My Rabbit has Stopped Eating

[Jaiyla]

Well, it's really my boyfriends rabbit - but basically mine as well. We had noticed his appetite was dwindling and he had stopped drinking - we took him to the vet immediately. The vet I wanted to take him to (that rabbits.org had recommended) said they couldn't fit me in till the next day, but asked me to check a different vet. So, I did. They took me in and they had examined Spitfire (netherland dwarf bunny, 2 lbs 13 ounces) they never took his temperature ... don't get me started on their service towards us.

Anyways, they said he had a hairball and gave us medication and told us to come back daily basis for water injections since he wouldn't drink. After the third day the vet had asked us what we were feeding him. We had told them the same - pellets and hay. She was like "No, what are you syringe feeding him?" I was like what?! Then she took us back to show us how to syringe feed Oxbow Critical Care food. It only took them THE THIRD DAY TO GIVE US FOOD FOR HIM. I was so angry and contiunted to ask why they never gave us this option, nor brought it up to us originally. The vet in the first place told us that the medicine we were giving him was food. There were two of us there and had heard the same thing. I am never going back to that vet.

Anyways, we're on our fourth day of medicaton, water, and forcefeeding food. The second day he had produced some stools with hair, but ever since then he has not. We gave him about 50 mL of critical care food yesterday, but I'm so concerned that he has not ingested any of it. Am I just continuing to build up his problem? I feel so hopeless now, but I am no where near giving up. He's still acting normal, so that's a good sign - right? Does anyone else have ANY suggestions for a bunny with a hairball? I don't know what else to do...

 

[aurora369]

First off, rabbits don't get "hairballs" like a cat does. They will have a slow down in the intestines, and perhaps more hair in their system than normal due to a molt, but the bunny's digestive system is very different than a cat or dogs.

Hydration is the most important thing when a rabbit is going through stasis. If you can get some pedialyte (electrolyte drink for dehydrated children) and syringe that to your bunny, that will help alot. The sub-q injections the vet was giving where really good.

Keep going with the critical care. If you run out, you can always make a mash with his pellets by soaking some in water. That works really well also.

Here's some good reading material in our libarary:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28622&forum_id=10

Also, what medication did the vet give you? Can you get the name off the bottle?

--Dawn

 

[polly]

Hi And welcome to the forum

Your poor bunny are you in America? Canned pumkin is very good to syringe them when they arent eating as well as your crit care and water as long as you are careful. vegetables are good as well like carrots, kale, basil etc anything you know he likes to tempt him.

keep us updated

 

[Jaiyla]

Well - I know that it's not like a cat or dog. I've done my research and I just called it a hairball since that's what the vet kept repeating.

I'm not at my boyfriend's right now to get the exact name, but I can get it for you tonight. It's a banana flavored enzyme. I do know that much.

 

[Jaiyla]

Thank you polly! I have not heard of the canned pumpkin trick before, but that's very good to know. I am in the US! Over here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am going to bring over some carrots for him and see if he takes any interest in them tonight.

 

[Jaiyla]

Actually, after looking at that website you had given me, Dawn, which thank you very much because it is beyond helpful, the medicine is Cisapride.

 

[aurora369]

Forgot about the pumpkin! A great thing to try as well.

It is always best to try to get him to eat on his own by tempting him with lots of different yummy foods. Try some different herbs and leafy veggies.

It's good that some poop has started to come out. Hopefully more will follow.

As far as I understand, the poop in the intestines gets dehydrated and hard when it sits and that can make it impossible for the bunny to pass. By getting lots of fluids into the bunny, it allows that mass to absorb moisture and soften up making it possible for the bunny to pass it.

Glad to hear you've been reading up. There are some really great articles in the link I gave above. It sucks that us bunny owners have to educate ourselves because most vets don't really know what they are doing when it comes to treating bunnies. A rabbit savvy vet is a true treasure.

Is it possible to get an appointment with the original vet that was suggested by our vet listing?

--Dawn

 

[Maureen Las]

You need to be aggressive with treatment!!

