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  • Please Note - Medical Advice

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Very sick rabbit - please help

C

Chellewootty

New Kit
Hello

I have a very poorly rabbit called Chestnut. Last week she was out of sorts and very soiled with diarrhoea and urine. She also wasn't eating much if at all. We cleaned her up and brought her in. When I gently leaned her back to check her bottom, she screamed at me. I've never heard a rabbit do this. (I have done this to her a number of times and she has never reacted like this). So I took her to the vet who gave her fluids and gave me Fibrelex and critical care. This stopped the diarrhoea and she stayed clean. But then we had no poos whatsoever. I then took her back to the vets because she just wasn't eating. Whilst vet was examining her, she started screaming again. Vet gave her a painkiller and gave me Ranitidine to get her gut moving. The vet couldn't feel any blockages but the screaming made her feel that something else was going on. Chestnut really picked up during the day, but yesterday she went downhill again...maybe because the painkiller had worn off. She was eating last night - but only when we poke it into her mouth, but she won't eat voluntarily. I am also syringe feeding her. Whenever I massage her tummy - she relaxes and enjoys it - no sign of pain at all. Sh is very inactive and lying very flat. We are now getting poos - small surrounded by creamy mucus - I'm guessing this could be the critical care coming out?

I will do everything possible for her, but the problem is I don't have a bottomless pit to spend on her. Could this just be GI stasis? I know it can be painful for them. I feel she needs to go back to the vets, but I know they will suggest euthanising her. She screamed this morning again - I am wondering whether it is her tummy causing her the pain.

Please advise. I hate to think of her suffering, but don't want to give up on her either.

Thank you
 
Chellewootty said:
Hello

I have a very poorly rabbit called Chestnut. Last week she was out of sorts and very soiled with diarrhoea and urine. She also wasn't eating much if at all. We cleaned her up and brought her in. When I gently leaned her back to check her bottom, she screamed at me. I've never heard a rabbit do this. (I have done this to her a number of times and she has never reacted like this). So I took her to the vet who gave her fluids and gave me Fibrelex and critical care. This stopped the diarrhoea and she stayed clean. But then we had no poos whatsoever. I then took her back to the vets because she just wasn't eating. Whilst vet was examining her, she started screaming again. Vet gave her a painkiller and gave me Ranitidine to get her gut moving. The vet couldn't feel any blockages but the screaming made her feel that something else was going on. Chestnut really picked up during the day, but yesterday she went downhill again...maybe because the painkiller had worn off. She was eating last night - but only when we poke it into her mouth, but she won't eat voluntarily. I am also syringe feeding her. Whenever I massage her tummy - she relaxes and enjoys it - no sign of pain at all. Sh is very inactive and lying very flat. We are now getting poos - small surrounded by creamy mucus - I'm guessing this could be the critical care coming out?

I will do everything possible for her, but the problem is I don't have a bottomless pit to spend on her. Could this just be GI stasis? I know it can be painful for them. I feel she needs to go back to the vets, but I know they will suggest euthanising her. She screamed this morning again - I am wondering whether it is her tummy causing her the pain.

Please advise. I hate to think of her suffering, but don't want to give up on her either.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Hello

For a Rabbit to scream it means they must be in severe pain. I obviously cannot say for certain but it sounds as though the pain may be in her spine. I assume the Vet checked for any spinal pain/injury ?

Was she passing true diarrhoea or was it that she had not been able to eat her cecotrophs ? Rabbits with spinal pain often get a very messy bum as they cannot reach down to eat their cecotrophs . Rabbits with a spinal injury may lose some bladder control (you say she was urine soiled). You also mention that she is relatively immobile- again another sign of spinal pain.

Pain from any source frequently means a Rabbit will not eat. This then leads to a reduced gut motility/gut stasis. The gut stasis being a secondary symptom as opposed to the primary problem.

The fact that Chestnut did improve when given pain relief means pain is very likely to be the cause of her anorexia. Did the Vet not dispense ongoing pain relief for you to continue giving ?

Personally I would want Chestnut to be reassessed by a Rabbit Savvy Vet today because until the source of her obvious pain is identified and treated her gut motility is unlikely to improve.

If you are not sure if your Vet is 'Rabbit Savvy' then you could seek a second opinion elsewhere. Some suggestions for Rabbit Savvy Vets can be found here :

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/rabbit-friendly-vet-list/

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ve...-by-rabbit-owners/vets-owners-recommendations


Or you could post another thread in 'Rabbit Chat' on here and ask for 'Rabbit Savvy Vet' Recommendations in your area.

