In pain and small poops but eating/drinking absolutely fine?

[bunny momma]

I ended up going back to the vets yesterday, I showed the vet the thick crusty urine patches on their vet bed and she said rabbit urine can vary a lot but it's very possible it could be a urine infection so he's got antibiotics and some recovery feed just to get a bit more food in to him. I asked them to give him fluids too as I thought it would make him a bit more comfortable if it is urinary.

I've not seen any new patches but it's hard to tell because Elmo always uses his litter tray which is full of bedding and shared with his brother. He's still not his crazy self, he is still sitting a bit hunched up sometimes but he's fairly active and eating Usually the rabbits can be out all day and only leave a few stray poops but not long after I let them out Elmo did absolutely loads, they're getting bigger and more golden now so I'm guessing that's a good sign

You were wise to ask for the fluids. Is he drinking normally?

 

[DemiS]

Everytime i move they move so I haven't been able to get a picture of when he's sitting really hunched up but i took a video. I don't know if you can tell but he's rocking back and forwards a little, and his mouth is moving occasionally (I'm guessing he's grinding his teeth?). His eyes are droopier than usual and he looks really depressed, then again he could just be falling asleep i can't tell He just doesn't seem to be a happy bunny at the moment, he's a bit up and down, earlier he was straight out of his cage and jumped on to my knee (which is rare even when he's well!), whereas at other times he's quiet and not sitting normally. This isn't a great example, im not 100% sure if this is an 'in pain' position or 'im tired' position, but yeah sometimes he's more hunched up, ears back, wriggling regularly like he's not comfy. He usually flops out on his side a lot but hasn't been as much. Meanwhile his brother is running about, climbing on to my shoulder and nipping me on the chin because he can smell my fruit smoothie and I won't share with him :roll:

Thanks bunny_momma they didn't mention fluids but I get cystitis a lot so I know how painful urinary problems can be and fluids can at least ease the pain a little. He is definitely drinking, maybe a little less than normal although I put a bowl in and I can't hear him drink from that like with the bottles, but the water level is definitely going down

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Everytime i move they move so I haven't been able to get a picture of when he's sitting really hunched up but i took a video. I don't know if you can tell but he's rocking back and forwards a little, and his mouth is moving occasionally (I'm guessing he's grinding his teeth?). His eyes are droopier than usual and he looks really depressed, then again he could just be falling asleep i can't tell He just doesn't seem to be a happy bunny at the moment, he's a bit up and down, earlier he was straight out of his cage and jumped on to my knee (which is rare even when he's well!), whereas at other times he's quiet and not sitting normally. This isn't a great example, im not 100% sure if this is an 'in pain' position or 'im tired' position, but yeah sometimes he's more hunched up, ears back, wriggling regularly like he's not comfy. He usually flops out on his side a lot but hasn't been as much. Meanwhile his brother is running about, climbing on to my shoulder and nipping me on the chin because he can smell my fruit smoothie and I won't share with him :roll:

Thanks bunny_momma they didn't mention fluids but I get cystitis a lot so I know how painful urinary problems can be and fluids can at least ease the pain a little. He is definitely drinking, maybe a little less than normal although I put a bowl in and I can't hear him drink from that like with the bottles, but the water level is definitely going down

That looks neurological to me :? Did the Vet check his ears ? Has he ever had a course of Fenbendazole (Panacur/Lapizole) ? I'd show the Vet the video as a Rabbit's behaviour at the Vets is usually very different to that in his home environment due to the adrenalin rush a stressful Vet trip causes.

Has the Vet taken Elmo's temperature ? I think I'd want the Vet to do a few neurological checks at this stage :?

Sending lots of vibes xx

 

[DemiS]

That looks neurological to me :? Did the Vet check his ears ? Has he ever had a course of Fenbendazole (Panacur/Lapizole) ? I'd show the Vet the video as a Rabbit's behaviour at the Vets is usually very different to that in his home environment due to the adrenalin rush a stressful Vet trip causes.

Has the Vet taken Elmo's temperature ? I think I'd want the Vet to do a few neurological checks at this stage :?

Sending lots of vibes xx

Oh no what makes you think that Is it the rocking? I've noticed it occasionally since we got him, sometimes when he's sleepy he appears to rock a bit but we thought maybe he's just breathing heavily or even dreaming or something. He's never been wormed. If you can give me any extra info i can take along to the vets I'd really appreciate it, like (in vet terms) what might be wrong and what checks they should do. I'm going back to the vets tomorrow as they were too busy to do an xray today. They had a quick look in his ears but didn't take his temperature, I'll insist on that tomorrow

 

[DemiS]

Apart from the very occasional (i mean like once every few months) rocking I notice when he's sleepy there's been absolutely no signs of anything else wrong, no head tilt, no excess scratching of the ears, no GI problems or symptoms of pain

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Apart from the very occasional (i mean like once every few months) rocking I notice when he's sleepy there's been absolutely no signs of anything else wrong, no head tilt, no excess scratching of the ears, no GI problems or symptoms of pain

It could be that he was just sleeping, it is hard to get what the video shows into context. It is just that you have said that his behaviour is 'odd' at times. If what he is doing in the video is normal for him when he's resting/sleeping then I doubt there is anything neurological going on. Is the position he is resting in what you are referring to as 'hunched up' ? He does not look to be 'hunched up' to me. But maybe the position he is in is not his normal resting position ?

