LPT, didn't Bindi get something like that after the SubQ fluids recently?

Well sorry for writing again so soon but I woke up a few hours ago to find some diarrhea in his bed.

This is *probably* my fault, as I gave him 1/10th of a dose of Lactulose (Generlac) yesterday when he slowed down in the afternoon.It's an osmotic laxative supposedly safe for well hydrated bunnies with cow poop syndrome...but ehhh?

I HOPE that's why he had diarrhea this morning anyway!!! So no more Lactulose for him. Even though I gave him a teeny dose. It may work for other cow poop bunnies, but I think it gave him diarrhea.

LPT - I agree, the internet can be info overload and it's really getting me down.
He has two siblings *that I know of*. I rescued them along with my local rescue owner, when they were infants from a pet store. They should not have been for sale, they were too young, barely eating pellets. Anywho, there was Boon, Angus (who looks like Boon) and Holly, who is brown and white but looks like Boon in the facial structure and behavior. Holly has no health problems that I know of. Angus has had at least two severe Stasis episodes, Boon has had about 4, and they were born September 2011. Angus deals with chronic Snuffles and Boon gets it occasionally and mildly. The rescue owner decided to keep Angus as a sanctuary bun due to his proneness to Stasis, and paired him with a female who also has chronic Snuffles. She is aware of all this and basically all of my own research for Boon will be benefitting Angus too. Angus is doing good now.

jerseygirl - I have been giving Boon his subQ fluids on his backside, but this kind of, growth or mass, it's small and irregular and it's located dead center just below his ribcage in his skin.... if it were on his back, I'd definitely be panicking about abscess, but because it is where it is, I am not sure. So the vet will be ooking at it on Thursday.

any thoughts on the diarrhea? The Lactulose I gave him was a very small amount, given yesterday afternoon when he slowed down... I really hope it's the Lactulose giving him diarrhea cause that will be easily corrected. I hope it's not the Bactrim or another bout of Stasis coming up here.

Giving him his Benebac and some subQ fluids in light of the diarrhea episode.

vibes to Boon - i didn't realize how scary this all was until my bun had a bout of stasis for the first time this weekend. hang in there - boon has such a loving mommy!

Continued vibes for Boon! And absolutely no problem talking to my vet about Boon's case -- I really wanted to help in any way possible since I'm sure some day I will have a bunny health issue and would really appreciate the same kind of help if needed. With three bunnies I feel I am doomed to have a problem at some point! I'm glad you're doing so much for this little guy, he's beyond lucky to have such a good bunny momma!!

Keep your strength up with him, I'm glad you're not letting it all hinder your helping him in the best way possible.

Sent you a PM with what my vet spoke to me about (It's a novel... I didn't want to repost here). I just wanted to add, I did mention that you had noticed he had diarrhea after the lactulose treatment - she said this is very common, even in the prescribed doses, especially for little guys like Boon.

(((((((more vibes for Boon and his momma))))))))

Jersey- Bindi developed what looked and felt like a water bubble that got infected. It wasn't hard, it felt like a balloon filled with water. What that was is still a mystery.

(((((Boon))))

Hi guys!!!

This is gonna be quick, because for some reason I can't get my computer to respond to my Private Messages. For those of you who have helped give me some resourceful info...thank you!

Currently Boon's normal fecals are actually more on the slow side of things but they are looking more normal everyday.

He is still having bouts of diarrhea *at night only* - I wake up to a small puddle of watery stuff on his bed --- and I have come to the conclusion that this is runny cecotropes!!! Yay me I think I figured this out. Anywho, talked to my local vet and she said she thinks maybe the Bactrim threw off his normal intestinal flora. So we are hoping that with the help of some BeneBac and time off the Bactrim, his cecotropes will find their bacteria balance. 

He has been off the Reglan for about 3 days, I tapered him off. His night cecotrope diarrhea started about 4 days ago?

I really hope he doesn't have a secondary infection like C. Diff from the Bactrim he was on it the full course.

In the next few days we are going to try to taper him off the Cisapride - in a few days anyway. If he continues to have watery cecortropes though , I am guessing he will need even more appointments.

The weird lumpy area is believed to be a vein, but this was determined by a vet tech, not the vet, so I don't know yet. We have decided to give Boon a rest for the holidays provided he continues to be stable

His current regime is.... subQ fluids a couple times per week (10ml per pound of body weight), no more than 1/8 cup pellets (per 5lbs of body weight) divided into 3rations per day, never ending hay and daily benebac.

We did cut out greens from his diet in light of the gas.

A few folks mentioned removing pellets altogether might have helped, but when we did that he became full of gas and could not eat enough hay to keep his nutrition up. So we are keeping on a very small amount of pellets per day. 

He is still kind of gassy but not as much, and he's been binkying and zooming around the room!

Continued vibes please... my biggest fear is that his next stasis may be his last. Or that his liver might fail or something. So yes many vibes needed! and will try to respond later to PMs and keep you all updated!!!

Yay for normal looking poops, binkies and zooms!!!! From my experience with Bindi, who's been through a lot of pretty serious health problems, when he's feeling better from an illness that's when he does his most crazy binkies and zooms. Like he's just full of energy and feeling so good he doesn't know what to do with himself.

Def keep us updated. ((((((Boon))))))

Continued vibes for Boon! Glad to hear he's feeling good enough to binky and zooms!

Hi my binky friends,

There had been no news in the last few weeks because it was ALL GOOD NEWS! Boon was doing wonderful indeed.

But as of the last few days he is back into a stasis which I saw coming as I check his belly everyday and I felt a bubbly lump in his abdomen. He's had a "bulge" like this before and it was during his last Stasis. I thought perhaps it was just a big gas bubble, and he had this big "lump" during his last bad bout of Stasis. He also had one of these "bubbles" about 2 wks ago and I got it to go away by promptly administering subQ fluids and substituting his pellets for Critical Care.

So.... how did this stasis happen... I have been back tracking the whole week....

Earlier in the week (today is Saturday) we switched him from the Oxbow young oat hay to his usual Mature Oat which we always gave him before, which has less seedheads for me to pick out, but has been out of stock for the whole season.

It might just be a coincidence, but after we did this I felt another bubble lump in his tummy and his gut went into a stasis. He had been on the young oat all summer because the mature oat ran out of stock, and he always did the best on mature oat because the young oat has the seedheads..... but, he did okay on both young and mature oat, really.He gets Timothy even tho I am terribly allergic to it. Oat is good for stasis prone buns, molts, and ppl who are allergic to timothy.

anywho - I don't know if switching his hay caused a temporary imbalance, or if I should just go back to feeding him young oat, or if the hay isn't really that big of a deal at all.

But I guess right now what matters most is that he is back in GI stasis ever since we switched back to the mature oat hay earlier in the week, so tonight I'm switching him back to the young oat. I also have him on subQ fluids and Critical Care as by now he has no appetite at all and his belly just feels limp and doughey.

I hear hardly any bowel sounds.

He is also getting some Timothy hay which I am deathly allergic to but I'm sucking it up for his sake.

It's strange how this Stasis occurred. Whch is a terrible tragedy because it means, to me, that he truly does have a neurological gut motility problm as he did not bloat up-- his gut just went limp and doughey and he stopped pooping, his appetite went low and then to just hay and then no appetite at all. When the tummy just goes doughey and limp, it means there is no GI activity and it also means dehydration.

Last night I thought we avoided a full blown stasis because the lump went away, his belly felt hydrated, he was POOPING normal poops and eating and I was hearing bowel sounds with my stethoscope so I re-introduced pellets and then....bam, this morning, he's in a full blown stasis.

This morning his belly is back to feeling limp and doughey except for that damnable bulge of what feels like gas or a mass. (a very doughey mass, not really a hard one). He's not pooping at all today. The bulge is in the same place as the day before yesterday.

when he went through his biggest bout of Stasis this past October, he had a bulgey lump in his belly just like this as he was making a recovery from being all bloated up....except it wasn't in the same place. It was on the left where his stomach is. This time it's more toward the right.

If he doesn't make some improvements by tonight I have no choice but to put him back on Cisapride, which I hate doing. Even our exotic vet said he doesn't like to see Boon on Cisapride all the time. It's been 3 weeks since I tapered him off all motility meds and I am really going to hate to have to put him back on them.
ps, I'm not pissing with the reglan anymore, I don't like it and I don't think it's effective. I've even read where it speeds the motility of liquids while slowing the motility of solids.

Prayers, vibes and good healing thoughts for Boon much needed again.

POOR BOON BOY! Ugh, you guys have really had a tough go of this.

Much vibes for you both and I'm so proud of you for sticking through this with your bun boy and giving him the proper care he needs!

I'm so very sorry to hear this. I truly, truly wish there was something I could do or say to help you out with Boon. I know how much you love him.

What has your vet said about that mass you are mentioning?

(((((Boon)))))) I"m thinking about you, little guy!

Thanks binkies... for those of you following, praying and vibing and pulling for Boon.

By the time I get Boon to the vet, the "bulge" that I feel in his belly goes away. It's happened three times since October and every time was either toward the end of, or at the beginning of, a bout of stasis.

The bulge is now gone, too.

I don't know if it's gas or gas surrounding an impaction, but whatever it was, he passed it a few days ago...

But he is left  in a state of bad hypomotility. His abdomen constantly feels doughey (which indicates hypomotility and sometimes dehydration so I am keeping up with the fluids too). He seems like he is gassy or uncomfortable at random times through the day. Switching back to young oat hay didn't help, so the issue is not the hay. It's like when I work the bulge out, and the bulge goes away it leaves his gut in this hypomotile state. He is not in a complete Stasis, meaning he is still eating and pooping, just not very much. His appetite is still low, and he still slows down with his poops the second I try to give him even a teeny bit of pellets..... and if he goes too long without a substantial amount of Critical Care then he slows down from going hungry (and his belly being empty). 

It is safe to say that he has little interest in pellets now when he used to have a huge appetite for them in the past (although I still only rationed no more than the recommended minimum amount daily).

So right now I'd say his condition is somewhat "stable" but his biggest problem is severe hypomotility and low appetite (wants little to do with pellets often - yet he will go through these stints during the day where he wants pellets terribly and is ravenously hungry for them).

His energy is great, he binkies around, just has these constant ups and downs all day long with his poop production and appetite. It seems - pellets make everything so much worse, I want to eliminate them completely, but don't know how to supplement his nutrition and keep contents in his gut, as, he doesn't eat enough hay to keep his belly full.

I think in general, ever since Boon got neutered his Stasis problems have become chronic. I don't know if there is a correlation or not.

Perhaps hormones?

I am beginning to wonder about his teeth even more - despite the exotic vet saying that only one of his front molars was "very slightly overgrown," it seems that Boon's appetite is very good for hay, veggies, and sometimes he even willingly sucks down his Critical Care, but once I try to reintroduce pellets, he goes after them quite strongly only to stop eating them halfway through - and I only give him a teaspoon full 3 times a day!

Of course if it is his teeth causing these problems, then maybe pellets aren't the problem, but he is so young to have dental issues and the vet said his teeth looked good with the exception of a slightly overgrown front pre-molar.

Prior to getting neutered, when his bouts of Stasis were only occasional, his appetite was HUGE. I'd have to ration his pellets as he would eat them too fast. So it is not normal for Boon to get full so quickly and for him to be uninterested in pellets while eating everything else willingly.

I haven't started him back on the Cisapride yet. I am just not comfortable with him being on it so much, and he IS pooping and eating/drinking - just not his pellets. Err, well, whenever he does eat his pellets it *usually* causes a problem....

