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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.

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Advice needed my rabbits sick

M

Makk13

New Kit
I know that there are probably answers to these things already, but I’m panicking a little.
I fed my rabbit last night at 9pm and now it is 12:15 the next day and he didn’t eat anything. I tried to offer him different greens and he refused them. I even offered him his favorite treats, all the ones I had, and he sniffed them and then turned his head. He is currently hiding and hasn’t moved much.

He did let me pick him up, but he was really cold to the touch. I checked his teeth and i didn’t see anything and there was no foul smell coming from his mouth. When I put him down he just went back to his hiding spot.
I’ve had him for about 3 years but he is my first ever rabbit and I’m scared.

Any advice would be very helpful.
I am taking him to the vet tomorrow, but should I try to take him to an animal hospital today?

I forgot to mention he is also not drinking water.
 
I'm so sorry that your rabbit is poorly.

Yes, I am afraid you need to get to a vet urgently. Rabbits go downhill so quickly that this can't wait. Is your rabbit neutered and fully vaccinated?
 
Makk13 said:
I know that there are probably answers to these things already, but I’m panicking a little.
I fed my rabbit last night at 9pm and now it is 12:15 the next day and he didn’t eat anything. I tried to offer him different greens and he refused them. I even offered him his favorite treats, all the ones I had, and he sniffed them and then turned his head. He is currently hiding and hasn’t moved much.

He did let me pick him up, but he was really cold to the touch. I checked his teeth and i didn’t see anything and there was no foul smell coming from his mouth. When I put him down he just went back to his hiding spot.
I’ve had him for about 3 years but he is my first ever rabbit and I’m scared.

Any advice would be very helpful.
I am taking him to the vet tomorrow, but should I try to take him to an animal hospital today?

I forgot to mention he is also not drinking water.
Click to expand...


I think that would be for the best & what others here would recommend. I hope he gets treatment quickly & goes on to make a full recovery. Please keep us updated
 
I presume you are not in the UK? If that's the case then vaccinations may not be appropriate. Is he producing poop?

As others have advised, it is important that your rabbit gets examined by a vet as soon as possible. Not eating in a rabbit is a serious situation and one, which needs speedy treatment to obtain the best outcome. He will be hiding as he is a prey species and this is a further indication that he is feeling unwell. He could also be in pain. Once a vet has examined him and confirmed that there is no blockage in his digestive system, then he can be given some food via syringe. The hospial might also keep him in for observation and fluid therapy.

Sending lots of vibes for your rabbit. I hope he improves soon.
 
So my rabbit does have a blockage which has led to GI stasis. The vet gave him something that absorbs into his skin to get him fluids and a pain killer. They gave me something to mix with water and force feed him.
He still has pooped or peed yet, but when I was feeding him I heard his stomach making some noises and he passed some gas.
I have to take him back to the vet tomorrow morning, so I’m hoping he has at least peed or pooped by then
 
Makk13 said:
So my rabbit does have a blockage which has led to GI stasis. The vet gave him something that absorbs into his skin to get him fluids and a pain killer. They gave me something to mix with water and force feed him.
He still has pooped or peed yet, but when I was feeding him I heard his stomach making some noises and he passed some gas.
I have to take him back to the vet tomorrow morning, so I’m hoping he has at least peed or pooped by then
Click to expand...

If your Rabbit has a full obstruction (blockage) then this would be a surgical emergency, I really hope that what your Vet meant is that he/she could feel poop in the intestines but it wasn’t moving-ie gut stasis. If a Rabbit has a full obstruction then force feeding will make things much worse.

Is the Vet experienced with treating Rabbits/an Exotics Specialist ? Many small animal Vets might be great with treating Cats and Dogs but their knowledge about Rabbits can be minimal. Having a Rabbit Savvy Vet is an essential.

What diagnostics were carried out ? A blood glucose test should be taken, a very high blood glucose level is indicative of a full obstruction. Abdominal X-rays are needed too, both to be repeated after a few hours if the case is borderline for surgery.

With a full obstruction the Rabbit must be hospitalised as fluids must be given IV and clinical obs made hourly. Ongoing medication is needed IV too. The Rabbit might need to be in an incubator as they can become hypothermic when very sick. Some might need oxygen support too.

If your Rabbit has still not passed any poo after some syringe feeds I would STOP syringe feeds and return to the Vet straight away, as an out of hours emergency if necessary.

I hope that your Rabbit can recover
 
The vet I took him to wasn’t his normal one, but she specializes in small, exotic animals. She felt his stomach and said she felt a blockage in his colon and something possibly in his cecum. She also listened to him and said she heard no movement in his GI. The vet did take some X-rays. She told me there was a blockage and she did use the words GI stasis. She said for treatment that they were going to give him some pain killers and something to help with fluids. She prefers not to keep rabbits over night and instead send them home because she stated something along the lines of being able to run around is one of the best ways to help things move in there. She gave me some signs to watch out for and a bag of critical care and told me to feed him once ever 4 hours. She also said she didn’t want him on hay right now, that I should offer him a lot of leafy greens and fruits that have a high water content.

After his first feeding he kind of just went to the corner of my room and stayed there. He didn’t poop or pee at all. He would react to me putting his water bowl near him or other things but not much else. Half way through his second feeding his energy just kind of changed. His stomach gurgled a lot and he passed some gas. He started to dig at the cloth I had him on and was sniffing around, so I put him on the floor and he hopped around for bit and then he went to his litter box AND POOPED!!! I was so excited. I know he still has some ways to go, but I screamed and woke up my whole house.
Sorry this went on for a bit.
I am still worried because his ears are a little colder than normal, but I did turn my heat up. His also is running around this time which also has given me some hope
 
I just saw your post and am glad he has pooped and is more active. Did vet give pain relief? Sending positive vibes your bunny will make a full recovery.
 
Makk13 said:
The vet I took him to wasn’t his normal one, but she specializes in small, exotic animals. She felt his stomach and said she felt a blockage in his colon and something possibly in his cecum. She also listened to him and said she heard no movement in his GI. The vet did take some X-rays. She told me there was a blockage and she did use the words GI stasis. She said for treatment that they were going to give him some pain killers and something to help with fluids. She prefers not to keep rabbits over night and instead send them home because she stated something along the lines of being able to run around is one of the best ways to help things move in there. She gave me some signs to watch out for and a bag of critical care and told me to feed him once ever 4 hours. She also said she didn’t want him on hay right now, that I should offer him a lot of leafy greens and fruits that have a high water content.

After his first feeding he kind of just went to the corner of my room and stayed there. He didn’t poop or pee at all. He would react to me putting his water bowl near him or other things but not much else. Half way through his second feeding his energy just kind of changed. His stomach gurgled a lot and he passed some gas. He started to dig at the cloth I had him on and was sniffing around, so I put him on the floor and he hopped around for bit and then he went to his litter box AND POOPED!!! I was so excited. I know he still has some ways to go, but I screamed and woke up my whole house.
Sorry this went on for a bit.
I am still worried because his ears are a little colder than normal, but I did turn my heat up. His also is running around this time which also has given me some hope
Click to expand...

It is good that he has poo output. Hay is actually very important for promoting gut motility, as well as on going fluid therapy. So personally I would not withhold hay from a Rabbit in gut stasis. The medication he needs to be on, as well as pain relief eg Metacam, are drugs called prokinetics, drugs to get the gut motility going again. These drugs are usually Metoclopramide AKA Emeprid/Vomend and Cisapride. Ranitidine is available again now, so that might be prescribed too. These prokinetic drugs and pain relief need to be given on an ongoing basis, not just a one off dose. So the Vet should have prescribed a supply of them to be given at home. They are needed until eating and pooping are back to normal. This link explains the correct protocol for treating gut stasis

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv
 
I wonder if there is a rabbit virus going around right now?

I got worried when I read the part about not feeding him hay because I've been having the same issues with my bunnies. I've been slowly giving them more hay and cutting out treats and greens in the hopes I can avoid serious gut stasis. .
 
InspectorMorse said:
It is good that he has poo output. Hay is actually very important for promoting gut motility, as well as on going fluid therapy. So personally I would not withhold hay from a Rabbit in gut stasis. The medication he needs to be on, as well as pain relief eg Metacam, are drugs called prokinetics, drugs to get the gut motility going again. These drugs are usually Metoclopramide AKA Emeprid/Vomend and Cisapride. Ranitidine is available again now, so that might be prescribed too. These prokinetic drugs and pain relief need to be given on an ongoing basis, not just a one off dose. So the Vet should have prescribed a supply of them to be given at home. They are needed until eating and pooping are back to normal. This link explains the correct protocol for treating gut stasis

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv
Click to expand...

I agree with this and would not stop him having access to hay. It is also important that the medication is continued at home until he is completely back to normal.

It's great that you were able to get him examined yesterday and sending vibes for his recovery.
 
I just wanted to say that he is doing a lot better. He is eating completely on his own now. He is also super active. I even saw him do a binky today.

He isn’t going to the vet anymore. I will state they did put him on something to stimulate his gut, I just forgot to mention.
The medicine they gave him was:
Metoclopramide
Buprenorphone
And fluids

I had to syringe feed him critical care at home every 3-4 hours until he started fully eating on his own.

I had to go back to the vets roughly ever 12 hours, for a day and a half, for him to get the medicine.

Sorry for any confusion. I was running on little to no sleep and was super stressed.
 
Thank you for giving an update. It is appreciated :)

Sounds like really good news and I'm so pleased for you both.
 
It makes me so happy to read such a positive update. You did a great job getting him to the vets quickly and caring for him at home.
 
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