My bunny won't eat and I'm scared!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 8sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 8 months ago by Bam.

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- 06/14/2018 at 9:57 AM
  Griffybutt
  Participant
  11 posts
  I got up at 7am this morning and gave my little Griffbutt his pellets for breakfast. He went mad for them as he usually does but when I checked in on him, he’d barely touched them. I offered him a treat which he normally goes mad for be he turned his nose up at it. He was lying down and getting back up. I had gave him Brussels sprouts (only a couple) the night beffore and so I assumed it was gas. I Google what to do and it said infant gas relief was a good idea.
  
  I ran down to the shops to get some and gave him 0.5ml. I then called the vets and made an appointment asap. 11am we see the vet and she says it may be gas but it may be a blockage as I had found some deformed poos with rabbit hair in it. She gave him metacam and some kind of bowel movement excellerator (which she said wouldn’t be good if it was a blockage). She then said syringe feed him every 2 hours. They didn’t give me any critical care and I didn’t have any at home. So I’ve been trying to feed him a pellet and water mixture. It is difficult and he really hates it.
  
  When I got back he had a little drink and some pellets and I thought he’d be okay but now he’s back to the whole not eating and pressing himself against the ground. I think I’ll have to have him in the vets overnight. He is insured but I’m just so worried he won’t make it. I know it can be fatal for a rabbit to be in gi stasis but I just hope I caught it early enough and it is just gas. The vet said she still heard bowel movement at around 12am today. Am I overreacting? This is my first rabbit I’ve only had him for 2 weeks. I love him to bits and don’t want to fail him. Any advice?
- 06/14/2018 at 11:22 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  You are not exactly overreacting, GI trouble is a serious issue with rabbits. Everything you e done up til now has been by the book. It’s a good thing that he hated being syringe fed. It is a sign of strwnght and willpower if they fight meds and syringed food. You should keep up the medecines/syringed food anyway, according to your vet’s instructions. He will forgive you when this ordeal is over, they always do.
  
  You can give him more of the gas drops now. Keep him warm. This is a very good article on stasis, it has lots of good tips and info:
  http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
  
  It might seem long, but not everything in it will apply to your situation so you can skip over some bits.
  
  Keep us updated if you like! It’s very scary to have a poorly rabbit, all of us here know that.
- 06/14/2018 at 5:11 PM
  Griffybutt
  Participant
  11 posts
  Thanks.
  My baby is now being kept overnight at the emergency vets. I’m just worried that they are force feeding and giving him gut stimulants without an x-ray to check if it’s an obstruction. I suggested it a couple times but they didn’t think it was necessary.
  
  They aren’t rabbit specialists as I had to get him to an emergency vets. I’ve called them up twice and asked how he is doing. They said he hates syringe feeding and hasn’t started eating on his own. I didn’t realise that stasis can last for days!
- 06/15/2018 at 7:38 AM
  Amber & Rico
  Participant
  4 posts
  ? Sending positive vibes and lots of hope for a better day.
- 06/16/2018 at 6:02 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  How is your bunny doing now? Stasis can absolutely last for days. And it can take a couple of weeks for the tummy to right itself after. Irregular poop and gas is very common after a serious bout of stasis. That’s rather par for the course.
  
  It’s still good he hates being syringe feed. A really sick bun just sits there and takes it.
- 06/16/2018 at 8:24 AM
  Bunny House
  Participant
  1241 posts
  Hi,
  One of my bunnies is septic and has stasis so I know how you feel. I suggest an X-ray and a ultrasound to make sure there is no blockage, that is what we did. And if there isn’t any then you can continue on promotility drugs but if it’s a blockage then you have to go a different route and I would suggest you have them get in contact with a rabbit savvy vet since they are not specialized in bunnies they might not know how serious of an issue this is and what courses of action are needed to save your baby.
- 06/18/2018 at 5:35 AM
  Griffybutt
  Participant
  11 posts
  Thanks so much for all the advice!
  
  My little Griffin is home with me and seems to be back to normal. He’s eating and binkying around so that’s good. I still have to give him some stimulants but we’re seeing the vet today and hopefully they’ll give him the all clear!
  
  I’m still getting some string of pearls poop with hair in it. I’ve been grooming him but he seems to groom himself a lot too… I’m thinking of changing his hay up to something with more fibre and maybe his pellets too. I’m not sure. Some people say this poop isn’t a bad thing?
- 06/18/2018 at 5:51 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5834 posts
  It’s positive as it shows fur is moving through, but seeing it often is negative because it means your rabbit is digesting a lot of fur, which increases the chance of a blockage.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 06/18/2018 at 6:07 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  It’s lovely to hear that he’s back home with you and acts normal!
  
  String of bead poops is evidence that the bun is ingesting hair, but it’s also of course evidence that the hair is passing through. I think all bun owners see the occasional string of bead poops, but it should not happen every day.
  
  Grass hay has a fiber content of at least 32%, it can be higher (up to 40% or so), but I’ve never seen that declared. All grass hay is good, but if you find a type he seems to like he’ll likely eat more of that type. Switching hays can also encourage hay intake – buns like a bit of variation just as we do.
  
  Water intake is important for digestion too. If he’s getting greens you can serve them freshly rinsed and dripping wet so he gets extra hydration that way.
  
  The fiber content in pellets should be at least 20%. There are brands with even more fiber, for example Oxbow Essentials that has 25%.
  
  Grooming is often a seemingly endless and rather tedious task. If you just brush, there will be lots of loose hairs that don’t come away with the brush. I use a lint roller after brushing. It works for normal-haired buns and recess but not for lionheads and angoras. My bun doesn’t seem to mind the lint roller. I like it because it means less fluff flying around and getting in my nose ?
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