Guess my next step is to have his teeth grinded, but I worry about the condition he is in to have that done, AND to figure out how to remove pellets from his diet without starving him to death...but again.... I would rather not have to remove pellets from his diet. He is so skinny these days. *sigh* Maybe if this issue is currently, his teeth , then pellets won't be a problem. I just dont know.

I worry how to get him his proper nutrition as he cannot live in hay alone. He only gets greens occasionally as they tend to give him gas. I've been supplementing his hay and what little bit of pellets he does eat here and there with Critical Care, but he can't live on Critical Care/hay  alone.

Any ideas on how to get a good diet plan going for a bunny who just cannot tolerate pellets in their diet? Because that is what this has seemingly become - he just can't seem to digest pellets anymore....

Hmm... on that note... while I have read this article before, it does seem to apply to the situation *now*.....
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

"If your bunny is showing any signs such as

Drooling
Runny eyes
Eagerly going to food, but then acting unwilling to actually take it into the mouth
Gradual (or sudden) change in dietary habits (e.g., refusing to eat pellets, but happy to eat hay--or the other way around!)
Unusual eating habits, such as a willingness to eat only one or two food items, and rejecting other types.
excessive drinking (this also can be a sign of renal disease, but rabbits with sore mouths will sometimes drink constantly in an attempt to soothe a sore mouth)"

then she recommends a dental checkup as the dental issues can be the problem here. Of these symptoms, the only one Boon has is the "sudden change in dietary habits" - basically not want much pellets all of a sudden (despite being a little piggy for them the rest of his life) but happily eating lots of hay. and drinking lots of water. Not real excessive, but lots.

It really could be his teeth. Chronic stasis can be a symptom. Did your vet just look in his mouth with an otoscope? Sometimes the bunny needs to be sedated for the vet to have a good look and see what's really going on. The back teeth are so hard to see.

In the meantime, have you ever tried wetting his pellets? This is how I feed Bindi now since he eats his pellets so fast they get stuck in his throat. I just put a bit of warm water on the pellets, enough so they bloat and puff up. I think he really enjoys them especially since it's a nice warm treat on a chilly morning. If Boons teeth are bothering him, this might entice him to eat pellets.

Kind of new to this thread but I haven't read it all yet...did you say you had cisapride? (I assume this is comparable to metaclopromide)...a gut motility drug?
Mimzy was on metaclopromide to keep his gut going through his head tilt. He used it for almost five months. I've now weaned him off it and he does fine. If you bun needs help emptying his gut cisapride should be fine to use till you ascertain the cause of Boon's stasis.
When this bulge appears...is it soft or hard? Has a mass been ruled out? Boon is a boy, yes? I've heard of females getting surgical adhesions after spays but not males, since there is less invasive technique employed in a neuter.
Is some kind of fluid regimen continuing? He may need more sub q fluids to keep his blood volume stable if he's still not eating.

I hope if it's a dental problem he can have it sorted soon. ((((((((Hugs))))))))

Lots of healing vibes for Boon. ((((((((((((((Vibes)))))))))))

Okay...I just went through the whole thread quickly. It sounds very much like dysautonomia, a condition where toxins that build up from low gut motility cause neurological damage to the digestive tract in rabbits. The mass you feel may be his cecum not emptying properly, which would explain the dysbiosis and the painful gut that causes Boon not only to not want to eat but eliminate as well. He isn't taking in enough nutrients to maintain his weight. This can also affect his moulting.
If you bring this up with your vet perhaps treatment can be adjusted. Gut motility drugs would still be needed along with metacam for pain relief and reducing inflammation.
Someone I know through another forum saw this condition begin in her rabbit at about six weeks of age. He lived to be six years old.
She also provided him with wild forage foods to keep his gut regular. Since she lives in the UK the items she used don't necessarily grow here but I think you can find dried forms. I would suggest pesticide free dandelion for a start but his difficulty staying hydrated might be further hindered by the diuretic herb.
If you'd like I'll try to find the info and PM you with it.

