Am I Overreacting?

[Vince5002001]

I took my rabbit Ella (Alaska rabbit, 3 years and 4 months old, spayed, indoor rabbit, black, and about 7.5 pounds) to the vet on friday because her poop was not consistent and there were several smaller pellets. The vet did an x-ray and blood test and diagnosed her as dehydrated. He gave her fluids and gave me Baytril (antibiotic) and BeneBac (probiotic) to give her.

Yesterday morning she had mushy poop, but through out the day she seemed to get better, her poop returned to fairly regular, she was eating and running around. Last night she was still eating, and when i went to bed around three am this morning she seemed fine. Today when i woke up at around 8 there was almost no poop in her litter box, and the food was untouched, which is unusual. I rubbed her belly, then sat her on the washer (for the vibration) thinking it was gas but there was no change.

I've tried to give her, her favorite treat and blueberries which she loves but no dice she wouldn't eat. She has nibbled on a bit of hay through out the day and pooped just a little. It isn't uncommon for her not to eat during the day, and sleep on her little perch. Though it is uncommon for her to not be interested in her treat/blueberries.

I called an emergency care in Raleigh (because apparently there is no vet open in Fayetteville that services rabbits on weekends.) , and they recommend I try syringe feeding her. I syringed fed her some crushed pellets and water. And she went to lay in her litter box.

Also she hasn't been drinking water, which isn't unusual for her. Since I've had her there have been only a handful of times I've seen her drinking from her bowl and never from her bottle. I've tried bottle training her but she seems largely uninterested in water. I make sure to leave her fresh veggies wet.

So I'm wondering if I'm stressing her out by syringe feeding her medicine and over handling her and should leave her to her own devices for a while, if I'm just overreacting, or did the vet miss something?

 

[Samara]

It sounds to me as if you've done very much for her; this is a dicey issue. If it were me personally I would leave my rabbit be for a while. I would keep close tabs to make sure there isn't any immediate issue you can help correct, but it sounds like Ella could use some rest. Maybe you could lie with her if that wouldn't stress her out and just provide company. The other side of that card is to just simply watch from a distance and let her relax on her own.

Keep us posted!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[wendymac]

Why did he give her antibiotics???

No poop is never a good thing with rabbits. I would try some Critical Care mixed with plain, unflavored Pedialyte. You could even give her some infant gas drops to ease any pain (and making her more prone to eat/drink).

 

[woahlookitsme]

I have also heard that antibiotics can be very hard on a rabbits stomach and most breeders only give it when they know there is an infection. I dont understand why he would Rx Baytril if the bun was only dehydrated. I think I would stop the Baytril offer hay and you can also try to find some critical care. Continue the benebac also.

 

[majorv]

I agree. Based on what you described initially I don't really understand why the vet prescribed Baytril. Some Critical Care and pedialyte will get some nutrients into her and the benebac will help offset the medication. I'm not sure I would continue the Baytril, but if you stop it youmay want to at leastconsult withthe vet.

 

[Vince5002001]

She has not improved at all still not eating or pooping,have not given anymore medicine, and I have syringe fed her some more crushed pellet/water mixture.

Thank you guys for all the advice. I tried offering her hay but she would nip at it and then ignore it, couldn't find any critical care feed.

I am going to air on the side of caution, since she hasn't eaten or pooped (except for a few odd pellets most of which were super small) since 3-4 am this morning. Headed to an emergency vet in Raleigh recommended by this site.

 

[LakeCondo]

It seems recently that lots of vets are prescribing antibiotics as a fall-back position. Maybe it's just coincidence but it seems strange.

 

[wendymac]

Yeah, I don't understand why a dehydrated rabbit would be given antibiotics. :-/

 

[Vince5002001]

I thought it was odd too, but I asked the vet and he said it was for prevention. And since he is a trained/certified rabbit physician and I'm not i fully trusted his expertise.

Also, I forgot to mention that ella was put under sedation for the xray.

 

[Vince5002001]

 

[woahlookitsme]

It sounds like something from the vet visit caused her gut to get angry. Critical care should be available at your vet office.

Alot of times docs will put dogs on different antibiotics for different reasons but its very common to see them get RXd. Because of the harsh effects on the gut this shouldnt be happening for rabbits. How did the emergency visit go?

 

[Vince5002001]

Ella is doing much better, after a (scary!) two days she is eating some and pooping. She still needs to be syringe fed critical care till she starts eating more, but I'm happy to have her home and her doing better.

 

[wendymac]

I'm happy to hear Ella is doing better! Hopefully in a few days she'll be completely back to normal. Poor girl.

 

[LakeCondo]

I'm glad she seems to be on the mend.arty::jumpforjoy:
:nurse:
:trio

 

[Erren]

It's so scary when they won't eat. Mine can usually be tempted with fresh herbs if nothing else can get their appetite going. Corriander (cilantro) is the favourite, but parsley and mint get the job done and they're all very good for bunnies. I would definately have fine grain critical care at the ready - also any infant colic treatment with simethicone in case she stops eating again. i've got a paranoid "bunny medkit" these days.
Oh wow. My rabbit just stood on my sleeping cat. Good luck!

 

[LakeCondo]

Erren wrote:

Oh wow. My rabbit just stood on my sleeping cat.

Tell your rabbit to let sleeping [dogs &] cats lie, lol.