Winston Not Feeling Well

[Haley]

Hey Susan, if it were me I would avoid the pineapple juice. I know some people say it helps with digestion but I think the high sugar in pineapple juice will do more harm than good. Just my .02

 

[Maureen Las]

Haley

I told Susan to give pineapple juice (a total of maybe 10cc per day ) in addition to water and pedialyte to help move the mass through . I agree with Randy on this one who states that it works for him although their is controversy over its benefit. I told Susan to dilute it with water or pedialyte . I use pineapple juice (fresh ) and it works for me . never had other gut issues from sugar.


Susan I would think about the the hay. I know that you are feeding Winston the regular kaytee now so that should be fine but I also bought a bale of farm hay and feed it occasionally to my rabbits.

I have asked many questions about the farm hay (it is a post in thenutrition forumfrom probably 2 months ago titled "farm hay" and started by me .)

There is clover in it and other pieces of ? and I was very concerned about the clover. some people said pick it out and some said it would be fine but clover is high in calcium so i try to pick it out .
No one but me has ever expressed this.. but the farm hay is so very different than the very processed kleenmama's or oxbow hay that I had been feeding that I just cannot help having concerns that they are eating things that they never had before.

I am just wondering if the change could have contributed to Winstons' problem

My rabbits like the farm hay and it did not effect them short term. but now I only feed it now and then..
I will try to find my post and place the link in this thread somewhere.
i hope Winston is doing better.

I am not saying the hay is bad but only that it is a change from their regular nothing else

 

[Pet_Bunny]

angieluv wrote:

I will try to find my post and place the link in this thread somewhere.

Here it is ...

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=42887&forum_id=48

 

[Pet_Bunny]

SOOOSKA wrote:

I guess the $700.00+ they charged today wasn't enough.
That's why I am going to be calling Vets in my area next week and ask what they would charge for the things we had done to Winston. I'll be real curious to see what they charge.

We are lucky to have vets who are generous in Edmonton.
Don't forget that I adopted Pebbles from a vet who refused to euthanize Pebbles when she was given up by the previous owners.

Here is an article that showed up this week...

http://www.edmontonhumanesociety.com/cgi-bin/section_switch.pl?section=other&sub=duckiestory

 

[Pet_Bunny]

ra7751 wrote:

Hydration first.
Remember that fresh greens contain a lot of water. Give him Pedialyte. Order some Electro Stat for additional hydration support.Geta pineapple andoffer the juice. Don't sweat the food right now. Offer a buffet but don't stress him out by forcing food.

angieluv wrote:

I told Susan to give pineapple juice (a total of maybe 10cc per day ) in addition to water and pedialyte to help move the mass through .

Give him fresh pineapple or papaya, or food soaked in water to eat. I would have pumpkin and Nutri-Cal on hand.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

SOOOSKA wrote:

I do find the hay is a lot coarser whith much bigger pieces. Also it's not as green as the Kaytee. I sure hope they start eating more as I bought a 60 pound bale of it.

I have been lucky with the different bales of hay I get from the breeder. Some hay will influence the amountmy bunnieswill eat, but over all Pebbles poop have increased in size. The last hay I got, Pebbles ate less of it, but the breeders bunnies loved that hay. I am going to go with the breeder the next time she picks up hay (any day now). The farmer has different types at different prices, so I want to see how they will vary.

I have no problem using up the hay. There are several people who are getting it from me now. Last Sunday the Animal Shelter ran out of hay and I gave them all I had.

 

[Haley]

I know some people say papaya and pineapple help with digestion but everything I have read says its inconclusive. And I just think the less changes you can make the better. I would stick with a normal diet and lots of hay and h2o, especially if he's improving. Sometimes too many changes in the diet can do more harm than good, in my opinion..

 

[SOOOSKA]

Well Winston seems to be improving.

He's eating veggies that i make sure has lots of water on them. He's also eating pellets. I think he's drinking water but that's hard to tell.

We have tried to give him the pineapple/water and pedialyte/water a few times a day but boy he is one STRESSED Bunny. I have never seen a bunny like him. The poor little guy just hates to be picked up and held. Even when we burrito him he gets loose and jumps all over the place.

