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Back to vets with gordon UD How long to give gut meds?

Liz47

Wise Old Thumper
Gordon was reluctant to eat again last night (second time in just over a week), he was doing a small amount of stretching but not much else to suggest it was his stomach. I got him eating fairly soon but he was eating a bit slower and hay input has been relatively small for him, therefore his poos are also a tad small and dark. I've got him a vet appointment for this afternoon (he's eating fine atm) and the nurse I spoke to said his teeth may need burring, which they can do then under anaesthetic.

Has anyone else had their rabbits teeth burred? I have no experience with dentals before so is this what happens? Will he need much aftercare?

Thanks in advance
 
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Just on my way back from volunteering to take him for his appointment. Also how long will it take? Im taking beano so will I need to take two carriers incase they don't allow her to stay with him so ill have to wait with her?
 
Normally for a dental procedure under GA they will be admitted and then picked up later once they have had the procedure and have recovered from the GA. My dental bunnies always go in with their partner/s who stay with them in hospital, although I know there are some vets that don't allow this. I'd take two carriers, just in case Beano isn't allowed to stay.

The vet will have a look in the mouth while Gordon is conscious, it may be obvious that there is a dental issue, but there is much of the mouth that cannot be viewed consciously so often for a thorough investigation they would need to give a GA.

Some bunnies bounce back really quickly from a dental procedure, my Roo is eating as soon as he wakes up, but other bunnies sometimes take a few days to recover and resume normal eating. It's often a good idea to have some recovery food and syringes on standby, just in case they are slow to start eating again.

I hope the appointment goes OK. xx
 
Humphrey had molar spurs burred at about 2 years old (probably from the ad lib pellets he got from his previous owner!), that was about 2 years ago with no dentals since, but I can remember he took several days to eat normally again, from what I can remember.
 
Thank you both. Turns out his teeth are ok, vet felt his stomach was moving slowly so have some zantac and a gut stimulant (began with e...) to see if he picks up. If he has another episode then he'll go back to have his teeth checked under anaesthetic.
 
Thank you both. Turns out his teeth are ok, vet felt his stomach was moving slowly so have some zantac and a gut stimulant (began with e...) to see if he picks up. If he has another episode then he'll go back to have his teeth checked under anaesthetic.

emeprid, its basically metaclopromide.
 
Thank you. He's not eating again tonight :( he's had his meds, tempting him with herbs but he's just running away and avoiding all food. Worried about these on and off episodes and haven't seen him eating a lot of hay recently. :(
 
Thank you both. Turns out his teeth are ok, vet felt his stomach was moving slowly so have some zantac and a gut stimulant (began with e...) to see if he picks up. If he has another episode then he'll go back to have his teeth checked under anaesthetic.

Thinking about the fact that he's not eating again this evening - how did the vet check his teeth? My specialist says that you can only see about 60% of rabbits teeth without the gubbins that keeps the mouth open and the tongue out of the way.
 
Thank you. He's not eating again tonight :( he's had his meds, tempting him with herbs but he's just running away and avoiding all food. Worried about these on and off episodes and haven't seen him eating a lot of hay recently. :(

It may be that his teeth have some sharp points that can not be seen whilst he is awake. The following image illustrates the only way that a Vet can obtain a full view of what is going on in a Rabbit's mouth (alot in this poor bun ...)




Obviously this cant be done unless the Rabbit is under GA.

However, it would be wise for the Vet to look at other possible causes too. Bladder problems being one. Bladder sludge can present as episodes of 'not eating' due to pain from an irritated bladder. Does Gordon ever pass 'chalky' wee ? Does he have a good water intake daily ?

If the Vet feels that a GA/Dental is the next step it will be important for Gordon to be well hydrated and to have food in his tummy beforehand. So the Vet may decide to admit him for fluid therapy and supportive feeds before doing the GA.

I hope that Gordon will be back to his normal self soon.
 
Thank you all. He started eating soon after I posted. The vet just checked his teeth with one of those cone shaped instruments they use to look in the mouth, he believed it would be best to try gut meds before putting him under to fully check his teeth. He said if there's still symptoms to go back in a week but will be going back sooner I think.

Jane I've never noticed any chalky urine, tbh I'm not sure about his water intake with him sharing a bowl but I see him drinking as much as I do beano.

