Help! I think the vet has mis-diagnosed my rabbit and I'm scared he's dying.

[Bunny Buddy]

I will if theres no improvement. The thing is hes been diagnosed... its just treating it. I dont know wat more the vet can give him. Maybe he needs to be given a gut stimulant ever day.

The best thing that can be done for him, given that he's been unwell for a few days, is intensive treatment - ideally being admitted to the vets. Maybe putting on a drip or being given subcutaneous fluids also close nursing where he is being syringe fed and medicated as required, and monitored by vets/vet nurses. This is actually often cheaper than caring for them at home as they charge c£20 for 24 hours for an inpatient but there is no consultation charge every day for the follow up (depending on individual practices' charging policies etc of course). Stasis can be very difficult to treat and can be harder to get through if they weren't eating enough in the early days.

 

[Bunny Buddy]

Hes had so many things in the past 3 days. I dont want him stressed by keep going the vet because that can make statis worse

It's really, really hard to know what to do for the best, I sympathise. It must be really stressful now after several days of this. You feel damned if you do and damned if you don't, but more intensive treatment is really indicated now as it's much harder to get through the longer it takes to recover.

 

[Vegan_Bunny]

He should be admitted and put on fluids at the very least. Taking him to a rabbit savvy vet may save his life and certainly won't hinder things seeing as he has not improved at all in the last 3 days. If his tooth is bothering him then he won't eat but first he needs to be stabilised in order to survive the dental, he can only be stablised if he has intensive treatment sooner rather than later. The longer he goes without eating or pooing the less chance he has of recovery.

Please take people's advice ad get him to a good vet. x

 

[RogerRabbit999]

I think your bun really needs to be admitted into a vets, and that fluids and pain meds are going to be essential to him having any chance of recovery. The fluids will soften the food build up in his tummy and make it easier to pass. I think he could be in extreme pain because of the toxic build up in his tummy.

If he was my bun I would be wrapping him in something warm and cosy, because keeping him warm will help prevent him going into shock. I would be administering 7ml of slightly warm water every half hour (what my vet advised in similar incident), water shouldn't be cold as will just cause more abdominal discomfort. Give pain meds and infacol. Massage your buns tummy and if you haven't got a snugglesafe, I would use a hot water bottle only filled partically, and wrapped in a towel, as the warmth from it will help relax his tummy, which is no doubt tense and taunt because of extreme pain. The build up of toxins in your bun is what will kill him, and him sitting hunched up in his hutch is not going to bring about a recovery.

Fluids, fluids, fluids, pain relief, infacol, warmth and getting your bun moving when he has perked up a bit is what could save him. He won't last much longer I doubt without some radical change. Don't worry about food at the moment, just concentrate on softening what is already in his tum to help move it along. This is what will hopefully save him, and that's got to be your priority now. The toxic build up in him will be poisoning his whole system and his vital organs will start to fail soon. Sounds strange I no but water is what your bun needs now. Good luck x

 

[parsnipbun]

I echoe this totally - a good vet with intensive care could save his life.

 

[ellenrose]

I think your bun really needs to be admitted into a vets, and that fluids and pain meds are going to be essential to him having any chance of recovery. The fluids will soften the food build up in his tummy and make it easier to pass. I think he could be in extreme pain because of the toxic build up in his tummy.

If he was my bun I would be wrapping him in something warm and cosy, because keeping him warm will help prevent him going into shock. I would be administering 7ml of slightly warm water every half hour (what my vet advised in similar incident), water shouldn't be cold as will just cause more abdominal discomfort. Give pain meds and infacol. Massage your buns tummy and if you haven't got a snugglesafe, I would use a hot water bottle only filled partically, and wrapped in a towel, as the warmth from it will help relax his tummy, which is no doubt tense and taunt because of extreme pain. The build up of toxins in your bun is what will kill him, and him sitting hunched up in his hutch is not going to bring about a recovery.