Good luck x
 
Chellewootty said:
Hello

I have a very poorly rabbit called Chestnut. Last week she was out of sorts and very soiled with diarrhoea and urine. She also wasn't eating much if at all. We cleaned her up and brought her in. When I gently leaned her back to check her bottom, she screamed at me. I've never heard a rabbit do this. (I have done this to her a number of times and she has never reacted like this). So I took her to the vet who gave her fluids and gave me Fibrelex and critical care. This stopped the diarrhoea and she stayed clean. But then we had no poos whatsoever. I then took her back to the vets because she just wasn't eating. Whilst vet was examining her, she started screaming again. Vet gave her a painkiller and gave me Ranitidine to get her gut moving. The vet couldn't feel any blockages but the screaming made her feel that something else was going on. Chestnut really picked up during the day, but yesterday she went downhill again...maybe because the painkiller had worn off. She was eating last night - but only when we poke it into her mouth, but she won't eat voluntarily. I am also syringe feeding her. Whenever I massage her tummy - she relaxes and enjoys it - no sign of pain at all. Sh is very inactive and lying very flat. We are now getting poos - small surrounded by creamy mucus - I'm guessing this could be the critical care coming out?

I will do everything possible for her, but the problem is I don't have a bottomless pit to spend on her. Could this just be GI stasis? I know it can be painful for them. I feel she needs to go back to the vets, but I know they will suggest euthanising her. She screamed this morning again - I am wondering whether it is her tummy causing her the pain.

Please advise. I hate to think of her suffering, but don't want to give up on her either.

Thank you
Click to expand...


Hi there and welcome.

I am sorry to ear about Chestnut - this is very distressing for both you and her.

My suggestion to you (based on very similar experiences I have had with rabbits I have worked with in Rescue Centres) is to have her X-rayed. There is something going on for her, and it doesn't look like you'll get to the bottom of this issue without more information.

The pain could be causing the gastric stasis, but that's a secondary symptom. You need to find out what's causing her pain.


I won't go into the reasons I have found that rabbits scream, but contact me if you need any more info

Good luck xx
 
Thank you Mighty Max...I would like to know why rabbits scream, although I have already gathered she is in a lot of distress. What I find strange though is that when I massage her tummy...I have done this quite firmly and am touching her back too...she has shown no signs of pain whatsoever. I have gently pulled her legs out to massage them too and there has been no sign of anything...she just either relaxes or washes herself.
 
Chellewootty said:
Thank you Mighty Max...I would like to know why rabbits scream, although I have already gathered she is in a lot of distress. What I find strange though is that when I massage her tummy...I have done this quite firmly and am touching her back too...she has shown no signs of pain whatsoever. I have gently pulled her legs out to massage them too and there has been no sign of anything...she just either relaxes or washes herself.
Click to expand...

Fear can also elicit a scream response from a Rabbit :cry:
 
If I was you, I'd try and find a more rabbit savvy vet and get her seen ASAP! Please take her to see someone today, she is obviously in pain and needs to be looked at more closely. Where are you based? Xx
 
Thank you everyone

Thank you everyone for all your advice. Following your advice, I looked up a bunny savvy vet (using the link you provided) and took Chestnut there. We were caught between a rock and a hard place, because following initial assessment, the treatment they were advising was going to in excess of £1,200 - I just don't have that sort of money. I was with my daughter and we both extremely distressed. The vet was awesome (Dominic from Scott's at Bedford) and so compassionate. He suggested an x-ray so that we could actually see what was wrong with her and know what we were actually dealing with - she had kidney stones. They then hospitalised her. Sadly, she was in so much pain that they just couldn't manage for her, and the stones had got stuck. He advised us that even an operation was extremely unlikely to give us a healthy bunny in the end (which we were sadly unable to afford anyway). Devastatingly, we had to have her put to sleep. I feel somewhat comforted that we did everything we could for her, and that in the end, money didn't prevent us from trying to make her better. I suppose if we'd have been rich, we'd have tried the op, but sadly that isn't the case.

She was a very loved bunny who couldn't have received more love and attention in her last days with us. :cry:

Thank you
 
Chellewootty said:
Thank you everyone for all your advice. Following your advice, I looked up a bunny savvy vet (using the link you provided) and took Chestnut there. We were caught between a rock and a hard place, because following initial assessment, the treatment they were advising was going to in excess of £1,200 - I just don't have that sort of money. I was with my daughter and we both extremely distressed. The vet was awesome (Dominic from Scott's at Bedford) and so compassionate. He suggested an x-ray so that we could actually see what was wrong with her and know what we were actually dealing with - she had kidney stones. They then hospitalised her. Sadly, she was in so much pain that they just couldn't manage for her, and the stones had got stuck. He advised us that even an operation was extremely unlikely to give us a healthy bunny in the end (which we were sadly unable to afford anyway). Devastatingly, we had to have her put to sleep. I feel somewhat comforted that we did everything we could for her, and that in the end, money didn't prevent us from trying to make her better. I suppose if we'd have been rich, we'd have tried the op, but sadly that isn't the case.

She was a very loved bunny who couldn't have received more love and attention in her last days with us. :cry:

Thank you
Click to expand...


Loads of hugs for you M xx

Thank you for your PM and I know you did everything you could and your instinct was correct.

Sweet dreams lovely Chestnut :love:
 
This is such a sad and moving story but you did all you could for Chestnut and I am very sorry for the loss of Chestnut. She was clearly loved and a special rabbit for you. Binky free Chestnut. xx
 
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