Something not right with Benjamin

[RebeccaUK]

My bunny Benjamin has some kind of problem but Ican't work out what it is. I will definitely be rushing himto the vets emergency surgery in the morning but unfortunately there isno overnight emergency cover.

The symptoms are this: He is laid with his back legs flat andfront legs stretched out sphinx-like. His head is upright andrigid and ears are bolt upright and if I stroke his head and push earsdown they are straight back up. His breating was fast earlierbut seems to have slowed a little in the past 30 minutes but there issome serious teeth grinding going on and he's not responding or showingany comfort from being stroked.

Today he has eaten a few pellets, some hay and some swede andcoriander, he also ate 2 small chunks of dried apricot which therabbits ahve never had before and I'm now in a panic thinking that thismay be the cause.

I've also noticed today that he has a patch of hair missing on hisspine just lower than the nape of the neck - this may well be relatedto a flea treatment that our bunnies receive to prevent infestationfrom flies/ fleas but this is a single few drops of liquid and wasadministed over three weeks ago with no side effects. Nowwhen I look at the patch of missing fur and gently stroke the fur stillin place next to it, more hair is coming out.

I'm desperately worried....please pray for my little guy.

Just edited to add that he's not eating or drinking either, I've offered him all manner of his favourite foods as a temptation

 

[RebeccaUK]

Here is a picture of benjamins bald spot, although we think this is probably unrelated to his present condition.

 

[Pipp]

I don't always believe incooincidences.Is the bald spot where the flea medswere administered? Or a longshot, anybody have Flybotexperience? Don't even think its the season, but can't ruleanything out. (Look at it with a flashlight).

Really might help togive him some Simethicone in case he'sgot a bloat condition -- baby gas meds. Lying flat likethatmay be an indication.

Keep him warm. Would be good to know his temperature.

Also might be good toget him moving.Thatwill help break up a gas bubble or stimulate the GI tract.

Sending strong get well vibes out to Benjamin! ray::clover:

sas

 

[RebeccaUK]

Apologies, I dont think the picture posted last time

 

[RebeccaUK]

The bald spot could be near to the fleamediction site. It's actually a topical treatment they getwhich is a few drops of liquid doused onto a small patch of fur howeverthis patch of fur missing seems a little too low down his back to mebut could be a simillar spot.

Don't have any simethicone as I'm in the uk and have never heard ofit. He may have bloat as he has suffered that in the pastalthough not with such pronounced symptoms.

The house is very warm tonight (28 deg celcius) Don't have athermometer to test his temp but he seems comfortable if maybe a littlewarm?!

Do you recommend that I pick him and up and encourage him to run abouta bit? He won't thank me for is - probably just run back tohis spot where he sits but I can do that if you think it might help.

Thank you for your reply, I'm so glad someone is out there and that youcame back to me on this one....any further help would be excellent,thank you and I will keep everyone posted through the night and intotomorrow.

 

[Pipp]

It did work the first time.

When did he last drink? I think the keys will be alleviatinghis pain, keepinghim hydrated and making sure he doesn't losehis body temperature.

ray:

 

[Pipp]

Simithicone is an ingredient in gas medication like Ovol or Imodium.

If he's prone to bloat, that could be what you're dealing with. It comes on so suddenly.

The Simethicone will help either way. Do you have anythingwith it? Getting him to move shouldn't hurt. Itwill help if its regular gas, and maybe if its bloat. Problemwith bloat is the gas pushing against his organs and surpressing hisrespiratory or cardiovascular or something ... forget which.

Pain control is a key, too, if its bloat.

I'll see what I can find out.

sas

 

[Spring]

Is there any emergancy clinics? How long ago didyou feed him teh apricot? What parts? The apricot fruit is Ok but I'veheard the other parts may be a bit toxic.

Keep an eye on him. I'd encourage him to run and maybe see if yuo can get some food in him! Hope everythings ok!

 

[RebeccaUK]

We virtually never see him drink at all so it'shard to tell. I certainly haven't seen him have a drink todaybut that's usual for him.

I might try and syringe feed some water to him but he tends to spit it all back out.


Edited to say, I don't have a syringe in the house to try and feed himwater....does anyone know another way to get water into them or wouldyou suggest leaving him for now?

 

[RebeccaUK]

I've done a quick check for local vet clinics,there is an emergency dog clinic about 50 miles away but they won't seea rabbit.

I fed the apricot about 2 hours ago - it was just the fruits dried butonly a few small chunks. My other rabbit ate the same amountand she is fine....I'm now starting to think it might be the corianderthat he had earlier that has led to gas, he only had a couple of sprigsbut it may have disagreed with him?....

 

[Pipp]

Do either of these fit, or one moreso than the other? Will make a big difference in treatment.

Gas: From:http://www.ontariorabbits.org/hot_topics/hint_9.html

Rabbits can - and do - suffer from gas. If ignored, painful gas cancause a rabbit to stop eating and go into gastrointestinal stasis, theslowing or complete cessation of normal intestinal movement. This canbe fatal if not treated. Gas can also be the result of stasis.
Rabbits that have gas often exhibit one or more of the followingsymptoms: loud gurgling noises coming from the rabbit's stomach; hard,taut stomach; lethargy; and significant decrease in appetite. Often,this is the first sign of gas. When suffering from gas, some rabbitssit hunched up, with their eyes partially closed, some will sit withtheir stomachs pressed into the floor, or upright with an unnaturallystraight posture.

