HELP! My bunny has a possible blockage

[shelby_duval]

Hello, I have a male netherland dwarf rabbit who is about a year old and he has not been eating or drinking for a few weeks. I took him to the vet a few days ago and the veterinarian said it could be a possible blockage. The vet gave my bunny a shot to keep him hydrated and another shot for pain. For the past 4 or 5 days I have taken him to the vet to get the two shots. On one of the visits, I had x-rays done and the vet said there was no sign of a blockage. Well, another veterinarian there said that there is a sign of a blockage. Right now we are giving the bunny mineral oil and syringe feeding him water and food. We are also giving him an antibiotic and giving him one shot daily of an anti-inflammatory/pain reliever. I also have another rabbit, we keep the two separate, though the vet suggested we give our sick bunny some of the other bunnies poop, that way it would help his bacteria grow back. We have been treating the bunny for almost a week now and he is still hardly eating or drinking water. He is also barley producing any poop and it is very light in color and very small. Any tips, suggestions, ANYTHING would be greatly appreciated. We have spent hundreds of dollars already and surgery is not an option. We need to get this bunny better!

 

[JBun]

Did the vet check your rabbits teeth, including molars to check for sharp points, and possibly xrays of the head to rule out tooth infection as a cause for the lack of appetite? Has a blood test been done, or a fecal test?

With him not producing very much poop, are you syringe feeding him enough food?

Giving mineral oil is really not recommended for rabbits. Are you certain your vets are very good rabbit vets?

 

[shelby_duval]

Did the vet check your rabbits teeth, including molars to check for sharp points, and possibly xrays of the head to rule out tooth infection as a cause for the lack of appetite? Has a blood test been done, or a fecal test?

With him not producing very much poop, are you syringe feeding him enough food?

Giving mineral oil is really not recommended for rabbits. Are you certain your vets are very good rabbit vets?

The vet did do a fecal test and found nothing. The vet didn't do blood work or check my rabbits teeth although I am almost certain that his mouth doesn't have anything to do with it. Sometimes you can hear his stomach making noises and he just shed his coat so I believe he consumed too much of his own fur. The vet gave me mineral oil to give to him because he said it was a good laxative. I am not sure what else to give him to help him poop. Any suggestions? Where I live, there isn't many "rabbit vets" so I can only take him where I can.

 

[JBun]

Mineral oil isn't recommended as, in the case of a blockage it coats the blockage so it can't absorb water and soften, which is what helps to pass the blockage easier. It's only in rare instances where it might be used at all, especially as it also presents a great risk of being aspirated by the rabbit.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

It's also possible that the antibiotic is causing your rabbit to continue to have a loss of appetite. Is there a particular reason your vet prescribed this(eg. suspected bacterial infection), and what is the antibiotic? Usually an antibiotic shouldn't be prescribed in a case of GI stasis, if there is no reason to believe bacterial infection or bacterial overgrowth is involved, just because of the risk it can further upset the microflora balance in a rabbits gut, as well as the risk of it causing lack of appetite, and further delaying the rabbits recovery.

If he is passing poop at all, then there isn't a complete blockage, and he may just not be getting enough food syringe fed to him. How much does he weigh and how many cc/ml does he get per feeding, and how many feedings per day? Are you feeding Critical Care mix?

I really think you need a more experienced rabbit vet if at all possible. You can take a look at these lists, and hopefully you will find one near you.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21

In the least, the vet really needs to check the teeth to rule that out as a continued cause for lack of appetite. Basically anything that causes a rabbit pain, will cause the rabbit to continue to not want to eat. So if this lack of appetite is continuing for days without any improvement, despite the fact that he is pooping a little now, then it leads me to believe that there is still something causing your rabbit pain(if it isn't due to the antibiotics causing the lack of appetite). What pain med is he getting and do you know the dose?