Rabbit not eating much and small poops

[kjm84]

Hi, I have a 1 year old (approximately) black, male (unneutered), holland lop. He is normally very spunky and a very good eatter. He eats 1/8 cup oxbow timothy hay pellets, about 2 cups veggies, and lots of oat and timothy hay daily.

Two nights ago we had a bad thunderstorm all night and the next morning (yesterday) he seemed scared and not himself. His cage door was left open, but he still wouldn't come out (he has free-reign of the bathroom, and elsewhere when supervised). He normally eats his pellets ravenously when fed in the morning, but didn't touch it this time (and they are still sitting there). I fed him veggies later, which he nibbled on a piece of parsley, but hardly any. I saw him eat a very small amount of oat hay during the day and this morning. He is having very small poops, that have hair in them and are kind of strung together. He has been shedding like crazy so I assume he is backed up with hair. I gave him some canned pumpkin, but he's never had it before and wasn't interested, although I see tooth marks in it, so I guess he tried a small amount. I also put a little apple juice in his water and I saw him drinking some.

Should I go to the store and get him the oxbow papaya enzyme, or will he probably not want to eat it? Not sure what else to do, I've been massaging his tummy often too.

Should I get any type of hairball stuff to feed him...?

 

[gmas rabbit]

you need to get him to a vet ASAP, sounds like he is in GI Statis, possiblilty not only brought on by the thunderstorm but by the hair. They will start him on some sub-Q fluids and mobility drugs to get that hair moving. The hair usually gets stopped by the dehydration. Also ask for vitamin B shot as it will get him eating. Please don't ignore this as rabbits can die from this condition. DO NOT USE HAIRBALL STUFF it will coat the hairball and intestine and cause an even bigger problem.

 

[gmas rabbit]

How is this little guy doing. He needs some critical care syringed, some fluid, some ovol gas drops for colic in babies, and some other drugs. Let us know.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[kjm84]

I have been able to get him to eat some clovers and dandelion greens from my yard (which he always loves) and some oxbow botanical hay, but he still hasn't ate any pellets (which he normally devours). I syringe fed him critical care and picked up the oxbow papaya enzyme, but he won't eat it. I also syringed him lots of water and watered down apple juice. He was getting really mad about the syringe feeds, but he did get it all down, I just need to take breaks with him and then he becomes slightly more receptive again.

Are the gas drops definitely needed? If so I will pick some up tonight. I thought it was more hair and fecal impaction then gas.

I've been brushing him a lot and the hair just keeps on shedding and he has all weird patches on him where the hair is shedding and growing differently.

 

[kjm84]

Thanks for the help, btw... I appreciate the replies

 

[Blue eyes]

Have his poos returned to normal? If not, you really need to get him into a vet.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I really would get him to the vet. They can give him sub-q fluids which are a huge help during stasis. Just the fact that he won't take the Papaya enzymes means to me that he's really struggling-our bunnies LOVE those things and beg their heart out for more when I pull them out.

Him shedding with the hair coming out is called moulting. My Holland Lop is moulting right now and he's been struggling too with swallowing hair and I keep seeing the 'string of peals' (poop strung together by hair). I've been giving lots of enzymes however since the beginngin of the moult so its gotten somewhat better.

Sicne he already is having an acute problem, I'd get him to the vet ASAP. You can also in the mean time get infant gas drops, simethicone to try. It may be more hair but since things are not moving through well, gas builds up and that will help keep him from having so much gas pain etc.

 

[Imbrium]

I second (or perhaps I should say "fourth") the "get him to the vet" suggestion... from what I've heard, the hair problems from a molt can be very dangerous (even life-threatening) if not caught and managed very early before it can get to the point of a full-on hairball.

also be sure to do all you can to remove loose hair from the very start of each moult - your rabbit will need to be groomed daily or even twice a day when moulting. this happens every three months and alternates between very light sheds and very heavy sheds (ie what you're dealing with now). since bunnies lick themselves clean constantly like cats do but can't barf up the hairballs, daily hair removal goes a *long* way towards helping to prevent hair-ingestion issues

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=28114&forum_id=17 has lots of tips on how to remove loose hair from your bunny during a moult.