Fluids, fluids, fluids, pain relief, infacol, warmth and getting your bun moving when he has perked up a bit is what could save him. He won't last much longer I doubt without some radical change. Don't worry about food at the moment, just concentrate on softening what is already in his tum to help move it along. This is what will hopefully save him, and that's got to be your priority now. The toxic build up in him will be poisoning his whole system and his vital organs will start to fail soon. Sounds strange I no but water is what your bun needs now. Good luck x

Right okay, I will book him in again to a different vet. If they say to leave him there I guess I have no choice. The thought of leaving him there kills me incase he died there. That wud be awful. I will stop feeding him and just give him sum water. Hopefully the vet wont just send me home with more medications. Thanks again everyone.

 

[fillygal]

He should be admitted and put on fluids at the very least. Taking him to a rabbit savvy vet may save his life and certainly won't hinder things seeing as he has not improved at all in the last 3 days. If his tooth is bothering him then he won't eat but first he needs to be stabilised in order to survive the dental, he can only be stablised if he has intensive treatment sooner rather than later. The longer he goes without eating or pooing the less chance he has of recovery.

Please take people's advice ad get him to a good vet. x

I ditto this as it seems there has been little improvement since your last visit to the Vet - he really needs to be stable to stand a strong chance for him - bless - and if he is in severe pain no matter how much you try and get him to eat it I don't feel it will be productive for him and may well make him even more stressed - he may need Vetagesic which is a very strong pain killer for a few days while further tests are done - but either way experienced help is needed for him now as a matter of urgency.

Good luck and keep us posted re how things go.

 

[bunny babe]

Please ring and ask to see Rob (Hoylake Vets). He will get records sent over from your vets. He has 24 hours there too. I have used rob a few years now and he knows his stuff.

Sorry quick reply but on phone. Good luck.

 

[RogerRabbit999]

I would certainly start getting fluids in to him straight away. To be fair, as soon as my bun started getting hydrated, things literally started moving. Don't worry about droppings being small and hard as that is to be expected, just be pleased to get any indication whatsoever that things are starting to move. When my bun had perked up sufficiently, the best thing then was to put him on the floor and get him moving. I know that sounds mean but it could well save his life. If he has been sat still for some days with no obvious movement of food, everything will have come to a stand still. Really can't stress enough the importance of starting to soften the build up of food making it easier to pass. The wetter and softer it is, the easier it will move. 7ml per half hour is minimum requirement and if he will take more than that is brilliant. If you have got to force him to drink, then it is really 'do or die'. My vet showed me how in emergency situations like this, how to position syringe (1ml), right in corner of side of mouth, so that bun swallows the whole amount. The biggest danger to your bun I think now, is the build up of toxic gases in him from the stagnant food. They will be becoming more powerful and diminishing the oxygen supply within his system, and it is that lack of oxygen that will cause his organs to fail. It is for that reason that I think this has become an emergency situation, and without rapid intervention, sadly I would expect him to pass within the next 24hrs if not sooner. Often in these situations when the oxygen supply becomes to low and poor, buns often suffer a sudden seizure because of no oxygen getting to the brain, and it is unlikely having reached that stage that he could be resuscitated.

 

[ellenrose]

I would certainly start getting fluids in to him straight away. To be fair, as soon as my bun started getting hydrated, things literally started moving. Don't worry about droppings being small and hard as that is to be expected, just be pleased to get any indication whatsoever that things are starting to move. When my bun had perked up sufficiently, the best thing then was to put him on the floor and get him moving. I know that sounds mean but it could well save his life. If he has been sat still for some days with no obvious movement of food, everything will have come to a stand still. Really can't stress enough the importance of starting to soften the build up of food making it easier to pass. The wetter and softer it is, the easier it will move. 7ml per half hour is minimum requirement and if he will take more than that is brilliant. If you have got to force him to drink, then it is really 'do or die'. My vet showed me how in emergency situations like this, how to position syringe (1ml), right in corner of side of mouth, so that bun swallows the whole amount. The biggest danger to your bun I think now, is the build up of toxic gases in him from the stagnant food. They will be becoming more powerful and diminishing the oxygen supply within his system, and it is that lack of oxygen that will cause his organs to fail. It is for that reason that I think this has become an emergency situation, and without rapid intervention, sadly I would expect him to pass within the next 24hrs if not sooner. Often in these situations when the oxygen supply becomes to low and poor, buns often suffer a sudden seizure because of no oxygen getting to the brain, and it is unlikely having reached that stage that he could be resuscitated.

