Barney has a very sore tummy, please reply :(

[AnnaW]

 So i posted earlier saying Barney wasnt quite right … hasnt been eating properly all day … i just picked him up and he had VERY bad poopy bum, my poor little guy So i cleaned him all up and sorted him out, now he’s back to lying down looking sad!

He hasnt had any changes to his diet, eating anything dodgy or anything!

What is wrong with my little guy, and what can i do to make him feel better? Things to feed him? 

Thanks, please reply! 

[Deleted User]

Sounds to me as though he may have gas. You might want to try giving him a dose of simethicone, (only the mint flavour) it won’t hurt him and if it is gas it will help him. Check that he is the right temperature, if he is cool to the touch you may want to hold him or give him a heat source like a hot water bottle.

For more ideas and information on amounts to dose you can read the post here: https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/113683/Default.aspx Its on this forum and has excellent advice.

Feel free to send me a private message especially if someone else who can be of more help doesn’t pic this up .

[NewBunnyOwner123]

If he is cool to the touch and gas is the case then you can give him belly rubs while holding him. Two birds with one stone sorta thing. How many days has he been off? Maybe a vet visit in order. And when you say poopy bum is it diarrhea or just a cecal that he didn’t eat because he wasn’t feeling well. If it’s diarrhea that’s an automatic vet visit in my book.

Also Grey Dove why do you recommend only mint flavor? Just for future purposes because I am still a learning bun momma as well I remember when I first got Sally all they had was berry flavored and it didn’t seem to affect her. Although I went below the recommended dose because I was too nervous giving over the counter medicine that was made for people! :p

[Sarita]

Well “poopy” bum isn’t necessarily gas. How is his hay intake? What is he eating now?

[AnnaW]

He isn’t cool to the touch, and i cant hear his tummy gurgling like i used to with Biscuit’s. His hay intake is still rubbish, he’ll eat some on a rare occassion but not a proper amount like good buns! Damn previous owners never gave him hay. He has nibbled on a tiny bit of carrot and ate the leaves from a carrot top, but that’s pretty much it!! Usually he wolfs his pellets He’s sitting on my bed grooming himself so its not as if he’s lethargic and dopey.. i’m worried though! x

[Deleted User]

Good point New Bunny Owner, … I was in a rush to post a reply, and rubbing/massaging is sort of reflexive to me so I forgot to mention it. Tummy rubs are indeed very helpful/important.

I’ve read the mint recommendation re simethicone in a couple of articles, (I’m pretty sure that includes the one I posted a link to earlier), so I’m not positive of the thinking behind it. My personal guess (and its only a guess) is that other flavours (like berry) are made mainly or entirely with synthetics/chemical flavourings while mint is probably made with actual essential oil of mint, making it a direct derivitive of the plant and so safer for animal consumption. But basically when you come down to it I’m no expert and just use it because its what a number of reputable sources recommend. The simethicone does not get absorbed into the blood stream which is why its safe to use even if gas isn’t the problem, … I figured once I got that point I’d leave the rest of the science to the experts and me and the rabbit would get on with things.

[Sarita]

Can you get him to eat some fresh leafy greens?

How much pellets are you giving him – pellets can be a big culprit that can cause runny stool in adult rabbits.

I would cut back on the carrots as well – they aren’t inherently bad, but they should only be a small part of his diet.

[AnnaW]

Yes he only has carrots very rarely … he ate a few pieces of fresh leafy greens earlier, but i took them away thinking they might be making the problem worse! He has just taken 3 little pellets from my hand … that’s better than nothing i suppose. I have a measuring cup to measure his pellets so i know he gets the right amount x

[AnnaW]

He has just eaten 3 long stems that i broke off from the top of a carrot, maybe it is passing and he is feeling better. He certainly looks less sad! x

[Sarita]

Usually gut problems are due to foods that are high in starch (like oats, crackers, grains) or fruits rather than fresh leafy greens.

Are your pellets alfalfa or timothy based? If they are alfalfa – less is best.

[AnnaW]

They are timothy based He doesnt have any of those things … maybe he just had an off day like us humans do sometimes!? x

[Sarita]

I know you said you’ve been having problems getting him to eat hay but maybe try cutting out pellets for a few days to see if you can get him to eat more hay – I know it’s tough love but it might help.

[AnnaW]

I will do, as soon as he’s back to being himself i’ll cut out the pellets and see what happens I just want him to be his normal self again first

[Emmie]

Sending bunny love to barney!!

[AnnaW]

Thanks Emmie, he is still very poorly

[Emmie]

Anna, how is he today?

[AnnaW]

This is the most recent updated thread on Barney, thanks for asking xx https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/124625/Default.aspx

[Beka27]

I’m going to lock this since Anna posted the link in her last reply to the most recent thread!

[Author]

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