I just gave him some fresh greens- more of the escarole that he ate out of his earlier salad- and he took a few nibbles of that- and he seems to go back every few minutes for another nibble and then lays back down in his litterbox. 

I decided to give him a tummy massage after reading more about rabbit gas online- and when I massaged his tummy I could feel that he was a little distended and what must be in his stomach (when palpated from each side at the same time).  Poor Schroeder was so fussy trying to arrange his hay into a comfortable position to be able to lay down that I took him into the eclinic.

He had x-rays- and he has a lot of gas in his small intestine- the simethicone may have not even made it that far into his system yet.  So the gave him a low dose of Burprinex for pain and I am to continue the simethicone (and Metacam if needed). 

But now it is 4:30am- and I am tired.  So I am off to bed and Schroeder looks a little sleepy from the pain meds too- so maybe he will be comfortable enough to get some sleep now too.

They did not give him any SQ fluids as they did not feel that he was dehydrated- and I can easily get the stuff to do that if I need to anyway.   But they did mention wetting his greens, etc to make sure he is getting enough water while his gas works itself out.

They did not prescribe any gut motility drugs because they thought his gut sounds indicated everything was moving normally as could be expected.

I adopted him in January- so this is the first that we have had him in warmer weather- but the central AC was on yesterday- and our house never gets warmer than 76 or so if it is not humid out before hubby will turn on AC.  So it cannot be heat related.

He just recently in the past 2 months got a thick soft coat and just started normal light shedding-so I doubt it is hair ingestion related.  Previously his coat and been duller and thinner from what I can only assume was poor nutrition from being a stray and then being at the petstore for adoption where he had crappy pellets, limited hay and I do not believe any greens.

He seems perkier today.  I just took him into my vet (work) so I could pick up some SQ fluids supplies and have his belly repalpated and have her look at the x-rays.  She thinks his gut is not a doughy as what she thought it would be compared to the x-rays so she thinks that is in improvement.  She is hesitant to prescribe Reglan (metoclopramide) for gut motility in case there is an obstruction (which she does not suspect)- but Reglan can cause major complications if there is.

She advised scheduled an appt tomorrow morning with the exotics vet 45 minutes away for tomorrow am- so that way if I have not seen any improvement I will have an appt to get him in.

I think I will call and talk to that vet because I am a little leary of the Evet and my vet recommending pineapple juice (fresh)- I understand why they are recommending it but I am afraid it is an outdated method????

But at this point he got some SQ fluids to make sure he does not get dehydrated (I can do this at home and give more as needed), I gave him some Benebac that I had on hand already, and am cont with the Simethicone. 

I have Critical Care to give him if necessary later after he relaxes from the short car ride, and indignity of SQ fluids. 

So he seems more comfortable today- he belly is not as painful even when the vet palpates his abdomen well and any firm areas are movable and appear to be normal- and gut sounds are normal.

There was no obstruction visible on the x-ray in either view- on his side view and on his back view.

I scheduled an appt with the exotics vet tomorrow so that if he has not made significant improvement that he can be seen.  The only appt they had available was 7:45am.  But I will call and cancel it if he perks up tonight or is better by am- and they are OK with that.

He is pooping- not a ton though.  Schroeder and Cotton are side by side separated by NIC grids- and I can’t be 100% sure that she did not manage to kick the poos onto his side.  I doubt it- but can’t say with 100% certainty.  I am debating putting Coroplast between them temporarily- but when I gave greens just now he leaped up out of the litterbox where he has been laying because she was so excited.  And even though they are not bonded I do think they have a competitive relationship which might encourage him to eat.

Sarita- have you ever given pineapple juice?  I am torn between thinking it is old school and is just introducing sugar into his gut- yet but if it helps, then I am all for it.

He is normally such a little pig about eating- I can see that he wants to eat- but after a nibble or 2 he stops eating.  He shows brief periods of being normal, inquisitive, happy and then lays back in the litterbox.