Hi everyone :wave: thank you all so much for your help and concern its helped me a great deal.

I rang the vets at 6pm today (Hoylake) and asked to speak to a vet, and she rang me back. She said my own vet has done what she wouldve done and there isnt much else they can do. She said I could take him in and he cud be put on fluids but because of his age, she said the stress could make him much worse by separating him from us. I asked if I should be giving him a gut stimulant everyday and she said to just keep doing what im doing so no.

Thing is, he looks like hes in so much pain and I cant stand it. He's been really ill now for 4 days. He hasnt eaten or pooped at all today, we've had to syringe feed him. Hes sat hunched up and breathing heavy, eyes nearly closed. I dont know whether to just put him out of his misery and have him put down (id have the vet come to my house to do it) or continue what Im doing but i dont want him dying in pain.

So far im giving him 7ml of water every half hour. Giving him critical care every 2 hours (5-6ml). He has the symptoms of gas and I thought this might be causing him pain so I gave him 1ml of Infacol (Simeticone). And I give him "Loxicom" which is what the vet prescribed as a pain killer, it says to give him 2kg once daily. But he in so much pain I give him a tiny bit before I go to bed aswell. Im sleeping on the couch tonight with him in the living room so i can syringe him water now and then. If he's not had a single poop by this time tomorrow though I think he needs to be put down. As terrible as that would be and I will be heart broken, I feel i cant pro-long his life if hes in pain.

 

[SJH]

What vets are you using at the moment? There are a couple of good ones on the Wirral. Rob Mcnulty at Hoylake vets is very good a few people on here use him. I have heard good things about Chester Gates vets too.

I use village vets who are lovely but luckily I haven't had any major issues with my buns so don't know how savvy they are.

Leahurst ought to be good as they are also a teaching hospital

Rob McNulty is lovely - he cares for my tortoises.

I use Cranmore / Chestergates referral hospital for bunnies. They have been great with me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ellenrose]

Oh and the vet said to add some vegetable oil to his critical care to soften things up so i've done that. And i've been giving him warm water- not cold, to help.

 

[bunny momma]

Hey guys.... I cleaned his hutch out last night and when I checked on him early this morning hes done no poops in the night and doesnt look like hes ate any hay. He's getting worse by the day, I dont know what to do. Ive been the vet 3 days in a row, hes had his ear shaven for blood tests, about 6 injections...i dont want to put him under more stress by taking him back again because that could make it worse.

I'm syringe feeding him critical care, which he puts up quite a fight when i put the syringe in but i feel like hes got to eat. But should I stop this as he's not pooing? I feel like im making him more bummed up. He's just sat hunched in a ball with his eyes almost closed, very drowsy looking. I dont know what more the vet can do if I took him back. He's had gut stimulants, hydrations shots, vitamin shots and pain killers. I've already spent £148 on all this medication thats had no effect. Is he past the point of no return? He hasnt pooped in about 24 hours- he of may had a couple of tiny ones and he wont eat himself

Its annoyed me that he should of been checked for a blockage the first time I took him the vet and had the gut stimulants then when he was still eating a bit of hay.

It can take time for a bunny to recover. Even very small poo shows his system is moving. A slow gut means bacteria has a chance to overgrow and produce gas and toxins. Fluids help the bunny to move any material in their system and also help their system eliminate any toxins their illness may be producing. I agree with the posts to get lots of fluids in him.

There are many reasons for your bunny's illness, and some cannot be diagnosed without expensive MRI or CAT scans, and some conditions may not be treatable even if you can identify the problem, so sometimes the best you can do is treat the symptoms with pain meds (some of the narcotic ones can make the bunny and their intestines lethargic, but they may be the only thing that relieves the pain, and once pain is controlled the bunny may start to move around which is good for stasis), fluids, fluids, fluids, gut stimulants, hand feeding and feeding vegetables, warmth, and massage.

