Emergency Room!!! - Gas ... thoughts?

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 11sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 3 months ago by Jenalynn.

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- 11/09/2009 at 7:14 AM
  Jenalynn
  Participant
  75 posts
  My Boy buzzlight year was acting weird yesterday. I noticed he was not quite active during the midddle of the day and his food wasnt finished, whcih was odd because just 3-4 days before I was free feeding him since he was under a year ..he ate about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of pellets a day usually and he was not so thrilled about his greens and hay that was always available to him. So when I cut his pellets down to 1/4 cup he would scarf them up by the middle of the day and then and 5pm I would feed him greens and he would finally eat them all up since he wasnt stuffed with pellets.
  
  Well, this was the only thing differently in his diet. .. the switching of amounts of pellets. Well as i said before yesterday he didnt even finish his 1/4 cup of pellets… and he kept sitting in his litter box on the bottom of the cage when usually he sits at the top level… and after an hour or 2 of him just sitting in the box I went to pet him and I went to pick him up and he actually let me… Buzz is a sweety but HATES being picked up. He let me hold him in my arms… and thats when I knew something was just really odd…. so I didnt want to risk anything and took him to the ER
  
  The doctor said his stomach had Gas in it… that it wasnt tooo bad yet- but enough to make him uncomfortable…..
  
  sooo he was given Sub Q fluids…tons of meds…. and he had to come home with 5 different medicines… and critical care food I have to mix up and syringe feed – 60cc 2-3 times a day- and if he isnt better by today I have to bring him in to the ER to stay overnight for IV fluids…
  
  after a $350 bill I am exhausted.
  
  It seems soo much for this poor little guy. He hates the critical care food and only likes 1 out of the 5 meds- so it is very stressfull for him to syringe feed him.
  
  The doc has seen him before since he goes there to get his teeth grinded every 5 weeks – she said he just a high-stress bunny naturally.
  
  She said it is also possible that the new bunny is stressing him out and they may not be able to be with each other- but they dont seem to mind each other at home– they are in separate cages- and havent begun bonding yet since she is getting fixed in a couple of weeks… so i thought that was a little extreme
  
  The only thing I could think of that caused this is the decrease in his pellets- perhaps it was too much too soon….
  
  As of this morning he pooped at least 20 pellets— and he is a lot more active then yesterday- so i hope this is enough to keep out of the ER- I haven’t seen him eat on his own yet though- but I did just syringe feed him…
  
  Any thoughts?
  
  Has anyone ever had this issue??
  
  Thanks
  
  -Worried mom
- 11/09/2009 at 8:04 AM
  Sarita
  Participant
  18851 posts
  Hi, did the vet do an x-ray to determine gas? I would not really imagine the stress to cause the gas and you haven’t begun bonding so it just doesn’t seem likely in my opinion either.
  
  I would not think a decrease in pellets would cause this.
  
  Did she check his teeth?
  
  Mainly to an ER vet is going to take care of the immediate problem to get the rabbit eating again so I would suggest that you take him into your regular vet for a checkup as well.
- 11/09/2009 at 9:01 AM
  Jenalynn
  Participant
  75 posts
  Yes, I was hoping the other bunny didnt have any affect on him.
  No she didnt do an x-ray- she said she could do an x-ray if i thought he ate anything he shouldn’t have- but I didn’t think he did…
  She said if he didnt get better and had to be brought back…she would do the xray then…
  THe ER clinic is the same place he goes for his regular exams….
- 11/09/2009 at 9:07 AM
  MarkBun
  Participant
  2842 posts
  Sometimes rabbits just develop issues with no apparent reason. My Dono just went through a 48 hour period of not eating and moping around the place. I checked his belly (much to his disapproval) and there didn’t seem to be any gas so I just gave him a little belly rub, with him flailing around, in hopes of getting things moving again. And the morning of the third day he was back to himself, begging for food.
  