 

[DemiS]

It could be that he was just sleeping, it is hard to get what the video shows into context. It is just that you have said that his behaviour is 'odd' at times. If what he is doing in the video is normal for him when he's resting/sleeping then I doubt there is anything neurological going on. Is the position he is resting in what you are referring to as 'hunched up' ? He does not look to be 'hunched up' to me. But maybe the position he is in is not his normal resting position ?

Thanks for the speedy reply! By odd I don't mean 'ive never seen a rabbit do this before', I mean odd as in he's quieter. He runs off if i try touch him, he's sat in his litter tray most of the day when normally he'd be running around then flopping out on the rug. I did wonder if the rocking was just his breathing, it's not as bad as like when people are very distressed and rock back and forth. No the video didn't show him in his hunched up position, again I've not been able to get a photo but it is different to how he normally sits and when he does it it's certainly how i imagine a bunny in pain would sit, squished up and fidgeting like they can't get comfy

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks for the speedy reply! By odd I don't mean 'ive never seen a rabbit do this before', I mean odd as in he's quieter. He runs off if i try touch him, he's sat in his litter tray most of the day when normally he'd be running around then flopping out on the rug. I did wonder if the rocking was just his breathing, it's not as bad as like when people are very distressed and rock back and forth. No the video didn't show him in his hunched up position, again I've not been able to get a photo but it is different to how he normally sits and when he does it it's certainly how i imagine a bunny in pain would sit, squished up and fidgeting like they can't get comfy

Has he improved at all since being on Metacam ? Tamsin has produced this which may illustrate the position you see Elmo adopt at times

 

[DemiS]

Thanks Jane, the picture of the bunny in pain is a position he's in quite a lot, scrunched up, ears back, eyes semi closed. There was a slight improvement a few hours before we gave him the first dose of metacam. So I can say he's definitely better and more active than that first day we took him to the vets, but since starting the pain meds and antibiotics he hasn't changed

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks Jane, the picture of the bunny in pain is a position he's in quite a lot, scrunched up, ears back, eyes semi closed. There was a slight improvement a few hours before we gave him the first dose of metacam. So I can say he's definitely better and more active than that first day we took him to the vets, but since starting the pain meds and antibiotics he hasn't changed

Sounds as though another trip to the Vets is in order then. Do you think that he could have hurt his back at some stage ? Hopefully the Vet will be able to find out what's going on x

 

[DemiS]

I wouldn't put it past him, he regularly binky's in to things. I managed to get a urine sample from him and its very orange and cloudy

 

[Jack's-Jane]

I wouldn't put it past him, he regularly binky's in to things. I managed to get a urine sample from him and its very orange and cloudy

That could be due to the medication and/or dehydration. Or something in his diet (plant pigments).

I had another thought in the early hours, does he appear to have an increased respiratory effort ? Not just after a mad dash about, but even when at rest ?

 

[DemiS]

[/B]

That could be due to the medication and/or dehydration. Or something in his diet (plant pigments).

I had another thought in the early hours, does he appear to have an increased respiratory effort ? Not just after a mad dash about, but even when at rest ?

Oh okay, I realised that I should of taken a urine sample before we started the baytril. I don't think it will be dietary as we ran out of veg a few days ago and they've only had pellets and hay. There's no increased respiratory effort that I've noticed. We've left him at the vets for now for an xray

 

[DemiS]

Well the vets said the xray looked completely normal, his urine sample was too. Whilst he was sedated they gave him a dental because spurs were starting to make his cheek sore (last week they hadn't cut in to his cheek/tongue at all so I'm still unsure if this is actually the source of his pain). I've never had a dental bunny before, he's less than a year old and he eats a lot of hay so I have a feeling he's going to be one of those bunnies that needs them a lot I've asked them to have a look in Cookie's mouth too seeing as they're brothers and cookie has the same diet

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Well the vets said the xray looked completely normal, his urine sample was too. Whilst he was sedated they gave him a dental because spurs were starting to make his cheek sore (last week they hadn't cut in to his cheek/tongue at all so I'm still unsure if this is actually the source of his pain). I've never had a dental bunny before, he's less than a year old and he eats a lot of hay so I have a feeling he's going to be one of those bunnies that needs them a lot I've asked them to have a look in Cookie's mouth too seeing as they're brothers and cookie has the same diet

The spurs may well be the source of his discomfort. Some Rabbits are a lot more sensitive to mouth pain than others. I hope that he makes a good recovery x

 

[DemiS]

He's bounced back from the GA fairly quickly and is eating, I'm really hoping he starts to feel much better. I hope it was just a dental problem because at least that's fixed now. It's funny how I was convinced it was a urinary problem, the vets thought he may be in stasis, but his xray showed his bladder and GI tract were perfectly normal. He's already a good hay eater but i might try some new types just to see if he prefers any of those, going to cut right down on treats and pellets too, they're not going to be happy about that :lol:

 

[Jack's-Jane]

He's bounced back from the GA fairly quickly and is eating, I'm really hoping he starts to feel much better. I hope it was just a dental problem because at least that's fixed now. It's funny how I was convinced it was a urinary problem, the vets thought he may be in stasis, but his xray showed his bladder and GI tract were perfectly normal. He's already a good hay eater but i might try some new types just to see if he prefers any of those, going to cut right down on treats and pellets too, they're not going to be happy about that :lol:

Glad to hear he's recovered well from the GA. Cutting down on pellets and treats is a good plan. If you fancy a spot of retail therapy then take a look here :

https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/edibles/hay-grasses.html

https://galensgarden.co.uk/shop/