I called my vet and they won’t give me any help. They say I have to bring him in and pay their after hours fee. *grumble*
Used to be a nice vet. Things are definitely going downhill.
Guess I just have to wait until either Fiver eats or drinks something or the hub comes back…then we get to do another mad freaking dash to town. >.<

It’s five pm here now and about an hour ago he nibbled a little carrot and a piece or two of hay and seemed more comfortable, enough to start washing and moving around. Now if I offer hay he’ll bite it and throw it aside but doesn’t seem to swallow much. He’s had three doses of simethicone and I’m carrying him to give motion but he doesn’t seem as lively as before he also drank some water with his carrot sliver.
Is he feeling better and just cranky since he’s chewing on the hay even though he’s not eating it? He seems interested in stuff we pass as I walk through the house. I think he’s at least enjoying the ride.

Well he’d been doing okay through the afternoon, even took water from a syringe, but of course after the vet was closed down, he wasn’t looking too good again. He’d nibble here or sip there, but not like he normally does. So he’s going in first thing (about 9 am). I gave him about .1 ml of metacam awhile ago and some more simethicone, and he just ate a small sliver of carrot and a piece of green leaf lettuce, so things are going in, albeit slowly, but not much more than pee coming out so far.
I know I should’ve just taken him in anyway, but he seemed on the mend. I’m thinking maybe something is caught in his teeth or gums, because as soon as that metacam hit him, there was a change. Also, he’ll sit up and wash his face, if I put my hand in his hab he’ll eventually scoot to get away from it…he just won’t eat. (nothing hard and crunchy at any rate)

Please keep him in your prayers through the night. I’m going to be up all night myself watching him, so I’ll have plenty of time to make a few requests of my own. I’m just thankful he’s trying to nibble a few things now. That’s progress.

After I last posted last night, he began eating. A little lettuce and carrot, and then hay. There was also poop and pee in his box before I turned the lights out. The metacam I gave him apparently worked it’s magic and he was still with us this morning. I actually got more sleep than I figured I would.
Nevertheless, called first thing and got him an appointment and the new doc (nice lady, I like her) took a good long look at him, listened for bowel sounds, did the otoscope and everything. She sees some points on his teeth, especially the right side, and the gums look red and blotchy. Not healthy. So he’s scheduled to go back in early Monday (going to be snowing and we only have front wheel drive, urgh!) for a tooth filing. Poor guy, he hates car rides now. He’s lost a big chunk of fur off his back too, yesterday it just came off down to skin. I expect a ton of shedding now, as traveling usually unnerves him but today it downright made him manic.

So yeah, good thing he went in even though he was better enough today that he foot thumped me about 5 times before I could catch him to put him in the carrier. And he dug in his box furiously almost the whole way to and from town to let me know he was NOT pleased with the outing. The attitude is back so yeah, he’s feeling better!
Augh. Bunnies are aging me past my years! 0_o Oh, and he got a complimentary nail trim to boot.

Now it could’ve been recent changes to his diet that caused yesterday’s trouble…I’m thinking that romaine, since he had no blockages that the doc could find. Everything I thought was gas though, could’ve just been fat. (he’s about 4.5 lbs.) But either way, we took the right roads in treating him and thank God he came through…I was beginning to think he had bloat because he was so adamant about not eating anything there for awhile and refusing to move, but would still drink water, a very little bit. Scared me to death. Little booger.

Anyway, nothing but water, hay (just the timmy) and perhaps about half the canned pumpkin I’ve been giving him if I’m going to continue it, which I think I may just…it seemed to be the only thing keeping him regular on that light hay and then with the oat being added, the pumpkin discontinued and then the romaine, which I should’ve realized would give him gas…I must’ve compacted too much in his system…well, let’s just say I hope I’ve come out of this a bit wiser…because I certainly feel older! >.<

Thanks for the vibes everyone! I’d ask you to kindly think of him on Monday, both for the ride he’s going to have to take with the hubby, and the ordeal he’s going to be going through with the filing, he has to be anesthetized for that.

Thanks guys, he really is doing much better now. I gave him a few more light greens last night (NO MORE ROMAINE…geez, don’t ever let me forget that!) and about half the pumpkin he used to have and it was all gobbled up in a thrice. He’s eaten only hay all night and drunk from his crock and bottle…definitely catching up on what he missed Friday!
We also had a little extra special “whee!” time to help get over the nasty car ride. I want to keep him moving more, I think at 4.5 lbs, he is on the plump side, even though he doesn’t get treats anymore. I guess it’s just a Rex thing. But he’ll only scoot around so long, then he stretches out and puddles and naps. It’s like he uses all his energy up in one go and the rest of the time he just wants to loaf.

