Chippy - GI issues

[JimD]

Once again, Chippy is showing the beginning signs of an oncoming GI issue.
Please post any and all advice on this....not only for Chippy's benefit, but for the other members that are or might be going through a GI issue with their bun.
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Dx:

Chippy hasn't eaten or drank much in the past few days.

This morning she looked like she didn't feel very well....lethargic, doesn't seem to be able to get comfortable, irritable, fur looks "rough" (sign of hydration issue).

Her tummy feels a little firm, but she wouldn't let me fuss with her too much this morning.

She's still passing the "treat test" as of this morning.

Doesn't look like she's peed or pooped since yesterday. Her pan was full of poopswhen I changed it yesterday afternoon, but there's usually some by morning. Although I think I caught her going in the corner of her cage instead of her litter pan....at the moment I don't care where she goes as long as she goes.

This morning I gave her a handful of hay and she nibbled at it. She has timothy cubes at all times.

I forgot to shut the lights and TV in the buns room last night. Maybe she's just out of sorts and/or off schedule??

Ihonestly think it may also have something to do with her being a hotot mix.


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Routine & Plans:

She regularly gets a daily dose ofacidophilus (vet recommendation). I coat 4-5 small pieces of dried papaya with it.
Since I started doing this (several months ago), her poops have been a lot more consistent.

I really need to get a good feel of her tummy....and give some tummy rubs if needed.

I usually try to stick pretty close to her regular diet when I have to force liquids or food.

If needed tonight, I'll start out with a pellet slurry, but switch to Critical Care if she still having problems tomorrow.

If she hasn't drank any water by tonight, I'll syringe some.

I may give her some Nutrical tonight.

I'll also "sweeten" up her timothy pellets with an extra portion of alfalfa pellets. She normallygets a sprinkle with every feeding so she's accustomed to them.

I plan on letting her have some run time tonight. Keeping her moving will help stimulate her gut and help to get it moving again (kind of like with a horse...they are related right?!?).

I should probably pick up some Pedialite and some baby food to have on hand....just in case.

Hopefully this is all for naught, and when I get home I'll find that she's passed a large poop and is back on track. Praying and crossing fingers that she's improved by the time I get home.
Tomorrow we're supposed to get nasty weather....snow, sleet, etc....and it won't be a good day to travel to the vets (will if I have to, but would rather not).

I've been through this with her a few times. I'm not at the panic stage, yet.

Stay tuned for updates!

 

[Flashy]

I have absolutely no advice at all, but I hope chippy has left you a beauitufl pile of poo for when you get home

 

[ra7751]

Hi Jim,

Sounds like Chippy is like our Miracle....we can count on routine GI issues. I looked over your plan and it looks great. I would like to add a couple of things for you to ponder. First....all lactobacillus acidophilus type supplements are not equal. It's not the bacteria in the compound that is the real key....but the acidophilus will stabilze the pH in a compromised gut and will create a more favorable environment for beneficial bacteria to survive. If you can find something with lactobacillus casei.....I think it would be even better for Chippy. L Casei has some huge benefits. You can also do almostthe same thing by feeding abscorbic acid...it is found in citrus fruit....basically Vitamin C. We offer small pieces of oranges (fresh and peeled). The juice will help to acidify and stabilize the GI pH to help with stasis issues. It's water soluable so the kidneys excrete any excess. But like other things....don't overdo it if you choose to use this treatment. And this is another situation where it would be beneficial to anyone with any species of animal to learn and be able to administer sub-q fluids. Much more efficient than oral hydration. It is a safe and cost effective protocol that is nothing short of a life saver.

I give you huge props for your plan. I think we discussed last time the importance of having a well thought out plan in place to deal with these situations before they present themselves....with rabbits, it is always a case of "when it happens"..not "if". You did that and it is a well thought out plan that has you much better prepared to handle these "Bunny 911" calls as we refer to them. Great job!! And healing vibes going to Chippy.

Randy

 

[naturestee]

Hey Jim! I'm still dealing with Fey right now too, and I know they both have those darn sensitive hotot tummies. Pamnock recommended Nutrical to me because of it's Vitamin E, and Fey definitely perked up once I started giving her that.

Instead of acidophilus, you could give her Benebac, which is pretty easy to find at pet stores and feed stores. My vet prefers it too and keeps it on hand for rabbit GI upsets. It does have the L. casei that Randy mentioned too. Here's the ingredients:
Ingredient(s): Guaranteed Total (viable) Lactic Acid Producing Bacteria: 10 million colony forming units per gram (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei).
Oh, and Fey has passed the treat test this whole time, but she does love her treats!

I haven't been using this on Fey because she started improving with the Nutrical, now she's bouncing back and forth a little but is getting better. I used to always keep a stock of Benebac in the house for Lily's (cat) sensitive tummy. It worked wonders on her while I was still looking for the right food.

 

[ra7751]

So correct naturestee....Benebac is great stuff. Some pet stores carry what is called "one shots"...and they are quite expensive. Many vets carry it in large syringes which is much more economical. It does not require a prescription and can be readily purchased from various sites on the internet. Usually about 1g per day....that stuff is highly concentrated. It is much easier to put the Benebac in a smaller syringe rather than trying to manage that larger syringe...should you decide to use it. Excellent suggestion from naturestee.

Randy

 

[maherwoman]

Going to add this to the GI Stasis: What Everyone Should Know thread in the Rabbit Health section of the Lagomorph Library.

