Please Help!!

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im having a problem with my bunny.A couple weeks ago he was sick and not eating, so i brought him into the vet who did xrays and said he had gi stasis. so i took him home and treated him for a week, and it seemed like he was eating on his own a bit and back to normal after the first day or so. about a week after i started the meds, he completly stopped eating his hard food and hay, and he will only eat lettuce cilantro and a little bit of apples(+ the critical care im giving him which he hates, and barely eats). hes drinking water but not nearly as much as he used to. hes acting completly normal, running around, but hes grinding his teeth a lot and always looking for things to chew.a couple people told me it sounds like he has dental problems, likehis teeth
might be overgrown, but i cant tell(they dont seem that long to me). anyways, i spent 450 on him last time i took him in,(+200 on my dehyrated kittly)all in the same week,and i lost my job a couple weeks ago so i really cant afford to bring him in again. any ideas on what the problem might be? gi stasis or teeth? also, i stopped his meds after a week, is it ok to put him back on them again?

 

[naturestee]

It sounds like molar spurs (overgrown molars) to me. You won't be able to see that without special equipment because they're far back in the mouth. This was probably the cause of his stasis the first time too and the vet just never checked. GI stasis is just a symptom and is always caused by something else, even though some people treat it like a disease in itself. If you have pain meds still, I'd give them. Let him eat as much veggies as he wants, and also see if he might like some canned pumpkin- the plain stuff with no spices added. You can also grind up his regular pellets, mix them with water, and turn them into a mash or a thin fluid for syringe feeding. Some rabbits prefer that to Critical Care.

As for the cost, see if the vet will work with you since I'm guessing he didn't properly diagnose your rabbit the first time. Both of the rabbit vets at the clinic I go to check the teeth before anything else. Also, does your vet take Care Credit? It's like a credit card for vet or medical expenses. If you can manage certain payment plans they won't charge you any interest. It can be a real life saver in emergencies.
http://www.carecredit.com/

You can also try calling around to see if other vets are capable of treating your rabbit for a lower cost. If you're in a big city you might be stuck, but sometimes there are great vets in suburban areas or smaller cities that charge a lot less. For example unless there's something I haven't guessed at on your bill, my Sheboygan, WI vet would have charged me about $120 for what you got and a molar spur surgery here is $50. I have a bun who needs that done regularly so thankfully their price is super-cheap.

Here's our list of rabbit vets we know of, organized by area:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_forum.php?id=9

You can also call local rabbit rescues to see who they recommend in your area.

Best of luck, and please keep us updated!

Oh, and in case you want some GI stasis info here's an article I wrote:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28622&forum_id=10

 

[aurora369]

Hi there, welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear that your bunny is not doing so well.

Generally, GI Stasis is a symptom of a more serious problem (like spurs on their molars or something else causing discomfort/pain).

The teeth grinding is a sign of pain. It could be from gas. You can try giving him some baby gas medicine that has the active ingredient simethicone.

You need to make sure your bunny stays well hydrated. You can offer watered down pure fruit juice, or some pedialyte (electrolyte drink for dehydrated children).

There is a lot of information about GI stasis in our library, check it out here:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28622&forum_id=10

Can you tell us where you are located so we can try to suggest things that are readily available in your area? There may also be some good resources that other forum members have used that they can recommend to you.

Also, can you tell us exactly what medication and treatment protocol your vet gave you?

I'm sure there will be a flurry of advice coming for you soon from other members.

--Dawn

 

[tonyshuman]

I want to reiterate that it sounds like a tooth problem to me. Bunnies will often go off their harder food like pellets and hay but still eat soft veggies when their teeth are hurting them. The stasis is probably from not eating these high fiber foods. I also think your vet should have been able to tell that, so it may be time to find a new rabbit-specialist vet.

Best of luck. For now, try to keep him hydrated with pedialyte and feed him as naturestee reccomended. This may cost a bit right now, but it may be the last time you need to have his teeth trimmed. Remember that he needs to eat a lot of hay, as it will keep his teeth at a good length. Once he gets better he needs to eat more hay.

 

[naturestee]

Oh hey, one question. What flavor Critical Care do you have? Some buns will willingly eat the apple-banana flavor but a lot don't like the anise (licorice) flavor. I don't blame them. Also if he does like pumpkin you might be able to hide a little Critical Care in it. You can also try spreading a very thin amount of Critical Care on a lettuce leaf.

I've had to learn a lot of tricks.

 

[Maureen Las]

How's your bunny doing ...????:?

 

[[email protected]]

Thank you soooo much for all the advice! A really kind animal lover who works at an animal rescue place told me to go to the vet she goes to and paid the bill for me! it turned out his incisors needed to be trimmed they were sharp and pointy and poking his tongue every time he tried to eat the pellets and hay. The vet let me watch him do the trim and he showed me the sore on his tongue caused by the teeth! ouch!! no wonder he didnt want to eat:-( anyways the sedative is wearing off and he started eating a little of his pellets right away!! Sometimes it takes an emergency to remind myself how many kind people there are out there i cant wait to pay it forward to someone else out there once i get a job thanks again for all your help!!

 

[PepnFluff]

What a lovely lady! Its good he's all good now

 

[Maureen Las]

Geez this is a happy ending story

I'm so glad that you rabbit had his teeth done..
I have a holland lop who had his bottom molars growing across his entire mouth and puncturing the opposite cheek.
it is for these reasons that i am a rabbit advocate. as they cannot tell us what hurts and it is up to us to help them

you did a great job ....stay on the forum!!!!!

 

[naturestee]

That's fantastic! Also, I'm glad it's the incisors and not the molars. That means she might not have to be anesthetized every time she needs a trim.

Is she the one in your avatar? I love mini rex.

 

[[email protected]]

Ya thats HIM his name is Don Juan. hes the only bun of my bunch who has to go to the vet all the time! i know im lucky though the other two are okay