The emergency vet and my vet were not able to get a god look at his molars.  I will be sure to have the exotics vet look at his teeth tomorrow.

I can’t imagine that I will end up canceling the appt- Schroeder is not eating as usual- so when my hubby gets home in an hour I am going to have him help me feed (probably force feed) the Critical Care.

Yeah- I am not sold on the “pineapple juice” rememdy either- it seems as though it is an old school “easy” answer.  My husband works at a Pharmacy so I am going to have him bring home some Pedialyte, another bottle of Simethicone (just in case) and maybe a few more jars of baby food.

Since I will already be giving Schroeder- Simethicone, Metacam again tonight, a dose of Benebac today, Critical Care- I wanted your opinion on pineapple juice as that would most likely be one more thing to “force” on him.  Plus giving the SQ fluids.  I feel bad because when he looks at me I swear he is thinking “what else are you going to do to me now- force me to take meds, rub my belly or poke me with a needle?”

It had only been about 12 hours since the evet visit- so that is why I wasn’t too freaked out and only took him to my vet and since I saw improvement I thought I would try supportive care and see if I saw any greater improvement.  Unfortunately the EmerVet is about 45-55 minutes away and the exotics vet is about 45 minutes away- so I am glad that I was able to give him more time between long car rides.  If he declines before his early am appt tomorrow- I will take him to the EmerVet again if I have to tonight.  But I am hoping the fluids, gas meds, pain meds, and Critical Care improve him some- or at the very least maintain where he is at.

I don’t want anyone to think he is flat out laying around in pain- he is still switching from “normal” attentive behavior to laying in his litter.  My husband would not even know anything was wrong probably- but I know my pets so well that I can see in their body language when they are a little off.  And I know bunnies are so sensitive that these little warning flags is what prompted me to take him in on emergency last night- I could not stand the thought of him being in pain.  The EmerVet gave the lower end of the dose of Buprinex since narcotics can slow the gut- and his gut is defintely less painful today and it can cause mild sedation.

I am hoping the rabbit vet tomorrow will feel more comfortable prescribing Reglan if that is what he needs.  I have the x-rays here with me- I should see if I can rig a “lightbox” so I can take some pics and post them on this thread.

Well, I just finished giving Schroeder more SQ fluids, Simethicone, Metacam and his Critical Care.  When my husband picked him up he noticed Schroeders bottom was dirty- it looked like urine as it was yellowish- but when I wiped him up with a paper towel before we started treating him- it was definitely “gluey”- so he has obviously passed some mucus.

He was great about the Critical Care- and actually seemed to like it- he got about 40cc’s.  But I think I found another clue as to why he is so blah- when he was eating the CC that I syringed into his mouth he licked his lips and kinda “chewed” to get it down- there was an obvious rasping noise that was repeated throughout the whole feeding.  It did not seem respiratory and seemed to coincide with his chewing motions- so I am very suspicious of his teeth now.

Has anyone ever managed to look at their rabbits molars at home?  I tried to get a peek when I had the syringe tip in his mouth- but I can’t see into the back of his mouth at all.

I am so happy that he took his CC well- I don’t think he would have eaten it out of a dish- but he did not try to spit any out- and it was way less of a mess than I expected- and no struggle at all.

I cleaned his pen again so I can keep an eye on his output.  I also gave him a dish of pedialyte/water mixture and I hope he drinks some.  I had mixed the CC with Pedialyte to reconstitute it- so I think he must like the flavor.

Schroeder is still pretty quiet in his pen- he does get some movement and feisty when we pick him up for the CC.  His belly feels normal now and he is still passing a bit of mucous- especially when he tries to squirm away from my husbands arms.  Chad has had to change his shirt twice tonight- you think he would learn to make sure Schroeder’s butt is covered by the towel- but oh, well.