I will post some articles for you at the end of this post.

he needs to be syringed critical care several times per day Often it is easiet to syringe smaller amountsmultiple times times per day than one large amount three times per day. If you syringed 50 cc yesterday then why would you be concerned that he did not ingest any? You need a large feeding syringe and need to add enough water to the critical care so that it won't plug the syringe . often time it takes more than one person to feed a rabbit particularly if you are new at doing this. Place the syringe in the side of the mouth , push in a little CC and watch your bun swallow.
If the critical care is really hard to do you can also go out and get pure canned unseasoned pumpkin in a can . Make sure it is not seasoned for a pie. this is very easy to get in a syringe and easier for the rabbit to swallow.
You can also get baby food that is pureed in vegetable flavors to syringe

Offer the bun fresh wet, clean greens like parsley , cilantro, romaine endive. Greens often will entice even a stasis bunny to eat. Even a piece of carrot won't hurt.
think of things your rabbit will like and even a piece of apple (small ) could whet his appetite.
you can also syringe infant pedialyte to your bun to keep him hydrated. You can buy pedialyte at any drugstore and /or grocery store.
This has to be done

The fact that your bun has gone days without eating is already dangerous for him in terms of organ damage. That's why the vet was surprised that you had not fed him. Rabbits should never be permitted to go without food for more than 24 hrs.

he is not going to get over this by himself ; you need to be keep a consistent regime of feeding and hydrating until he starts eating on his own and pooping on his own.

I would also get and administer some benebac ( petco store) which comes in small tubes for small animals as it may help the bacteria in his gut. reestablish itself.

You also need to get infant liquid gas drops at the drugstore with the single ingredient simethicone in it and give him about 1 cc with up to 3 doses several hours apart.


I am going to be at my shelter after I finish this so am requesting other mods to follow this thread for you.


http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28622&forum_id=10
Please read all this info to help your bunny

 

[aurora369]

Ah, Cisapride is a gut motility drug. Randy (ra7751), one of our very experienced infirmary mods who does tons of work in rescue and works with several top rabbit vets, really recommends not using motility drugs.

From what I understand, they where designed for cats and dogs and not rabbits. Best thing is to stick to hydration. Sub-q (injected) and oral hydration work wonders on stasis.

Keep feeding the critical care (or pellet mush if you run out of critical care) and get lots and lots of fluids into him.

Personally, I would discontinue the Cisapride. However, I would like to get a few more opinions on the subject who are more knowledgeable than me. I haven't had to deal with stasis for about three years now (thankfully). Hopefully some of the infirmary mods can step in and give their advise as well.

--Dawn

Edit: I see that Angielove provided some good advice for you above, while I was writing this post.

 

[JimD]

How do they know it was a hairball?
Did they take xrays to confirm a blockage of any kind?

Hay and liquids will be the best to help pass a hairball.

Are you syringing the Critical care?
I would suggest mixing the Critical Care with fresh pineapple juice (instead of water).
Make it really liquidy and gentlyforce feed it to him with a large syringe (you can find large sryingesin the bird section of the pet store).

I also give my buns dried papaya with they shed/molt....to help pass the extra hair.

If he's not drinking, you could syringe some Pedialyte.
Sub-Q would be better (injected liquids)

Is he peeing?
Poopin?
Drinking anything on his own?
Eating anything on his own?

 

[Maureen Las]

Randy (our wild-life rehabber) has very negative feeling re; the use of gut motility drigs like cisapride and reglan. if the vet did not x-ray the rabbit before ordering it..it can be dangerous as it causes contractions of the intestines.

Cisapride is safer than reglan....

I have used it successfully on several of my rabbits for severe stasis but I sometimes feel as if I am taking a risk :?

If I have done everything else to try to get my rabbit's system moving.. including everything I mentioned in the above post. I will break down and use it
I have never had problems with it.

I think that it is your call
Some of us would never use it, some of us will on occasion ...
it does not mean the vet was 'wrong" for ordering it ;
it only means that many many people have varying opinions and it has its risks

 

[Jaiyla]

I'm sorry, I used the wrong word - I was worried the food hadn't passed - I know he actually consumed it.