Important: Gastric Dilation (Volvulus) or severe 'bloat' is not thesame as a gas episode. With bloat, the stomach becomes extremely hardand grossly distended which can cause the blood supply to be cut offfrom the stomach or intestine. Bloat can quickly lead to shock anddeath. If you suspect bloat, do not massage the rabbit's abdomen, whichcould make the situation worse. Seek immediate veterinarianattention.

 

[Pipp]

RebeccaUK wrote:

We virtually never see him drink at all so it's hard totell. I certainly haven't seen him have a drink today butthat's usual for him.
I might try and syringe feed some water to him but he tends to spit it all back out.

Edited to say, I don't have a syringe in the house to try and feed himwater....does anyone know another way to get water into them or wouldyou suggest leaving him for now?

Do you have an eye dropper?

How muchis he grinding his teeth?

Find any gasmeds?

It may sound odd, but you may do well to take him for a car ride tobreak up the gas. (Still would be good to know if hissymptoms arecloser to gas or bloat).

 

[Spring]

The apricot isn't the problem then I'm guessing.

Try massaging his tummy gentley. Also keep him warm as this may help. How is the little guy?

 

[Maureen Las]

If you go to a pharmacy and look in the sectionwhere people look for liquid mecication to get rid of gas you can lookat the back of some of the medication at some of the ingredients...I'msure that even thou gh the name of the liquid medication won't saysimethicone ..the ingredient on the back will. Its a very commoningredient in gas medication for humans. If you are at thepharmacy you could either get an eye-dropper or ask the pharmacist fora 3cc or 5 cc syringe so that you can give a pet fluids. I did thatonce and the pharmacist gave it to me. Also they sell liquids forinfants (here its called Pedialyte) that has certain electrolytes in itlike for a baby with diarrhea or vomiting..that would be good for youto give instead of warer. If you can't get these things then you justhave to deal with what you already have but try to think of somethingthat you can use to get water in him if you try to squeezethe fluids in the side of his mouth behind his teeth he won't be ableto spit it out ...just squirt a little at a time so that he can swallow

 

[naturestee]

Pipp wrote:

RebeccaUK wrote:

We virtuallynever see him drink at all so it's hard to tell. I certainlyhaven't seen him have a drink today but that's usual for him.
I might try and syringe feed some water to him but he tends to spit it all back out.

Edited to say, I don't have a syringe in the house to try and feed himwater....does anyone know another way to get water into them or wouldyou suggest leaving him for now?

Do you have an eye dropper?

How muchis he grinding his teeth?

Find any gasmeds?

It may sound odd, but you may do well to take him for a car ride tobreak up the gas. (Still would be good to know if hissymptoms arecloser to gas or bloat).

I think the car ride (short as it was) did help with gas with Mocha, asshe seemed a little more alert at the vet's. Or it could havebeen all the barking dogs.:?

The Pedialyte (liquids for diarrhea) comes in sugar-free flavors thatmay encourage Benjamin to drink more, or to take it from the syringewillingly. Mocha liked the apple flavor.

How's he doing?

 

[RebeccaUK]

Hi Everyone

Benjamin is a little better this morning. I kept the rabbitsindoors all night and managed about 30 minutes sleep myself as Icouldn't settle and kept checking up on him.

He has eaten a tiny piece of celery this morning (his very favourite)but I'm only talking 10mm sq. He's still not interested indrinking but seems to be moving around and his posture isdifferent. It sounds very much like he had gas from thedescriptions - it was the sitting upright with an unnaturely straightposture that was exactly what he was doing. He's now hoppinground quite happily and there were some poos this morning that heproduced so it seems everything is working again.

The patch of skin is still a worry though, it doesn't seem to bebothering him at all but his bonded mate keeps grooming the baldspot. She is acting weirdly this morning too -lots of binkiesbut kind-of frantic dashing binkies rather than joyous ones.Got me to thinking that maybe the patch of missing fur on Benjamincould be mites/ ticks or something similar and the other rabbit isalerting me to this or maybe feeling tickly herself and trying to shakeit off. Does this frantic binkying sound like something theymight do with an infestation? There are no visible signs onthe doe - she has full fur all over and I've done all the ear, teeth,nose, bottom, feet checks that I can.

Thanks for the prayers and advice.

 

[Maureen Las]

Just look at the bald spot with a flashlight tosee if there is a hole in the center with something inside ...a bot flylarvae ..if you look carefully you can see it move or see somethingwhite in there...if you see that ,get him to the vet ASAP as itwillneed to be removed..don't try to remove it yourself. If it isn't that,I'm not sure what it could be but it seems like it would be a goodidea to have himchecked out.

 

[Spring]

Yay Poops! Just keep pestering him with food he might become fiesty and decide to eat. That always worked with my girl !

It's good that he's active as this is a sign he's feeling better. Maybeyour does just a little worried? I'm not sure about the bald spot.

 

[RebeccaUK]

Definitely an improvement today again.He is eating althought definitely still off his food a bit as he's onlynibbling and not rushing at the foodbowl like his girlfrienddoes.

I did try to annoy him with some food - stuck a brocolli stem into hisface a few times and he got all angry and tried to shove it out of theway with his teeth and must've liked what he tasted to went on to eatit!!!

I've had a look at the bald spot but can't see a hole in the center oranything moving but I'm going to get hubby to have a look with me againtonight and see if there's any difference. I've measured thebald spot and it's exactly 5cm in length so I'm also going to measureit every day to see if it's growing.

 

[Spring]

As long as he's eating he's feeling better. Ittakes Pepsi about a week after her situation to eat her normal amountof pellets, one tiem it took just a week for her to even touch them and2 weeks until she was eating her normal amount.

Keep bugging him, that's how I got Pepsi to eat and it worked %90 of the time!