Schroeder took his CC well again- he would not outright eat it but quite willingly ate it syringed into his mouth.  And again this creaking, rasping noise the whole time he worked his mouth to swallow the CC.  But from what I have read online- it is better to need dental work than to have unexplained GI issues- so I am more hopeful.  I guess this must be similar to the pain teeth grinding that bunnies can do- but I don’t think he is super painful from the swallowing and seems to like the CC.  I have never heard such a teeth grinding noise from a bunny before- I have only ever heard barely audible happy tooth purrs.  This is a grating, rasping sound.  And if this is only his reaction to painI think he would have been toothgrinding like crazy last night with his painful gassy belly.

I read online how to look at a bunnies teeth- you need an otoscope with a cone or something similiar.  They sell cheapies online- I might get one so I can look at my bunnies teeth at home.  Plus I have been meaning to use a stethoscope to listen to their gut sounds when they are feeling well and never got around to doing it- now I will have to make sure that I do!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ…pcatid=653

His appt is at 7:30am with the exotics vet- the same vet that I took Penny to and am embarassed to admit that I sobbed the whole time pretty much and begged her not to die.  Hopefully they don’t remember that even though it was only a couple of months ago.

Schroeder had his appt this morning- and the exotics vet does not think it is his teeth at all- he used a tool to check for an abnormal bite or any spurs and found it so be normal- so he thinks his teeth should be fine and they are maybe just a titch longer than usual since he is not eating normally- and if he eats normally soon that will get that all back on track.  So no sedation and treatment for the teeth is recommended at this point.

He looked at the previous x-rays and was convinced there was a “hairball” or other fibrous material that was not leaving the stomach. But the good news is the x-rays retaken today clearly show that it has broken up and is moving thru his GI system- and what must be the Critical Care is going thru his stomach normally.  So I need to keep forcefeeding Critcal Care- adding some pumpkin to it to increase the fiber, syringe fed water/Pedialyte to keep all of his gut hydrated and moving, continue with the Simethicone and I can continue SQ fluids as an extra boost.  And get Schroeder active and moving a few times a day.

He said that Schroeder was in excellent condition and hydration- he will just need some nursing care to get his gut moving normal, get rid of the gas and get him eating again.

This vet also does not like to use Reglan because of the risk of complications with rupturing the stomach in case of blockage- and he is also a big advocate of pineapple juice- though he said at this point it is not necessary since things are appearing to move.  So this vet (who is older) also seems a bit old school in his rabbit treatment and philosophy- but he is confident in his diagnosis and treatment and is very good about talking about options and explaining pros and cons of things.

I hope this creates a closer bond between me and Schroeder as opposed to him dreading to see me since it seems like there is always something that he needs to have done to him.

I am so glad that I got insurance for Schroeder a couple of months ago- I assumed I would hopefully never use it- but between the EmerVet, fluid supplies from my vet and the Exotics vet today- I am up to about $600 total- granted x-rays at each visit is a huge chunk of that- but treating exotics sure is not cheap!

Schroeder is getting way less cooperative about the force feeding.  This afternoon after awhile he flat out refused to swallow.

It is so frustrating because medically he is doing better- stomach contents are moving and looks very positive.  Yet, he has a gassy abdomen today and does not want to eat- so clinically he is doing a little worse.  I tried mixing some peach baby food in with the CC and he was not impressed with that either.

I let him out to run for a bit and I had to scoot him around to get him to be active- and I even let Cotton out for awhile at the same time to keep him on his toes and moving more.  I am tempted to put a little baby food on his back and let the dogs pester him to groom it off.  Other than prodding/chasing how do you get a bunny to be very active???

He has taken to peeing in the corners of his pen- but I don’t really care as long as he gets better.  I think I will add another litterbox so he will have one to lay in and one to eliminate in.

Any other helpful hints?  He does not want to eat or drink anything on his own- it all has to be syringed into him.  I am keeping up on the gas meds now- his abdomen felt normal and gas free yesterday that I did not give a dose of Simethicone at his last force feeding.  So I am hoping the gas meds will get thru his system and get his gut feeling better- because when he is not gassy he is more cooperative about eating.

