Urgent Help required

[Shivam]

Hello All,
I am a resident of Lowell, MA and my family owns a pet rabbit back in India. Due to some reasons our bunny is really ill. She is not eating anything or moving from couple of days. My family is out of reach of a vet in their area and because of adverse circumstances caused by virus, there’s no vet available in nearby towns. I was wondering if anyone could help me out. If I could get guidance on what to do and what preventive actions to take to cure that sweet little soul, I could pass on that info to my family.
I will be really thank full.
She’s a angora rabbit. She’s 1 year old and she’s doing lose motions as well from past couple days.
Looking forward for response.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

It sounds like GI Stasis to me. Has your family told you about any other symptoms aside from lethargy and not eating?

Giving infant gas drops (simethicone) in three 1ml doses an hour apart each might help. However, you should try to have them call a rabbit savvy vet even if they can’t get to see them face-to-face. What is the rabbits diet and living conditions like?

 

[Shivam]

It sounds like GI Stasis to me. Has your family told you about any other symptoms aside from lethargy and not eating?

Giving infant gas drops (simethicone) in three 1ml doses an hour apart each might help. However, you should try to have them call a rabbit savvy vet even if they can’t get to see them face-to-face. What is the rabbits diet and living conditions like?

It sounds like GI Stasis to me. Has your family told you about any other symptoms aside from lethargy and not eating?

Giving infant gas drops (simethicone) in three 1ml doses an hour apart each might help. However, you should try to have them call a rabbit savvy vet even if they can’t get to see them face-to-face. What is the rabbits diet and living conditions like?

Sole symptoms includes these only Sir, she’s not eating or moving. She is doing lose motions from past few days and her front two teeth are turning black. My family has told me that her body temperature is fine and they are feeding her fluid via oral medication with the help of syringe. So right now there’s no diet as such Sir and her living conditions are moderate. She’s living inside the room and weather is hot but inside they are maintaining it average. She’s been given towels and pillows.
please guide me what we can do?
v are very scared for her.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

She doesn’t have a diet? Rabbits should get constant access grass hay or grass.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

What does she eat?

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Your rabbit probably has Gi-stasis. Gi-stasis is fatal if left untreated, but there are several things you can do to help her. I would not syringe feed just yet.

• Give infant gas drops (you can buy them from Walmart or a pharmacy). You can give her 1-2 ml every hour for 3 hours, and then 1-2 ml every 3-8 hours or as needed. If you don't have gas drops you can brew fennel seeds, peppermint tea, or chamomile tea in hot water and syringe feed it to your rabbit after it is cooled. NO HONEY. Syringe it to your rabbit every hour. These should help get gas out. It is a substitute for Infant Gas Drops.
• Give tummy massages to get the gas moving.
• Make your rabbit run around. It may be that you must push her around and make her mad in order to get her moving, but it will be worth it. Moving around will get her gut moving.
• Give fresh pineapple juice. It can help with dissolving hair in the intestines which could be clogging her up. If you don’t have fresh pineapple you can use canned pineapple, but it does not work as well.
• Give fresh veggies (Romaine lettuce, cilantro, and parsley. No kale or cabbages). Soak them in water for a minute and feed them to your rabbit while wet that way your rabbit gets water. You can crush some pellets and put the pellet powder on the wet veggies.

If your rabbit has not eaten or pooped in 8-12 hours follow the instructions below:

• Syringe feed Critical Care 6 times a day. If you don’t have Critical Care you need to soak pellets in water until they are mushy. Then smash them in the water until you have a mixture the consistency of pancake batter.
• Syringe water 6 times a day. Fill a bowl with water so that the rabbit can drink freely. Add some apple juice or pineapple juice to make it more appealing.

 

[cuteus]

Very good post before mine! During my bun's stasis, besides the simethicone, I had pain medication, as pain will keep the bun from moving. Massaged the body fully often and, in desperation, used pumpkin or squash baby food to mix with the Critical Care or mush. It would give the quick calories needed for energy. He would not eat pellets or mix otherwise. Is imperative that food is in the system at all times to keep gut motility. He would only eat that and hay. Someone mentioned they gave a pinch of oats and sunflower seeds every day to their buns. I was trying everything. He did take the oat pinch also. Stasis can kill quickly. Best luck

 

[judybarry70]

We understand rhat your rabbit is not eating NOW, but they want to know what your rabbit USED to eat before she STOPPED eating. They want to know if this rabbit had access to HAY. Rabbits should have unlimited access to hay. Did she have hay BEFORE she stopped eating?

 

[Shivam]

I really appreciate all your responses to my help query but sadly her health has only deteriorated. My family had abled to get in touch with one vet and he gave her some pills. He’s not an expert in rabbits, still She’s constantly consuming following medicines:-
1. COLICAID - 0.5ml
2. GLUCOSE - 1 ml,
3. Syrup PROTIFOL - 0.5-1ml,
4. PROBIOTIC Nubilac - 2 - 3 days
5. Syrup PERINORM - 5 - 7 days
My family is providing her these medicines as per the vet’s prescription in timely manner but she’s not getting better. till now the vet has given her 3 antibiotic injections (Vitamin B and fluoroquinolpne) on alternate days and it’s only when she receives the injection, she eats anything or poop. Other than that she’s just laying and not eating.
my family is feeding her Spinach and milk in syringes. They are providing her with normal grass, not hay as it’s not available in their area.
Before falling ill she used to eat all kind of products like biscuits, grains, wheat, veggies n stuff, but vet has advices not to feed her that all so now the diet is mainly restricted to spinach, milk, water and grass and also the prescribed medicine. All that via syringes as she’s not eating by herself.
now we are very worried about her health that whether she’ll get better or not. Vet said she does not has GI Stasis and has a lot of gas in her stomach. She has not pooped in 3 days. I really do not know what to do?
I will appreciate any kind of guidance or advisory.
She’s of angora breed and she’s 1 year old. She’s living in area of moderate weather (neither that cold nor that hot)
She’s currently have fever and Sneezing and wheezing breathing sound. What should we do?
keep her in cold weather or hot one?
And should we continue antibiotics injections just coz she eats after that or naturally heal her with home remedies?
what baby food is best for her?
please your help will be truly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[Diane R]