 

[JimD]

naturestee wrote:

Instead of acidophilus, you could give her Benebac, which is pretty easy to find at pet stores and feed stores. My vet prefers it too and keeps it on hand for rabbit GI upsets. It does have the L. casei that Randy mentioned too.

ra7751 wrote:

So correct naturestee....Benebac is great stuff. Some pet stores carry what is called "one shots"...and they are quite expensive. Many vets carry it in large syringes which is much more economical. It does not require a prescription and can be readily purchased from various sites on the internet. Usually about 1g per day....that stuff is highly concentrated. It is much easier to put the Benebac in a smaller syringe rather than trying to manage that larger syringe...should you decide to use it. Excellent suggestion from naturestee.

Randy

Thanks !!

And I just happen to have a pack of one-shots in my bunnie box .

Anybody have a good suggestion on how to administer said med.....on a routine basis....without handling the bun??



~Jim

PS:
I came home to find a good amount of large soft piles of poops. Not so smelly. No mucous.
Chippy was in a MUCH better demeanor as well!!....bouncing around looking for treats!!....which she promptly got!:biggrin2:
**** makes star next to point about not panicking****

 

[JimD]

maherwoman wrote:

Going to add this to the GI Stasis: What Everyone Should Know thread in the Rabbit Health section of the Lagomorph Library.

Thanks Rosie!

I should have remembered to add a link to our library!

Chippy is a good example of a bun that needs a regular maintenance plan to control GI issues.

 

[JimD]

Flashy wrote:

I have absolutely no advice at all,

A compliment in itself!!

Flashy wrote:

but I hope chippy has left you a beauitufl pile of poo for when you get home

Your wish was her command !!!

A few piles of large soft poops were to be found when I got home!! ... :bunnydance:

 

[naturestee]

If she likes pumpkin, you can mix the Benebac in it.

 

[JimD]

JimD wrote:

I came home to find a good amount of large soft piles of poops. Not so smelly.

Edited to add that there was definitely a moderate to strong SMELL...not overpowering...but not normal either.

Going to be on vigil for more complications. Possible GI infection evident.

How fresh do fecal specimens have to be for a lab culture?

 

[pumpkinandwhiskersmom]

Hi Jim,

How's Chippy doing tonight? Our Pumpkin has ongoing smelly poop issues, with only occasional real problems with upset stomach/GI issues. We're sending good vibes and prayers Chippy's way.....

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Does she not like to be handled, Jim?

How is she doing now?

Man! I hate when they get sick! I had hoped she was over that completely and just back to her normal routine!

 

[JimD]

pumpkinandwhiskersmom wrote:

Hi Jim,

How's Chippy doing tonight? Our Pumpkin has ongoing smelly poop issues, with only occasional real problems with upset stomach/GI issues. We're sending good vibes and prayers Chippy's way.....

Thanks p&wmom,
I got up at 3am to check on her and found a big pile of poops in her pan.....and they appear to be getting back to normal!!
She had also eaten about half of her pellets and drank a good amount of water.



Bo B Bunny wrote:

Does she not like to be handled, Jim?

How is she doing now?

Man! I hate when they get sick! I had hoped she was over that completely and just back to her normal routine!

"NO!....we doesn't likeses to be pickeded up, pleeeze :grumpy:." ~Chippy~

errrrrrr.......Chippy says no.
I think it's because I've had to treat her quite a few times, so she probably thinks I'm going to shove a syringe in her mouth every time I pick her up.
She won't trance. She hates to be on her back or in a burrito.
If I let her sit on my lap she digs and bites my legs.
She was in a pet store until she was about 6 months and had 2 litter while there. I don't know what kind of handling or socialization she got.
She's very territorial of her cage/pen.
I try to work with her as much as possible, but it's not often enough.

When I got up at 6am she was doing very well!
Almost all of her pellets were gone and she drank some more water.
Her litter pan was full of near-normal-poops and pee.
I think we're going to be ok now.

 

[cheryl]

I'm very happy to hear that Chippy is feeling much better now



Cheryl

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Oh I hope so!!!

 

[maherwoman]

Hoping to hear even BETTER news soon...

 

[JimD]

I'm still at work :grumpy:

The snow fizzled out on us and we've been getting sleet, rain, and freezing rain.
The roads are a mess......but at least they're not covered in snow.
It's starting to get dark, too. I hate to drive in the dark....even when the weather is good.
I am NOT looking forward to the drive home.
I should be leaving in about 20 minutes.

As soon as I get home....and right after I thank the great powers for getting me there safe......I'll check on Chippy and post an update.

 

[JimD]

UPDATE!!!

Chippy is doing fine!
She's eating and drinking near normal.
Her litter pan is at near normal, considering.

Something I haven't mentioned before is her ears.
When she got so sick a while ago, her ears had gone ice cold. My immediate response was to warm her up and get her to the vet ASAP.
This time her ears were cool, but not a drastic difference than the norm.
At the moment they feel "cozy warm"

She looks good!
Chippy seems to be very sensitive, and shows signs early on in a problem situation.
The first significant visible sign is the appearance of her fur.....like she's having a bad hair day. She starts to look "rough" when problems are on the onset.

Once again, I've learned not to panic, assess the situation, have a plan (and a plan B ), and most of all....be prepared!

This time it just happened to be a couple of off days, and then it basically corrected itself.
I would have started a conservative home treatment tonight if she hadn't shown signs of improvement.



Thanks to everyone for their support!!!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

My bunnies always have cold ears.... is that unusual?

I'm so glad Chippy is doing so well