Pls help - advice needed for 11 year old bunny not moving

HI, thanks for any help you can provide! I need some advice and there's no vet open in our area tonight. My girlfriend has an 11 year old dwarf rabbit. She's normally very active - she has an entire spare bedroom all to herself (except when the cat visits) - and whenever we feed her she comes running over to eat. Well, my girlfriend is away skiing this weekend so I go in to feed her and notice something amiss right away. Her lettuce from yesterday is still half uneaten, and she usually finishes that in minutes. And her dry food is untouched. So I empty it and give her fresh lettuce, but she doesn't move towards it. When I walk over to her she'll eat the food I put in front of her, although lazily, and she seems to be favoring her right leg in an odd way. It seems to be "in the air" if that makes sense - kind of like she's laying on her left backside. On the plus side there was less poop littered around or in her littler box, but then I realized that's probably not a good thing, but a sign that she either is eating less or can't go (which made me wonder, can they have blockages?).

I had a dog that developed hip dysplasia and displayed similar symptoms, and it was very bad news for him. My question is, are dwarf rabbits susceptible to similar conditions with old age? Is there a quick and painless way for me to try and diagnose her to make sure there's no life-threatening condition here?

TIA!

What you are describing is usually referred to as GI stasis, and when a rabbit stops eating it is an emergency situation, especially if it has been more than 12 hours since they last ate. They can develop gastrointestinal blockages, though this may not be entirely what is going on with your rabbit. She may have injured her leg, at her age it could be arthritis pain, or it could be something else entirely, along with a possible blockage. The important thing is for a vet to rule out a blockage, get your rabbit on some pain medication, and get her eating again, as well as any additional testing and treatments that might be needed. This link describes what GI stasis is and some treatment info.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

It's essential to get her to a vet right away as GI stasis is life threatening. A vet exam is the best way to determine what is going on and what treatment is needed. If you can find an out of hours vet try to find one that has a vet experienced with rabbits, as non rabbit vets often don't know the appropriate treatment for rabbits. If not just try and get her seen as soon as you can get her in to the vet in the morning. Best of luck and I hope she will be ok.

This is an urgent vet visit. Your usual vet should have an emergency contact number - often they use another service provider for 24 hour emergency cover, although some do their own. If you don't know who you normally use, try any nearby vet for their emergency cover number. You can ring for advice before you go in, but I would strongly recommend taking her in. Not eating / pooing on its own is life threatening, and it sounds like she may be injured (although there may be other reasons for her not moving). At the very least, she needs a physical assessment, pain relief and (if no gut blockage) syringe feeding. She is unlikely to just pick up on her own. Rabbits go downhill quickly, and they are very different from dogs. As prey animals, they hide their symptoms, so a rabbit that looks poorly is already very poorly. If her ears feel cold she may also need some additional heat to help her regulate her temperature - such as a heat pad or water bottle wrapped in a towel.

I hope that you heeded the advice already given and that you have managed to obtain Veterinary attention for you GF's Rabbit x

Hello;
Thanks very much to all of you for your advice! Although I was hoping it was better news. I've called and will be taking her in in about 6 hours when they open

njhopper said:

Hello;
Thanks very much to all of you for your advice! Although I was hoping it was better news. I've called and will be taking her in in about 6 hours when they open

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In the meantime you need to make sure the Rabbit is warm. Hypothermia is a real risk when a Rabbit is sick. So I'd put the Rabbit into a Pet carrier with lots of warm bedding. It sounds as though pain, possibly from an injured leg, possibly from arthritis, has caused her to stop eating. A Rabbit in pain will not eat. When a Rabbit stops eating their GI tract stops functioning (less poo/no poo) ie 'gut stasis'. This becomes a serious problem unless prompt Veterinary treatment is obtained. Not only to treat the gut stasis but also to try to ascertain any primary cause of the gut stasis and treat that too.