I hope Boon and you are able to have a more relaxed day today. (((((((((((((((((Vibes))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

While I feel that his frequent bouts of stasis are neurological in nature, I feel this this *current issue* of his doughey empty tummy and inappetance (except for hay and water) is most definitely due to dental problems at this point. Perhaps not his other stasis episodes, but this severe hypomotility episode is definitely linked to what seems to me to be tooth and jaw pain.

I figured it out when he refuses his pellets YET he basically sucks down the Critical Care and plows into his hay like a ravenous little pig  like he was starving to death and after he did, he was pooping normally and his belly didn't fell doughey and empty. His bowel sounds came back.

 I offered him his teaspoon of pellets again, and, again, he only took two bites and then huddled up in pain, grinding his teeth.

I took the advice here and wetted down his teaspoon of pellets with a couple drops of warm water, waited until they become fluffy (but not mushy)  and he ATE THEM ALL! He will only eat things that are soft right now ... and hay. 

Our next move is a tooth trimming for sure!

MimzMom: Thank you for providing me with this helpful info! I think the idea is a good one as boon does seem to be struggling with a genetic and/or neurological GI dysmotility problem. The lump was not where his cecum was but much higher up and it was not firm but doughey, almost like a large bubble of gas or fluid. It is definitely passed now, though. I really want to get him on a good diet and routine because of his chronic bouts of full blown Stasis (unlike now, this week, where he is inappetant and in a state of hypomotility - he IS pooping and eating, but can only tolerate soft foods).

I'm so glad to hear that wetting the pellets has been helping him eat! I'm glad you've kept researching his problems or you may never have realized that it was his teeth that could be possibly causing this trouble! Definitely sending more vibes to your boy.

As for gaining weight, someone can interject as this is nothing but a thought, but could switching him to Alfalfa hay/pellets help him gain weight again? Since he's lost so much. I have no medical advice or anything suggesting this -- I'm only thinking since you give them these to help them put on weight to grow when babies that he may help him gain some more weight so he's not skinny? I have no idea as I've never been through anything like this but thought maybe doing this would make a little sense? Thoughts, opinions?

I'm also glad Boon likes the puffed-up pellets.


(((((Boon)))))))

Hi guys,

so Boon saw the vet yesterday and when I told her that Dr. Bennett's limited view of his mouth revealed some overgrown molars, combined with the fact that he'd eat hay but not pellets, prompted her to put him completely under general anesthesia and do a thorough oral exam.

She said she doesn't really think it is his teeth causing him to have a low appetite - because there was no evidence of inflammation or irritation/lesions -

BUT

She did trim down the molars that were slightly overgrown. I'm really kind of crushed. I was hoping that his dental issues could have been causing this recent bout of..... being real picky with his food and general inappetance.

Oh, and the General Anesthesia caused him to go into Stasis so he is now on Cisapride, fluids, etc, too. *tears my hair out* He's pooping malformed mucusy poos ever since the surgery ..... he's still taking the Critical Care but now he's being picky about hay AND pellets.

Is this normal/to be expected after a molar trim???????

Do you think that he could have been not wanting his pellets even if the teeth weren't that bad?????

I REALLY hope this can help resolve the problem. I don't want to believe his genetic disease is THIS bad....

Hopefully this Stasis was just brought on by the anesthesia. I'd think it'd have worn off by now. It was done a little over 24 hours ago.

Thoughts & vibes ...and thanks ya'll..for following Boon's journey...need all the thoughts and vibes I can get here.

I'm sorry. I was really hoping it was a simple teeth issue as well.

It's normal for poos to be a little strange (mushy, small and/or unformed) after anaesthetic. This usually resolves after a couple of days.

Some bunnies are very sensitive and show symptoms even if there teeth really aren't that bad.

He really is a mystery. I hope things get sorted out very soon. (((((Boon))))))

Rucy was one of those bunnies that was very sensitive to having spurs on her molars. Even my rabbit savvy vet would look at her teeth sometimes and say, well there are some spurs there, but nothing terrible. Yet Rucy would have problems chewing or she'd get a wet chin. My vet also confirmed that some bunnies just are more sensitive with teeth issues. And Rucy would always do better after the soreness of the tooth trim wore off.

