Help Please! (RESOLVED)

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Ok my rabbit, Magic, hasn't been acting like himself lately. He has been a lot more calmer and quieter and not as out-going and spunky as he usually is. I noticed this yesterday and today he was the same way. He has been shedding a LOT, probably more than any of our other bunnies; and last year he didn't shed hardly at all.

He hasnt touched his food this morning and he barely touched it last night. I read the symptoms of Gastric Stasis and it really sounds like Magic could have this. It said in the book that the preferred method of treatment is to re-hydrate the rabbit, so what does that mean? Can he re-hydrate himself if he just drinks a lot of water?

I will take him to the vet tomorrow or Tuesday if he is still acting sick/getting worse.

Please pray that he will be ok.

ETA: We're going to go to the store after we drop off Karlee (FallingStar) at her house, and we're going to pick up at least a pineapple so that we'll have fresh pineapple juice for him to drink and see if that helps.

Thanks,

Emily

 

[Pipp]

Emily, also get canned pumpkin and keep him on that as long as he's molting.

Also pick up some Pedialyte to keep him hydrated -- which means you have to get him drinking a lot. You need to wash the hair and gunk through his system.

And definitely some human gas medicine with Simethicome as the main ingredient, like Gas X or Mylanta. It can be for adults. If you can find something in a berry flavored tablet, my bunnies will eat that more readily.

Bunnies often get depressed when they're molting, and it can lead to GI Stasis. Has he been pooping? When he last pooped, were they a normal size?

He'll do well with long long gentle tummy massages and also get him moving around. That will help with the GI tract movement and it will help dispel the gas that comes with a sluggish tract.

Hope he's okay.


sas ray:

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Pipp wrote:

Emily, also get canned pumpkin and keep him on that as long as he's molting.

Also pick up some Pedialyte to keep him hydrated -- which means you have to get him drinking a lot. You need to wash the hair and gunk through his system.

And definitely some human gas medicine with Simethicome as the main ingredient, like Gas X or Mylanta. It can be for adults. If you can find something in a berry flavored tablet, my bunnies will eat that more readily.

Bunnies often get depressed when they're molting, and it can lead to GI Stasis. Has he been pooping? When he last pooped, were they a normal size?

He'll do well with long long gentle tummy massages and also get him moving around. That will help with the GI tract movement and it will help dispel the gas that comes with a sluggish tract.

Hope he's okay.


sas ray:

I wish I had read this before I left. I got at the store some parsley and pineapple and put that in a dish and offered it to him. He turned it down. If I have to, I will go back and pick up some canned pumpkin, and Gas X. So like a berry-flavoured Gas-X tablet? And just one a day ??

I'm not sure when he last poohed. It was probably sometime earlier today and I didn't see it. I just got back from cleaning his cage out completely so that we will be able to see if he poohs, etc.

I was massaging his tummy a little bit and then when I cleaned his cage I put him in the bunny-box condo thing and he was looking around in that, so he was moving some. And when I put him back in his cage he kind of leaped around once in, too.

I completely cleaned his cage really thoroughly, and also gave him fresh hay in a dish, new fresh pellets, so that I can monitor how much he's eating.I also gave him some moist grass to spike his appetite and get some liquid in him.

The last time we had the bunnies out was Thursday and Magic was running around everywhere having a blast. He kept jumping out of his pen and we had him running around the yard while we took pictures. I noticed on Friday i think that he was starting to act a little weird, but he was still eating and doing everything he used to.

Then yesterday was when I noticed it some more, but he was still eating in the morning and I didn't think much of it at all. Then this morning was when I noticed he hadn't touched hardly anything from last night and after I fed him this morning and went out late afternoon he hadn't touched anything. That was after I had took him outside for a jump lesson and exercise. In his ex.pen he just sat all hunched up (I read that's a sign of pain? Is that true? Like a belly-ache?) and he dug a little but not much. I took him out and set him on the jump course and he just sat there and that's when I got really worried cuz he wasn't acting like himself at all. He usually runs towards the pens or at least looks at the jumps and see's if he can make it. He did do some jumps, so is that good if he gets moving around like jumping? I won't make him do it if he doesn't want to....I stopped because I thought it would make it worse and I could tell he didn't feel good. I also brushed him really well too.