I really appreciate all your responses to my help query but sadly her health has only deteriorated. My family had abled to get in touch with one vet and he gave her some pills. He’s not an expert in rabbits, still She’s constantly consuming following medicines:-
1. COLICAID - 0.5ml
2. GLUCOSE - 1 ml,
3. Syrup PROTIFOL - 0.5-1ml,
4. PROBIOTIC Nubilac - 2 - 3 days
5. Syrup PERINORM - 5 - 7 days
My family is providing her these medicines as per the vet’s prescription in timely manner but she’s not getting better. till now the vet has given her 3 antibiotic injections (Vitamin B and fluoroquinolpne) on alternate days and it’s only when she receives the injection, she eats anything or poop. Other than that she’s just laying and not eating.
my family is feeding her Spinach and milk in syringes. They are providing her with normal grass, not hay as it’s not available in their area.
Before falling ill she used to eat all kind of products like biscuits, grains, wheat, veggies n stuff, but vet has advices not to feed her that all so now the diet is mainly restricted to spinach, milk, water and grass and also the prescribed medicine. All that via syringes as she’s not eating by herself.
now we are very worried about her health that whether she’ll get better or not. Vet said she does not has GI Stasis and has a lot of gas in her stomach. She has not pooped in 3 days. I really do not know what to do?
I will appreciate any kind of guidance or advisory.
She’s of angora breed and she’s 1 year old. She’s living in area of moderate weather (neither that cold nor that hot)
She’s currently have fever and Sneezing and wheezing breathing sound. What should we do?
keep her in cold weather or hot one?
And should we continue antibiotics injections just coz she eats after that or naturally heal her with home remedies?
what baby food is best for her?
please your help will be truly appreciated.
Thank you

Colicaid is OK. I would not give glucose or Protifol or Nubilac. Perinorm is OK. I just hope the vet knows the right rabbit dosages. Continue with the antibiotics. She also needs painkiller - meloxicam - twice a day. NO MILK! Actually spinach is not great either. Ideally she should have lots of hay. If there is no hay, grass.

 

[Mehidk]

Spinach should not be given daily/frequently. It can cause gas/stomach issues. You should lean more towards romaine lettuce, cilantro or something on the following lists. On @Blue eyes site, you can find a list of veggies that can be given daily vs occasionally. There's also the list from House Rabbit Society that explains what's high in oxalic acid vs not. Too much oxalic acid can cause bladder sludge.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/greens--veggies.htmlhttps://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/
Rabbits should not be having milk or carbohydrates/starches like biscuits. They cannot digest either one well and if they do, it can cause cecal dysbiosis. Please remove these from her diet.

Use simethicone (aka baby gas drops) to help her stomach. 1cc (20mg/ml) can be given orally as often as every hour for 3 hours and then 1cc every 3-8 hour. Also feed Critical Care through a syringe.

Does she live indoors or outdoors? Don't drastically change where she lives because the quick change of temperature in the environment can stress her out even more.

I really hope that your family over there can find an actual rabbit savvy vet somewhere, even if it means a drive for them. The fact that this particular vet did not mention that milk was not okay is a no no.

 

[Abi :)]

Hope your bun is okay now, please update us on her health <3

 

[zuppa]

Sounds like she was bloating.
With the diet she had and what they were feeding milk and spinach, grains, I don't think she had any chance to survive unfortunately.
I know in some countries it is difficult to buy hay but if you want to keep a rabbit you will need hay or grass, if you can't buy in a store you can possibly find people with horses or maybe grow some grass and make your own hay.

my family is feeding her Spinach and milk in syringes. They are providing her with normal grass, not hay as it’s not available in their area.
Before falling ill she used to eat all kind of products like biscuits, grains, wheat, veggies n stuff, but vet has advices not to feed her that all so now the diet is mainly restricted to spinach, milk, water and grass and also the prescribed medicine. All that via syringes as she’s not eating by herself.
now we are very worried about her health that whether she’ll get better or not. Vet said she does not has GI Stasis and has a lot of gas in her stomach. She has not pooped in 3 days. I really do not know what to do?

 

[Sha143]

My bunny is sick. He flops when I pick him up. He's laying limp. He did try to eat some. Could it be " bunny flop syndrome?

 

[Diane R]

My bunny is sick. He flops when I pick him up. He's laying limp. He did try to eat some. Could it be " bunny flop syndrome?

You may want to start a new thread, people may not see your message here. Sounds like an emergency. Take him to the rabbit vet.

 

[Preitler]

It would be better to stick to your own thread, can get a little confusing (and frustrating) if you put each post in another thread, you'll just get same answers over and over again.

BFS is just a name for "We don't know the cause", everything from EC to injury in there. If your bunny is floppy, it's BFS per definition, but a vet could find the actual cause and treat it, the sooner the better. Even if it's not clear what is the cause there are ways to support the rabbit.
https://www.caldervets.co.uk/pet-help-advice/case-studies/32-marley-floppy-rabbit-syndrome