Popcorn update: One bunny refusing food

[whiskylollipop]

I know, Tauntz, I wish I had recorded it! I swear the fart was so loud Rosebun stopped and looked super embarrassed.

 

[Tauntz]

lol Awwwww, Rosebun, its okay. We just want you well! Besides according to Reader's Digest, laughter is the best medicine! lol Keep eating your hay, drinking your water & get better!

 

[JBun]

I can't say I agree with your vets assessment or treatment. If a rabbit owner waits til their rabbit is in too much pain to move, it is often too late for meds to do any good and surgery or pts is what ends up happening. It is catching GI problems early and treating early, that often saves a rabbit, and helps prevent a fatal blockage from occurring, or a disastrous overgrowth of harmful bacteria and toxins. If it were me, I would be finding a different vet. But that's just imo.

But as long as your bun is ok, that's what matters

 

[whiskylollipop]

Jenny - Oh I think I might have misrepresented, what he told us was there was a sliding scale of severity in gas cases. The milder side of the scale, which was where Rosebun was, was where a bunny was in obvious discomfort but still accepting food, still able to voluntarily move, and most importantly still willing to struggle against being picked up. That shows that the gas bubbles were small and moving in the gut. So I guess that meant he could just push them out by exercising the bun.

It's the bunny that lets you pick him up without much of a fuss and just sits in a miserable hunched position not moving unless it absolutely has to that's a slightly more severe case. That's when he'd use simethicone, pain and motility meds, because the gas bubbles would have been too big to break up and move on their own. He said that's most commonly what he sees because many bun owners take a wait-and-see approach and don't take their bun to the vet until the problem gets really bad.

I don't know, what he said made sense at the time and I'm just glad his methods however unconventional got Rosebun better. Do you think I should've gotten a second opinion?

 

[Imbrium]

I think Jenny just misunderstood what you meant (we've heard about SO many questionable "rabbit" vets in our time here) . Given the full context, I'd say there's no cause at ALL to question your vet's rabbit-savvyness, and I'm sure you can see how the same opinion could be very concerning in a completely different context!

 

[JBun]

I guess after dealing with so many cases of my own rabbits having stasis, and other peoples rabbits with GI problems, I tend to be over cautious. Even though a rabbit may end up being just fine without much intervention or meds, I've just read of so many rabbits that didn't end up being fine. Some rabbits really have such a sensitive digestive system, that it can easily slide out of control very quickly, and then you are in a crisis situation. And if toxic bacteria become involved, a rabbit may seem mostly fine one minute, then can deteriorate within hours. So generally, if I'm seeing or reading about a rabbit that hasn't improved despite efforts from the owner, and it's been more than 12 hours, and especially if the condition is worsening at all, then I feel vet and meds is needed. Just so that if there is a chance it is serious, that it's caught early, as early intervention can be key. And sometimes even a vet can miss things or underestimate how serious something is, and send you home thinking the rabbit will be fine, when it won't. So that's just my feelings on it. If it were me, I would have wanted the test and meds. But it ended up being alright, the vet guessed right, and your bun is fine, so that's really what matters

 

[Mariah]

Im with Jbun on this. I always air on the side of caution with my buns too. At any sign of tummy trouble, I start the simethicone. If that dosent work, cisapride & metacam are added to the mix, along with critical care- if bunny is not eating of course. Kiwi (my little girl) goes downhill so fast. The last time she had a serious bout of stasis, I fed at 630 pm. She was totally fine, so I went to my friends house down the road for some drinks. It was a Sat night. I got home around around 930pm & Kiwi was lethargic, wouldnt eat or drink anything. She HATES being held, & I had to restrain her to syringe the meds into her, (which was stressful for her & me), as well as the critical care. Usually if she has a mild tummy upset, she will just take the meds right from the syringe if I lay on the ground with her. Not this time. It was terrible. I dont know what happened between 630 & 930 to make her so sick. It took me 48 hours to get her to eat on her own & take the meds by herself. Thats why Im so parnoid & always start meds right away. I always have meds on hand, & since I work at a vet clinic, my Vet is only a text away. There was nothing she could do for Kiwi at that time, as I had all meds already.