I had just read in the link you guys gave me that the cisapride is not recommended. Should I stop giving him that?

Luckily, I work right next to a pet smart and petco, so I can go scavenge for the benebac. So I should get all three: benebac, infant pedialyte, and the gas drops? How much pedialyte should I feed?

The critical care hasn't been too hard to feed - yesterday with his second serving of it he was actually trying to get it out himself. I had put some extra in a food dish and he had eaten some. For the third try, he was giving me a hard time.

Yes, I am syringing the critical care to him with a large syringe that the vet provided. I will gladly try the pineapple juice trick as well - that's a great idea. Hasn't been pooping too much, but has peed some. Will not drink on his own at all, I did read that if you try to put it in a dish he is more likely to drink it? The only thing he ate on his own is the critical care.

Thank you guys so much for your help by the way. I had printed everything out and I will try everything to get him healthy.

 

[aurora369]

That's a really good sign that he ate some critical care on his own. Maybe try offering him some in a dish first before syringing to see if he'll eat it on his own? Then syringe if he's not eating it willingly.

You can try adding a tiny bit of juice to his water to see if that makes him interested. Try offering that in a dish and keeping his normal plain water in his bottle in case he doesn't like the juice.

I would get all three of the simiethecone, pedialyte and bene-bac. The simiethecone can make a big difference if he's got some bad gas that is causing discomfort. Pedialyte is great for rehyrdating because it has a bunch of electrolytes in it (you can also get it plain or flavoured). And the Bene-bac is a good pro-biotic that can help acidify the gut and hopefully help him get back to a normal gut flora.

Keep reading the articles, and ask lots of questions! There is a lot of information to process out there and many different opinions and ideas. Best way, in my opinion, is to talk it all through.

It's good that food and liquids are going in the bun, and good that he is still peeing. Is his pee more concentrated? His pee will be a good indicator for how dehydrated he is.

--Dawn

 

[Maureen Las]

For your rabbit's weight it could be about 88 ml spread through out a 24 hr period.
but that could be fluids not all pedialyte

That seems like a lot but you need to constinuously give him fluids.
Jim mixes CC with pineapple juice (good idea) and I mix pineapple juice with pedialyte

Thank Jim D for bringing up fresh pineapple juice (not canned) but juice that is from a fresh pineapple.

Yes get benebac, get pedialyte and get gas drops (simethicone. )

Get all three of those in him

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm leaving now !

Thanks for the helpDawn, Jim, Polly

 

[aurora369]

You can also see if he'll eat plain canned pumpkin on his own. Some bunnies love canned pumpkin and it has lots of moisture and fibre in it. Worth a try.

--Dawn

 

[dquesnel]

Jaiyla wrote:

We had noticed his appetite was dwindling and he had stopped drinking - we took him to the vet immediately.

Good for you. You have received some really good info so far, and the fact that he has willingly taken critical care is excellent.

To answer your question on whether to stop the Cisapride treatment, in your case I would. Especially if radiographs were not taken to rule out blockage. But the biggest concern is to figure out why his eating was dwindling in the first place, and then stopped drinking.

It could very well be a build up of hair, this does happen and the fact that he did pass some stools with hair on the second day may mean there is more in there. The hair fills the stomach making it feel fuller than it should. Did you notice any change in his poops before you took him to the vets? That could also indicate a cause.

He may also have dental problems, sometimes it is hard to see those molars without actually sedating the rabbit. That could cause a slow decline in appetite and unwillingness to eat hard foods like pellets/hay/greens again.

It can take a long while to recover from stasis and it could be that he has already recovered from the cause and is now working slowly towards improvement. I only stress finding the cause because he may not get better or he may relapse again in a while if the cause is a mystery and has not been identified yet.

He could also be stressed with the trips to the vets, that may slow his progress to want to eat. If he needs sub qs are you able to administer them at home? In all honesty I rarely use sub qs to help a stasis rabbit recover only because I wet down their critical care so much and feed water through a syringe. It really helps to get fluid directly into the gut and then it will more likely hydrate the stomach and gut contents rather than the skin or other organs of the rabbit first. There is nothing wrong with administering sub qs if they appear to be necessary. If he needs sub qs then best to do it from home if that is an option for you.

