She was just fine an hour ago;;; HELP I NEED TO ACT FAST!!

[SnowBearBuns]

I have two bunnies, Snow and Bear; Female and Male respectively. When I came home from work, both of them were active and lively like always. I bought new hay(carefresh) and gave them more since they finished the last of the hay when I returned.
I let them out before I headed back upstairs. I worked on homework for a little under an hour, maybe less than 45 minutes. I returned back down and Snow is hiding and isn't answering to the pellets except her brother, Bear. I brought them back in their cage and I started force feeding Snow Critical Care, pineapple, and water.

Snow went through GI Stasis two times; the first time was very minor and a few doses of pineapple juice unforced helped. The second she didn't eat in less than 24 hours but over 12 hours; after a trip to the vet and got a prescription, she got better in a day and continued meds until it finished.

But now I have no idea how she is suddenly acting sick AGAIN!

Ever since Snow went through GI Stasis the second time, Snow and Bear have been on a strict Hay and (fiber based) Pellets Diet. I use Oxbow Young Adult Rabbit Pellets since they are only 11 months old.

 

[JBun]

It may not be an upset stomach but something else that caused her to hide. Maybe something scared her. It's been a few hours since you first posted, so if she hasn't returned to normal by now, usually one of the first things I try for a suspected upset stomach/gas is 1cc of infant gas drops. Usually that does the trick and they go back to normal, but if they don't after a few doses an hour apart, I know there is something more going on which usually requires seeing the vet.

 

[SnowBearBuns]

It may not be an upset stomach but something else that caused her to hide. Maybe something scared her. It's been a few hours since you first posted, so if she hasn't returned to normal by now, usually one of the first things I try for a suspected upset stomach/gas is 1cc of infant gas drops. Usually that does the trick and they go back to normal, but if they don't after a few doses an hour apart, I know there is something more going on which usually requires seeing the vet.

Where can I buy infant gas drops? Do I have to buy online or could it be in a nearby Petvalu?

Edit: wait,I found it online, does this human remedy actually work on rabbits?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

All drug stores and even Walmart has it.

 

[Blue eyes]

Where can I buy infant gas drops? Do I have to buy online or could it be in a nearby Petvalu?

Edit: wait,I found it online, does this human remedy actually work on rabbits?

Yes, infant gas drops for human babies is what you want. Just use the syringe to place it between cheek and teeth so as not to risk causing them to choke or aspirate. That is my "go to" whenever my bun refuses food.

On a side note, pellet bag instructions aren't the best to go by. Rabbits are adults at 6-7 months of age and that is when they can transition to limited, adult pellets. Yours are old enough to be getting limited, measured amounts of oxbow adult.

You mentioned that at one point that they had run out of hay. Not sure if you just meant your supply or not. But as a caution -- especially with one rabbit prone to GI -- be sure that there is always plenty of hay available 24/7. Don't wait until hay is gone in the cage before refreshing it. In fact, it's a good idea to refresh the hay twice per day regardless of how much is remaining in the cage. The adding of fresh hay encourages more hay eating which is what we want.

 

[SnowBearBuns]

She is doing fine now! She's eating, running, and being really attentive again. Now I see her almost jolting like she has hiccups or something. I felt ther stomach area on her sides and it pulses almost like a heart beat, but not it doubles per pulse but one.
She acts like she doesn't seem to mind it but I saw this a few hours ago and my brother told me that she is still doing it.

 

[JimJam]

I have a question: is one of your bunnies desexed/neutered???

 

[SnowBearBuns]

I have a question: is one of your bunnies desexed/neutered???

Snow is not spayed yet, but Bear was neutered last week. All this time Snow would always reject Bear when he would hump her, so I don't think she would be pregnant. The jolts around her stomach pulses in a uniform(?)/ constant manner.

 

[SnowBearBuns]

This is how her head is moving, and in the same time, her stomach sides are pulsing the same time.