I took some pix on my DSi last night to show you all the spot where his fluff came out to skin on his bum. Will post those a little later. I hope this spot won’t dry out int he snow and the cold he’ll be traveling in, although it’s not a big piece, it’s got to be uncomfortable. The doc thought he’d had the fur ripped out by another bun, she was surprised when I told her it just came off in my hand while I was holding him.
I am a bit nervous about the vet trip…again. Snow is definitely sticking in town, which means the road will be slick for the hubby tomorrow a.m. And I have to go in the day after and take my daughter to the doc for a checkup too, I hate the idea of leaving Fiver within 24 of his surgery, but it can’t be helped, she won’t even go unless I’m there.

You’ve brought up some excellent points, BB. I’m going to print out a list of stuff for the vet to include with him when he comes home, so I don’t forget anything. We do still have Critical Care here, but it’s from January, been in the freezer. I’m sure it’s still okay, but best get some fresh if I can.
Metacam, Reglan, a few more mini syringes for irrigating him if he gets iffy with the fluids…maybe a few more fresh greens from the store to tempt his tum.
I guess having this done so quickly after this gas episode (if that’s what it was, I’m beginning to think that was the most uncomfortable for him, since he’s been making these weird mouth motions for a bit now) I just have concerns that it’ll throw him off his feed again and I’ll have to zip him back in. But I think if we’ve got a proper dose of pain meds for him and all the extra bells and whistles, I can probably keep him going. We did this for Mimzy too, when he had spurs that threw him into stasis. He came through it well. But then, he’s got a cast iron stomach for a bun.

Does anyone know if Fiver will need antibiotics after this? Those blotchy gums sounded nasty.

Thanks Jerz, Yeah the vet looked at it the day I took him in and said it looked like nerves more than anything else. And the poor guy does lose a load of fur after every vet trip, so.
Just called and he’s going to be ready to pick up at 3:30 PM here. So we’re off since it’s a 30 minute drive in and we need groceries too. He’s doing fine.

Well I am NOT pleased.
For one thing, we had to wait over an hour just to get him released. And then I had been asking for things like Reglan, Metacam and Critical Care, however the doctor couldn’t take the time to see me about it and when we finally got Fiver into a room (their xray since all other rooms were full) the tech told me he’d been given a shot of morphine for pain, which turned out to be a bald-faced lie.
Thinking he was medicated, we took him home and he seemed okay at first, but now he won’t touch his hay and is jerking his face away like he was when he was ill Friday. I’m assuming it’s because he hurts. I called them back from home earlier and asked if the morphine just hadn’t been listed on the invoice, but they said he’d been given no pain medication at all. Again I asked if he shouldn’t have some, so I could get a dosage for what I have here, but the receptionist, in a very condescending tone by now, told me no. So now it’s hours later and Fiver won’t eat hay, just kind of nibbles a little lettuce and tries to eat some pumpkin, but you can see him still making weird mouth movements…honestly I’d say from the bill the doc must’ve sedated him and done nothing else, so little is listed or charged. It says tooth filing, but I have no idea what she actually did at this point.
I’m furious at present because I think he’s uncomfortable, and I know it’s to be expected but this is ridiculous…and since I couldn’t get a straight story out of anyone at the vet, I don’t know what he’s had or not had today.
Top this off there was some whack woman waiting for her cat that insisted salt stones could wear their teeth down (in front of the hubby who is convinced apparently that’s all the buns will need now) and she had the nerve to mention in an offhand way what ‘cheap meat’ bunnies were. *growl*
I’ve had a bad day today, but poor Fiver, his was worse. Should I give him some more of Mimzy’s metacam or just wait to see if he’s eating hay tomorrow? I have to go back to town tomorrow P.M. and will be gone a few hours, I don’t want him suffering all that time but the doc told me I can’t give him metacam except once every other day if at all, when I took him in Saturday.
I don’t know what to believe anymore. I’m just fit to be tied.
He’s about 4.5 lbs. Has anyone out there with a 4.5 pound bun ever dosed metacam, and if so, what was your dosage? Just so I have some ammunition when I call the stupid vet in a rage tomorrow. >.<

Oh BTW…no reglan or CC either. They gave me nothing. I also don’t think they irrigated him at all. No IV fluids mentioned on the bill either. And the saving grace is Fiver ate lettuce and carrot sliver earlier, he’s thirsty as heck-hasn’t stopped drinking water since we got home. He’s peed and pooped, but it’s pretty dry stuff. I never did hear what the redness on his gums was, since I didn’t get an update from the doc.
I just gave him plain pumpkin this eve, since if he thinks something else is in it, he won’t eat it at all. I still have some CC from Mimzy’s dentals earlier this year in the freezer, so I’ll use that if I have to. I’m guessing since the lettuce and pumpkin have been refrigerated, it’s just too cold for him to eat yet. I know my teeth and gums are sensitive after the dentist, so I don’t blame him a bit.

