critical care. She said though if he doesnt improve by tomorrow to take him back and I know she means to either do further tests or put him down.

Im terrified he will have to be put down, I just cant even bare the thought. He's nearly 10, i've had him all through my teenage years and young adulthood. He's a house rabbit and literally goes everywhere with me, it's horrible to see him in pain. I'm so desperate to just get him eating and pooping again.... He has started drinking water though since we got back which is better than nothing.

Do you think tomorrow is too soon to take him back if no improvement? Because I know GI Statis can take a while to cure and I don't want him put down unless i know he's critical...or in too much pain. Ugh, it's been a very long 4 days. Thanks again for your replies everyone!

Drinking water is a good sign usually - they often seem to do this as the gut starts to shift and they perk up. I am surprised you have not been given medicines to give at home as well as the injections but maybe they want to make sure they keep seeing him.

Injectibles do work better anyway

If you have not been given medicines to give at home then he will need to go back every 24 hrs at least until better.

parsnipbun said:

Drinking water is a good sign usually - they often seem to do this as the gut starts to shift and they perk up. I am surprised you have not been given medicines to give at home as well as the injections but maybe they want to make sure they keep seeing him.

Injectibles do work better anyway

If you have not been given medicines to give at home then he will need to go back every 24 hrs at least until better.

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What do you mean medicines?? Should he be on something beside pain killers? We are giving him critical care through a syringe but he hasnt been given any anti-biotics or meds :/

i agree with the other advice. find a rabbit savvy/exotics vets, even if it means travelling. or at the very least, get your vets to consult with them. i know it's expensive but like you say, he means the world to you. ask about a payment plan. most will allow this. good luck x

ellenrose said:

She said though if he doesnt improve by tomorrow to take him back and I know she means to either do further tests or put him down.

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Did she actually say that? It's very common for vets to ask to see animals in GI stasis every day so they can assess their condition and adjust medicines to suit the circumstances, it doesn't necessarily mean that she wants to do more tests or put him down. I would very definitely take him back tomorrow. It's possible that he will need further investigation because GI stasis is usually a symptom of something else going on (could be a dental problem like the other vet said) rather than an illness in its own right. The crucial thing for now is to keep your little one pain free and to try and rehydrate those gut contents and get the gut moving again. Once things are starting to go through on their own, you can review and decide whether it was an unfortunate one-off situation or, more likely, what caused it in the first place.

Good luck, I hope your little one picks up xx