Rabbit with Gas

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hamsterfeet

hamsterfeet

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Joined
Aug 29, 2012
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Location
Gilroy, California, USA
My mini rex has a very sensitive digestive system, so I have to be very careful with her. In the last few months, she has been suffering from gas and pain episodes pretty much every week; simethicone and belly massages seem to always solve the problem. This week however, the episodes have been happening everyday, so I took her to the vet yesterday. The vet didn't seem to find anything wrong with her, so I felt like the "crazy pet person", nevertheless, I kept insisting that she has been not her normal happy self. The vet suggested to remove veggies completely and see if she gets better. If not, remove the pellets completely as well. I have a feeling however that the pellets might be the culprit . But who knows, I'm just weening her off the pellets right now. Today she had no veggies and very little pellets (1/2 teaspoon), and she looks completely miserable, and uncomfortable. So I feel bad

Do you guys have any suggestions on what could be causing the gas/pain and sensitive tummies? Is there anyone with experience with sensitive tummy bunnies who could offer me some advice ?

I just feel very powerless right now, and don't like to see my bun so miserable:(.

Edit:I should add that I'm giving her meloxicam for the once daily for the last 3 days, and she seems to feel better after that, right now I'm just waiting so I can give her some (0.3cc /day).

 
Thanks for the best wishes and prayers. I feel bad for my bunny just hunching on a corner, and the vet unable to do much. I just hope she gets better soon.
 
Did she get x-rays?

I had a mini-rex with a sensitivity to cilantro, but the attacks weren't that frequent.

This doesn't sound right.

Hope she's okay. A long, long massage has always been the best tool. I use a vibrating toothbrush.


sas :clover:
 
My mini Rex also has been plagued with a very delicate system and we've been through multiple boughs of GI stasis. Is your girl eating and drinking normally? Also, do you give her any commercial treats? I've had to strictly use Oxbow Simple Reward treats, along with their grasses and pellets. She also does get fresh greens and fruit treats sparingly. In addition she gets a fresh pineapple piece daily. I also always have one hand: gas drops, Reglan and pain meds. It was some trial and error for us to find what worked for her and we still have to be cautious, careful and watchful. Hope your bun gets some relief. :pray:
 
She didn't get x-rays done this time (her last x-rays were done on mid-August, and her problem started on July). The vet doesn't think that she has a blockage because she seems to poop well, and when the vet checked her she wasn't even gassy. Her also had blood work, poop analysis, and she seems healthy except for her super sensitive digestive system.

I do give her cilantro though, but I'm not sure if that could be cause since she would get gassy even without cilantro (at first I thought it could be lettuce so I removed it from her diet as well)
 
What type of lettuce? I was under the impression that iceberg is not good for rabbits. I use romaine in my mix of greens. Does she seem to get gassy shortly after eating or drinking?
 
The vet did tell me that her digestive problem might be from her being a mini rex. She said that rexes are very prone to digestive issues.

Since she is so sensitive, I barely give her treats (she hated me for that:(),sometimes she gets oat groats, so I'm stopping that too. I use oxbow pellets too, but it might just be my imagination but ever since oxbow changed the bag design, her tummy issues has been way more frequent and worse than before.
I've been researching about it, some people say that oxbow didn't change any ingredients, but some say they did, so who knows:?. My vet also said that I might want to stop pellets all together, maybe there is some ingredient on the pellets that doesn't agree with remi's tummy.
 
How old is Remi? Which type of Oxbow do you use? I haven't noticed a diff emcee in Sydney since they changed the bag or names, but I do store the unused portion mine in the frig until I need to fill her canister. Of all my past rabbits, she's the only one that has had tummy troubles and she's the only one in the Rex family.
 
She gets Romaine lettuce. The funny thing is that I give her veggies n the morning and she seems to get gassy in the afternoon. I'm not sure about the water though since she drinks water several times a day. Her tummy does make a lot of noise throughout the day though.
 
She gets Oxbow essentials for adults, I don't store the veggies in the fridge , only in a air tight container. I have another bigger rabbit so the pellets don't last that long (about a month).
She is a little over 2 years old.

She didn't give me probiotics, she gave me some prebiotics. I'm not sure what's more beneficial for her.
 
Not sure what the difference is between the two. I've used Proviable rabbit in the past. I just mixed in in her water bowl. It is only sold through vets.
 
