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Having to put bunny to sleep

I

Insomniac dormouse

New Kit
Hi

I'm hoping someone might be able to offer some advice. Sorry for the long post!

My lovely bunny who is nearly 7 suffered an episode of bloat and stasis starting Sunday night. He is prone to tummy trouble and usually just needs a dose of metacam and some of his favourite treats to get things moving again but this time he didn't perk up. I took him to the vet first thing on Monday where he was diagnosed with bloat, stasis and hypothermia. He was treated with painkillers, gut stimulant and syringe feeds and snuggled up with a heat pad. He improved over night but by Tuesday afternoon he'd not made a full recovery. We decided that he might be better at home where he can be with his brother and relax. I brought him home with pain meds and syringe feeds and he started to nibble at hay and some herbs. Wednesday morning his tummy seemed hard again and he was clearly not feeling well so I took him back to the vet where they gave him stronger gut stimulant, IV fluids and more pain killers. An x-ray showed no obstruction but his stomach isn't emptying; he's only passed a few small pooos. The vet advised me that if he doesn't pass any poos this morning we'll have to out him down this afternoon.

I don't want him to suffer and clearly if his stomach isn't emptying he can't survive. Is there anything else that can be tried or should I just accept that he's not going to recover and put him to sleep.

And if he does have to be put to sleep, how will his brother cope? They've been together since birth and although he has us in the house for company we're not bunnies. I know he's nearly 7 but I'd like to think he's got some years left in him, he's very active and healthy.

I'm so worried.
 
Insomniac dormouse said:
Hi

I'm hoping someone might be able to offer some advice. Sorry for the long post!

My lovely bunny who is nearly 7 suffered an episode of bloat and stasis starting Sunday night. He is prone to tummy trouble and usually just needs a dose of metacam and some of his favourite treats to get things moving again but this time he didn't perk up. I took him to the vet first thing on Monday where he was diagnosed with bloat, stasis and hypothermia. He was treated with painkillers, gut stimulant and syringe feeds and snuggled up with a heat pad. He improved over night but by Tuesday afternoon he'd not made a full recovery. We decided that he might be better at home where he can be with his brother and relax. I brought him home with pain meds and syringe feeds and he started to nibble at hay and some herbs. Wednesday morning his tummy seemed hard again and he was clearly not feeling well so I took him back to the vet where they gave him stronger gut stimulant, IV fluids and more pain killers. An x-ray showed no obstruction but his stomach isn't emptying; he's only passed a few small pooos. The vet advised me that if he doesn't pass any poos this morning we'll have to out him down this afternoon.

I don't want him to suffer and clearly if his stomach isn't emptying he can't survive. Is there anything else that can be tried or should I just accept that he's not going to recover and put him to sleep.

And if he does have to be put to sleep, how will his brother cope? They've been together since birth and although he has us in the house for company we're not bunnies. I know he's nearly 7 but I'd like to think he's got some years left in him, he's very active and healthy.

I'm so worried.
Click to expand...

I posted this reply in your duplicate thread in Rabbit Chat

Jack's-Jane said:
Poor Bunny

Has the Vet run any diagnostics to establish whether or not there is a partial/full obstruction in the GI tract ? Diagnostics would include a blood test, especially looking at the blood glucose level and also an abdominal Xray.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks. He's not had any blood tests but the abdominal x-ray showed no obstruction. I should add that he's been in very good health up until Sunday night and his teeth are OK.
 
Blood tests would have been helpful to rule out bloat. However, if it were me as things stand, I would not want to give up on him just yet, particularly as there has been some poos.

I would continue with the gut stimulant, pain relief and syringe feeding at home. Fluid therapy is also useful. In my experience a rabbit with stasis sometimes takes several days to return to normal. You could also try tempting him with herbs or any of his favourite foods.

Sending vibes for him.
 
Insomniac dormouse said:
Thanks. He's not had any blood tests but the abdominal x-ray showed no obstruction. I should add that he's been in very good health up until Sunday night and his teeth are OK.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I missed that you mentioned that Xrays were done.

I think a blood test may be helpful, it would provide some information about his Kidney and Liver function. I would certainly want to do this before agreeing to PTS.
 
Insomniac dormouse said:
Hi

I'm hoping someone might be able to offer some advice. Sorry for the long post!

