Is there anything that can be done for obstructions?

[TheBunnyBunch]

About two weeks ago, we had to put my beautiful Gryphon down due to what we thought at the time was an intestinal blockage. It was later confirmed that the blockage occurred due to him eating some carpet fibers. I've been told that there's no cure for an intestinal obstruction of that sort...but is that true? I know that rabbits don't survive GI surgery...so short of taking that risk with him, was there anything else I could have done? I want to know so I can hopefully avoid this with my other bunnies.

I'm also really concerned about the differences in veterinary opinion that I've gotten in regards to Gryph's death. The emergency vet appeared to be very rabbit-savvy, and diagnosed him with a probable obstruction when she sedated him and ran a tube down his throat to try and relieve some of the pressure from the stomach. She said she knew it was an obstruction when she got hair out of his stomach. However, my "main" doctor said afterwards that it wasn't an obstruction because "the intestinal tract hadn't collapsed." (This is the same guy that tells me to give my rabbits pina colada yogurt for stomach issues...and says that that's what they did at the U. Wisconsin school where he did further studies on exotics. He also had never heard of putting a tube down the throat to remove fluid...and I had found that during my frantic Google-searching the previous evening... *sigh* ) I know this is really rambling...but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I had known early enough that Gryph was in serious trouble, I could have taken him to this "main" doctor...but I'm not sure that would have even saved him, considering that he wouldn't have treated him for an obstruction. I'm not trying so much to absolve myself from the guilt I've been carrying for the past two weeks, as trying to learn and get other views on what I should do if this ever happens again in the future.

Thanks for letting me ramble...I really miss my fluffybunnyloveboy.

 

[Imbrium]

please don't beat yourself up! you did all you could - you rushed him to the emergency vet (who's apparently a good bit better than your main vet) like a good bunny-owner. from what I've heard, obstructions are very tough on rabbits and it's not uncommon for them to be fatal... I have no experience with them (and praying it stays that way), though, so I can't give any advice for the future.

 

[LakeCondo]

I'm so sorry that this happened. I hope you've covered the carpet with something safer. Until you find something better, you can use flattened cardboard boxes [all tape removed] or coroplast sheets. You can use a little sandpaper to scuff up the coroplast to give more traction.

 

[Mariah]

I work at a vet clinic with a bunny vet. I'm not so certain that obstructions cannot be fixed it rabbits. Yes it's a high risk surgery, but surgery can still be done. I'm so sorry you lost your beautiful bun.

 

[woahlookitsme]

Hairball obstructions can easily be avoided by giving either papaya tablets or fresh pineapple during molting seasons.

If it really was carpet then the only way to get it out would be surgery. I would say exploratory surgery is as invasive as a spay but you have to be more careful not to anger the gut and intestines. It is a high risk surgery but well worth it if the obstruction can be found and removed.

Did they do a necropsy on your bunny after he passed to see what the obstruction really was or how bad it was? It may have been that his intestines were too far gone that there was nothing you could have done. Dont beat yourself up about it we all live and learn. Now you know to cover up carpet like Orlena said. So sorry for your loss

 

[missyscove]

As far as I know the only option for an obstruction would be surgery. Did they take (or offer) radiographs to confirm the obstruction?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat:

 

[TheBunnyBunch]

Thanks, everyone. They did take x-rays that confirmed the obstruction. Unfortunately, the vet on duty at the time was not comfortable with doing the surgery as it has a very poor prognosis, and Gryphon was rather far gone at that point anyway. :-/

Thanks for the kind words. I'm going to go ahead and cover up the area of the carpet that's been dug up, and hope that that will keep them from ingesting any more fibers.