Sunny has diahrrea and is making soft/weird grunting noises??

[JBun]

You should talk to your vet. He should be doing a little better by now. If he isn't eating very much, then you need to be supplementing by syringe feeding him too. You can get some of that critical care food mix from the vet. I definitely wouldn't be feeding him the kale and clover. That could be part of why he is still feeling sick and having gas, as they both can cause gas problems in rabbits.

 

[TaylorKat]

He munched on some of his hay, but is spinach okay for him? That's about the only thing he will eat cause he can't eat pellets.

 

[JBun]

Spinach should be ok as long as there isn't a bladder sludge problem going on. Edited to add: but you don't want to feed a lot of it. Green/red leaf lettuce(not iceburg), as well as parsley and cilantro, would be better things to feed. But if he isn't eating a lot of it, like a big handful and is only eating a few pieces, then you need to syringe feed him as well. The critical care food mix is the best to use, but the pumpkin would also be ok. But he has to have food and water. But you have to syringe it into his mouth(slowly giving him time to chew and swallow), unless he will eat it from a spoon.

If the vet is already closed, you should call them in the morning, if your rabbit is still having problems, and isn't eating REALLY well by then.

 

[roxxbox25]

Hold the spinach

 

[TaylorKat]

I will definitely call in the morning! I left a bowl of pumpkin in his cage but he doesn't seem very interested in it.

 

[TaylorKat]

Vet was not there today. He ended his Metoclopramide last night but has 2 more days of the pain medicine. I bought him some Orchard hay today and he ate a little bit of it. He also ate a little bit os cilantro and kale (thats the only thing he actually shows interest in). The vet said no pellets for a week but I held out 3 in my hand to see if he would show interest to them and he ate them right up. He is some drinking water and pooping a little bit.

 

[TaylorKat]

Took him back to the vet yesterday and brought poop samples too. They said he has a huge hair mass in his stomach. He is back on Metoclopramide and 81mg Aspirin. I was told to get Papain and feed it to him with pineapple in a slurry of water 3 times a day. Not sure what it means by a slurry of water?

 

[JBun]

I'm not sure what a slurry is supposed to mean either. I'm going to suggest this again, that you find a different vet. Papain and pineapple aren't used anymore by very good experienced rabbit vets because they don't really work at dissolving hair blockages. That is a very old way of thinking to use that as a treatment for a blockage. Experienced rabbit vets know that a rabbit needs gut motility meds, metacam, simethicone, critical care for if the rabbit isn't eating, and that a rabbit should also be fed grass hay(if it will eat it), when a rabbit is having GI stasis problems. All these things that this vet is suggesting, aren't things that a good rabbit vet would suggest and give for your rabbit. The difference between a good rabbit vet and an unexperienced rabbit vet, is that an inexperienced rabbit vet may give you the wrong meds and possibly misdiagnose your rabbit. A good rabbit vet knows what to look for in rabbits,will be more likely to correctly diagnose your rabbit, and will give you the right instructions and meds to treat the problem. The fact that this vet diagnosed your rabbit with GI stasis in the start, was questionable. When a rabbit is pooping soft poops, it doesn't have GI stasis. GI stasis means that a rabbits digestive system has slowed down and the rabbit is either having very tiny poop because of it, or it has stopped pooping altogether. The fact that your rabbit was still pooping soft poops when you went in means that your rabbit didn't have stasis at that time. Your rabbit may have also had gas in his digestive system, but that isn't the same thing as stasis. And also, that this has been going on for several days, without being resolved, makes me feel that your rabbit's problem isn't being correctly diagnosed, which could be dangerous if there is an underlying health problem that first caused the soft poop, and is now causing the stasis and blockage. The blockage may not be hair, and if your rabbit isn't molting right now, it most likely isn't hair. A blockage is a dried out mass in the digestive system because the rabbits digestion has slowed down for some reason. It can be from having another painful health problem, it can be from eating gas producing veggies that cause your rabbit to stop eating and eventually the digestive system slows down and a blockage can occur, or from too many sugars and carbs in the diet, or not enough fiber in the diet, or from hair causing a slowdown in the gut, but it's not believed anymore that a hair mass itself, is the primary cause of blockages anymore. It's not the primary cause, but it can contribute to the problem. So with all these inconsistancies in diagnosis, and suggested and prescribed remedies, I really think it would be a very good idea to find and see a different vet. You need a vet that is specifically trained in exotic animals preferrably, and that has lots of experience with rabbits. Look on these lists or look in your phone book or online, and if you find one near you, call them and ask if they are an exotics vet, ask how experienced they are with rabbits and if they see a lot of rabbits. It can be the difference of your rabbit actually getting better, or it continuing to have more problems and possibly getting worse. Please read this explanation of ileus/gi stasis. It will help you understand what is causing the problem, and what it is your rabbit needs. Here is also some questions you can ask when finding a different vet.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f14/looking-rabbit-veterinarian-1862/
http://www.memphisveterinaryspecialists.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/animal-hospital-raleigh-bartlett-memphis
http://www.rabbitwisememphis.org/vets.htm


Memphis Veterinary looks like a good possibility, as well as Animal Hospital Raleigh Bartlett, but those where just a couple I could find through an internet search. You can also see if there is something in your phone book. But try and get your rabbit in today if at all possible. Explain that he has been sick for several days, and that it is getting worse.

 

[TaylorKat]

I am just so tight on money right now that I cannot afford another vet visit My vet is an exotic vet and has a lot of experience of rabbits, and he was recommend to me from another rabbit owner. He told me to also feed him baby spring mix. He got an IV of fluids yesterday and when I brought him back home, he ate a few pieces of the spring mix and a small piece of pineapple. He said he did not need Critical Care because it has no fiber and he really needs fiber,which is why he suggested only leafy greens and the pineapple for five days because of the fiber. I realized I had been feeding him alfalfa based pellets, and about a cup of them each day, so I just ordered some Oxbow timothy hay based pellets. I just hope this helps because I am on such a tight budget, as I am a college student.

**My vet is Dr. McGee, which is recommended by RabbitWise Memphis
Also he is currently on simethicone, aspirin, metoclopramide (gut motlilty drug), papain, and trimeth/sulfa

 

[tonyshuman]

Critical care has tons of fiber. It is meant to be a complete diet for bunnies that can't eat, replacing even the hay they normally would eat. I just pulled mine out of the freezer to take a look and it is 21-26% fiber. I am not sure what to say about your vet, because some things he says sound right, and others don't. I don't have a lot to add to what JBun said, as what she has posted agrees with most of what I've read on the subject. I'm hoping now, 3 days later, things are looking up?

 

[TaylorKat]

He is doing much better, pooping and eating hay and leafy greens!

 

[tonyshuman]

Great! Thanks for the update!