Hi there, Its been some time since I've been on the forum but I am going mad with worry about my 8 year old bunny. I took her the vet on Thursday as she had been going mad trying to scratch her ears. She has arthritis so unable to do this but was obviously getting distressed trying to scratch. The vet put some liquid into her ears and then a gel. Also she had an injection of Invermectin in case of mites. She usually has a very good appetite and loves her food but this started to tail off so that by last night, she would not eat at all. I took her to an out of hours vet today who advised extra Metacam and gave her fluids. I'm to take her back to my usual vet tomorrow. She needed extra Metacam as she obviously has pain. I am worried that the treatment for the itchy ears might've caused the stasis. Has anyone had anything similar? Any advice would be very welcome.
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Rabbit not eating now after treatment for ears. Any advice? Anyone had similar?
- Thread starter janhm69
- Start date
I’ve not had the same, although my bunny went into stasis when he needed a dental. Has she had any gut stimulants, and syringe feeding? If shes not eaten since last night she will need emergency vet treatment ASAP, with a rabbit savvy vet.
Sending lots of vibes for her.
Sending lots of vibes for her.
Thank you very much for your reply, much appreciated. She saw an emergency vet today and has painkillers and gut stimulant. I have just got her to eat a small amount of herbs but that's all. The vet I saw today said to take her back to my usual vet who saw her on Thursday as they were not in a position to know what she was given for her ears. I am assuming it's her ears that are the problem as she was ok until that was done on Thursday. Wonder if it could've made any infection worse? Thank you for vibes. It's miserable when they're poorly.
Did they give you any recovery food to syringe feed? If there is no blockage and bunny is not eating normally syringe feeding is suggested. Although my bunny was very stressed about syringe feeding, and soon after the gut stimulant and metacam, he ate quite a lot of the recovery food mixed with mashed banana from a bowl. Did the vet give you gut stimulant and metacam to give at home ? If she isn’t eating then it would be worth a call to the emergency vet for advice. If
you don’t have any recovery food you can crush pellets and mix with warm water to make a paste for syringing,and you can mix with mashed banana or fruit baby food to make it more palatable. Is she pooping and drinking?
joey&boo
Wise Old Thumper
I'm sorry your bunny is unwell. Fortunately I have no experience of severe ear problems but as I understand it from reading here, ear infections can be really painful & really difficult to diagnose (I think scans & xrays are sometimes needed). I think its more likely that pain & discomfort have got your bunny in to a cycle where she has little to no appetite. I wouldn't want to wait til Thursday personally. Zoobecs advice re: syringe feeding is excellent. Loads of vibes for your little one. I hope your vet can get to the bottom of what is going on & get a suitable treatment plan in place asap
MightyMax
Banned
It sounds like the gel into her ears has caused some discomfort. It's unlikely that the Ivermec injection would have caused it, but I can understand your vet wishing to cover all bases
I'm glad your vet gave her fluids, as especially in this weather a rabbit can become dehydrated very quickly.I am sure she will be able to get over this episode - can you syringe feed her? I often use mashed up pellets (or critical care) and organic baby food (such as Ella's Kitchen). It makes it a whole lot more palatable.
There's some info here on stasis, though you probably know most of it already?
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
Did the vet say whether he/she saw any wax or anything inside the ear? It's impossible to see right inside the ear with an otoscope, but at least it's a start. Scans and X-rays would be able to show whether there's anything untoward going on further inside the ear canal:
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm
http://www.veterinarywebinars.com/m...oads/2016/03/Study_Notes_Ear_Nose_Rabbits.pdf
I really hope she doesn't have an inner ear infection as they can be very painful. It would be either the pain or discomfort of whatever's going on inside her ear canal that's making her not want to eat. Is it one ear or both ears do you think?
Thank you very much for the above. I am a bit more encouraged, I really, really hope she will get over this. She is normally a strong little thing with a big appetite. I went back to my normal vets today (had to go to OOH vet yesterday) I asked for fluids again and she was given another painkiller on top of her Metacam. Some sort of opiate? Originally, she did just have incredibly itchy ears which is why I took her to the vet in the first place, but following the treatment in the ear, I think she does have pain in the ears which is causing the stasis. She will eat small amounts of just herbs when she's had some painkiller. I just gave her some dandelion and she ate that. I guess I am worried that unless the ear is sorted she won't get better but the vet today seemed more concerned with trying to deal with the stasis.
MightyMax
Banned
joey&boo
Wise Old Thumper
this is fair enough I feel. Yes certainly you'll need to get to the bottom of the ear pain & work with that but she needs her energy building up to cope with fighting what lies ahead. I really would urge you to syringe feed, fibraplex & a few dandelions & herbs are not really enough x
I agree with this. Sending lots of vibes x
MightyMax
Banned
She probably had buprenorphine (Vetergesic) which can make some bunnies very drowsy and not want to eat for themselves.
Did the vet give you any gut motility drugs such as metaclopromide or ranitidine? Ranitidine (Zantac) is a mild prokinetic and also protects the stomach from the effects of Metacam and not eating.
If I were you I would syringe feed her as I mentioned in my previous post. Mashed up pellets or Critical Care and mixed with organic baby food. She really will need some energy and her stomach protected as rabbit's have very acid stomachs.
Thank you so much for the replies. I have been giving Fibreplex and critical care too. Also she has had Zantac (which she usually has anyway) but also Emeprid for her gut motility. The Buprenophine sounds right, it is listed as buprecare on my receipt from the vets but I guess that is what it is. I thought I had lost her last night as she completely flopped and hence my slow reply to thread. This morning though, she was sitting up again and I have given her everything I have. She is scheduled to see an expert rabbit vet later this morning. I luckily managed to get an appointment. I got the impression my usual vet probably thought they couldn't do much more than was already being done. Thank you again for all the replies, much appreciated. It's really helpful to hear what other people would do in the situation.
MightyMax
Banned
You're very welcome.
It's very scary when they go so quiet and unresponsive. I now know how to cope with the side effect of Buprecare, but if you're not prepared then it can be an awful shock until it wears off. In some bunnies the after effects last for days.
Good luck with your rabbit vet. Sounds like a good plan
I'm so glad I went to see this vet today. It is further away for me and I was worried that it might be too much stress for a sickly bun to have to see a vet again (three different vets in four days). Wow, was it worth it though! Amazing rabbit vet, so calm and really precise about what best to do. I am a bit more encouraged that my bun might be able to pull out of this bad stasis episode.
MightyMax
Banned
I've found it's always worth travelling to see an expert, as they do get to the point quickly and save multiple local vet visits.
More vibes that you see continued progress
bunny momma
Wise Old Thumper
Don't get discouraged. You are doing everything right with the fluids, recovery food, pain meds, and motility drugs. It is good that she is eating some greens and treats on her own.
Was the vet able to determine the cause of her ear pain?
Was the vet able to determine the cause of her ear pain?
