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BunBadly constipated!! Need Help please UPDATE on Maple!

N

nana_of_bunnies

Young Bun
Hi everyone,
I need some advice badly about a bunny of mine that is constipated. The poor little guy hasnt gone any poop today ( very little yesterday) and is acting very uncomfortable ( wouldnt we all!). I dont know what to give him to help him along. He usually eats pellets and hay. Should I remove all food from his cage for the night?

Thank you for all the advice!
 
hi

This would be a medical emergency really - he needs painkillers, and x-ray and if there is no blockage, drugs to get his bowels working again...
He will also be getting very dehydrated as his stomach contents need water to pass through - so he will probably need subcutaneous fluids...
You can't treat this at home once it has reached this stage, so please get him to a vets ASAP as he will be in pain from the gas build up too....One thing you can do at home is give him some infant simethicone to reduce the gas bubbles giving him pain - a dropper full and then gently rub his tummy if he'll let you, will help him to pass the gas maybe.
If you have a syringe then try getting some water down him - but squeeze the syringe slowly, and place it sideways behind the front teeth, or you may just choke him on the water....

Good luck little bunny! :love:
 
Thank you for the advice.....
I am so very worried about him. Ive been up and down out of bed checking on him through out the night.
Once the stores open here I will get a syringe and start to feed him water. As far as the food goes, is there something special I should give him to eat? Should he avoid food all together?
I wont be able to take him to the vet till tomorrow ( monday). The emergency vet here is only good for broken legs etc. Otherwise, his "cure all remedy" is to put them down. Been there before with my other animals. :( So the vet is pretty much useless unless that is what you want to do....put your bun to sleep.
I read online that pineapple juice helps buns with constipation. Does anyone know if this works? I dont want to do more harm than good.

Thank you all for your help
 
No don't stop the food at all, you must try and get him to eat. If his normal feed can be ground up and mixed with water or fresh pineapple juice, try him with this. Does he like herbs? Fresh mint, coriander, parsley, basil are all apetite stimulants and may tempt him into eating again. I don't think it would be constipation, more likely something like trapped wind. Does his tummy make funny gurgling noises? or is there absolutely no noise in his tummy at all? Does his tummy feel swollen or 'doughy'? Water is also very important as Edana says, and it would also help if you had some rabbit safe painkiller. Getting him to move about would also help break up any wind if that's what it is. It's so worrying when you can't get in touch with a bunny-savvy vet, I really feel for you. Are there any rabbit rescue places in the US which you could possibly phone and ask for advice? I'll have a look and see if I can find any for you.
 
hi

What a dreadful vet! If he can't give you metacam for pain relief (it's used a lot for dogs) then you can use a quarter of a soluble asprin dissolved.
If you can get Pedialyte for children who have had stomach upset - that has a lot of good stuff in too.
This is a really good article on nursing your bunny, but the key with this problem is to spot it early - start action as soon as you notice somethings not right with pooing or eating.
http://www.mybunny.org/info/gi_stasis.htm

Good luck again - poor bunny :love:
 
Thank you everyone for all the advice!
I have an update on Maples condition...He at the moment is out in the living room and we are syring feeding him a mixture of water and pineapple juice. He wont drink on his own so we have to use the syringe. The mixture is equal amounts of water and pineapple juice and we give him 1 ml every 15 minutes.
We have out for him a mixture of herbs and hay but he wont eat it. He only pushes it around :( He doesnt hop, eat or drink..just sits here looking sad :cry:
I bought some Simethicone and gave him his first dose about 10 min ago. I also got some pedialyte and will replace that with the pineapple juice instead of the water.
What should I do about actual food? I read on that site about making a mixture of his pellets and Pedialyte, whats your opinion on trying this? Should I do this now or wait till tonight.
Thanks for all your help and guidance. Ive never had experinced before and I feel just so helpless.
 
We got some "Science Recovery" from the vet which you mix with water and syringe feed. I've also syringe fed baby food in the past, which is basically mashed up veggies. Don't know what anyone else would recommend.
It's horrible when they won't eat, isn't it? Squidgy used to do it to us about every two-three months, but we've changed his diet and (touch wood!) he's been ok for a while. We keep some Bio-Lapis probiotic in the house as well to syringe in if needed. That and pineapple juice usually seem to do the trick.
Hope he feels better soon.
 
hi

The link I posted above is really good - I think she mentions mushing up pellets with something - and lots of other stuff you and your vet can do to help Maple (if you can force your vet to care - here's hoping!)
Water and stuff has to be a good thing - well done!


Edana and the boys
 
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