I will keep you all updated and if he's still sick or gotten worse by tonight/tomorrow I am taking him to the vet.

Pip, do you think stale bread would work too? If so I'd like to know so then I can put a chunk out tonight and maybe give it to him in the morning; dont worry though, I'm not going to give him anything that will make things worse, etc.

Emily

 

[Pipp]

Definitely no bread. No carbs of any kind. Keep trying wet veggies -- wave the parsley in his face and sometimes they grab it out of anger and end up eating it).

Did you get fresh pineapple? You may have to squeeze out the juice, mix it with a little warm(ish) water and give it to him in a syringe. He really needs to drink.

And yes, getting him jumping around for a bit should be good.

The gas meds depends on how strong they are. I think I use the regular 40 or 60 mg suspension (it will say on the back if it's not in the title) and give my little guys about a quarter of a tab every hour for three hours. Then no more for at least another 8 hours.

sas

 

[JimD]

BlueSkyAcresRabbitry wrote:

Gas X. So like a berry-flavoured Gas-X tablet? And just one a day ??

Look for infant gas drops (suspension liquid).
The main ingrediant should be simethicone.
I usually buy the store brand.

 

[BSAR]

This is Emily on my sister'saccount (had to unplug my computer because I'm moving around my room, anyway):

Pip, yes the pineapple is fresh. Ok that's what I thought, no bread, Ok. Alright I'll try mixing some pineapple juice with warmish water and giving it too him. All I have is a bunny baby bottle but it will still work. We're going to take him out when we feed them and let him run around in the big ex. pen, and then we'll also try getting some fluids in him.

I waved the parsely in his face, under his chin and he got mad but didn't eat it. He's a picky eater which isn't good at this time...

JimD, how much drops per "serving"?

Thanks so much you guys, please keep Magic in your prayers.

ray:Emily

 

[JimD]

BSAR wrote:

JimD, how much drops per "serving"?

The last time I used it, I gave 1cc every hour for 3 hours.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Okay thanks JimD. I'm getting ready to go back out there. I will bring him out to run around as well as get him to drink some fluids, etc.

Emily

 

[Pipp]

Can you bring him inside without stressing him too much? He will need to be kept warm especially if he's in pain or gets shocky. It will be very important to keep his body temperature up throughout the night.

If you don't have a snuggle safe-style heating pad (with low temp controls and no wires), you can heat up a sock full of rice or beans and let him snuggle with that.


sas

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Yah I'll bring him inside. I dont think it would stress him out. I'll keep it quiet in my room and I wont bother him.

ETA: Ok he's inside now. It's pretty warm in here so I wont give him a heat pack thing just yet. He's also close to my heater, but it's not blowing on him, and it's not even on right now. I had him outside doing some jumps and running on his teeter-totter so that was good. The jumps aren't anything big, just probably about 8 inches or so and that's it, and he jumped the lower ones the most.

It doesn't look like he's eaten/dranken anything so I think I will mix up some pineapple juice and warm water and see if I can get him to drink something. I have some veterinarian's info down just in case I need to go. I'll probably take him to Shelton or Olympia if he needs to go. I'm not sure if my local vet has any experience with GI Stasis, they're not that bunny-savvy.

Emily

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

UPDATE:

Ok we were able to get Magic to drink some pineapple-water liquids. We have a PetNurser and basically we just cut the tip bigger than it was to get liquids down without squeezing it with all our muscle. :?We put some small chunks of parsley in the liquid so that Magic would swallow it with the liquid and we think he got some of that down in him too. After we gave him some liquids he was up and roaming around my room checking things out. He seems to be more alert, and not as sleepy-looking. He still is resting on his tummy a bit but we're hoping that by massaging his belly that it will help.

Anyway, I have a question. I took a picture of the bottle after Magic finished drinking it, and I wanted to know how many cc's you think he drank. He didn't drink all that the bottle shows how empty it is, cuz some dribbled out of his mouth and some he spit out.

So anyway, you'll have to follow this link to see the picture because I had to write on it to show you the lines of how much he drank and what cc measurements went with what lines.

http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa297/Blueskyacresrabbitry_2007/?action=view&current=MagicIll003.jpg

ETA: The 60cc on that picture should actually be 30cc...my bad. I was thinking of a different number when I wrote that:?

As of right now, I am leaning towards taking him to the vet in the morning sometime, probably around 10 or 11. It's up in Tacoma, not very far away, about 1 hour, 5 mins, but the vet is very good with rabbits so that's why I chose that place.

I will update you all if he changes for the better/worse. Also, when should I try getting more liquids in him? I'm going to go eat dinner and jump in the shower and then -try- to finish my homework. Should I try again at 9 o'clock?

I dont know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. I'm really scared about the worst thing that can happen. I really dont want to wake up to it, and I'll most likely be awake with him as late as possible - right now school is not my number one concern, neither is homework but I need to do it just incase.

Alright, I'll go now.

Thanks for all of your's advice, especially you Pip :hug:and FallingStar :hug:.

Emily

 

[Maureen Las]

Try to get more liquids in him if you can.
You are doing a great job...

tomorrow try to get some pedialyte for him to drink.
I am giving it to my bun, beau, who is recovering, from dental surgery

it is really perking him up a lot.
it is really important to keep something moving through their guts so pumpkin is a good choice (]pure, canned with no spices for pie)
I'm sure that he will be fine....

 

[Pipp]

It looks like he drank a good bit. If he's exploring, that's a good sign.

The key, though, will be when/if he poops. If he's in stasis, his poops will be small or non-existent. If he poops and they have hair in them then its probably that the molt was clogging him up and giving him gas.

Keep tempting him with wet veggies and get him to drink more water if you can over the next few hours. Just don't force it on him if he starts fighting it or gets stressed. He's not critical.

Also watch him to make sure he's not straining to pee or anything which would mean he has another problem other than pre-stasis/gas issues.

So we're all on poop and pee watch!

You're doing a great job, Emily. i think Magic is in very good hands and I bet he'll be fine.


sas

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

angieluv wrote:

Try to get more liquids in him if you can.
You are doing a great job...

tomorrow try to get some pedialyte for him to drink.
I am giving it to my bun, beau, who is recovering, from dental surgery

it is really perking him up a lot.
it is really important to keep something moving through their guts so pumpkin is a good choice (]pure, canned with no spices for pie)
I'm sure that he will be fine....

Ok thanks Angieluv. I will pick up some canned pumpkin tomorrow as well as some pedialyte and gas-x tablets.

We're also keeping a close watch on our other bunnies, and brushing them lots and also giving them parsley to keep their digestive systems moving to prevent GI as well. None of them are showing signs which is great; we have to keep really close eye on Lily though, because she alwayssits inthe corners and be's quiet and all.

I will try to get him to drink some more liquids here in a little while. It looks like he might've dranken some of the left-overpineapple-water solution (we put itin a dish in his cage for him to drink). I can't tell if I'm just seeing things or what, but to me it does seem like thelevel has gone down.

Emily

 

[Spring]

Good luck!

You've reminded me to pick up some pumpkin, I like to give it when the seasons change just for extra fiber. They love it too, so great to have frozen in ice cube trays in case you need it.

Maybe try some luke warm water too, sometimes they will drink it if it's a bit warmer.