My vet would send us home with pain meds for the first day after the tooth trim as Rucy's mouth always seemed a bit sore for the next day after surgery
I would also have critical care just in case she was too sore to chew.

How is Boon doing now?

Wow, I just saw this post (I'm new to this website)... My thoughts are with your little furry friend!

My friend (Hazel) is currently going through a LOT of the same things that you discussed in this thread. She is 8 years old, and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection a few weeks ago that we have been treating with Metacam and Baytril. She lost weight and last week had x-rays & bloodwork... and is now being treated for stasis in addition. The vet wanted to put her on Reglan, but ended up with a different drug instead (I forget the name at the moment). The last couple days she has started to be interested in food again, but I am taking it one day at a time, and staying optimistic.

Best wishes with your bunny! He is ADORABLE. ~~~good vibes to him!~~~

Hi guys...thank you for checking in and continuing to follow Boon through his journey.

Ever since he went under anesthesia last week for his teeth he has been going through Stasis and then hypomotility every day. Then again, not too much different from before he had his teeth trimmed. His belly is still constantly doughey, although I have been reintroducing pellets into his diet little bits at a time and now that his teeth are trimmed, he is eating the pellets, but not very much of them - as he is so often constipated. Being cautious with it.

He'll be in stasis for the better part of 8-10 hours of the day, then usually at some point he perks up, his belly feels firm and normal, he poops and eats again (water, hay, veggies, Critical Care and a wee bit of pellets).

He was started back onto the Cisapride yesterday - and I intend to keep him on this for a long time. This concerns me. Is this okay? The pharmacist said that other animals are often on this drug for "the rest of their lives." Heart sink! I also don't understand why it's not helping at this point, but maybe I haven't given it enough time (about 24 hours so far). I was Googling "how long does it take Cisapride to work?" and found something I really didn't want to read on a cat forum:

(**this was from a CAT forum, ignore the advice..I'm just concerned about the boldened part of what was said**)

"The med usually takes about 2-3 days at least to notice change. He may be foaming because of the taste. I offer a half teaspoon of wet cat food immediately after dosing, and my cat completely forget what just happened. If you have been prescribed Cisapride, you may always have to keep an eye out for bowel changes - my guy has been on this med off and on for 8 years. The last time he went off for 2 months, and his intestines swelled up and were painful. Now he also gets a sprinkle of unflavored Metamucil in a spoonful of wet food every day - just to help keep things moving. If he hasn't had a bowel movement in the next 24 hours, the vet may have to give an enema - a very unpleasant situation for both of you . . ."

I really hope that his being on Cisapride so much in his first year of life didn't cause a dependence or worse, cause this problem to worsen as it has.

That said, this constant hypomotility issue occured after his last bout of true bloat which occurred in the end of October. One of the vets prescribed him some Bactrim after that bout of bloat because his poops were covered in very thick smelly mucus indicating a lot of bad bacterial overgrowth. He got better, but then, his night cecals turned to water (diarrhea) while his regular poops stayed the same. I am now wondering if perhaps his long time on the Bactrim caused him to devlop C. Diff infection, or some other intestinal imbalance so tomorrow night we are dropping off a stool sample to our local vet, as his night cecals are still watery.

I mentioned this " cecal diarrhea" problem in this thread a few pages back - its onset was on his last day of the Bactrim and it has not gotten better since. Also, when I feel his cecum, it feels like it is full of water. Very gross feeling and sounding.

He is also very lethargic most of the day. My poor baby. he just never feels well ever since being neutered. He was neutered Sept 21, his hormones hung around til the end of October which is when he went into a molt and a bloat and he has just been hypomotile and sick every since.

I wonder if maybe the hormonal drop caused this..I don't know...driving myself nuts wondering why? why? why?