Keep us updated- following the suggestions here may make a huge difference with him. It does sound like he is already improving with the interest in some food.

 

[Boz]

Welcome to the forum! I don't have much advice and besides that wonderful advice has been given anyway!.
Just wanted to say welcome and I hope he recovers! Sounds like he's got a good life and wonderful owners who care a lot about him! :biggrin2:


Edited for spelling.

 

[ra7751]

Well....most everyone knows I have to comment on this one. I see a lot of red flags here. I don't see where the problem has been properly diagnosed. Why is he not eating or why is the food not passing. The answer to that question needs to be found.

Now, if it is a "hairball" (which as you know is a rare case in a rabbit) so I prefer the term "impaction"....the use of motility drugs is contraindicated....as they always are for me. These drugs induce intense contractions in different sections of the gut....one releases chemicals from the brain to induce contractions and another drug actually stimulates the nerve endings in the intestinal tract and induces contractions. Since an impaction is a dehydrated mass of ingesta (usually a combination of mpucous, undigested food and fur) the contractions will compress it and dehydrate it even more....the exact opposite of what you want to happen. Once this starts, it is a self feeding problem as the mass only continues to compress, grow as more food is forced and dehydrated....it's a vicious cycle. Think how you feel with stomach cramps...these are much worse and you know how a rabbit resonds to pain. Also, in GI events like this....gastric ulcers are very possible. These lesions will further weaken an already naturally thin intestinal wall. Should a strong contraction hit near one of the lesions....it will perforate and there is only one solution to that scenario....and it ain't a good one. And if there is an impaction....it has to be resolved before you put in more food. What goes in has to go out....so if there is an impaction that won't let the fecal matter out....putting more food in will only add to the pressure inside the gut....like bloat. Not only is this very painful (see previous comments about pain)....the pressures can also have a negative effect on any lesions (see previous comments about gastric ulcers) and again, bad things can happen. Certain pain meds can slow a stalling gut even more....the use of these pain meds have to be seriously considered to determine if the risk outweighs the possible benefits. Simethicone, while an excellent treatment for gas, does have a constipating effect and in the event of an impaction will tend to make things worse. I am totally and firmly against using motility drugs in a rabbit....it's not a cat. dog, ferret or human. It's a herbivore gut with different dynamics than omnivores or carnivores. Just my non-professional opinion based on my many years of working special needs rabbits....but as long as there is a breath of life in me....not one of my rabbits will ever get motility drugs....and after I am dead, I will come back to haunt anyone that gives these drugs to any of my rabbits.....that is how seriously opposed I am to motility drugs.

If the inappetience is caused by other problems such as pain, illness, infection or possibly a tumor blocking the gut....this requires a different response. Hydration before nutrition. If you force feed a dehydrated animal, you are setting the animal up for disaster...and that is true for any species. We have had rabbits not eat for over a week and we pulled them thru. Hydration is the key to overcoming gut issues once you identify and correct the root cause of the problem.

Stasis is always a secondary issue...it doesn't happen on it's own. Something is causing it and that needs to be identified andcorrected. I would like to see an x-ray of the GI....that would tell me if I am dealing with a true impaction....or should I look elsewhere for the cause. Hydration support is essential.....IV is best...sub-q is more than adequate....and orally is better than nothing. I really thinka bit more diagnostics is in order to properly identify the cause of this issue so that an effective treatment protocol can be implemented and you get a successful resolution to this problem.

Randy

 

[Jaiyla]

Good news: he had eaten a good amount of the critical care in his dish. He had drank a little bit of water, but I have to get more in him. I have had good results with the medicine - he is improving greatly. I bought everything that you guys suggested. I had put half of a baby carrot, a small piece of romaine lettuce, and a small bit of parsley in his dish. Right when he saw them, he went and ate them all asap.
My boyfriend is kind of worried about the pedialyte - and now I googled it and saw that two rabbits had died from it? Should I just stick to syringing regular water? He takes things syringed very well.