The vet wanted to give her prebiotic specifically. When I was with the vet yesterday, the vet assistant brought me some probiotics, and the vet immediately said that she didn't want probiotics but prebiotics for Remi. So whathever the difference, the vet thought Remi needed prebiotics.
 
You'll want to make sure she's eating, drinking, and pooping fine, then try cutting her back to only hay and see if she starts feeling better. If she does, then you know it's either the pellets or the veggies, then just start adding one thing at a time back into her diet. Give it a week or so, and if she seems to be ok with that one thing, add something else back to her diet. Just try it like that and you may be able to pinpoint the culprit that is causing the upset tummy.
 
When she is in pain she doesn't want to eat, nor poop, but about an hour after I give her the meloxicam, she starts eating, drinking and pooping.
I will definitely do that, she won't like it at all since she loves her veggies and pellets but she needs to get better. I really hope is either the veggies or the pellets otherwise I have no idea what else it could possibly be:shock:. The vet says that everything else seems fine with her.
 
This happened to Gus this spring. I'm still not sure what set him off (I'm thinking radishes and tops), but he was so gassy every day for weeks, even after I took him off the radishes. The vet recommended the same as you: take him off all veggies and pellets, but I didn't want to do that. Instead I got him an oral probiotic gel (I think the brand was Probiocin?) from the tack and feed and had him on that for 14 days or so. After that he improved dramatically, and rarely had gassy bouts all summer.

But just a week or so ago, I gave him a few radishes and tops (forgot there was a reason I didn't give them to him!) and he's all gassy again. Now I need to get him more probiotics. :(

Dunno if any of that helps, other than to say, I've found the probiotics definitely help with gassy rabbits.

Hope that helps!

Rue
 
I could not find any comments about your feeding hay to your bunny... you feeding a good quality fresh grass hay? If not, I would certainly begin that now. As for iceberg lettuce being bad for rabbits... it is not 'bad'... it's just not that nutritious. Has a lot of water in it, which can be very useful for rabbits that don't feel great and need to intake more water than they are already. But it has minimal fiber and nutritive value. I certainly would not recommend it as a major part of any vegetarian diet.

I do not have a ton of experience with probiotics, but gassy intestines are likely to benefit from these more than most other conditions are, so you might give some a try. Problem with many is they contain bacteria not found in rabbit guts, or do not contain what they say they contain. But some of the newer ones seem to be pretty effective.

Rabbits that eat grass hays only, and fresh greens (aside from those specific greens that some bunnies seem to have a specific problem with) have few gas problems... pellets and their short fiber length can sometimes worsen gas pains. And anything with carbohydrates in them is only going to make things worse.
 
hamsterfeet wrote:
My mini rex has a very sensitive digestive system, so I have to be very careful with her. In the last few months, she has been suffering from gas and pain episodes pretty much every week; simethicone and belly massages seem to always solve the problem. This week however,  the episodes have been happening everyday, so I took her to the vet yesterday. The vet didn't seem to find anything wrong with her, so I felt  like the "crazy pet person", nevertheless, I kept insisting that she has been not her normal happy self. The vet suggested to remove veggies completely and see if she gets better. If not, remove the pellets completely as well. I have a feeling however that the pellets might be the culprit . But who knows, I'm just weening her off the pellets right now. Today she had no veggies and very little pellets (1/2 teaspoon), and she looks completely miserable, and uncomfortable. So I feel bad

Do you guys have any  suggestions on what could be causing the gas/pain and sensitive tummies? Is there anyone with experience with sensitive tummy bunnies who could offer me some advice ?

I just feel very powerless right now, and don't like to see my bun so miserable:(.

Edit:I should add  that I'm giving her meloxicam for the once daily for the last 3 days, and she seems to feel better after that, right now I'm just waiting so I can give her some (0.3cc /day).
Click to expand...
---as you have stated,-diet is important,-herbivores reqiure 70% fiber-(timothy/orhard grasses),,some quality pellets,some treats and lots water,.that given-i would not cut out pellets-(vitamins-d3,etc.)-therefore in addition to 24/7 grasses,i would offer-(mini rex) less than 1/4-cup-pellets,-perhaps follow the guide lines on this link http://www.medirabbit.com -simethicone reduces gas buildup reducing pain,--rabbits are stress animals and hide pain to the point of dying--metacam is a-nsaid-( non steroidal anti-inflamatory drug)--follow the guide lines for both of these meds as well,(it is all based on weight),-did the exotic dvm examine her teeth/mouth/gitract,etc.--sincerely james waller:big wink:
 
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