This whole thing is making me truly depressed in a very literal sense of the word. I'd get on some antidepressants if I weren't already on them. ha! they don't work when your baby is sick.

Any thoughts on the possible cecal problem being C. Diff? Can this happen from BActrim? He is on BeneBac daily. He does get a stuffy/runny nose and snuffles when he is not feeling well. (oh, and yesterday he was molting).

Cutelittlebun: Keep bun hydrated and don't forget when bun is ready to be off the Reglan, to wean him off slowly so he doesn't have rebound problems. I've fostered bunnies with Snuffle problems and unfortunately, systemic antibiotics (antibiotics taken by mouth) never helped them. What helped them was something called VetRX Rabbit Remedy. It is also used in the ears to treat mites. may want to check it out if bun's snuffles doesn't improve after a month or so of being on the Baytril.
Also try to use Metacam sparingly as it can irritate the tummy with chronic use.

advice, experiences, thoughts, vibes, needed & appreciated.

Sorry to make another post. If anyone is still following.... I was reading up on the prokinetic drugs such s Cisapride and Metoproclamide (Reglan). I don't like Reglan as it was never effective for Boon. Cisapride was amazingly effective during his stasis episodes in his first year of life, but ever since his neuter in September he's been in a state of severe hypomotility and having daily episodes of stasis and the Cisapride doesn't seem to be helping anymore.

As I was doing my research, I came across this, but it's regarding megacolon in cats:

"CIsapride is the most effective medical therapy for megacolon in cats. The colon in cats with megacolon may even resume normal diameter radiographically under treatment with Cisapride. Unfortunately, megacolon commonly becomes refractory to Cisapride after several months of therapy, necessitating increasing the dosage[…]. Eventually after several months to years, many cats with megacolon become completely refractory to Cisapride and require colectomy."

I never had Boon on Cisapride for longer than 2-3 weeks a few times during the year and his longest time was his last big bloat in late October where he was on the Cisapride for about an entire month.

I reinstated it yesterday and he is just constantly severely hypomotile with complete stasis setting in daily.He does seem to perk up a little at night, and eat more and pass some stools. My hopes go up and get crushed very quickly and frequently.

I'm just a right mess over this. He's seen many veterinarians, and one exotic specialist who refuses to see him anymore because I supposedly made too many cancellations (I only cancelled once). Vets are stumped. Aren't telling me whether or not to put him to sleep or giving me any hope or direction of what to do to make him comfortable or help his condition.

Boon's been acting real frustrated with everything and lethargic. I'm either syringe feeding him to supplement his poor appetite or jabbing him with subQ fluid needles but tonight I just held him and sang to him and talked to him and loved him.

Been crying so much... so depressed... he's my baby.

Dropping off his stool samples tomorrow.... will let you all know what the results are...but I really need some hugs

I'm so sorry things are at this point. I can understand how you are feeling. There is nothing worse than feeling helpless with our babies. You are doing everything you can and he is truly lucky to have such care and love. I wish with all my heart I could help you and little Boon. ****Big Bunny Hugs**** I'm always here for you.

Hi Nova

I just read this thread, and I also want to say that I'm thinking of you and your bun child. ((((((Pie and I are sending you good vibes as you read this)))))).

I am no Vet, and I don't have the knowledge to offer a suitable opinion or advice, but in overview I think that there are so many factors that could be involved, and just like humans each bun responds to treatment or complications in it's own way. It seems like the symptoms and causes of illness are going about in circles, like in the case of the dental check up under anaesthetics that was the cause for concern, but the anaestetics causing another bout of stasis.

Please know that in my heart there is a special place for bunnies and their dedicated owners, such as you and everyone else who are supporting you and your bun in this forum - and even more so for bunnies who struggle with gastric stasis, however many times in their lives.

