Weighing in here.....moldy hay....oh boy! I think Pipp mentioned mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are found in moldy food when the mold dies off and it creats these toxic substances (a very simplified explanation). It is found in hay when the hay was baled wet (or has been wet or stored in humid conditions)and then exposed to extreme temperatures. It can also be found in pelleted food. It is a "spot" toxin and may be in only one tiny spot in a bale of hay.....but with pellets it is more easily spread. The symptoms are much like ileus....a total and painful shutdown of the GI tract. Radiology will show an empty GI with lots of gas. The rabbit will not eat and will be hunched in severe pain grinding it's teeth. Sounds something like you have here. This rabbit should be under the care of a very highly skilled rabbit vet immediately. Gastric ulcers are a huge concern with this situation. Remember that ulcers are basically sores that eat thru flesh and a rabbit stomach lining is very thin.
And it is also possible, and we have seen this, that buns that have been on a crappy diet or near starvation have a terrible time establishing their gut again.
I think you have already received some excellent advice. Simethicone is a wonderful thing. I also think Pipp mentioned hay and water....I couldn't agree more. Bunny basics. We have also found that the first thing they will eat coming out of something like this is either dandelion greens or mint.
As far as pumpkin....if you can't find fresh, use the canned pumpkin. It can be found in the baking section of most large supermarkets. There is a difference in "canned" and pie filling. Has to do with the sugar content and sugar is one of the last things this bun needs. Make sure it is the canned type. Be very cautious about over feeding in this situation. Slow and steady with an increasing amount as things begin to stabilize. A rabbit is much like a salt water aqarium...nothing good happens fast.
Can you or someone you know administer sub-q fluids? Hydration is huge in something like this no matter what the cause.
We also usually put these rabbits on a controversial treatment of antibiotics. When the gut collapses, it kills off the beneficial bacteria. The toxin from the decay is what is giving your bun the gas...and probably an odor too. The bacteria that takes over is toxic...mostly e coli and clostridium. She needs a specific antibiotic to target the clostridium.
Pain meds, other than simethicone, are also controversial in these cases. Most of the good ones have an overall negative effect on the GI tract but it might be a case of the lesser of the evils.
Do you have a heating pad? If not...find one. This is a wildlife trick to prevent shock in sick/injured animals but it also works in this case. Heat her up. Her body temp is probably getting low and that may lead to shock. We use a box or small carrier. Put a towel over the heating pad and place the box/carrier over part of the heating pad. Part of the carrier should be off the pad so she can move away from the heat if she desires. The bottom of the carrier should be warm to the touch.....say maybe just above a rabbit's normal body temp of 40c (about 104 for those of us in the US) if my conversions are correct.
I strongly expect that she is filled with worms and other parasites like coccidia. I would also have a vet take a look at that. Unless he/she thinks parasites are the root of the problem, their treatment would be secondary to the GI issue...but they are most likely a contributing factor.
I feel like Dr. Death much of the time as the animals I deal with on a daily basis have not come in with good health. It really started getting me down for a while. But some people convinced me that these animals were coming to me for a reason. Regardless of if they live or die....they come to you for a reason too. You make them special and we all know what that means to an animal. I made an emergency run to get a rabbit from a vet's office over an hour away. This bun had something similar to what you are describing....just many times worse. The bun died within 10 minutes of us taking him. But he didn't die alone...he died in a real home with people that cared about him....if only for a few minutes he had a good home. My point is not to dwell on death in this statement...but rather to point out that you must have a gift. These animals are coming to you to receive that gift. That is how our rescue got started and why we have so many sick animals here now. I encourage you to further explore this gift you most obviouly have. Best wishes.
Randy