Cotton has a major sweet tooth so I let her see his bowl of grape Pedialyte/water mix and a little dab of peach baby food in a bowl- and she would not eat or lick it either!  I thought he might get a little more interested seeing her eat it- but no such luck.

I am going to try a little natural applesauce next to see if that interests him.

I think his main problem right now is his gassy belly.  The morning after being seen on Emergency my vet looked at the films, looked at him- thought his belly felt great- no pain or tensing on manipulation at all.  And he was eating CC like a champ for us.  I stopped giving the Simethicone because then I strongly suspected his teeth.  And then by the next morning he has a gassy belly again.

So I found the more detailed dosing on Simethicone for rabbits- and since he is past initial dosing- he can get it every 3-8 hours.  So I am setting a timer for every 3 hours and he is getting 2 mls of Simethicone until his belly feels more normal.  Since Simethicone is not absorbed and only works manually to help break up and get gas bubbles to move- it is OK to give that often.

I have done some massage- which he is not crazy about- though he did show so more activity briefly afterwards.  He grinds his teeth when I rub his belly and I am ultra careful not to be vigorous or deep.

I am really fighting his gassy belly and pain at this point- I called my vet and talked to her about the Metacam- the exotics vet recommended stopping it- but Schroeder won’t eat if he is in pain.  So she agreed that it would be best to give Metacam and to continue my strict regimen of Simethicone to get him feeling better.  And I did see him looking a bit perkier about 45 minutes after getting his dose tonight.

The x-rays they took this morning (well, Wed am) showed the stomach contents broken up and clearly moving thru his system, but that he had developed gas again.  And it also showed what must be the force fed Critical Care starting its way normally thru the GI system.

Thank goodness I work at a vet clinic and they know what is going on with Schroeder- I have not worked Tue, Wed, will not work Thur to keep up on gas med dosing and will probably be able to go in on Friday since hubby will be home to give gas meds.

It is so frustrating and saddening because I would buy him anything he wanted to eat and serve it to him anyway he wanted if he would just eat on his own! 

I just want to make sure that I am doing everything I possibly can.  And I keep reading stuff online for tips, tricks, hints, etc to develop the best possible treatment plan.  But he really is not on many drugs- just Simethicone which is over the counter, Metacam which the exotics vet prefered I do not give- and all the CC, oral fluids, and SQ fluids.  Part of me is afraid that he needs gut motility drugs or GI anti-inflammatory drugs, or a better pain regimen and he is not getting it.  I just have to trust in the vets that he has seen.  But it is in the back of my mind to take him elsewhere if I can’t get enough improvement by Friday for me to be comfortable nursing him thru the weekend.

I just got up for one of his middle of the night Simethicone doses- and he has passed some soft poo and mucous- about golf ball sized (I am sure it must not have passed all at once).  So this must be a good sign- even though he gut still feels a bit gassy things are moving towards the exit!!  I think if I can get the gas and pain under control he will readily accept the CC again. 

Just gave him another dose of gas meds- and he has passed some more squishy poo.  I can tell by his body language that he is feeling better than he was 12 hours ago- his attitude is more alert and responsive and grooming himself.

I never thought I would be so excited to see such a disgusting looking pen- flat, squishy poo, some mucous and 2 corners that are peed in- and a quite clean litterbox.

I think if I can keep him gas free/pain free he has a great chance of getting pas this episode!

Update for Thursday- the aggressive schedule of Simethicone is decreasing the gassy tummy and improved Schroeders attitude about accepting the Critical Care and he has started to nibble at greens again.  Which is a huge improvement from abotu 24 hours ago when he refused to swallow and was in so much pain I was afraid he was giving up.

He is passing big blobs of mushy poo- as he should be in best case scenario.  I have had to give him frequent butt baths and clean his pen 3-4 times daily.