What do you think my next steps should be? Should I ask for his teeth tl be checked or his tummy/bladder? I'll ask for supportive feed and fluids before anaesthetic, hopefully the vet will mention it first. Took him yo a different vet where I was happy with how they've handled Jake, after being shocked at the vet where they went for their last vaccs.
 
Thank you all. He started eating soon after I posted. The vet just checked his teeth with one of those cone shaped instruments they use to look in the mouth, he believed it would be best to try gut meds before putting him under to fully check his teeth. He said if there's still symptoms to go back in a week but will be going back sooner I think.

Jane I've never noticed any chalky urine, tbh I'm not sure about his water intake with him sharing a bowl but I see him drinking as much as I do beano.

What do you think my next steps should be? Should I ask for his teeth tl be checked or his tummy/bladder? I'll ask for supportive feed and fluids before anaesthetic, hopefully the vet will mention it first. Took him yo a different vet where I was happy with how they've handled Jake, after being shocked at the vet where they went for their last vaccs.

That would be an otoscope/orascope . It seems a sensible decision to give medication a try first rather than go straight in with a full GA. But as the problem is apparently ongoing it may now be necessary to look at things in more detail.

The Vet should be able to feel an 'abnormal' bladder, so if you mention the possibility of 'bladder sludge' hopefully the Vet will take that into consideration too. If the Vet thinks that the problem may be bladder related an abdominal Xray could be useful. This could be done whilst under GA for a Dental examination.

Tooth root problems can also cause sporadic periods of 'not eating'. Elongated tooth roots can make eating painful. So I would mention this possibility to the Vet too. Skull radiographs are the only way to assess tooth roots. If the tooth roots are elongated discomfort can increase in direct proportion to the length of the crowns of the teeth. So even if there are no actual spurs, if the crowns are overly long this will increase the pressure on the roots and thus increase the discomfort felt.
 
:love:... Sending lots of get well vibes for the wee soul..

Come on wee one, start Nomming and pooping for mummy xxxxx
 
Thank you all. He started eating soon after I posted. The vet just checked his teeth with one of those cone shaped instruments they use to look in the mouth, he believed it would be best to try gut meds before putting him under to fully check his teeth. He said if there's still symptoms to go back in a week but will be going back sooner I think.

Jane I've never noticed any chalky urine, tbh I'm not sure about his water intake with him sharing a bowl but I see him drinking as much as I do beano.

What do you think my next steps should be? Should I ask for his teeth tl be checked or his tummy/bladder? I'll ask for supportive feed and fluids before anaesthetic, hopefully the vet will mention it first. Took him yo a different vet where I was happy with how they've handled Jake, after being shocked at the vet where they went for their last vaccs.

Yes, the cone shaped instrument is an otoscope :)

I think your vet was very wise to give gut meds before sedation for a dental exam, if he's not confident to do this whilst Jake is awake.

Why do you suspect he has bladder issues when you've not seen any chalky wee?
 
Thank you. He was slow eating his pellets this morning, left them at first but kept going back to them. Was eating crunchies and hay though, I'm finding it rather strange and worrying. He isn't doing anything he usually does when he's been in pain before but is acting a bit differently, he's getting spooked easily and actively pushing food away with his paws at times. He's normally very placid when being handled and I've never had much difficulty syringing meds to him before but he's putting up a big struggle. :(

I will take all you've said on board Jane and mention everything at the next vet appointment.

Mightymax, I don't particularly think it's bladder issues. But Jane mentioned it could be a possibility with his symptoms, and as I'm not sure whether it's dental issues yet I'm taking everything into account to get checked out just in case. Also I've confused you sorry, it's Gordon who's poorly not Jake but I mentioned Jake in my last post as it''s his usual vet I've taken Gordon to this time as they treat Jake well whereas Beano and Gordon's previous vet wasn't great.
 
Thankfully Gordon's been back to his usual self and with no more reluctance to eat since I last posted. I wasn't told how to long to continue giving his gut meds, he has zantac three times a day and emeprid twice. He's been having them since wednesday, do you think I should keep giving them?
 
Thankfully Gordon's been back to his usual self and with no more reluctance to eat since I last posted. I wasn't told how to long to continue giving his gut meds, he has zantac three times a day and emeprid twice. He's been having them since wednesday, do you think I should keep giving them?

Is his output normal ?
 
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