First thank you to everyone who had such good and happy thoughts for us today and I am sorry I didn't get to updating sooner. I had a long phone call today that took up a great chunk of my evening.
So we did indeed head over to
Atlantic Veterinary Center Middletown, Delaware
http://atlanticvetcenter.com/
We saw Dr. Weiher. The receptionist, Holly was really very nice to us indeed and I can't say a bad word about her at all.
I called Chadwell and had them fax over Sloane's records before we went. I thought that a good idea.
I grabbed the fridge poop and the some from her box and all her meds, records, pictures of the house, her food tags, toy examples etc and we went.
They were very good listeners and heard every thing I said. The one girl did laugh a little when the pineapple juice and papaya thing came up...
The vet came in and they checked her over a hundred times better then the vet (Dr. Urie) did at Chadwell. Ears, tummy, took her temp...everything.
Said the temp was on the high end of okay.
He explained his take on the pineapple and all is an outed thought on it breaking down and taking care of hair in the body and would not recommend nor sell those products for Sloane. (You go JBun)
He said she mostly looks very good however her stomach felt slightly doughy.
Yet he can feel things moving along, shaped poops doing their thing etc.
I'm concerned now.
She weighed in at 2.8 pounds my friends. Wow. Pushing 3 pounds and still a few weeks away from 4 months old. I wonder what weight she will land at full grown.
She was most unhappy being there. I have NEVER seen her sit in our laps EVER. She sat in Lina's lap for like...10 or more minutes on the floor...freaking out I think. She heard dogs in the waiting room.
She is currently laying down next to Lina's legs. Lina is laying/sleeping on the living room floor and well Sloane is right at her feet with her.
With one ear up.
SO he says he is going to check on a few things and comes back in with a bottle and takes out some meds and tries to give her some. That didn't go well let me tell you. I hold her for a second and we get it in her and then we talk. It is Reglan. Okay..um like how much is this? He doesn't know talk to them upfront.
I would of liked if you could have mentioned BEFORE You prepared and gave her the med that you WANTED to give her the med and HOW MUCH is the med. Just saying, from GO you all knew money was a major concern for. I love my rabbit but are you all gonna like me when I tell you I can't pay my bill?
So that oral Reglan was like over 30 bucks. Sweet eh?
Push comes to shove I just can't.
Turns out the fecal I think is so much more because they send it out to a lab to be read. The results will be back tomorrow morning.
So we don't even know if she still has the coccidia or how to treat.
His go to answer was another course of the smz tmp for 10 days.
Maybe Albon but I am not keen on the Albon....I have issues of my own with that one.
I asked them to call in the Reglan and if we have to the smz tmp to my local Walgreens. Man I think that Vet Practice Manager was PO'd something serious let me tell you. When I asked may I please keep the one syringe marked with the red line for dosage she said no.
It would seem the Vet made her give it back to me. HA you mean lady. Take that!@!@!
Well, Walgreens tells me they waited super long to call that script in for the reglan and they do have to order it so we won't be able to Wednesday.
Bummer if she really has to have it.
That med they wanted to charge me over 30 dollars for? Yeah, $11.99 at Walgreens you overpriced snobs ripping off the care of my beloved rabbit so you can drive nicer cars and live in bigger houses. Sorry.
SOOOO I am home and stressed and worried. I spent my money for the week but thinking about the fact I honestly like this vet better even if I think his manager needs things removed from orifices of her body.
Worried about the prices of ever having to visit there but still the quality of care was better. Sorry Chadwell Animal, you ARE NOT UP TO PAR!
I wondered though, could I still take her there for her spay and feel okay with that and their level of care...I am still pondering and will continue to ponder for weeks to come.
(Must remember to cancel Wed appt there)
Thinking about doughy stomach...Thinking I need to understand MORE about this and started reading some. Came across this right:
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-7/gi.html
But this is the part that interested me the most:
"To sum it up, the cause of this condition is not the presence of hair in the stomach, but rather a GIT motility disorder that results in firm impacted stomach and cecal contents.
If we do not correct the underlying problem, then this condition is destined to reoccur."
So I am asking myself WHAT IS MY UNDERLYING? Coccidia? HAIR? Something else? Could it be something in the Sweet Meadow Hay? We did find moss like things in the Timothy from time to time.
"How do rabbits act when they have impacted stomach or cecal contents? They will stop eating either suddenly or gradually over a period of time. The stools will get smaller and smaller, then stop altogether. Often, these patients will be bright and alert for a week or longer.