We have decided for the time being not to give him the pineapple juice and pedialyte because we are scared he will get worse from being stressed.

I have been trying to give him tummy rubbies when he's resting in his cage.

dquensel, thanks for the info you wrote. I guess I just assumed because the Vet sent him home that the blockage had passed. She really didn't explain to me or hubby exactly what was going on. We are definitely keeping a very close eye on him. I'm glad he has Vega to watch over him. He really is just like a little Baby.

Thanks again everyone for all your advice and prayers. Keep those prayers coming.

Susan

 

[Maureen Las]

I hope that he keeps improving..
I agree that stressing him out a lot won't help the situation...
poor guy
Maureen

 

[krsbunny]

I'm very happy to hear that Winston seems to be improving. We humans tend to be very "impatient" about the recovery process ... it is often "two steps forward and one step back." As long as the trend is toward improvement, the best thing you can do (especially given what you said about having STRESSED bunny) is try to relax yourself. Instead of worrying, try focusing on a good outcome ... perhaps even visualize the blockage shrinking and being expelled from the system. I k

I do know of one other person who had the Barium test done on a bunny. That person isa very good friend who lives in an area where (based on what she has told me) vet care isYugoquality at Mercedes prices ...

I was glad to see Randy's perspective on hydration first and the times that Critical Care is NOT recommended. When the stomach is full, Dr. Allan also stresses both oral and sub-q fluids and recommends not trying to force-feed. The vets here recommend strawberry Ensure for nutrition ... but, frankly, none of my guys have ever been very impressed by that. Like others here, I have personally found using fresh-squeezed pineapple juice does make a positive difference in many cases.

I agree with Randy that you should have receiveda detailed invoice ... $700 seems really steep and it would be interesting to know how much of that was the Barium series. Test results (including x-rays) should be available to you if you need them. For the 6 weeks Dr. Allan was on maternity leave in 2002, I carried a "portfolio" of Murray's GI xrays in my car in case he had to see someone else! When she came back, I returned the x-rays so she would have them.

Like Randy, I have had the pleasure of working with wonderful vets who have been willing to explain test results and discuss options with me -- and that is how I have learned what I know. I have great respect and gratitude for the first vet who made me feel it was OK to ask how much a diagnostic would cost as well as pointing out to me thattests are only necessary if their results might change a treatment plan. If Idon't already know, I ask about the cost, risks, and benefits of diagnostics before agreeing to them. If it's an expensive test that you're not sure about ... a good question to ask the vet is "what are the risks of waiting (an hour or a day or whatever you think you need to make an informed decision)?

There is a lot of the "doctor as God" mentality still out there ... and it is not completely the fault of the medical professionals. My mother (and most of her generation) would not think of questioning a doctor's recommendation ... whereas I believe in active participation in health care decisions with my own doctor as well as with my vets.

 

[JadeIcing]

I have an issue with vets whodon't explain things more. How is he today?

 

[SOOOSKA]

Winston seems to be improving daily. He is eating well. Pooping a lot and good size ones too. Still not sure if he's drinking alot though.

We still keep their run open during the night so he can run around.

He is very spoilt now, he doesn't eat hay out of the hay rack now so I have to put a pile on his little purple house. He is eating alot from their.

Susan

 

[jcottonl02]

I'm really glad to hear it. Hope he keeps getting better! Bet he's enjoying being waited on

 

[LuvaBun]

SOOOSKA wrote:

He is very spoilt now, he doesn't eat hay out of the hay rack now so I have to put a pile on his little purple house. He is eating alot from their.

Susan

LOL! There's nothing wrong with his attitude, then .

Glad to hear that he's still improving

Jan

 

[Bo B Bunny]

LOL! A spoiled bunny?!?! NEVER!
I added orchard grass for Bo this week - he's doing great! Still trying to get those poos less hard tho!
I also added a bit more greens...... mine don't really get them as much as a lot because they get poopy butt (Bo especially)... I'm slowly adding what I can tho. Clover's happy with Bo at the moment! More goodies for her!