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Help! Any ideas?

Lind80

Mama Doe
Most of my rabbits are ill. It started with 1 of Heidi's babies suddenly dying. I took him to the vet for a post mortem and the rest of the babies and mum. All that was found on PM was a very full stomach. The rest were all checked over and although nothing was found the vet gave them all subcut fluids and a pain kiling injection. Late last night Violet came down with it, bloated belly very quiet and going into shock, she had subcut fluids, pain killer and I also gave her infacol. This morning all my rabbits are like it except the 2 indoors and Rupert! The babies have all now been hospitalised at the vets, another died on the way there. All of them have had fluids etc. Some of the babies are now passing mucoid diarrhoea. The vet said he has no idea what is causing it but thinks it unlikely that the babies will survive and wouldn't like to say about the others! :( The only thing I have given them different is a new lot of hay which is from a farmer, instead of how I usually buy the small bags from the pet shops. The vet said he thought it unlikely to be this. Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? There bellies just seem to keep geting bigger but the vet said it is food not gas, but they haven't had any more food than normal! Violet has now stopped eating aswell and wont take the syringed food.
 
Gosh Lind how awful for you! I have no ideas im sorry but loads of hugs to you and the buns lind XXXX Is the vet positive that it's not the hay from the farm? It sounds like the type of bloat horses get after eating ragwort! Have a check over the hay Elve put a picci of ragwort on another topic i'll see if i can find it for you XXX
 
Hiya,

I'd suggest shaking out some of the hay and looking to see if there are any weird looking plants in it. Its unlikely but worth checking.

Has your vet checked a fecal sample for parasites?

If it was just the babies then it could be Mucoid Enteritous but I don't think that would effect all of them.

Get your vet to talk to a rabbit specilist to see if they have any ideas.
 
If there's so much food in the stomachs, it could be a congenital defect- some sort of obstruction in the intestines...

Probably worth asking your vet to call a specialist, like the Bristol Rabbit Clinic...
 
Thanks for your replies. My vet has called the Rabbit Clinic in Bristol and they think it is most likely mucoid enteritis. So as you all know prognosis is very poor. :( I have just collected the babies and am going to try syringe feeding them now and lots of belly rubbing, one of the nurses is taking a couple of the buns for me as I can't give enough of my time to all 21 of them! I will let you know how they do, thanks again for your help.
 
iv had this with my babies and lots have died it very common i saved a few but lost loads but i wouldnt take then to the vet as this is cause by stress and the being at the vet is just going to stress then out even more, iv give mine antibiotics which have come from the vet but is used in farm animals i use this with all my babies to prevent this happening when ill i mixed this antibiotic with mom soft poo i now sounds horrid but this is syringed into them as this is the poo they eat to help the digestive system, another good thing is dandilon leaves and bramle leaves also any thing that would make then go ot the tolilet, i feed them anything they they will eat like apple or cabbage u must keep them eating and hydrated, iv also used gripe water and liquid parrafin which helps break up the blockage. but the best thing to do with this is to also massarge the belly downwards helping along the blockage and gently squeeze at bum to help out the mucus.
well good luck :(
becky
 
My adults are now all eating and passing poos, I am still giving them all sub cut fluids but most of them have started drinking now. The babies that are left look awful, they look like little skeletons, I can't believe how the weight has dropped off them. They are not eating or drinking and won't swallow any from a syringe. I am giving them 80ml of sub cut fluids in 24 hours. 1 is passing huge amounts of cear mucus, one passed a couple of brown things that slightly resembled faeces and the other is passing nothing. Their bellies just sound like they are full of fluid and are enormous. My vets have ordered some Apramycin in, but it won't be delivered til tomorrow.
 
i know how u feel that is exactly like mine were out of 3 one survied when they dont take anything froma syringe try gengly rubbing the Throat or make them chew on the syringe so then when they do this it makes them take something down, i used baby food to bulid mine bk up and he was just a bag of bones apart from the pot belly passing mucus sounds good as it means its unblocking
becky
 
Oh, how awful for you. Thinking of you and sending lots of positive thoughts.
 
Another baby has died overnight and Violet has died aswell. She was my little sooty fawn dwarf lop. She was 1 1/2 yrs. This was her

violet1.jpg


I am going to the vets now and hopefully they will have had the Apramycin delivered and I can get the others started on that.
 
Oh Dear God - I am so very sorry :cry: :cry: :cry: Violet is beautiful - so like some buns that I used to have here.
Run free little girl and those beautiful babies - run in the eternal sunshine - xxxxxx
 
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