Bunny's tummy a bit firm on one side - worried!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 4sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 11 months ago by jerseygirl.

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- 05/26/2016 at 4:20 AM
  somebunnytolove
  Participant
  3 posts
  Hi guys,
  
  Decided to post a question on here about my bunny. Got him about 3 weeks ago from a breeder – he’s now about 10 weeks old. Everything was going great until I had to go away for business for a couple of days and had my brother bunnysit him in the meantime. No changes in the diet were made, just hay everyday and a serving of pellets.
  
  When I got home, everything seemed normal, poops were all over and we had a full happy litterbox. However, as I finished cleaning his cage, I noticed that he got a bit plumper so I decided to feel his tummy. Got worried as it seemed a little firm but only on one side, added a fresh load of hay and some on a new hay rack that I had just installed. He seemed normal still, quite a bit active and would eat and drink so I didn’t think much of it – probably the stress from the cleaning.
  
  Today, however, I am feeling increasingly worried as I’ve noticed a couple of small hard poops. Investigated the litterbox and though I saw that it’s been used (few poops here and there, 2 cecals and pee). He still flops which gives me hope that it’s just me being paranoid but I can’t help but feel unsettled because of his tummy – I’ve massaged him a couple of times and the area right below his left rib still seems a bit firm. I don’t want to crowd him too much by feeling like I have to massage him all the time so I was hoping to reach out to you experts on what’s going on. I tried to contact a vet but I can’t seem to get access to good ones right now. He just finished eating a bit of hay and pellets and is laying down on his side next to his water bowl now. I think he may be trying to rest but I just want to be absolutely sure that it isn’t anything serious.
  
  Appreciate your input.
- 05/26/2016 at 8:13 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Is he drinking his normal amount of water? If he uses a sipper bottle, check that it is working properly and even offer a bowl to get him drinking more.
  
  It’s encouraging that he is eating and lying down relaxed. If you see him get up often to re-position, then that can be indicative that he is having some discomfort. Gentle massage and some anti-gas meds (simethicone) can sometimes help alleviate that.
  
  It might be that he was a little stressed in your absence.
- 05/27/2016 at 1:47 AM
  somebunnytolove
  Participant
  3 posts
  Thanks jerseygirl. He currently has a bowl and a sipper bottle just to make sure he has enough access to water.
  
  He usually stays down for a good 5-10 minutes before walking around his cage. Will be buying simethicone tonight and giving him some.
  
  Good news though – had to step out for a couple of hours and when I came back home, there was a good little hill of poop, which were a bit soft to the touch. Initial observation were that these were cecals that weren’t lumped together like grapes. Soon enough, there goes Bow eating it up with some hay (is it normal that he doesn’t eat it right away?). His tummy has since deflated a bit although I do feel a bubble somewhere in there still but is not as firm as it was last night. Woke up this morning to find a couple more poops, though this time more like his usual, albeit a bit darker so I’m optimistic that he’s on the road to recovery. Fingers crossed!
- 05/27/2016 at 3:01 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17033 posts
  Sometimes they don’t eat it right away but let it drop to the floor. Bam can do that sometimes. It’s typical of elderly and/or fat bunnies, but there are perfectly slim and fit buns that do it too. The important thing is that he eats them. Sometimes they produce too many and then they won’t eat all of them, but that’s perfectly ok.
  
  I always use simethicone for tummy trouble. There’s no hard scientific data on it’s effectiveness in rabbits, but there’s lots of anecdotal evidens + both Medirabbit and Dana Krempels says it’s ok to give on suspicion of gas/ gut slowdown.
  
  Moving around is important for gut function too, and of course hydration. He’s a bit too young still to get fresh greens, so if he doesn’t drink like he should, you can syringe him some water. He should sit up for syringe-feeding and you need to make sure he swallows, some buns will even think it’s fun to drink from the syringe.
- 05/28/2016 at 1:32 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22356 posts
  Im happy to read you’re seeing an improvement.
  
  I also keep a simethicone preparation on hand and give if I suspect tummy discomfort from gas. It is not a cure-all but it is not known to be harmful. So IMO, there’s nothing to lose by using it. In my experience, I see a turn-around within 20-30 minutes of giving it.
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