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Roary’s not well :(

Roarysbunmum

Young Bun
Just back from the vets, Roary was a bit quiet yesterday and today went off his food and just lay on the kitchen floor. Came home from work at lunch and he was no better so booked an appointment to see the vet.

Vet did a thorough exam and can’t find anything sinister, he is still passing poo but lethargic and just not himself. She found a cut on his hock which I hadn’t noticed and said the pain might be knocking him out of sorts. At his vaccination appointment in April he had a spur on a back tooth but he wasn’t cooperating with a dental exam today! If no better he will need an anaesthetic to investigate further.

He’s now on Baytril, Metacam, Vetagesic and Metaclopramide to cover everything. He’s spaced out with the Vetagesic but if he’s in pain that should help him a bit. Going to try syringe feeding him to prevent GI stasis.

Any helpful advice or tips is as ever much appreciated! He’s 7 now so getting on a bit in years but is usually a very lively house bun.
 
Just back from the vets, Roary was a bit quiet yesterday and today went off his food and just lay on the kitchen floor. Came home from work at lunch and he was no better so booked an appointment to see the vet.

Vet did a thorough exam and can’t find anything sinister, he is still passing poo but lethargic and just not himself. She found a cut on his hock which I hadn’t noticed and said the pain might be knocking him out of sorts. At his vaccination appointment in April he had a spur on a back tooth but he wasn’t cooperating with a dental exam today! If no better he will need an anaesthetic to investigate further.

He’s now on Baytril, Metacam, Vetagesic and Metaclopramide to cover everything. He’s spaced out with the Vetagesic but if he’s in pain that should help him a bit. Going to try syringe feeding him to prevent GI stasis.

Any helpful advice or tips is as ever much appreciated! He’s 7 now so getting on a bit in years but is usually a very lively house bun.


Oh poor boy!

I personally try and manage without Vetergesic, as it makes my bunnies so spaced out they don't want to eat and just keep falling asleep. Every buns reacts differently to it.

Some info here:

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

http://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/ROWinter10p7.pdf

http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/diagnosing-and-treating-gastric-ileusstasis-rabbits-proceedings

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ac07/9915d6e64fe1afe442204871cb21c282f31b.pdf


You can also add in Infacol (infant gas meds) if you have any as I find it useful for passing gas that can be painful and stop a rabbit from eating.

Infacol.co.uk


Did the vet advise syringe feeding? If so, I mash pellets with organic baby food such as Ella's kitchen and also wave some nice wet herbs under their nose such as parsley, dill or coriander.

Good luck :)
 
Thanks Mightymax! I forgot about infacol, must go get some just in case. Vet said to get food into him any way possible, we had a case of GI stasis a year ago so syringe fed him then. He has fresh parsley and not even remotely interested in it but then again he’s really spaced out. Currently softening his food pellets in hot water so it becomes mushy, will probably end up covered in it myself pretty soon! Do you think a painful cut would be enough to put him off his food? I’m not so sure about that but vet couldn’t see anything else wrong and his tummy wasn’t thickened/obvious blockage etc
 
Thanks Mightymax! I forgot about infacol, must go get some just in case. Vet said to get food into him any way possible, we had a case of GI stasis a year ago so syringe fed him then. He has fresh parsley and not even remotely interested in it but then again he’s really spaced out. Currently softening his food pellets in hot water so it becomes mushy, will probably end up covered in it myself pretty soon! Do you think a painful cut would be enough to put him off his food? I’m not so sure about that but vet couldn’t see anything else wrong and his tummy wasn’t thickened/obvious blockage etc


You're welcome :)

Good on you for the Infacol, it's useful to have around :thumb:

A cut, if painful, might have started off the 'not eating'. Thereon gas builds up and the tummy becomes painful and a rabbit doesn't feel like eating. We often never find the cause of a stasis episode - a lot of rabbits are moulting and a bit of hair building up might precipitate it.

Do you know what might have caused the cut on his hock?

Also, watch him for dental issues - if he stays off his food, drools or sits drinking more, then be sure to get the vet to check his teeth. Most vets can't see the back teeth very well, but they can often get an idea of when a dental might be imminent.

Has he had a dental before?
 
No he hasn’t had a dental before and isn’t drooling or has any jaw swelling, eye weeping etc. His teeth have been pretty good until the spur was noticed in April. They said it’s small but obviously if he goes off his food it could be the cause. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a look today as he fought us the whole time! 2 vets, a towel and myself were all defeated!

Just managed to get some sloppy food syringed into him, he took it pretty well so I’m hoping it might give him a taste so he wants more. Also bought lots of Roary favourite foods at the shop, anything to entice him...

He is moulting a lot at the moment so that could be a factor. The cut is a mystery, he’s a house bun so all I can think of is he’s caught himself on the edge of the flooring or something like that. Its more of a deep graze on a callous and looks like he’s knocked the top of it off so can’t be stitched but was bleeding a fair bit at the vets. I’ve walked round my house now and can’t figure out where he has cut himself at, everything seems rabbit proofed! No carpet so can’t be that either.
 
Hi Sorry you are having these worries. It sounds like you are doing the right things. Have you also given him fluids? If he is lethargic he may not be drinking. You could try syringing some water several times a day. Adding a little apple or pineapple juice can help them accept it better. Keeping him and his gut contents hydrated is really important.

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Totally understand -having an awful week with a stasis prone bun but he has improved massively today [emoji4]. Hoping the same for you x

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No he hasn’t had a dental before and isn’t drooling or has any jaw swelling, eye weeping etc. His teeth have been pretty good until the spur was noticed in April. They said it’s small but obviously if he goes off his food it could be the cause. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a look today as he fought us the whole time! 2 vets, a towel and myself were all defeated!

Just managed to get some sloppy food syringed into him, he took it pretty well so I’m hoping it might give him a taste so he wants more. Also bought lots of Roary favourite foods at the shop, anything to entice him...

He is moulting a lot at the moment so that could be a factor. The cut is a mystery, he’s a house bun so all I can think of is he’s caught himself on the edge of the flooring or something like that. Its more of a deep graze on a callous and looks like he’s knocked the top of it off so can’t be stitched but was bleeding a fair bit at the vets. I’ve walked round my house now and can’t figure out where he has cut himself at, everything seems rabbit proofed! No carpet so can’t be that either.


You're doing everything you can. I should have the teeth inspected when he's on tip top form and can cope with a GA.

Hay, bramble leaves and forage will help move any fur through his system, and as Julia says, also fluids, especially in this weather :)
 
vibes for your boy. I hope you get to the bottom of what ails him & can get him on the road to recovery xx
 
Just a little update for you all. I got up every couple of hours to syringe feed Roary that first night. Next day he still wasn’t keen on eating but managed to coax him to eat little bits of parsley etc. That night however his appetite came back with a bang, he hasn’t stopped eating since and it looks like nothing was ever wrong with him! Not really sure what happened, maybe his sore hock was enough to stop him eating, whatever it was it’s clearly not affecting him now!

Thanks again for all your help 😁
 
Just a little update for you all. I got up every couple of hours to syringe feed Roary that first night. Next day he still wasn’t keen on eating but managed to coax him to eat little bits of parsley etc. That night however his appetite came back with a bang, he hasn’t stopped eating since and it looks like nothing was ever wrong with him! Not really sure what happened, maybe his sore hock was enough to stop him eating, whatever it was it’s clearly not affecting him now!

Thanks again for all your help 😁


You're welcome - it's always great to see a good update :D:wave:
 
Great news. [emoji4] Thanks for the update. It is odd how they can go from really not being very well to completely fine in a short time ( the opposite is also true though).

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