Rabbit not eating and bloated

Hi everyone
I have used this forum so many times before and have received awesome advice but have never actually posted, so good evening all!

To the problem... My bunny is almost 4 years old and has recently been through a lot of health issues. Most recent being that he had become very bloated (he was as firm as a beach ball) late Weds evening... so i monitored him, in the hope that he would become less swollen, but took him to the vet on Thursday anyway. He was given Vetergesic and Emeprid (pain relief and gut motility I believe), by injection, which seemed to decrease the bloating but he didn't seem to have the appetite he usually does (he's quite a greedy bunny!)

I have taken him back to the vet today and he has been given exactly the same meds. I have been told to take him to the Out Of Hours vet tonight if he doesn't eat anything by 8pm.
I was also given Supreme Science Recovery as a back-up.

Since he has been back home from the vet this afternoon, all he has eaten/ chewed is one one of those munchable mats :/

I am so, so worried.
He has had anorexia before - this was when he was under the care of a vet too may I add! - and very nearly died.

He was quite lively earlier, but has spent almost 2 hours in his litter tray and is still in there now. That is very worrying.

I would really appreciate any advice; i just don't know what to do. I really don't want to go down the OOH vet route, because of the stress it will cause him.
He is a dwarf lop, ~3kg, castrated as a kitten, has literally just finished antibiotics for sludge in bladder (caused by to much green stuff) and had an operation in April to remove a double abcess from his neck caused by another rabbit bite when u was trying to bond him (he lives alone atm).

Thanks guys xx
(and sorry for such a long post!)

Something that can help get their guts moving is to get them moving - encourage him into hopping off somewhere, then move him along from there and so on until he's been moving around for a couple of minutes. He may get a bit annoyed in the process, and it seems like something small but can make a big difference sometimes.

Awesome! I will try that now.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply Beckie, I really appreciate it x

Im really sorry your bunny isn't well, it's so stressful when they are poorly! Is he still bloated? When did he last eat?
I know you don't want to stress him out, but personally I would take him back to the vet as soon as possible. It sounds like he is probably in pain (with the not moving from his tray) and feeling pretty grim.

Update

Hi Bex! Thank you for your reply darling
Yes I think ultimately, that the OOH vet is looking like the most realistic option (health-wise) right now.
He has not touched his pellets (I even counted the amount I gave him to monitor his progress) but nothing. I think he last ate last night. They are Science Selective, if anyone is interested! He has been grazing on hay, but even then he's not eaten much of that. All he wants is a cuddle it seems, so yeah, you're probably right, he probably is in a fair amount of pain. I am aware of that anyway, but i just don't want him to be somewhere overnight that he isn't familiar with and because he gets so much attention at home, he will be very lonely and stressed.
I know that pain relief and medication is paramount, but stress is very important too, especially with everything he has just been through.
Sorry to waffle, I'm just so tired of him being ill and I hate having to put him through this rubbish xx

PS Beckie, I tried to get him moving, but he's not having it. Thank you so much though xx

UPDATE: We are off to the vet. I will let you guys know what happens. Thanks again to you both xx

Good luck, you are doing the right thing. Hope for a positive update later on!

Was going to say get him back to the vets. Bloating isn't good and needs veterinary attention. Let us know how he goes.

Going back to the vets is the best thing to do from the sounds of it, a little bit of hay grazing is better than nothing, but ignoring pellets is a definite sign he's still not feeling good, as is not moving at all.

Hope he's doing ok - and try to stay calm, I really think they pick up on owners stress which can affect their recovery, although I know that's easier said than done!

Hi all,

Just a quick update... He has been admitted to the OOH vet (I took him at around 8:00pm so apologies for the late response); they are going to put him on a drip to get some fluids into his body, I took along a sample of urine that he had made which was very 'chalky' and the vet said that the problem may be that he still has a lot of sludge in his bladder and because he is in pain, that's why he's not eating or drinking.

I mean, he says it looks positive, so I'm not too stressed (I know exactly what you mean Beckie!), he is in the right place and they can give him more than I can at home in terms of treatment, so I've done all I can. I think I am more stressed by the bill- £700! Lol. (I'm joking by the way, I'd sell my soul, in a good way! for that boy)

Depending on the outcome, if its all good, i pick him up this morning at 10:30am and then I have to take him to my usual vet (I'm not all that sure why, but hey ho).

Thank you so much for all the advice and positive vibes. I really appreciate it xx

I hope he recovered and is home now.

Topping up the vibes and hope he's okay. My little bunny also has calcium build up and we are constantly monitoring his wee and his diet. Hopefully having the fluids has been a big help and flushed most of it out xx