angieluv wrote:
The problem here is that you don't know if the mass is an accumulation of matter in the colon or a tumor and not knowing that makes it very difficult to treat.
If the mass is a tumor all of this is hopeless and you would know what to do
If you could go to a vet who could perform an ultrasound it would make everything clearer..possibly your vet could suggest a colleague who has ultrasound equipment for a 1 time appointment.
The only place I know of that has an ultrasound machine and is trained to operate it on a rabbit is Animal 911 in Skokie. (I only specify it because you may have heard of it.) I just don't know if we want to put Zoe through the car ride to have it done. (It's an hour-long drive to get there.)
I even called Ness Exotic Wellness Center and learned that they don't have an ultrasound; they, too, call in someone to perform an ultrasound; that person takes 7-10 days' to fit NEWC into her schedule, on average. There's also a VCA hospital in Aurora, but that's another lengthy car ride for Zoe.
Our vet has someone come to her clinic on certain days of the month; I don't recall if she said the woman knows how to perform an ultrasound on rabbits. She may only deal with cats and dogs.
I did read on Etherbun once about someone using extra light virgin olive oil to soften an intestinal mass; the theory behind this was that it would not be harmful like petroleum because it would not cause the intestinal contents to dry out.
Is it a proven fact that petroleum causes the intestinal contents to dry out? I ask because one of the vets at the clinic I go to gave Zoe one dose (likely 1 mL) of Laxatone without my knowledge. She told me after the fact. Admittedly, I was freaked out by it, figuring that it could upset Zoe's gut in a few ways. (It also includes several sugars, which aren't good for a megacolon bun.)
Of course, nothing is ever clear-cut. Zoe underwent anesthesia on 7/19 to have a growth removed from the inside of her left ear. When she returned six days' later for a post-up follow-up, the vet and I simultaneously discovered a clean cut on Zoe's leg. (There was no visible blood, so I'd not been alerted to the issue.) So I'll never know if it's the effect of anesthesia, the cut, or the Laxatone causes Zoe's woes. Maybe it's all three.
If I was to give olive oil I would give only a small amount initially and then increase it if nothing adverse happened.
I don't know if I have the courage to use it, either--or at least not before I call the vet's office with an update.
I would not want to give repeated enemas to a rabbit; seems so stressful.
I don't know that I really have a choice. Zoe's gut typically turns bone-dry on a "normal" day; her current issue is the worst I have ever seen. She's been pumped full of IV fluids, sub-Q fluids, oral fluids--and it seems that a blockage still exists. At least, that's how it appears. True, without an ultrasound, we won't know exactly.
