Managing ongoing gut issues

[Nicki71]

Hello everyone, my lovely Gracie now coming up to 11 has always had gut issues. She is on daily Metacam, Emeprid and Ranitidine ( Twice daily) and has done really well. She had a difficult episode of not eating last week but with vet guidance, I syringe fed through the night and by 6am the next morning things were moving again. The problem that I am currently having is that everything seems to slow down overnight and she seems in discomfort and has a low appetite in the morning. She has arthritis too and always has a heat pad. Sometimes,I syringe feed preventatively to top up. In the afternoon, she is like a different rabbit, hungry, active and eating with vigour. Would you split the metacam dose? I am due to discuss her further with the vet but any thoughts appreciated. I am going on holiday next week and very worried that subtle signs will be missed and she will struggle again. Thank you x

 

[katbun]

Hello everyone, my lovely Gracie now coming up to 11 has always had gut issues. She is on daily Metacam, Emeprid and Ranitidine ( Twice daily) and has done really well. She had a difficult episode of not eating last week but with vet guidance, I syringe fed through the night and by 6am the next morning things were moving again. The problem that I am currently having is that everything seems to slow down overnight and she seems in discomfort and has a low appetite in the morning. She has arthritis too and always has a heat pad. Sometimes,I syringe feed preventatively to top up. In the afternoon, she is like a different rabbit, hungry, active and eating with vigour. Would you split the metacam dose? I am due to discuss her further with the vet but any thoughts appreciated. I am going on holiday next week and very worried that subtle signs will be missed and she will struggle again. Thank you xView attachment 6163

Gracie sounds very well for 11, well done on your excellent care! She looks lovely

How often and how much is the metacam given?

Piper has it twice a day near the top end of what the vet deems she can safely have as a long term dose. he said it dissapates quickly and needs to be given twice a day to mitigate arthritis.

Edit to add, I feed Piper her forage/dried herby bits on her hay at bedtime to encourage night time eating. Are you doing something like that already?

 

[Nicki71]

Hi katbun,

Thanks very much for your reply. At the moment she has 1ml in the morning but I was going to ask to do what you have suggested as it seems likely the meds are wearing off overnight. When feeling well, she is an excellent hay eater and I always top up with 2 different types and plantain etc at bedtime. She also has daily bio lapis.

She is a lovely feisty girl who has had ongoing problems since she came to me at around 3.5 so I’m pleased we’ve got this far x

 

[Omi]

I agree with katbun and would try her with splitting the Metacam dose. I hope she starts to show improvement.

She is a very lovely bunny

 

[SarahP]

I can relate to this situation so much! I had this issue with my two bunnies (it put me off ever having more!)

I totally agree about splitting the Metacam dose. It gives much better coverage that way. Another thing I'd hugely recommend is peppermint tea (syringing a little twice a day when you give the other meds if she doesn't like the taste).

 

[katbun]

View attachment 6164Hi katbun,

Thanks very much for your reply. At the moment she has 1ml in the morning but I was going to ask to do what you have suggested as it seems likely the meds are wearing off overnight. When feeling well, she is an excellent hay eater and I always top up with 2 different types and plantain etc at bedtime. She also has daily bio lapis.

She is a lovely feisty girl who has had ongoing problems since she came to me at around 3.5 so I’m pleased we’ve got this far x

Sounds like you're taking great care of her. I would tell your vet you want to split the dose, and ask for new dosing amounts given that.

Hopefully it's an easy fix! Let us know how she does

 

[Nicki71]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow, so we can check her weight and get the correct dosage.

Gracie lives side by side with Toby who is around 4.5 and also a wonderful affectionate rescue bun with a visual impairment. Bonding plus the age gap plus health issues was too stressful for them but they are happy companions. He is in my avatar.

I will let you know how Gracie gets on x

 

[bunny momma]

You already got good advice so I am just sending positive vibes for lovely Gracie.

 

[MiniC]

The metacam is worth discussing with your vet. We were allowed to give 0.7ml 2-3 times a day (based on a 1.8kg bunny), but I wouldn't do this without their recommendation, as it can cause kidney problems long term.

When metacam was no longer enough for our girl, they added in paracetamol and later gabapentin, and those might be worth discussing too. The paracetamol they prescribe is only Calpol anyway, so it's quite cheap to introduce.

For our bunny with repeated gut issues, I found mint to be quite good for him. It was often something he'd gobble down, despite being off everything else, and prompted him to start showing a bit of interest in other things. You can also make minty tea, if she'd be up for drinking that overnight (obviously once cool). It could be worth trying.