The only things listed on the bill are ketamine and diazepam.
I could swear I just heard him grind his teeth, but not entirely sure. I’ll be watching him most of the night though, until I have to get some sleep. He’s almost polished off the lettuce. Pumpkin is still pretty full, though I just saw him sample some more.
I know I gave him 0.1 ml of metacam Friday night into Saturday, when he wouldn’t eat, and it worked in an hour. But I’m just not sure what else they gave him, since I couldn’t get them to tell me anything that added up. Who knows if THEY even knew what he’d had? I’m inclined to think nothing, since the doc kept refusing to give me even the time of day. ~_~
That they LIED to me to get me out of the office though… I mean…who does that?? >_<

Problem is, Jerz, this is the vet my other vet referred me to. I was thinking she was a good choice until today. How can you be rabbit savvy and not know that a bun needs pain meds after a tooth filing?
I think my other vet who took such good care of Mimzy is leaving this practice. The whole group is moving to a new building in spring and there’s so many folks there I don’t recognize now it’s frightening. All of them very good ‘distraction artists’, if you know what I mean. The ones who can take a potentially volatile situation and dumb it down with ‘nicey-nice’ soothing words that mean nothing in the grand scale.
I wish I was in the Bay Area now…I keep thinking of how marvelous BB’s Dr. Harvey is.
Since Fiver IS eating some food, I don’t want to dope him overly. If he’s not eating hay soon however, I might just give him the amount I did before. It was enough to comfort his swollen tum, but not enough to make him unconscious. Mimzy gets all sleepy when he has his 0.2 ml dose.

Thanks dear! Yeah, I just had him out on the bed for a little “whee!’ time before I crash for the night and he seems to be acting relatively normally for now. If I don’t see some hay gone in the morning though, I’ll give another call to the vets and see if my pleas fall on something other than deaf ears this time.
Thanks to everyone again for the lovely vibes and good thoughts for my boy. I just hate to see him go through all this, he’s just a wee bunny. He should have the life of Riley by now.

Oh Sarita I was hoping you’d post! You and Pepe have gone through this so many times and you know what’s comfortable for him. So I hope to follow your lead.
Yeah, I’m trying to be nice this morning and not call and rant at the vet, but Fiver still hasn’t hardly touched his hay. I catch him very slowly and hesitantly trying to eat some small pieces, but it’s like when we have a toothache and we bite down just at the wrong place and have to stop periodically and think if it’s really worth chewing, you know? That’s what he’s doing. He’ll start chewing a piece of hay, then his little eye will close and he has to think about it. You can tell it’s not the most comfortable, but he is trying, little trooper.
He did eat most of his pumpkin last night and his lettuce. He is staying irrigated pretty well, when I freshened his water crock a few minutes ago, he went right to it. So you can tell he’s trying to flush those nasty meds out of his system. But I don’t want to overdo greens in case he’ll get to prefer those to hay. I just gave him a mini crock of fresh pumpkin and Critical Care. He’s kind of sniffing and licking it here and there suspiciously…then he looks at me as if to say, “What vile stuff is this? Are you trying to poison me, woman??” lol…
Funny, he seemed somewhat perky when I went to bed last night, but yeah, he still is doing more loafing than anything else. We’ll give it a little more time and see if his appetite isn’t improved by the time I have to leave today. I may still at least call them and try again to see if they’ll sanction a true dosage of metacam for me, otherwise I may just use that half dose of Mimzy’s remaining script. It worked miracles for him Friday night when he wasn’t eating.

No, I never talked to the doctor yesterday, just the tech who lied about the morphine. So I don’t know anything else. I know they were busy last night, but honestly, these were all appointments they had backed up, my guess is they’re overbooking. If I call today one of the things I’m going to ask about is what she found in there. And the gums too, I was concerned he might have an abscess and that’s why they were blotchy. (Obviously not or they would’ve given me antibiotics I’m sure…well sort of…) He’s also still making those funny motions with his mouth, like he’s got something stuck in his craw. But I put that down to post op discomfort, although it is similar to the motions he was making before the dental.
He’s not all hunched over like he was with that gas attack last week. But I am getting a copious amount of bunny butt. I guess I deserve that for putting him through this. ^_^

No, they didn’t give me antibiotics, I was saying that if he’d had an abscess they probably would’ve added something like that. But I never found out what the blotchy redness on his gums was either.
Yeah, I think I just must be plain dumb. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vet give morphine to any of my animals, so why I thought that was a reasonable explanation I don’t know. They counted on me wanting to get Fiver out of there quickly last night I guess, figured I’d accept anything they told me… sadly I did and then once we were home they wouldn’t give me the time of day over the phone.
I guess I’ll be searching for a new vet or at least a backup. This one seems to be degrading.

Well the Good Lord decided to whip up a snowstorm today, so I won’t be taking my daughter in for her appointment, since we don’t currently have a car with 4 wheel drive.
So I get to stay home and bug Fiver to eat all day anyway. MWAHAHAHA! xD

Cool! I just caught him eating some hay on his own! WOOT! *does a happy dance*

Haven’t gotten the mail today yet. I’ll be sure to let you know.