Help! Weirdly shaped poop/territorial?

[Mariam+Theo]

I'm bringing this thread back up because after 3 weeks Theo is still sick. He acts fine sometimes, but then other times he just sits in a hunched position (no tooth grinding). He had a fur blockage that has passed, but I am still giving him 1-2 papaya enzymes per day to prevent another fur blockage and they are working. He is also getting 1 ml of simethicone 2 times a day which really helps him. He is pooping large round normal poops (not as many as normal) and is eating his pellets and hay (not as much hay as he normally eats). He gets a tiny piece of apple every other day, along with some romaine/dark leaf lettuce soaked in water. I sprinkle all of his veggies with critical care because he won't let me syringe feed it to him. I don't know what to do anymore! How long does it take for rabbits to recover from GI stasis? He also hates me because I had to syringe feed him for a day. Any tips on how to rebuild our bond?

 

[helena]

Hope Theo is okay now

 

[JBun]

The problem might be one or more of the food items you are feeding. They could be causing digestive upset.

 

[Diane R]

Try a very basic diet of several varieties of grass hay, 1 tbsp pellets and nothing else. (Once he does OK on that for a couple of weeks, you can slowly introduce some fresh herbs.) Drop the papaya etc. Simethicone is not good for long term use, it interferes with absorption of nutrients, so drop that too. As he is eating he does not need critical care. To rebuild the bond, the best thing you can do is just spend as much time as you can sitting or lying on the floor near him. Hope he is all better soon.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Thanks for the tips @JBun and @Diane R! I will take him off the simethicone, papaya, and veggies and only give him hay and a few pellets.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Y'all are so smart! Theo is acting really well, is super active, eating well, and pooping well. His poops are a little smaller then they have been, but recently they have been really big. I think he is almost back to normal, but only time will tell.

 

[laranhomes]

Theo, put the pellets in your hand and have him eat it out of your palm. That really builds a great bond. I would try to have him eat more hay. I'm so sorry you're going through this

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I took him for a walk to get him moving and he is a complete weirdo. He always wants out of the playpen so I get him out, and right when he is out he wants back in! So it was like a 5-minute walk where he sat there for 3 minutes sniffing the cat and then ran back into the shed and started chewing his cage bars to get back into his playpen (he is so ungrateful). So then I put him back in his playpen and sat in there with pellets and he ignored the pellets because he was grooming his fur because of the harness. He finally came up to me and ate some pellets and groomed me, which I'm taking as a good sign! Thanks again for all your help, he seems to be doing pretty good but just not pooping as much as normal which is to be as expected based on what he has gone through.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I hate to bring this up...again, but Theo has relapsed. Wednesday we hit the 4-week mark, and I was so happy because he was better and had been for about a week, but Thursday he was sick again. I gave him some apple without thinking and I think it messed him up. He has been sitting hunched up (no tooth grinding), pooping a little, playing a little, and eating a little (but still eating). I gave him 1 ml of gas drops last night because they can't hurt, but he is still acting sickly. I'm not scared that he will die because it is not major, but I'm just mad that he keeps getting sick! I want him to get better and completely better this time (no relapsing!), but that doesn't seem to be happening. Any tips will be helpful! I hate seeing him in pain! Thanks in advance!

 

[JBun]

First would be strict adherence to the foods and diet you know will not cause him to get sick.

Another possibility is he has parasites in the digestive tract contributing to the problem. For this you would need to either do the proper deworming treatment, or take your bun to the vet to get a fecal float done to check for the presence of parasites and apply the appropriate dewormer if something is found.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Sorry, I'm just now responding to this. Is there a natural dewormer? I can not afford to take him in again and the exotic vet is going out of town and won't be back till Monday. He is eating his pellets, some hay, pooping a little, and sitting in that hunched position. He is still running around a little and I have given him some gas drops to see if they will help. I have already called the vet and they are pretty sure it is bloat but will not know for sure unless he gets an X-ray. The first time he got sick I think he had bloat but the vet medicine did not work, and once I took him off all medicines he got better. I am 99% sure that it is bloat (again) because he looks like a balloon, and I am trying to figure out how to clear it up naturally without spending a fortune. I am going to call the vet back and ask if there is any possible way to get medicine without bringing him in. Do you have any suggestions? I really do not want to lose my rabbit, but I don't see any way I can afford another vet visit. I know that bloat can be fatal if not treated. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Diane R]

Sorry, I'm just now responding to this. Is there a natural dewormer? I can not afford to take him in again and the exotic vet is going out of town and won't be back till Monday. He is eating his pellets, some hay, pooping a little, and sitting in that hunched position. He is still running around a little and I have given him some gas drops to see if they will help. I have already called the vet and they are pretty sure it is bloat but will not know for sure unless he gets an X-ray. The first time he got sick I think he had bloat but the vet medicine did not work, and once I took him off all medicines he got better. I am 99% sure that it is bloat (again) because he looks like a balloon, and I am trying to figure out how to clear it up naturally without spending a fortune. I am going to call the vet back and ask if there is any possible way to get medicine without bringing him in. Do you have any suggestions? I really do not want to lose my rabbit, but I don't see any way I can afford another vet visit. I know that bloat can be fatal if not treated. Any help is appreciated!

You can get Panacur (fenbendazole) for deworming but I doubt that this is a parasite problem. True bloat kills and fast. If he really is bloating you need to get him to the vet ASAP. If it is a gut slowdown rather than bloat, you need pain medication (very important) and gut stimulants but I doubt the vet will be willing to prescribe these without seeing the bunny. Really hope he's going to be OK.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

You can get Panacur (fenbendazole) for deworming but I doubt that this is a parasite problem. True bloat kills and fast. If he really is bloating you need to get him to the vet ASAP. If it is a gut slowdown rather than bloat, you need pain medication (very important) and gut stimulants but I doubt the vet will be willing to prescribe these without seeing the bunny. Really hope he's going to be OK.

We are getting Reglan tomorrow. The vet suggested some pain medicine, but since there has been no tooth grinding I refused to get it (it was also super expensive). In the call, the vet sounded like they were preparing for him to die. I got really emotional and decided to take him on a walk and see if that would help. It helped like CRAZY! He was running and binkying around! When I put him back in his playpen he started eating hay and then produced a nice big pile of poop. He is already looking less "balloon" like! I don't want to get my hopes up, but I really want him to get better so I can't help it. I'm going to be taking him on walks every day because that seemed to really help. I also gave him some grass that grows in our yard since he really liked it last year and I think that also helped. I've been calling it "Miracle Grass" (lol). If he takes a turn for the worse I will let you know and most likely be getting the pain medicine.