They may want to chew the paper on the bottom of the cage, the woodwork or the wall board (all sources of fiber they are craving), but refuse to eat their pellets. Some rabbits have had periodic soft, pudding-like stools prior to complete anorexia. Eventually these patients can become seriously ill and die if the condition is not treated."
Now see that bit was interesting. Anyone keeping up remember I mentioned she has been trying to eat the legs of my end tables, all my tables and even some of my walls etc etc. I've been like what the hell!! She has been digging at the carpet at the bottom of her cage and I have been worried about her ingesting the fiber of the carpet so I placed nic panels at the bottom and cardboard below that. She has been digging at that now, but only in one corner.
NO pudding stools. NO diarrhea. She isn't off her pellets.
She is off her hay. She is starting to go off her romaine and even be like whatever about her pumpkin.
We put out a crap ton of alfalfa hay and the first cut timothy from sweet meadow tonight. Like an all you can eat buffet. She really hasn't been too into it.
She ate a cube of pumpkin since being home. Drank a bit of water at last.
I did give her another dose of the last of that smz from the other vet on my own accord. Why miss a dose if I might have to give it to her tomorrow?
This vet thinks no Bene?
"Since this is an impaction problem, the goal is to rehydrate the rabbit both through the circulatory system and through the GIT. Fluids are administered either under the skin or in a vein along with high fiber and moisture feedings by syringe or tube. Syringe feedings can be made from ground rabbit pellets or powdered alfalfa mixed with blenderized green leafy vegetables and an oral electrolyte solution. In addition, medications to stimulate the GIT to start moving again and analgesics are used. It is rarely necessary to use antibiotics, and in fact these might cause further disturbance to an already compromised GIT. Some people like to use laxatives, and enzymes. I too, have used these products in the past, but have found that they really aren't necessary. I have equal success in treating this condition with or without enzymes. It is important to remember that enzymes of any kind (pineapple, papaya or pancreatic) do not dissolve hair. But the real keys are hydration of the stomach/cecal contents and getting the GIT moving again."
We didn't do fluids there. I wouldn't have been able to afford it but you know he didn't bring it up either.
High fiber...isn't that my pumpkin at the moment with the moisture? That my best home choice??
He mentioned push more veggies and gave me a list. Also sorry to say my local grocery store is SUCKING for good looking veggies. My carrot tops were rotten last I was there.
How much should I be pushing, giving? Think ice cube tray wise.
Enzymes? as in Bene Bac? or Just talking pineapple and such. Gotcha already discovered stay away there.
"I find that over 50% of the rabbits presented with this condition will take care of it themselves when they are given a big pile of leafy greens to eat. Most of the cases of stomach impaction we see have been on a primary pellet diet (NOT SLOANE)and have had little or no access to greens or hay (NOT SLOANE). They are craving fiber and fluids and the leafy greens can be just the ticket. In addition we give all these patients good quality grass hay(SLOANE HAS TONS OF HAY). We completely remove pellets from the diet (rabbits usually won't eat pellets when they are ill anyway)- (SLOANE IS EATING HER PELLETS AND IF WE TAKE THEM AWAY SHE STOPS POOPING). Whatever treatment is used, one can expect stools to be produced within three days. It is rarely necessary to perform surgery for this condition."
So there. That is all yeah?
She was dosed at 5pm with Reglan but will have to wait till Wednesday for more.
I won't know till the morning what the fecal results are and if she needs more medications.
If that result comes back negative and there is nothing wrong on that part then I need someone to explain to WHAT is my underlying cause because we give veggies, pellets and tons of hay and fresh water, and pumpkin only when she starts to go this way.
It is the pumpkin that keeps her moving. I think she be in total GI failure without it honestly.
We need to get more gas drops.
I need more hay.
Romaine and hunt for a store with better veggies.
She loves my daughter.
She lays down by her feet or climbs on her back when she sleeps. It is kinda funny you know. Its like she won't let you know she loves you that much unless you are sleeping. Maybe it is because she is that still.
Lina is worried about how she breathes real heavy sometimes. To the point her ears will shake. She feels the vet didn't really answer her.
I really think that is everything guys. Sorry the update is SO crazy long and took forever to get up.
Thanks for being there for us, listening and being a part of our world.
Much love to everyone and I hope all your buns are doing well and living in the lap of veggie heavens.
ray: