Help! Rabbit thin and lethargic

[Jksmall5084]

Hi everyone! I recently returned from a 3 week vacation and my 6th month old bunny (who someone was supposed to be watching) is very thin and lethargic. She is still eating a small amount of hay, some pellets, and lettuce. She will eat the lettuce without issue but isn’t as interested in her hay. She is also drinking, and has produced a small amount of poop. I called 15 vets to see if there was an emergency vet available since it was outside normal hours but no one could/would take her. I am incredibly concerned about GI stasis or obstruction. Does anyone know if there’s anything I can do while I continue to try and get in to see a vet?

 

[JBun]

If she is still eating a little on her own, then it's very unlikely she has a full obstruction, as a rabbit will not usually eat at all when this happens.
If she was not eating at all on her own, then an obstruction or bloat is possible, and a rabbit shouldn't be syringe fed until a vet rules both out.

But with a rabbit that is still eating some, I would make a mush out of the pellets(if I didn't have a recovery food mix like critical care) and start syringe feeding her every 4-6 hours, using a wide tip 6-12ml feeding syringe. Then get a hold of a rabbit vet in the morning for an emergency appointment if she is still doing poorly by then, and not back to eating and acting completely normal.

Also make sure she feels warm. A rabbit that is unwell, will usually become cold and could become hypothermic. A cold rabbit is less inclined to eat on their own. I will feel my rabbits ears and if they feel really cold, the rabbit is usually too cold. I use a cotton bag filled with rice and warmed in the microwave til warm, but check to make sure it's not too hot. Then wrap a small towel around it and place next to bun. Whatever is used, just needs to be done safely.

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/medical/syringe-feeding-guide/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Medicating_your_rabbit
https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Jksmall5084]

Thank you so much for your help! I was able to get her to the vet and she was diagnosed with GI Stasis. She has been recovering and doing better each day but now her progress seems to have plateaued. She is eating a ton of hay and her greens. Her pellets seem to upset her gut a bit right now so I have reintroduced those yet. She’s still being fed critical care (per the vet’s orders) but eating it on her own not through the syringe (and loves it). She has more energy and even binkied a couple times yesterday. However, she’s still occasionally having abnormal sized poops. Most of her poops are normal but every once in awhile she’ll have a few small poops mixed in with her normal poops and today I saw some slightly bigger than normal poops mixed with some smaller and some normal. The vet has said to keep her on the cisapride 3 times a day until her poops are completely normal all the time. I know I have to be patient and this can take a long time to come out of but is this a normal part of the process? I’ve had a lot of rabbits, but I’ve never had one go into stasis before so this is all new for me. Oh she also seems to be grooming a lot and scratching her ears, but when I check her ears nothing looks amiss.

 

[JBun]

It can take a week for the poops to return to normal completely, sometimes a couple weeks in a very severe case, though this usually also means the rabbit fluctuates between eating and not eating on it's own and isn't fully recovered.

I will mention that if the poops continue to consistently(most of the time) be irregularly sized and shaped, there could be something more going on there. I had something similar happen to a buck of mine several years ago, after he went through a really severe case of stasis. I had to permanently remove pellets and any sugary/high carb foods from his diet as they made his fecal poops much worse, and started to send him into stasis again from eating those foods.

So I wouldn't worry too much about your bun not eating pellets yet, as the hay and greens are going to be better for her gut health and function anyways. If she is eating hay really well now(grass hay being always free fed) and pretty much back to normal with it, you can probably taper off on the critical care, as it shouldn't be necessary if she's eating normal amounts of hay and her greens. But consult with your vet first if you aren't sure.

If she seems to be scratching at her ears and grooming excessively, you may need to have your vet check her over for a skin condition or ear issue.

 

[Jksmall5084]

It can take a week for the poops to return to normal completely, sometimes a couple weeks in a very severe case, though this usually also means the rabbit fluctuates between eating and not eating on it's own and isn't fully recovered.

I will mention that if the poops continue to consistently(most of the time) be irregularly sized and shaped, there could be something more going on there. I had something similar happen to a buck of mine several years ago, after he went through a really severe case of stasis. I had to permanently remove pellets and any sugary/high carb foods from his diet as they made his fecal poops much worse, and started to send him into stasis again from eating those foods.

So I wouldn't worry too much about your bun not eating pellets yet, as the hay and greens are going to be better for her gut health and function anyways. If she is eating hay really well now(grass hay being always free fed) and pretty much back to normal with it, you can probably taper off on the critical care, as it shouldn't be necessary if she's eating normal amounts of hay and her greens. But consult with your vet first if you aren't sure.

If she seems to be scratching at her ears and grooming excessively, you may need to have your vet check her over for a skin condition or ear issue.

Thank you so much for your insight! I won’t worry about the pellets. I’ve never fed a rabbit just greens and hay. Is there a specific kind or amount of greens I should be feeding? Right now she’s getting cilantro and romaine and hay and critical care since the vet said to keep her on it.

Her poops are really healthy looking otherwise and most of the time they’re completely normal. Just every once in awhile she has a bout of abnormal fecals.

I’m also hearing some gurgling coming from her belly or guts and there are moments where I think she may still be uncomfortable or in pain. She’ll sit with her front paws in front of her and sometimes make a chewing sound but it doesn’t seem to last long. I called and asked the vet about it yesterday and the vet wasn’t concerned about the gurgling but the tech said that I shouldn’t be hearing any noises so I’m still a little concerned.