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  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Urgent Advice Needed Please!!

kat_g

Warren Scout
hi,
I was hoping someone might be able to help me. My rabbit hasnt been eating by herself for the past 24 hours and she is very quiet and not herself. She is normally quite greedy and running around, but ever since yesterday morning she has been very quiet and not eating. I gave her metacam drops last night and began syringe feeding recovery diet (the metacam hasnt seemed to make much difference although i was gonna carry on with it anyway in case it helps with any pain). She is fairly ok in herself, other than being quiet.
I took her to work with me today (at a vets) and the vet told me she doesnt feel bloated (although i think she maybe is) and although her teeth could do with a file down, they are not that bad and there is no ulceration in her mouth. I have access to drugs at work, is there anything anyone can recommend i give her? Also, she had quite a lot of dandelion leaves and clover the two evenings before she became ill - could this be causing her problem? She normally has dandelion leaves, but mixed in with other veg too and the past two evenings, she didnt have other veg too, just the dandelions and clover.
 
I know clover can cause wind - I wonder why your vet didn't file her teeth if they need it - and why s/he didn't give her metaclopromide to stimulate her gut, or B vitamins to stimulate her appetite? Surely a vet should know this is an emergency situation? Metaclopromide shouldn't be given if there's a blockage though, although most rabbit vets will give it without even checking.

Does she drink much? If her guts have slowed down the contents will dry out and get stuck even more - can you syringe water into her? Fresh pineapple juice will help if there's mucus stopping water soaking into the gut contents. Baby Infacol (the gripe medicine) will help if she has gas, if you gently rub her tummy too.

Sounds like her teeth though really - you shouldn't wait till the mouth ulcerates, and it's very hard to see right to the back for spurs without putting a rabbit under. Does your vet attend annual small animal conferences or is he/she more of a cat and dog vet?
 
No one but a qualified Veterinary surgeon can advise you about administering prescription medication and even if you have access to them unless you are a qualified Vet/Vet nurse you CANNOT administer prescription medication
If your Rabbit has not eaten for 24 hours then I suspect she needs a gut motility stimulant (provided that it is CERTAIN she is not obstructed)
Her teeth may be the primary cause of the problem so they may need attention ASAP. I would advise you to consult a Vet again ASAP
Please do NOT access and use prescription medication for your Rabbit unless you are qualified to do so

Janex
 
im a qualified vet nurse so im ok with the drug side of things. would check with one of the vets anyway. she had a metoclopramide injection but im worried now that you've said about an obstruction cos how would the vet know for sure that there is no obstruction? She doesnt need her teeth doing desperately and vet said cos she hasnt been eating over last 24 hours, we should get her eating before we give her a g/a for dental. You can use an auroscope to look at the molars (the instrument used to look down dog's ears). I would never wait for her mouth to ulcerate before she had a dental but vet said that as her mouth isnt ulcerated, her dental isnt an emergency and therefore we should try to get her eating before we give her a g/a. what is the dose and dose rate for infacol? does she need it asap? will it do her any harm if its not trapped gas?
 
Infacol can be obtained from the Baby Section of most supermarkets


2mls of Infacol + some tummy rubs can be given as the first dose.
Another 1-2ml can be given an hour later if no improvement.

Always best to treat the CAUSE of a gassy Bunny rather than the symptom :wink:

Some Veg causes gas- Brocolli, Cabbage, Kale being the usual suspects.
Too much carbohydrate and/or sugar in the diet can cause problems too.
Buns who dont eat enough hay get sluggish guts and a build up of gas.
Buns with dental problems dont eat enough hay so thats another thing to get checked!!
Lazy Buns have lazy guts. So lack of exercise causes sluggish guts and the consequent build up of gas.

A TRUMPING BUNNY IS A HAPPY BUNNY!! :D

Janex

I was told it will not cause harm and is good option to try if you're not sure what's going on (although I am NO EXPERT) x
 
I hadn't realised your vet had treated her, since you didn't mention it - sounds like you've done all that's possible for now, apart from getting water into her - she could have a sub-cut if she hasn't already.

This is a good article on nursing through GI stasis: http://www.mybunny.org/info/gi_stasis.htm
 
thanks for all your help! ive been to the supermarket (special round trip of 45 mins!) for some infacol. She's had 2mls so ill see how she goes. Might take her back into work tomorrow to see if they can do anything else (maybe xray her as gas will show up, at least ill know if gas is the problem). People bring bunnies in all the time that are not eating and i dint know you can give infacol! maybe i can recommend it now!
 
That was me last night doing a last minute dash to the 24 hour supermarket for Infacol, I didn't even know what it was until yesterday! Hope your bun feels better soon x:(
 
thanks, i hope she is soon well. I just spoke to one of the other vets and im gonna take her in for another check, taking her temperature, check her teeth again and xray her.
just listened to her tummy and i can hear gut noises and rumblings - i think thats a good thing cos at least her guts are moving. Would be worse if i didnt hear anything.
Def gonna make sure i have some infacol in all the time from now on!
 
Alice used to get frequent bouts of stasis and it really helps to get your bunny moving even though they don't feel like it. I used to pat Alice on the bum so she would run round after me and quite often within an hour or so she would start eating. You could also give her a tummy rub after you've given her the infacol, its good if you can lift the bum a bit so the gas can come out easier!

Gemma xx
 
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