• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • 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.

Stopped Eating

juls65

juls65

Young Bun
Soots was fine last night munching his hay, drinking water & pooing for England, producing big golden bunny poos! However, this morning he was not a happy bunny, not eating, drinking & no poos. He has been having problems on & off with excess cecals so I cut his pellets down to three ss pellets a day with a view to going pellet free & he seemed to be doing really well. Most other foods had been causing problems so they were cut out too. He has never eaten veg, only grass, forage, herbs & he became unable to tolerate anything including Timothy hay, dried herbs, apple twigs & green food. Tried him on some Avipro but he had a splat after that so wondered if it was the dextrose in it as anything with a sugar concentration causes problems. He is currently at the vet being given pain releif, gut meds & fluids etc. Vet said he could feel a small amount of gas, no blockage & thought the gut was still moving & sound pretty good. He checked teeth & said they were ok. I am amazed at the speed this happened to him, poor boy. He has started to moult & I'm grooming him regularly & there is some fur in his poo. Would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks in advance :)
 
Thankyou Jane, just rang vet & they said there is no change at the moment & I think he will be very stressed too as he hates being handled. I'm stressed for sure! Just want him healthy & home :(
 
juls65 said:
Thankyou Jane, just rang vet & they said there is no change at the moment & I think he will be very stressed too as he hates being handled. I'm stressed for sure! Just want him healthy & home :(
Click to expand...

I am sure you are stressed, it is always such a worry when our Rabbits are ill. Hopefully with treatment he will improve overnight.
 
juls65 said:
Soots was fine last night munching his hay, drinking water & pooing for England, producing big golden bunny poos! However, this morning he was not a happy bunny, not eating, drinking & no poos. He has been having problems on & off with excess cecals so I cut his pellets down to three ss pellets a day with a view to going pellet free & he seemed to be doing really well. Most other foods had been causing problems so they were cut out too. He has never eaten veg, only grass, forage, herbs & he became unable to tolerate anything including Timothy hay, dried herbs, apple twigs & green food. Tried him on some Avipro but he had a splat after that so wondered if it was the dextrose in it as anything with a sugar concentration causes problems. He is currently at the vet being given pain releif, gut meds & fluids etc. Vet said he could feel a small amount of gas, no blockage & thought the gut was still moving & sound pretty good. He checked teeth & said they were ok. I am amazed at the speed this happened to him, poor boy. He has started to moult & I'm grooming him regularly & there is some fur in his poo. Would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks in advance :)
Click to expand...


It sounds like you've done everything right, and I'm glad to hear he has no blockage.

All rabbits have a lot of fur going through their system and your vet sounds like he's doing everything possible.

Some vets suggest that Avipro, and prebiotics and probiotics specifically, do no good, and in your case maybe leave it out for the minute as you haven't said that the vet has put Soots on antibiotics.

I hope he recovers overnight ..... It's a good idea to try and get to the bottom of Stasis problems.

Has your vet checked the teeth? As well as he can whilst conscious?
 
Last edited:
The Avipro PLUS is a prebiotic, it no longer contains a probiotic. The recipe was changed due to EU legislation

http://www.vetark.co.uk/pages/Avipro-Plus_4.aspx

Frances Harcourt Brown along with two Exotics specialists I have contact with feel that probiotics are of no real value due to the fact that the highly acidic environment of a Rabbits stomach will kill off a probiotic before it reaches the place it is needed-ie the cecum. Prebiotics are not destroyed by digestive enzymes and they work in a different way to probiotics

http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/probiotics-and-prebiotics

I would not want anyone reading this forum to be of the opinion that a very beneficial product is not worth trying , if the Vet treating the specific Rabbit is in agreement. Of course there are some Rabbits for whom it is not helpful, but for others it can bring about the most spectacular improvement :)
 
Update- Just rang vet & they said Soots has nibbled a little food by himself. Got to ring again in morning. Does anyone know of a pre biotic that doesn't have any sugars like glucose & dextrose in it?
 
juls65 said:
Update- Just rang vet & they said Soots has nibbled a little food by himself. Got to ring again in morning. Does anyone know of a pre biotic that doesn't have any sugars like glucose & dextrose in it?
Click to expand...

This is a good update :thumb: I hope Soots continues to improve!

I should ask your vet that question - they may know of suitable products for him.
 
juls65 said:
Update- Just rang vet & they said Soots has nibbled a little food by himself. Got to ring again in morning. Does anyone know of a pre biotic that doesn't have any sugars like glucose & dextrose in it?
Click to expand...