I hope the Vet can help the Rabbit xx

njhopper said:

Hello;
Thanks very much to all of you for your advice! Although I was hoping it was better news. I've called and will be taking her in in about 6 hours when they open

Click to expand...

Really sorry to hear about your girlfriend's rabbit. I hope the vet can help you as soon as you can get there.

Here's a bit more info on the subject:

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits/

Wishing you lots of luck!

hope she is ok xx

Thanks everyone for your help and support! She's doing great! I was able to rush her to a weekend clinic open Sunday morning and they saw her right away. It turns out she had what amounts to "diaper rash" - lol sorry I realize that's not the technical name for it but basically she had a very raw and sore butt. At 11 years old, the vet explained she just can't clean herself as well as she used to . A combination of age and arthritis makes it difficult for her to bend, etc. As a result, my gf is always having to clean a clump of poop out of her fur at least once a week. Even as diligent as she is, this time too much urine and feces amassed in a big clump, probably also exacerbated by the fact that she wasn't home to clean her again this week. So she was sore and uncomfortable, not wanting to move or eat. The vet cleaned and shaved her, and gave her a mild pain reliever. Going forward cleaning just won't be enough, we'll have to make sure we get her in to shave her so it doesn't happen again.

If anyone has any ideas for cleaning and keeping her clean by all means we're all ears!

PS I'll try to post some photos here, as she's gearing up for another big Easter photo shoot this year!

I'm glad she got sorted and well done for noticing the problem so quickly. She looks beautiful.

So glad she is OK.

I would check her bum two or three times a day. Either comb out any dry debris, or, if it is stuck on and wet, use a damp cloth (eg a clean facecloth or tough kitchen roll) to gently wipe down her bum. Bum baths are an option (eg washing up bowl and warm water), but she would need to be dried thoroughly afterwards. Keeping the urine off her skin will keep her a lot more comfortable. Urine scalding looks really sore but heals up very quickly if it is dealt with promptly. You can use barrier creams on her skin if she has bare skin (eg sudocrem or Savlon Advanced Healing Gel).

njhopper said:

Thanks everyone for your help and support! She's doing great! I was able to rush her to a weekend clinic open Sunday morning and they saw her right away. It turns out she had what amounts to "diaper rash" - lol sorry I realize that's not the technical name for it but basically she had a very raw and sore butt. At 11 years old, the vet explained she just can't clean herself as well as she used to . A combination of age and arthritis makes it difficult for her to bend, etc. As a result, my gf is always having to clean a clump of poop out of her fur at least once a week. Even as diligent as she is, this time too much urine and feces amassed in a big clump, probably also exacerbated by the fact that she wasn't home to clean her again this week. So she was sore and uncomfortable, not wanting to move or eat. The vet cleaned and shaved her, and gave her a mild pain reliever. Going forward cleaning just won't be enough, we'll have to make sure we get her in to shave her so it doesn't happen again.

If anyone has any ideas for cleaning and keeping her clean by all means we're all ears!

PS I'll try to post some photos here, as she's gearing up for another big Easter photo shoot this year!

Click to expand...

What a relief!

Yes shaving the area is certainly a useful option!

I give 'butt baths' to rabbits who can't clean themselves. Dry on a warm towel and keep warm until they are totally dry.

I personally never use any barrier creams or those containing chemicals on my rabbits, as they may well be ingested or cause a local skin reaction as it will be absorbed into the skin itself. I only use safe options that won't harm when absorbed by the skin or ingested.
Good luck ongoing with your little one!

You should check with your own vet, but when I had a disabled 13+ year old bunny my vet told me I could cut the fur around her rear so she would not stay wet as long, and he said I could use some diaper rash cream to sooth it as long as she cannot reach it anyways. I would rinse her rear too as needed. I would use a couple inches of plain lukewarm water in a small plastic shoe box lined with a hand towel so she would not slip and I put her back side in and soaked her as I kept the rest of her dry. I made sure she stayed warm until she was completly dry.