  Are you giving him anything like Broccoli or other greens that can cause gas? If he’s pooping and eating, you should be ok.
- 11/09/2009 at 9:26 AM
  Jenalynn
  Participant
  75 posts
  He only likes DANDELION GREENS! and he rarely eats those… and likes baby carrots…
  The vet said since he fills himself up on pellets he doesnt want to eat the greens- she said once i start decreasing the pellets- he should start eating a variety of greens….
  as soon as he is better – i will start trying some different greens one at a time
  Are there any greens- that are likely to cause gas!?
- 11/09/2009 at 10:22 AM
  MarkBun
  Participant
  2842 posts
  The same ones that cause gas in us – broccoli, Brussel sprouts, etc. However, it depends on the bun. Maryann can gorge herself on brussel sprouts and have no issue.
- 11/09/2009 at 3:19 PM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  That is exactly what my Doe gets like when I suspect gas, sits in litterbox, lets me handle her more. She seems to appreciate the stomach massages and I find this is the thing that most relieves her.
  I wonder if it is just the amount of greens? If he is eating more now because of less pellets. Maybe try giving a smaller amount for a while and let him fill up on hay. There are some veggies that can be gas contributors but sometimes even the plainest, seemingly safe ones can cause it in some. Was there any new type of veg/treat/hay you’ve given him recently?
  
  My other thought is perhaps his teeth are troubling him again? Good to hear Buzz is feeling better.
- 11/09/2009 at 9:06 PM
  Jenalynn
  Participant
  75 posts
  Um Well he usually only eats carrots and dandelion greens… he has been eating about 3/4 – 1 cup of dandelion greens and one baby carrot- which is more than usual….
  He just had his teeth done on halloween so I figured that wasnt it, and when he was examined she didnt mention anything about his teeth
  He has been eating all day since I got home on his own! Hes poopin like crazy and acting normal. He even took all 5 meds willingly with out the burrito! I am soo happy!!! I hope it is all okay now.
- 11/09/2009 at 10:38 PM
  Kokaneeandkahlua
  Participant
  12067 posts
  {{Healing Vibes}}
  
  If your having trouble giving critical care (one of the flavours is yucky-most bunnies dont like it) you can mix it with some baby food (going by the fact that your bun is picky-I’d choose banana or strawberry) -or add juice instead of water to it-like apple or orange juice.
  
  If he has probs with his teeth regularly (needing filing) have x rays on the teeth been done? I would highly recommend that-they can see better if there are spurs or abscesses-it could very well be a tooth prob-even though they were just done-that caused not eating, then a build up of gas, then no pooping etc.
- 11/10/2009 at 10:26 AM
  Jenalynn
  Participant
  75 posts
  Well I called the vet yesterday to give them the “next day update” and she said if he is eating normally on hiis own I wouldnt have to force the syringe feeding anymore. Luckily he was eating like a little piggy all day – taking a couple bite here and there all through out the day..pellets and greens..and hay so … no more critical care. I only had to do it twice, which I am thankful for. He still has to get his 5 meds for another 1-2 days… which he now willingly takes on his own – just drinks it right from the syringe. He is such a little angel! =)
  I never thought about x-rays for his teeth. He seems perfectly normal again- so if for some reason this happens again I will bring it up to the vet. He didn’t go long with out eating… he ate in the morning and afternoon- but by the evening time he still had 1/2 his food left and was kinda lathargic…
  I really hope this doesn’t happen to him again. :Fingers crossed:
- 11/10/2009 at 11:25 AM
  bunnytowne
  Participant
  7538 posts
  OH good he is eating and pooping agian. Phew buns and their close calls with GI. Glad he is doing better
- 11/11/2009 at 8:33 PM
  Jenalynn
  Participant
  75 posts
  I have a question about the 2 bunnies…. when the Doc said the other bunny might be stressing him out -I put a sheet up in between their cage so they couldnt see each other just in case thats what it might of been (which i dont believe)…. do you think I should take it down so they can see eachther- i wonder if the sheet makes it more stressful since they cant see eachother…
  what are your thoughts?
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