 

[katherine at sacred stories]

:brownbunnyray::brownbunny

Prayers for you and your sweet bunny.

 

[Blue eyes]

Bunnylova4eva wrote:

. I've been giving lots of enzymes however since the beginngin of the moult so its gotten somewhat better.

What do you use for "enzymes?"

 

[MiniLopHop]

Any updates on your bun?

If everything is not back to normal you need to RUN, not walk to the vet. There are many examples of buns passing in 24-48 hours from these kinds of symptoms. ray:

 

[kjm84]

Thanks everyone for the care about my bunny. He is doing much better, although I wouldn't say perfect. He has eaten some pellets, lots of hay and veggies (parsley, dandelions, and blackberry leaves). He is pooping, although still slightly smaller than usual, but not like they were. I have been able to get him to drink lots of water too. He also ate 2 of the papaya enzymes. He is also running around, almost back to normal.

Next time, I will know to help him along more with his molt by doing lots of grooming. I have been brushing his fur a lot to rid him of the excess fur as to not have this reoccur again. I think I will also give him a frequent dose of the papaya enzyme tablets.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Imbrium]

I'm SO glad to hear that he's doing better!

 

[missyscove]

I'm glad to hear he's doing better! My Timmy is in the midst of his own bout of stasis. I always keep simethicone, baby aspirin and critical care on hand. Anytime he stops eating I treat with the simethicone and aspirin first, give tummy massages and encourage him to exercise. It's also important to keep them hydrated. When my usual regimen didn't fix him, I took him to a vet so he could get sub q fluids, stronger pain relief and gut motility drugs. The vet I took him to did confirm that I had been doing everything right with the simethicone, aspirin and critical care so yes those really can help but sometimes they aren't enough. The great thing about the simethicone is that it's really difficult to overdose them on it so if I suspect gas even in the slightest I'll dose him with some because it may or may not help, but it definitely can't hurt.

 

[luvthempigs]

Why aspirin? Do you use a baby aspirin?

 

[kjm84]

that's great to hear, thanks a lot. How much of the baby aspirin is appropriate for a holland lop approx. 4 lbs.? I wanted to give him pain meds but was unsure what to give and how much.

 

[kjm84]

Tonight, he has completely returned to normal. Eatting ravenously and pooping normally. Except now I think I've found what was wrong with him.

There are pinworms in his poop! He is an indoor rabbit, not exposed to any other animals, although I do occasionally take him outside to run around. I know pinworms live inside many people and animals without causing harm, but they creep me out and I want them eradicated from his body. Does this need to be treated with medicine from the vet or is there any OTC deworming treatment available?

 

[Mariah]

My fuzzy holland lop had pinworms when I got him. I would suggest taking a fecal sample to your vet to check for other parasites as well. Papaya tested positive for pinworms and coccidia. A drug called Panacur treats pinworms and I had a sulpha drug for the coccidia.

Another thing you can use when your bunny is moulting is pineapple juice. It has to be fresh and not from the can as the stuff in the can is
too high in sugar. It helps move the hair along their GI system.

Good luck!

 

[missyscove]

Why aspirin? It's safe for rabbits and something that I can get at a drug store without a prescription. Metacam (meloxicam) is better/ stronger (and there are plenty of drugs even stronger than meloxicam that can be prescribed), but needs to be prescribed by a vet, especially since it isn't labeled for use in rabbits (many drugs are used extralabelly in animals http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/FDAVeterinarianNewsletter/ucm110954.htm).
I checked the Exotic Animal Formulary which lists three possible dosages for aspirin in rabbits each of which cites a different source:
10-100 mg/kg PO (by mouth) every 8-12 hours
100 mg/kg PO every 8-24 hours
100 mg/kg PO every 48 hours
(mg/kg is milligrams of aspirin per kilogram of rabbit; 1 kg is roughly 2.2 lbs)
Talk to your vet and ask what dosage they would suggest for your rabbit or, if you're going off my dosages, do play it safe as an aspirin overdose is a possibility.
The baby aspirin I have is 81 mg per tablet. I usually soak it in a tiny bit of water to break it up and then give it via syringe (sometimes I do the simethicone and the aspirin all in one). I find syringing is a lot easier than pilling a rabbit and the extra hydration is helpful.