Bloat

[Rippy]

My 2,5year old bunny (lionhead) has a bloat it seems, and I would need some advice. It happened a bit after midnight (when he usually eats the most food) and he started sheading fur so the blockage is probably a mix of fur and hay. His belly is definitely bloated but not “critical”. He is sitting up most of the time with shallow but rapid breathing.

As soon as I noticed the problem (which was very quickly) (it has been more then 14 hours now) I gave him 1cc of paraffin oil (mineral oil) and a repeat after two hours (but most of it ended up on his fur). I gave him another dose this morning (this time he did not spit it out). I took him to the vet and he received about 50cc’s of SQ and 0.3cc of paraffin oil with the instruction that I should keep giving him a small dose about every hour.

I know mineral oil might not be such a good idea in this situation as it does not help the mass break apart. I would start giving him some baby food tomorrow but this can be problematic as well and worsen the situation if it does not go thru.
 

Any advice would be appriciated.

 

Thank you!

[jerseygirl]

This is your Shmoo? He’s always had some trouble hasn’t he.

If it’s bloat, it’s important to monitor his temperature (risk of getting low and going into shock) and pain relief. See if your vet recommends some pain relief for him.

The problem with paraffin is it can make any mass present to become waterproof. So then it’s more difficult to hydrate and help break i down. I have heard it can help sometimes. I know a friends rabbit was saved using it during stasis episode when nothing else was working.

I don’t know if this is helpful but it’s the only info I can think of in regards to bloat and rabbits: http://www.bunnylu.org/bloat.html

{{{{{VIBES}}}}}

[Rippy]

Yes its Shmoo. I lost count how many times he has been in short GI slowdowns (10+ probably). But paraffin always “jump started” him within an hour. Its just that combination of too much fluffly angora genes with a bunny that eats half as much as he should (but for some reason he is not loosing weight). He always has a fresh supply of 3 different hay types which are top quality, I try to do everything I can to keep him healthy but..meh it just breaks my heart because he is such a nice bunny…always want’s to cuddle :s.

But this is different…the mass is still in his stomach but lucky he still does not have gas buildup at this time. I know oil can potentially make it worse…but you can’t exactly use drugs that help with hydration as they are effective in the intestine.

 

Edit: It seems that the obstruction has moved out of his stomach and is no longer causing a bloat. He ate two willow leafs and drank some water. There is considerable gas left in his GIt but that’s something I can deal with. With any luck the obstruction should pass without a problem because it should be slippery. Pulled so much loose fur off him in the past 14h I could make a small pillow the stress accelerated fur loss I think. Just wish someone invented a brush that could do a better job then doing it by hand.

[RabbitPam]

How is Shmoo today? Do you think it has passed by now?

I like the Hairbuster comb for fur. But I think you need a stronger brush as well. I usually do NOT recommend the Furminator because it seems people use it way too much and it causes harm easily in a very short time. However, that said, those who use it sparingly swear by it. I wonder if you were to try it if it would help. I know you’d be super careful, which is the way to operate it. Just a thought.

[jerseygirl]

So glad there’s been an improvement.

Continued {{{Vibes}}} for him!

[Rippy]

It took him a good day or so to start eating eating normally since the first signs of improvement but he has been great the last two days and is now eating normally. The bloat lasted around 16 hours but it is a very good thing it wasn’t large enough to be lethal.

I generally use my hand to gently pluck out the loose rough fur. Find it to be very efficient and both of my rabbits enjoy it even if it might be bit on the rough side. The two brushes I have really don’t do anything.

Now the thing with Shmoo…I think he has 3-4 layers of fur…the rough fur will be gone quickly and then you end up with extremely soft and thin wool (sides and underbelly#. This is a nightmare to remove the loose because unlike an undercoat which goes away in little patches it still keeps sheading all over the place but is very dense and fine. I can get the Furminator here but is it any good with such thin wool…it is quite big as well ?

The rough coat will explode one area at the time and the wool will go more or less at a slower pace for months…I think I only get a two month break every year :#.

I just wish he would eat more then it would be more managable.My Pika #holland lop) eats 3x as much and her poop size is very healthy #almost too large), doesn’t groom herself as much. But Shmoo is borderline, constantly grooming and can quickly result to a problem if he consumes too much of his fur.

[RabbitPam]

Glad to hear he’s better.
That does take vigilence. I understand your concerns, and maybe you have been doing the best method. They also make grooming gloves, which are used like your hands but it doesn’t get on your hands, just the glove. You might try those.

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