 

[bunny babe]

If you can pop to Sainsbury's in Upton they usually have carrots with the tops on which is one of the things that some of mine take first if they are poorly and you could also try some kale and other herbs. I normally buy the shop out and just see what they will take but those are two main things mine do take.

You could also try grated carrot.

You could also try baby food e.g. ellas kitchen (fruit ones) to tempt by mixing with some pellets.

I also find that science selective pellets are eaten before their normal Oxbow ones.

Keep him warm and give him some tummy rubs too. Do you have a snugglesafe he could like on or you could fill a sock with rice (tie it) and put in the microwave to warm through too.

I hope he starts to feel better soon.

Fluids are very important though so you are doing the right thing by getting these into him and yes, one of mine used to prefer water with a dash of boiling in to make it tepid. Again you could add a dash of juice in there to tempt him to drink more too.

ETA - I have never heard about adding vegetable oil to food before.

 

[ellenrose]

If you can pop to Sainsbury's in Upton they usually have carrots with the tops on which is one of the things that some of mine take first if they are poorly and you could also try some kale and other herbs. I normally buy the shop out and just see what they will take but those are two main things mine do take.

You could also try grated carrot.

You could also try baby food e.g. ellas kitchen (fruit ones) to tempt by mixing with some pellets.

I also find that science selective pellets are eaten before their normal Oxbow ones.

Keep him warm and give him some tummy rubs too. Do you have a snugglesafe he could like on or you could fill a sock with rice (tie it) and put in the microwave to warm through too.

I hope he starts to feel better soon.

Fluids are very important though so you are doing the right thing by getting these into him and yes, one of mine used to prefer water with a dash of boiling in to make it tepid. Again you could add a dash of juice in there to tempt him to drink more too.

ETA - I have never heard about adding vegetable oil to food before.

Thanks for the help Ive tried to feed him anything thats good for him and mushy/watery to help but he wont eat at all. He puts up a fight when we try to get the syringe in his mouth. By orange do u mean fresh orange or like "robinsons" that you dilute? Do u think 7ml of water every half hour is enough? Or maybe increase his dose? Cheers everyone x

 

[bunny momma]

Hi everyone :wave: thank you all so much for your help and concern its helped me a great deal.

I rang the vets at 6pm today (Hoylake) and asked to speak to a vet, and she rang me back. She said my own vet has done what she wouldve done and there isnt much else they can do. She said I could take him in and he cud be put on fluids but because of his age, she said the stress could make him much worse by separating him from us. I asked if I should be giving him a gut stimulant everyday and she said to just keep doing what im doing so no.

Thing is, he looks like hes in so much pain and I cant stand it. He's been really ill now for 4 days. He hasnt eaten or pooped at all today, we've had to syringe feed him. Hes sat hunched up and breathing heavy, eyes nearly closed. I dont know whether to just put him out of his misery and have him put down (id have the vet come to my house to do it) or continue what Im doing but i dont want him dying in pain.

So far im giving him 7ml of water every half hour. Giving him critical care every 2 hours (5-6ml). He has the symptoms of gas and I thought this might be causing him pain so I gave him 1ml of Infacol (Simeticone). And I give him "Loxicom" which is what the vet prescribed as a pain killer, it says to give him 2kg once daily. But he in so much pain I give him a tiny bit before I go to bed aswell. Im sleeping on the couch tonight with him in the living room so i can syringe him water now and then. If he's not had a single poop by this time tomorrow though I think he needs to be put down. As terrible as that would be and I will be heart broken, I feel i cant pro-long his life if hes in pain.

I am so sorry to hear your bunny is so ill and it is difficult to control his pain. You are doing as much as you can do to help him and I hope his pain will subside, and yours too.