 

[JBun]

She could be in labor and that's what you are seeing. It would be a good idea to have a nest box ready for her and a huge pile of hay to build a nest. There is a good possibility that she is pregnant and about to give birth. Which might also explain her not feeling well these last few days. This link has some good info on caring for unexpected litters.
https://flashsplace.webs.com/accidentallitters.htm

Also, neutered rabbits can still get a doe pregnant for 4-6 weeks after their neuter surgery. If you are keeping them together, she can still get pregnant. So it would be a good idea to separate them for another month if you don't want her to get pregnant. If she is pregnant now and has babies, she can get pregnant again immediately after having the babies.

 

[Tara Parker]

SnowBearBuns how’s Snow doing? Was she pregnant? I’m so interested to see what happened. I have a male and female, but we are keeping them separate. My male loves to hump her, so they can’t be anywhere near each other until they get neutered. I’m scared to do it though, since our vet terrified me. Did your male have any issues after being neutered?

 

[Popsicles]

Why did the vet terrify you @Tara Parker ??

 

[Tara Parker]

He told us that we could have Hot Cocoa neutered, but it was a HUGE chance. He said that it’s very hard for rabbits to come out of the anesthesia, and it might take a couple hours, a day, or even a few days. The vet even said that there is a chance Hot Cocoa would never wake back up. This TOTALLY freaked me out! He said that I should think twice about it, because he does not recommend it at all. They are a bird & small animal hospital. I’m not sure how many rabbit patients they have, but I was somewhat taken aback by his firm stance on it. I have done some research, but I dont know if I should believe a “doctor” or social media. Either way...I’m scared, because I do NOT want to lose my heart rabbit!

 

[Jacaroe]

He told us that we could have Hot Cocoa neutered, but it was a HUGE chance. He said that it’s very hard for rabbits to come out of the anesthesia, and it might take a couple hours, a day, or even a few days. The vet even said that there is a chance Hot Cocoa would never wake back up. This TOTALLY freaked me out! He said that I should think twice about it, because he does not recommend it at all. They are a bird & small animal hospital. I’m not sure how many rabbit patients they have, but I was somewhat taken aback by his firm stance on it. I have done some research, but I dont know if I should believe a “doctor” or social media. Either way...I’m scared, because I do NOT want to lose my heart rabbit!

Oh my, you poor thing. That's such a shame that you could get such horrible advice from a source you so badly need to trust. Of course there is always some risk to anesthesia - for animals as well as people, and for the same reasons - spay/neuter is the best thing for your house rabbit, and you. If you've done research you know that it helps them adapt to their environment better, makes them less aggressive, helps to litter train, and greatly increases their life span. We're talking a difference between 2-10 years.

For my own experience, I can tell you I took Cinnabun to our rabbit rescue to get him neutered. We dropped him off at 8am and picked him up at 5pm. He was a little groggy that evening, but the surgery went well and he was back to his normal personality within a day. We never EVER heard anything like what your vet told you.

I completely respect your hesitance to believe social media over your doctor and for that reason I would highly recommend you get a second opinion. And at your earliest convenience.

 

[Popsicles]

I agree you need to see a more rabbit savvy vet - there is a risk with anaesthesia, and that risk is slightly higher for rabbits than dogs and cats. But the risk is still very very small, and castration is such a quick operation that he will be under anaesthesia for a very short time. With a rabbit savvy vet and the correct nursing, the risk is way less. Your vet isn’t wrong to warn you of the risk, but I would go to a vet who is more confident with rabbits.

 

[Bam Bam]

Please take your bunny to a rabbit savvy vet.
I know a lot of you have had bunnies for a long time. The same with me.
A few months ago my Pebbles stopped eating. She had never been ill for 8 years.
I took her temp and it was slightly low. I treated her for stasis and she was not getting any better. I called my vet and said if she is still not better come in. I never got that chance. She passed in my arms.
I had a necropsy done and she died from bloat.
Treating a bloat bunny as if they were in stasis was the wrong thing to do. It can make it worse.
My vet reassured me by saying 80% of bloat bunnies don’t make it and a lot of vets opt for euthanasia.
My sadness was there was still a 20% chance she would have made it if I didn’t play vet and took her in right away.
If your rabbit stops eating and pooping please take them to a rabbit savvy vet. Time is important for your vet to treat them.
I am sorry if I am a little harsh but I learned my lesson. We are not vetsno matter how long we have had rabbits