When I demanded to bring Pie home from ICU against the doctor's will, she was not fine. One of the most important people in healing my Pie told me to stop crying and to stop treating Pie like a bunny on it's death bed. I got into the car and on the way home I told her how proud I am of her beating that gastric stasis, and how we are going to play on the grass outside and be amongst familiar sounds and sleep in our familiar bed. She got better, with a lot of coaching and many nights spent sleeping next to her on the carpet telling her that she IS fine, instead of going to be fine. In retrospect, I believe that what I said in that car and the tone of my voice played a pivotal role in beating gastric stasis. Some might agree, some might not. But this was something I could believe in - something to hold on to when I cried, spent frustrating hours reading about symptoms and treatments; felt helpless and heartbroken. You too have something to believe in.

Therefore, in having no medical advice for you, I contribute faith and lots of it. I believe that the circles will turn into something better soon. NEVER give up. You guys ARE making it together (instead of can make it together).

Lots of love, good vibes, support and faith x

hopsalot, you've no idea how grateful I am for your comforting words! Faith, was something I was losing.....but I prayed, real hard, that if Boon is going to die, for him to go over the rainbow quickly because I just can't stand to see him sick anymore. 

And LPT for following..all of you guys who have been supporting and pulling for Boon...thank you!!!

Then, just before I made the call to have him put to sleep, I had one last resort idea pop into my head. I collected some of his poops in a baggie and took to the vet to look at under the microscope.
My reasoning was that, if you read a few pages back, when he was on the Bactrim in early November he developed diarrhea cecals. His normal poops were fine but I was waking up to diarrhea in his bed every morning since the last 3 days of the Bactrim and his appetite has been low ever since, lethargic, in pain, his belly feels doughey and full of gas and liquid.

Gas & liquid ... to me, equals some kind of infection

Well first off, thank GOD or whatever reigns in the Heavens above for my local vet. While she is no expert, she has been very patient and helpful to me and Boon's unique situation and is very rabbit experienced despite it all. Most other vets would wash their hands of me by now (some already have)

Anyway my compassionate local vet found Clostridium in his stool.  she said it was mild, but it was definitely there. For some reason she initially wanted to prescribe Bactrim because she thought that perhaps overgrowth of other bad bacteria was causing the Clostrdium to overgrow, but I then told her that his cecal diarrhea began while *on* Bactrim in the first place. (The Bactrim was prescribed by a totally different vet way down below Pittsburgh).

I also know that Bactrim does not treat Clostridium so I asked her to please treat the Clostridium, to my knowledge this is done with Flagyl (metronidazole). She said it is very uncommon so she would have to look up the dosing guidelines. The next day she called it in.

This link was provided to me by a helpful member of another bun forum,
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00...abbits.htm

Boon fits the description well for mild Clostridial infection in adult rabbits. (almost like C. Diff in humans - it is often caused by antibiotic usage, and it makes sense since he developed this while on Bactrim in November!)

Treatment is diet, fluids and Flagyl (metronidazole) 20mg per kg every 12 hours for 3 weeks.

I'm concerned because while the vet prescribed the right dosage (28mg every 12 hours, as Boon weighs 1.3kg) she only prescribed it for 2 weeks, not 3, so I am gonna call her tomorrow and see what she thinks of the information here in the link. The link is VERY thorough! But she did do the research, and I'm guessing 2 weeks will be just fine, I just want to double check since the link says 3 weeks.

More on Clostridium infection in bunnies (basically in infant buns it is acute and fatal, while in older buns it can be mild, chronic or acute)
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...mp;f=false

Also pain relief!

Boon had his first dose of Flagyl today and he already did some binkies around the room, and has actually been willfully eating on his own a lot more than he has in the last few weeks. However I won't assume he's getting better yet - being very cautious now.

VIBES AND PRAYERS FOR BOON PLEASE! This may mean Boon gets to spend more time here with me before he goes over the rainbow!!!

oh my goodness i read this entire thread and i want you to know Boon is soooooooooo lucky to have such a loving and determined mother as you. There is no doubt in my mind that if Boon was owned by someone else he might not have gotten the same sort of attention that saved his life.

i send both Boon and you healing and good vibes