 

[fillygal]

I'm so sorry but I really feel you haven't been given the support of a bunny savy vet given the details here. Sometimes a stronger painkiller is needed under vet supervision to get the bunny stable and drip fluids.

I volunteer with a rescue and have had experience with my own bunnies with gut statis and leaving a bunny in pain isn't right.

I really feel for you because in an ideal world no owner should have to go through the distress you have In trying to help your bunny - we can only hope more bunny savy vets come through the system to help in situations just like this.

In so sorry you are having to go through this with your beloved bunny and have fingers and paws crossed for some brighter news x

 

[RogerRabbit999]

I'm so sorry but I really don't think you have been given appropriate adbice at all, and would even go as far as to say that the vet you spoke to today, knows very little or nothing about rabbits. I personally would not be giving oil to yor poor bun.

Any half decent vet, would have admitted your bun immediately to get him onto IV fluids and to manage his pain better. I think you are definately right about your bun being in so much pain.

Oh dear, your poor bun.

 

[bunny babe]

How is he doing today?

 

[ellenrose]

How is he doing today?

How is he doing today?

He was put down yesterday. I'm devastated, I can't believe hes gone. He literally went everywhere with me so everything reminds me of him and its painful. We took him to the vets everyone recommended in Hoylake, but I knew it was too late. I had to think for his sake and not my own, he hadn't pooped in over 24 hours and he was really re-jecting the water and critical care we were syringe feeding him. I couldnt stand seeing him in pain, his breathing had become heavy also.

What makes me so upset and it will haunt me forever is, if he had the right treatment the 1st/2nd time we went the vet, I feel like he couldve been saved. He was 10 years old... but he put up such a fight. He so wanted to live. Twice I thought he was going to die there and then in my living room, he looked like he was having some kind of fit. Twice I was shocked to see he was still alive when I checked on him first thing in the morning. And this might sound corny to some people, but I feel like he knew how much I loved him and he loved me and his will to live was so strong.

I dont want anyone to experience what I went through, if you think your rabbit has the beginning of GI Statis take him to a rabbit savvy vet and LEAVE him there. They are much more likely to live if they are admitted to the vets as they can give them stronger pain killers there and keep them on a drip so they have fluids throughout the night. If the vet had told me this I would have left him, but it was the 4-5th day of him having it and I knew if I left him with the vet he would've died there and that would've been worse.

I feel like the vet didn't act properly at all, the first time we took him he just had a vitamin shot. The second time, he said my rabbit needed an over-grown tooth out and he would operate the next day. Luckily, I cancelled this because I didn't think he would survive being put under anaesthetic in his condition. He was also given a gut stimulant and pain killer but I was given nothing to give him at home except "Loxicom" which is just a mild painkiller. And it was only till I looked on here that I learned to give him water every half hour. He should've been put on IV fluids there and then and stronger pain killers. The third time we went, he was given another gut stimulant, a shot to hydrate him and a stronger pain killer. He actually perked up when we got back from the vet that time and drank himself, which tells me the painkiller mustve been strong enough to make him want to drink- but of course it wore off. Again, I shouldve been given gut stimulants to give him at home. The 4th time was in Hoylake where he was put down. I really recommend this vet, she was so nice and knew what she was doing. He went peacefully in my arms (despite my crys and sobs). What really annoyed me is she checked his teeth and said they're arent really a problem and he doesnt even need one taken out!! So not only did the other vet threaten his life by saying he needs of over-grown tooth out when hes in such bad condition, but it wasnt actually causing him any harm!

Anyway, I did everything I could, the advice on here was so helpful, I tried everything. I slept on the couch to give him water in the night, bought some critical care, bought infacol for gas pain, gave him painkiller twice a day. Unfortunately the vet didn't act quick or better enough. It was either let him die at home in pain (probably would've had a seizure or something) or put him out of his misery.

His name was Dorris by the way (haha i know!) I was only 11 when I named him and I thought it was a unisex name. But he really suited it actually cause he was such a softie, he was called "Doe" for short. I miss him terribly....let the sleepless night and no eating begin. Thank you all so much for your concern and help, it meant a lot.