My lovely bunny who is nearly 7 suffered an episode of bloat and stasis starting Sunday night. He is prone to tummy trouble and usually just needs a dose of metacam and some of his favourite treats to get things moving again but this time he didn't perk up. I took him to the vet first thing on Monday where he was diagnosed with bloat, stasis and hypothermia. He was treated with painkillers, gut stimulant and syringe feeds and snuggled up with a heat pad. He improved over night but by Tuesday afternoon he'd not made a full recovery. We decided that he might be better at home where he can be with his brother and relax. I brought him home with pain meds and syringe feeds and he started to nibble at hay and some herbs. Wednesday morning his tummy seemed hard again and he was clearly not feeling well so I took him back to the vet where they gave him stronger gut stimulant, IV fluids and more pain killers. An x-ray showed no obstruction but his stomach isn't emptying; he's only passed a few small pooos. The vet advised me that if he doesn't pass any poos this morning we'll have to out him down this afternoon.

I don't want him to suffer and clearly if his stomach isn't emptying he can't survive. Is there anything else that can be tried or should I just accept that he's not going to recover and put him to sleep.

And if he does have to be put to sleep, how will his brother cope? They've been together since birth and although he has us in the house for company we're not bunnies. I know he's nearly 7 but I'd like to think he's got some years left in him, he's very active and healthy.

I'm so worried.
Click to expand...

I'm so sorry to hear about your rabbit, and you must be so worried :(

I am glad that the abdominal X-ray showed that there was no blockage.

Have you tried adding in Infacol and Tummy Rubs to the regime? There are a couple of articles here that may give you some more hope:

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv/basic

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

You can also use lactulose, with your vets approval. There are many more things to try.

I had a rabbit in stasis (caused by medication given by my vet) for 11 days and he pulled through :) There is always hope.

Good luck xx
 
Sending well wishes to your bunny xxx sometimes when my bunnies have had bouts of stasis and my bridge bunny had bloat once, it has taken a good while to get anywhere near decent sized bumbles again. A few little ones is a good sign though and if he has started to eat then hopefully bigger poops will follow! Most importantly I find is to keep your bunny pain free and tempt them to eat and move around (I physically get mine to get up and runaway from me!) Mine often like really soaking wet kale (although you'll need to be careful it doesn't make your bunny gassy).

One of my girls has a strange tummy and has regular bouts of things (and I suspect megacolon) and her tummy often feels hard as if it hasn't emptied. Sometimes I question whether it could be urine related as it happened alot when she had problems urinating also and she had antibiotics for a UTI. My vet tried a different gut stimulant on her that he said worked on a different part of the gut to the usual one he uses. Not sure if you've tried a couple!? I'm sorry I don't know what it was called though :oops:
 
Glad you have had some useful replies :) Although I'm new to rabbits, I didn't like the thought that your vet might have done that this afternoon, if there were other options (I've been learning a lot reading the threads on here).

Sending hopeful vibes for recovery x
 
I hope you get some answers soon.

My Louie always had tummy episodes so I know how awful you must be feeling :( xxx
 
Hope everything goes well for your bunny. My indoor rabbit can take over a week to recover and start eating and pooing properly after stasis or a dental.
 
Good news!

He's done a number of poos and is nibbling on some carrot and greens! I'm bringing him home this afternoon to be with his brother and we're continuing treatment at home. I discussed some of the treatment options in the links Max posted (thanks) and we're going to try some enzyme powder to break down the mass in his stomach and help it move along the intestines as well as continuing the stimulant, pain meds and massage.

I know he's not out of the woods but I'm so happy! I'll let you know how he gets on. Thank you so much for the info and support today, it really gave me hope that he could make it.

:D
 
Insomniac dormouse said:
Good news!

He's done a number of poos and is nibbling on some carrot and greens! I'm bringing him home this afternoon to be with his brother and we're continuing treatment at home. I discussed some of the treatment options in the links Max posted (thanks) and we're going to try some enzyme powder to break down the mass in his stomach and help it move along the intestines as well as continuing the stimulant, pain meds and massage.

I know he's not out of the woods but I'm so happy! I'll let you know how he gets on. Thank you so much for the info and support today, it really gave me hope that he could make it.

:D
Click to expand...

Hey you are very very welcome :wave:

I really hope it all helps save your bunny's life.

Such great news, amazing :D
 
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