Bloat/Intestinal Blockage – please help/any advice appreciated!

[LokiLover]

Hello,

Just posting here to get some advice from other rabbit owners!

My 1.5-year-old Mini Rex, Loki, appeared to have signs of GI stasis yesterday morning. Noticed it when I first woke up – he refused greens and stomach seemed bloated, not passing any fecal matter and did not eat his cecetropes. (He did have his usual dinner the previous night and was fine yesterday, so most likely ate something bad overnight – although I did not find anything he could have gotten into, so it may have been an accumulated thing).  I gave him a couple of doses of simethicone (the recommended dose for rabbits using a baby formula) and tried some abdominal massage, but these did not seem to help him much. I was calling all the rabbit vets in my area throughout the morning, because my usual vet was tied up with surgeries that day (unfortunately), but since all were booked, I had to end up bringing him to an emergency vet early that afternoon.

From the x-Rays taken there, we were able to see that the cause was an intestinal blockage of some kind (I think it was caused by hair and eating lint/possibly other things off the ground) and his stomach was very distended. They gave him IV fluids and a prescription for Cisapride, Metoclopramide, and Meloxicam. Prognosis was guarded.

I stuck with the dosage schedule for those, and once Loki was home, he drank quite a bit of water and laid out on a heating pad for a while. Overnight he did urinate and passed maybe 7-8 small, dry pellets. However, his condition did not seem to approve much by the morning. I took him to the vet again, and the x-Ray showed no signs of improvement (if anything, his stomach was even more distended). The prognosis was poor. The vet gave him more fluids, a shot of Buprenorphine to help with the pain, and a shot of Metoclopramide. She recommended against feeding him Critical Care because of the stomach distension/risk of rupture. We also got some take home fluids to administer via a stent every 12h. Since this vet was not a rabbit specialist, she didn’t really offer any advice other than medication. Sadly, my vet was out of town today and the major pet hospital near me (was initially willing to admit Loki if need be) said they were too overcrowded to take him. I have an appointment booked with his regular vet tomorrow morning, but I’m really scared he will not make it through the night. I am so scared of intestinal rupture so not sure how much massage to do; I’ve experienced a bond with this rabbit like none other before and I am praying that he will make it. He is still on Cisapride and Metoclopramide (oral) every 8h, and Meloxicam every 24h. He has mostly been laying on his heat pad but still is moving around. Has not passed any more pellets, unfortunately.

I don’t know what else to try – so please, if anyone has any advice or maybe special tips regarding abdominal massage, I would appreciate it more than anything. I’ve read online about other techniques for clearing intestinal blockages in rabbits (like gastric decompression) – however, the vets I’ve talked to in my area are not willing to do that sort of thing.

Also, I did pick up some pure castor oil for internal usage, so if anyone has any advice regarding the dosage and safety of that in rabbits, please let me know!!

[DanaNM]

I’m so sorry you are going through this, true blockages are very scary. 🙁

I think the best you can do until he can see his regular vet tomorrow is to keep up the supportive care, especially keep him warm and hydrated. Encouraging gentle movement is good too. Did they give you sub-q fluids to give at home? Metacam metabolizes very quickly (in about 8 hours) and he is likely in a lot of pain. Not sure what dosage you were given, but you can safely split the dose and give every 12 hours.

Massaging gently along the spine can also stimulate gut contractions, but in his condition I would worry about it causing more pain and cramping, so I would focus on keeping him warm. (((sending good vibes for Loki)))

 

. . . 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.  

[LokiLover]

Thank you so much for your reply and kindness <3

I have a heating pad going for him and several blankets, trying to keep him nestled. He is moving a bit on his own, changing his position and moving off of the heat pad if he gets too hot. I did get some LRS fluids and needles to administer at home every 12h.

Good to know about Metacam, too — he was gnashing his teeth quite a bit so I gave him some a little bit ago. The dose they gave me was 1mL every 24h. I am refraining from further massage at this point. Thank you so much for sending good vibes to Loki, we both really appreciate it!

[DanaNM]

Oh, I see now this is a duplicate! I’m going to lock this one to avoid confusion. The link to the other thread is here:  https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/bloat-intestinal-blockage-please-help-any-advice-appreciated-2/

I hope Loki is doing better today <3

. . . 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.  

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