Another symptom of all the irritation, disruption, and moisture and every other abnormal behavior is that he privates are swollen now!  My vet was kind enough to come take a look at him tonight- and determined it is just irritation due to all the moisture, wetness, grooming, butt bathes, etc.  His poor little prepuce (area where the penis is inside) is swollen, red and has a little oozy “blister”.  Poor guy.    But I have a topical ointment and am continuing pain meds so that should help that problem.

This has been a huge emotional rollercoaster for me and I finally broke down sobbing- and hubby has agreed to help out a lot tomorrow and Sat since he has those days off.  The lack of sleep, worry, and decision process of figuring out the best treatment that he is responding too was getting to me.  The exotics vet did not think the pain meds were important and shouldn’t even be given, was OK with the SQ fluids but did not feel they were necessary, mentioned nothing about tummy massage, and thought it was “ok” to continue gas meds.  So thanks to my regular vet and some members here and other sources online that have gotten rabbits thru this- I have a plan that is working!

So even though he is improved- I am hoping it conitnues to improve otherwise I might have to make the decision to take him in again to see the exotics vet or a different exotics vet.  I don’t want to get “stuck” on Sat or Sun and need an experienced rabbit vet advice- and not have one available.

MimzMum-  Metacam is probably the best pain med to give and he seems better on it.  Most other pain meds- like Buprinex, Torb, other opiates often have the side affect of slowing the gut down.  Metacam can do that do but is not as likely- and the poor guy needed something for pain.  Tue night I suspected his teeth as the problem as he was rasping them- but now I have realized he was grinding his teeth in pain!  Poor guy.

Schroeder is doing much better today!  He ate all of his greens and is picking at his hay and ate a bit of his pellets this am.  I can feel that he is skinnier since this whole episode started on Monday night.  I am continuing the Metacam and am taking no chances and giving the Simethicone every 6 hours to keep him gas free and am giving SQ fluids once a day- as I would have to throw the bag away in a couple of days anyway since it has been used.

He is passing irregular poos- but solid and firm now- and I have seen him drink from his water bottle.

So I am doing much better as a direct result of him doing better.  I can tell from his body language that he feels good.  My husband has also gave the middle of the night dose and early morning dose so I could sleep- because I can’t get up give the dose and then go back to sleep.  My posts probably show that I was awake and analyzing Schroeders behavior and health. 

I am holding off on force feeding him since I don’t want to stress him and give him a reason to stop eating on his own.

This morning he did do the cutest thing though- we had him on a towel on the kitchen counter to give him his meds, SQ fluids and to check his privates to see if they were better.  They look better but my husband put a little ointment on as directed by the vet (and that is one of the reasons to continue the Metacam also).  Schroeder put his paws on my shoulder and “dug” like crazy- then grabbed my T-shirt in his teeth and tossed his head like “Get me outta here!”.  It was so sweet to see him sassy!  And I am impressed that my hubby was willing to apply the ointment- I thought he would be too “manly”. 

So Chad has really stepped up to help!

I have thought about what could have caused this and I am really not sure!  There is nothing that he had gotten into- carpet, etc.  About a week prior he had suddenly ripped/chewed out the back of his Timothy Bungalow- making it a tunnel.  I had given him a piece of cauliflower in his salad- which I thought he had handled fine previously.  I was a day or 2 later cleaning their pen- but I had been throwing handfuls of hay into the litterboxes (he always empties/digs his whole bin into the litterbox anyway).  I had given him a new treat cookie a couple of days before- but only 1. 

So nothing that really makes me suspect a particular cause.  I am hesitant to believe it was from a large ingestion of hair- as he only in the last 2 months got a nice coat from proper nutrition.  And in all the times we have had to take Cotton outside on the deck to comb her because she was shedding like mad and fur was everywhere- Cotton has been outside about 5 times this year for that- and Schroeder only ONCE about 2-3 weeks ago- and he is still no where near as bad a shedder as Cotton.

At this point he is on limited/no treats- and I will never give cauliflower again (there are so many other veggies that he likes it is not worth trying it again) and I gave tbe bungalow to Cotton instead now.