Prebiotics are all basically some sort of saccharide (sugar). So if this definitely causes problems for Soots then a prebiotic may not be appropriate to give. However, IME things do not improve immediately when Avipro Plus is given, it can take 4-6 WEEKS before the real changes become apparent. So I would discuss it all with your Vet again and see what he/she thinks :)

Given the symptoms you have mentioned that have led up to Soots current illness maybe you could also mention 'Megacolon' to your Vet. I am not suggesting that this is a very likely in Soots case, just something for the Vet to consider.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Differential/mega_differential.htm

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Mechanical_diseases/megacolon.pdf

I hope that Soots has continued to improve overnight xx
 
Some good news, Soots is home, he has been treated with Metacam, Zantac & Emeprid & I've got to continue with this for a few days. He is eating hay & had a good drink of water. His poo is quite dark & firmer than usual but not tiny or gritty & he also passed some fur. The vet recommended going pellet free & as he had already been cut down three pellets a day, would it do any harm to just stop them now? The vets gave him pellets today as they said any food going in was better than nothing but I'm worried that if I continue it will just cause more fermentation & gas again. I really hope he continues to improve now, fingers crossed! He was overjoyed to see his litter tray bless him :)
 
juls65 said:
Some good news, Soots is home, he has been treated with Metacam, Zantac & Emeprid & I've got to continue with this for a few days. He is eating hay & had a good drink of water. His poo is quite dark & firmer than usual but not tiny or gritty & he also passed some fur. The vet recommended going pellet free & as he had already been cut down three pellets a day, would it do any harm to just stop them now? The vets gave him pellets today as they said any food going in was better than nothing but I'm worried that if I continue it will just cause more fermentation & gas again. I really hope he continues to improve now, fingers crossed! He was overjoyed to see his litter tray bless him :)
Click to expand...

If your vet suggested it, and there is still lots of food going in and coming out of Soots then I would think it's fine.

So glad you went to the vets and got the gut motility stuff ..... Good luck xx
 
juls65 said:
Some good news, Soots is home, he has been treated with Metacam, Zantac & Emeprid & I've got to continue with this for a few days. He is eating hay & had a good drink of water. His poo is quite dark & firmer than usual but not tiny or gritty & he also passed some fur. The vet recommended going pellet free & as he had already been cut down three pellets a day, would it do any harm to just stop them now? The vets gave him pellets today as they said any food going in was better than nothing but I'm worried that if I continue it will just cause more fermentation & gas again. I really hope he continues to improve now, fingers crossed! He was overjoyed to see his litter tray bless him :)
Click to expand...

So pleased to hear that he is doing better. I am glad the Vet agrees to a pellet free diet, I honestly believe it can make a huge difference for Rabbits with GI tract issues. Just for information there is another gut motility drug that Vets are able to prescribe which is considered to be more effective for some Rabbits than a combination of Metoclopramide and Ranitidine. The drug is called 'Cisipride' (Propulsid)

http://www.vetsonline.com/publicati...n-42-47/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits.html#f2

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Cisapride.htm

Hope Soots continues to make a good recovery now xx
 
I know for my rabbit that had digestive sensitivities, even the smallest amount of pellets or starchy foods would cause him to have an upset stomach. He had repeated bouts with gut stasis until I figured this out. Once I eliminated pellets and all sugary starchy foods, he never had stasis again.

For some rabbits with digestive trouble, eliminating pellets seems to make all the difference in the world to their health.
 
Jbun said:
I know for my rabbit that had digestive sensitivities, even the smallest amount of pellets or starchy foods would cause him to have an upset stomach. He had repeated bouts with gut stasis until I figured this out. Once I eliminated pellets and all sugary starchy foods, he never had stasis again.

For some rabbits with digestive trouble, eliminating pellets seems to make all the difference in the world to their health.
Click to expand...

:thumb:
 
Jbun said:
I know for my rabbit that had digestive sensitivities, even the smallest amount of pellets or starchy foods would cause him to have an upset stomach. He had repeated bouts with gut stasis until I figured this out. Once I eliminated pellets and all sugary starchy foods, he never had stasis again.

For some rabbits with digestive trouble, eliminating pellets seems to make all the difference in the world to their health.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree ... I have one at the moment who's digestive issues I am working on :shock:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

KCG
Something is going wrong
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
910
KCG
KCG
twistedtiggerz69
Chief is breathing noisily again!
2 3 4
Replies
78
Views
830
a reader of books
a reader of books
A
Possible underlying cause for dental issues?
Replies
4
Views
68
Apache
A
Back
Top