House Rabbit Community and Store
What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.
The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
- This topic has 12sd replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
-
Hi everyone, I have some bad news – my bunny Mochi is at the vet right now for suspected liver lobe torsion. He’s getting an ultrasound right now to confirm it, but if he really does have it then he’ll need to have surgery.
Of course I know nothing about liver lobe torsion besides what I googled, so if anyone has any experience with this I’d really appreciate hearing from you!
By the way, I am so grateful to this website for teaching me that when it comes to bunnies, it’s worth an early trip to the vet even for something that seems small. My bunnies are young and have never been sick before, so I wasn’t really sure if I was overreacting but I figured better safe than sorry. Mochi seemed maybe a little off yesterday, not moving around as much as usual, but I didn’t know something was wrong until he didn’t eat his dinner pellets. Even then, he was still eating treats from my hand so I figured it was just gas and bought some simethicone drops. They didn’t seem to make any difference, and by midnight he stopped eating completely and his poops were tiny. I called the vet as soon as they opened this morning and they agreed that he needed to come in right away. I’m so glad I didn’t wait to see if it resolved on its own!
Also, I just want to mention that I had the most amazing and unexpected experience with a couple of people working for Sherwood Pet Health, the company that makes my bunnies’ pellets. I got a call from them today thanking me for a recent order, and the person I spoke to said she’d love to hear about my bunnies or answer any health questions for me. This was literally like 15 minutes after the vet called and told me she was concerned Mochi had liver lobe torsion, so I jumped at the opportunity and was like, “I know this is random but WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LIVER LOBE TORSION???” She told me what she knew and then said she had a vet tech friend who might know more, and unbelievably I got a call from that vet tech a few minutes later and she was able to answer all my questions!
It was just such a nice experience because I was sitting at home freaking out without any resources. Obviously my vet could answer questions for me, but she’s very busy and only had a few minutes to talk to me on the phone before she had to run off and run other tests and see patients. It was so nice to talk to someone who was able to tell me that yes, if this rabbit were hers, she definitely would do the surgery. She also said that because he was young and relatively chill for a bunny, he’s more likely to recover well from surgery.
Update: I just heard back from the vet and although the ultrasound was inconclusive, he’s about 90% sure it’s liver lobe torsion and recommends doing surgery right away. I agreed. Fingers crossed that Mochi will be feeling much better soon!
-
Thank you everyone for the well wishes! Mochi had surgery yesterday and it went well. The vet confirmed that he did in fact have liver lobe torsion, but said that it wasn’t too severe yet because we caught it early. He stayed overnight for fluids and close monitoring, and he’s already eating on his own. Actually, they already refunded me half of the overnight cost because he was eating so well that they didn’t need to syringe feed him! They said they “had to refill his pellets twice”… sounds like he was really pigging out, haha. He’s still getting fluids now, but hopefully I’ll be able to take him home later today.
Hazelbunny, I’m so sorry you and your bunny had to go through this too, but I’m glad Hazel recovered well! That was really encouraging for me to read last night
Jerseygirl, the vet told me his suspicions were based on palpation and bloodwork. They already confirmed that he was in stasis from x-ray, and his liver enzymes came back high which pointed to LLT. Also, his upper abdomen (where the liver is) was very tender when palpated. Maybe there was more evidence but those were the only things he mentioned to me.
-
One last update, it’s been 48+ hours since Mochi had surgery and it seems like he is 100% back to normal. If I didn’t get a look at his shaved tummy every time I give him medicine, I would never guess that he’d been sick at all
If anything, poor Mimi (who kept him company at the vet for 2 days) is the one who’s a little traumatized! Then again, I think she’s happiest when she’s mad at me so it’s nothing too different from normal
Thanks everyone for the support these past few days!
-
I, too, hope the surgery goes well and the recovery is full and easy peasy. Sending lots of love. (((((((((Mochi)))))))))
Hoping he hops back to health with the same gusto he showed for his pellets. ((((((Mochi))))))- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.