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Mega Colon rabbit need painkiller advice

camelmilk

New Kit
4 year old mc rabbit who has now had to move on to permanent motility drugs (after managing well for 3 years without) but has a primary motility function problem now - currently using motilium or cisapride when available rather than metachlop.

also has to have pain meds daily or wont eat: metacam and tramadol but i was wondering if gabapentin might be preferable to tramadol as it is thought to be autonomic nerve related in his gut?

anyone with any ideas for him? i'd be really grateful to hear. my vet has not used it in bunnies.

thanks camelmilk
 
I can't comment on it's use in rabbits, but it worked wonders on my dad. He had severe pain in his gut due to a blocked artery (the one that supplies your digestive system) and was put on gabapentin. He was effectively getting angina type pain in his guts.
I know it's not the same but it was an unusual use of gabapentin and in the same area of the body so it might help your vet.
 
I can't comment on it's use in rabbits, but it worked wonders on my dad. He had severe pain in his gut due to a blocked artery (the one that supplies your digestive system) and was put on gabapentin. He was effectively getting angina type pain in his guts.
I know it's not the same but it was an unusual use of gabapentin and in the same area of the body so it might help your vet.



thank you redfraggle, i really appreciate you replying. i am going to try him on it tomorrow as i 'm sure he's experiencing this sort of pain now and the tramadol doesnt seem to last long. i worry about having him on very big doses of metacam permanently, though his blood work is fine.
 
I think it would probably be worth, as you have such a sick bunny, to ask your vet to refer you to a specialist, either through your vet contacting him/her by email/phone or you could actually go see them if it isnt too far.

You might want to PM Thumps_ and ask her to take a look at this thread, she did have an incredibly ill bunny called Thumper and although Thumper's condition was incredibly rare and unique, she has an unrivalled knowledge of rabbit diet and using wild plants for helping the gut, and I also believe she has experience of gut motility drugs.
 
I think it would probably be worth, as you have such a sick bunny, to ask your vet to refer you to a specialist, either through your vet contacting him/her by email/phone or you could actually go see them if it isnt too far.

You might want to PM Thumps_ and ask her to take a look at this thread, she did have an incredibly ill bunny called Thumper and although Thumper's condition was incredibly rare and unique, she has an unrivalled knowledge of rabbit diet and using wild plants for helping the gut, and I also believe she has experience of gut motility drugs.

:thumb:
 
I've not used gabapentin for GI related pain, more for true neurogenic pain but have not had any adverse effects in any bunnies so a trial course to see if it is beneficial might be an idea.
Tramadol needs massively higher dosing in bunnies compared to common pet species so there may be potential to increase the tramadol dose if it is not already at the high end of the range and gabapentin doesn't help.

Not a painkiller but perhaps domperidone might be an appropriate gut motility drug for your bun?
Domperidone is the active ingredient in motilium :)

Marie
 
I've not used gabapentin for GI related pain, more for true neurogenic pain but have not had any adverse effects in any bunnies so a trial course to see if it is beneficial might be an idea.
Tramadol needs massively higher dosing in bunnies compared to common pet species so there may be potential to increase the tramadol dose if it is not already at the high end of the range and gabapentin doesn't help.


Domperidone is the active ingredient in motilium :)

Marie

Oh! :oops::oops::oops: :lol: Whoops! :D and thanks, that's good to know :wave:
 
I can't comment on it's use in rabbits, but it worked wonders on my dad. He had severe pain in his gut due to a blocked artery (the one that supplies your digestive system) and was put on gabapentin. He was effectively getting angina type pain in his guts.
I know it's not the same but it was an unusual use of gabapentin and in the same area of the body so it might help your vet.

My mum has also taken gabapentin for severe IBS pain if that helps :wave:
 
That's really good to know, definitely sounds a potential good option for bunnies. Can I ask how your mum finds it as pain relief?
Marie

I will ask her. I'm not sure she takes it anymore but it was recent so she will remember. My mum's IBS is they think partly due to the damage she suffered to her cervical spine 20 odd years ago and the resulting surgery. Sounds odd I know but the specialists think there is some disruption of the nerve supply to her gut at some level but there are many other factors at play with some family history of inflammatory bowel problems etc. I know that gabapentin is widely used in the US and increasingly over here for bi-polar disorder so I think that anxiety/stress triggers for these sorts of problems is also a factor, not that my mum is bi-polar, but anxiety/stress plays a part. Just thinking about stress induced gut problems in rabbits :? Anyway, you know more than I. I shall find out about the pain aspect for you. :)
 
I've not used gabapentin for GI related pain, more for true neurogenic pain but have not had any adverse effects in any bunnies so a trial course to see if it is beneficial might be an idea.
Tramadol needs massively higher dosing in bunnies compared to common pet species so there may be potential to increase the tramadol dose if it is not already at the high end of the range and gabapentin doesn't help.


Domperidone is the active ingredient in motilium :)

Marie

he weighs 3.4 kilos and has tramadol 50mgs twice a day. does that sound about right for 15mgs/kg, do you think he could go higher or perhaps have it every 8 hours instead?

i did try him on some gabapentin, but found it was a bit sedating and slowed the gut down. i think i'd need to start it very low dose and work up.


his gut motility over all is definitely worsening and he is needing more motility meds to keep it going. he only eats hay and veggies now and wont touch normal pellet, though is eating the protexin profibre which is high fibre at least. he's on 5mgs of cisapride 3 times a day (or 5 mgs of motilium if cisapride is not available - the availability is patchy). is it possible to dose higher than this? can my vet fax any vet for more information on that?

i know he's on borrowed time but he looks gorgeous, plays well and his health is so great apart from this damned gut problem that i cannot pts until i really feel it's right.

thanks to all for your comments and help.
 
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