I also find along with waving the parsley in front of them, if you cut off the tip so the smell is more present or crush the stem a bit, and then poke it into the side of their mouth behind their front teeth, they sometimes will start chewing on it, then decide they like it and start eating more .

Good to keep him moving .

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Pipp wrote:

It looks like he drank a good bit. If he's exploring, that's a good sign.

The key, though, will be when/if he poops. If he's in stasis, his poops will be small or non-existent. If he poops and they have hair in them then its probably that the molt was clogging him up and giving him gas.

Keep tempting him with wet veggies and get him to drink more water if you can over the next few hours. Just don't force it on him if he starts fighting it or gets stressed. He's not critical.

Also watch him to make sure he's not straining to pee or anything which would mean he has another problem other than pre-stasis/gas issues.

So we're all on poop and pee watch!

You're doing a great job, Emily. i think Magic is in very good hands and I bet he'll be fine.


sas

Yes a very good sign. We're going to try giving him some more liquids in a few minutes, and we're also going to let him run around some more. Earlier he was actually take the bottle pretty well, sitting up and drinking right out of the tip.

Alright, I will make sure to watch if he's straining or not. So far he hasn't gone potty at all.

Are apples safe or no? Apples are one of his fave. veggies and they may tempt him, but aren't they high in sugar and isn't that bad when they're in GI? What about carrots too? I was going to give him some earlier but I had read somewhere not to feed them sugary foods while in GI (true?) and I know carrots have sugar so I took them out and gave them to Bruce .

Right now he's just resting in his cage. I will bring him out and get some liquid in him after I go feed the bunnies their parsley.

And I just remembered I haven't even started my homework...oh well, I'll try to do it while he's running around.

Emily

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

I will try that Spring thanks!

ETA @ 9:09 p.m.: UPDATE! This is a message I sent to FallingStar updating her on Magic:

I think he will probably try eating some food in a while. He just got finished drinking lots of liquid and now he's moving around, cleaning his face, and stuff. He smells like pineapple a lot!

He's like running around quite a bit and stuff! MUCH more alert and he's trying to climb out of his pen!

He still hasn't gone potty yet tho, which isn't good. Hopefully he will now that he's dranken and is moving around and had a tummy massage.


He's much more alert than he first was which is great. He seems to be almost back to his normal self. I'm just waiting for him to go potty. If he hasn't gone potty in the morning should I take him to the vet?

Emily

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Just a quick little update before I head off for bed.

As I type Magic is out and exploring, nibbling on some hay and being very active. I think his tummy/gut is feeling much better. He also is taking small drinks of water every now and then and he has free access to the dish of pineapple-water solution if he wants to drink some. He disliked how I put his hay in a dish, so he dug it all out and laid it on the board in his cage, lol. That's just like him.

He hasn't gone potty yet, but like Pipp said it could be non-existent/or really little so he may have gone and I just haven't noticed.

I'll probably check this before I actually go to sleep, because I'll be awake for at least another 45 minutes or so.

Anyway, if he hasn't gone potty in the morning should I take him to the vet? Please let me know before morning because I'll need to know when I wake up if I should or not....

Emily

 

[Spring]

If there are absolutely no poops and still a lack of appetite, I'dlook intobringinghim in because it would be 17+ hours since he's gone to the bathroom, but since he's been getting fluids and interested in food, there should be at least something by morning.

Maybe try giving him a bigger pile of hay? If it's readily available, he might be more inclined to eat it. That's good that he took the hay out of the dish, means he's at least a tad bit interested in it!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Ok thanks Spring. I really hope he has gone to the bathroom by morning.

He has quite a bit of hay, the dish is a fairly large size. Right now he's just resting in his cage. I just massaged his belly a little and put a dish of water/pineapple solution next to him if he gets interested. He comes out of his cage every now and then, and I keep encouraging him to get moving around, butI think he may be tired now. He's breathing kind of fast, I mean I can't tell if it's how he normally breathes, but it's not laboured....?

Emily