Bunny limp, shaking, hiding in corner. Help!

[prince squid]

My bunny Chebbar has been lying in the corner all day, but he usually sleeps during the middle of the day so I didn’t notice something was wrong until I realized he hadn’t touched his food all day. He’s been stretched out laying down in the corner of his pen, eyes half closed and shaking.. When I pick him up, he’s pretty limp (have never seen him react like that before). I saw him take a few steps earlier, then flop right back down, and it seemed like his belly was dragging on the floor when he tried to walk and his back was arched kind of weird. I’m really worried, and the vet doesn’t open until tomorrow.. Any ideas on what to do or what could be wrong?

[JackRabbit]

You need to get your bunny to an emergency vet right away.

[prince squid]

It’s 7:30PM where I am right now, but the vet doesn’t open until 8AM tomorrow morning

[Eepster]

Call, your vets normal number, the message should tell you who to contact for emergency service. If there isn’t anything on the message, google for animal hospitals that offer emergency services near you.

I was just at the Vet ER last night and I don’t think my bunny would be alive today if we hadn’t gone in.

[LBJ10]

It sounds neurological and yes this is an emergency.

[prince squid]

I’ve gotten no answers from the vets I’ve called. I got him to eat a little bit of hay, and when I set a small bowl of water down next to him he went to town on it and has since perked up a little bit. He also hopped a couple of steps normally. I’m taking him in to the vet tomorrow regardless, I’m just afraid he’s in pain and there’s nothing I can do about it until morning

[JackRabbit]

Does he have any willow chew toys? I’ve read that willow has some pain relieving effects. I would still keep trying to call emergency vets, even a little farther away.

[prince squid]

The only rabbit-approved emergency vet within a few hours of me is out of town, they said that the only thing the staff there now are licensed to do is euthanize him, which I obviously absolutely don’t want to do. They did say however that since the problem only started earlier today, he should hold out until morning until I can take him in at 8 tomorrow. He does have a lot of willow chew toys, I didn’t know they had a practical purpose! I bought him a new one today to try and cheer him up, since they’re his favorite. I’ll leave it next to him in case he wants it, thanks for the tip.. He is drinking water from a bowl constantly now though, which I feel is a good sign.

[kathybunny]

how is he?

[prince squid]

I got him in to the vet this morning, he has GI Stasis. However, the vet said I’m lucky that I caught it very early (within the first 12 hours), as most people don’t notice anything is wrong until their bunny is near dead.. He’s on Buprernex for pain, and Reglan to get his GI tract moving. He pooped a tiny bit already since coming back home, and ate a couple nibbles of hay. He’s hopping around like normal now too, and has been all day, which the vet said is a very good sign. I’m to call and check in with her every few hours to update her, and then take it from there, but he should be alright by about Wednesday, if all goes well. I’ll keep you guys updated if you’d like, just let me know! And thanks for everyone’s advice, I think the willow last night really helped him too.

[Megabunny]

Keep that food going, round the clock. Keep shoving it in front of his face to get him as interested as possible. Every bite matters at this point.

[Beka27]

That’s so scary… I’m glad you were able to get him in in time! I hope he feels better soon. Keep us posted!

[Cottontail]

Healing Hungry Vibes for your bun!

[Megabunny]

How’s he doing?

[prince squid]

He seems to have a decent amount of his energy back, and nibbles on some hay from time to time, but still won’t eat any pellets or drink any water. Took me 2 hours this morning to get him to take his medicine (after only a couple hours of sleep.. Ugh!). My spouse and I were unsuccessfully trying to get him in to a bunny burrito, and after 2 hours of chasing and scrambling, he hopped up into my lap and just took it without having to be restrained.. Wish I tried that first! I’m still really worried though. He’s acting more like himself, but this is now day 3 of hardly any water; We saw him drink once last night and that was it, unless he had some while we slept. Thinking about taking him back in to the vet tomorrow, since she thought he’d be improving a little faster..

[prince squid]

I also had to take his litterbox out of his pen, he kept eating the litter! They look kind of similar to his food pellets, but he’s never done that before.. I took it out just to be safe. He hasn’t been using it since he got sick anyway..

[Megabunny]

Do you have canned pumpkin? It’s full of fiber, you can introduce it on a celery stick to get it into his mouth, and they will almost always go crazy over it once they figure out how good it is. Maybe not the first feeding, but by the second offering…and you can mix in critical care if they gave you that. Really. The pumpkin is full of fibre. Also if you have any clean, dry oak leaves in your yard, get a pile and shove them in front of his face. The meds certainly help, but it is that constant feeding that will keep things moving. Please keep up posted. This is a very scary condition.

[prince squid]

He just ate a bunch of hay and drank some water, huzzah! His vet wants me to call her tomorrow, and said if he hasn’t started eating his pellet food by then then to get some baby food, but to try to get him to eat his regular food first.I’ll definitely ask her about canned pumpkin tomorrow. He ate one single pellet today, but mostly seems interested in hay, which is better than nothing I suppose. I’ve also been massaging his tummy every once in a while, I’ve heard that can help kickstart his system. As I’m typing this he’s hopping around marking things in my room with his chin, being all curious and active (and pooping in my laundry.. but at least he’s pooping!). I’m afraid to be too optimistic, since it’s such a serious condition, but he’s acting much better today. Not looking forward to his next dose of meds in a couple of hours though, it’s so stressful on both of us to get him to take it. I want to thank everyone again for the advice and support, it’s really helping both of us through this.

[Cottontail]

So good to hear about continued improvement. Hay intake is never a bad thing!
Just make sure that he gets positive reinforcement (toys, favorite veggie, etc) after medicine time and I’m sure that he won’t hold a grudge too long.

I keep canned pumpkin and a couple jars of baby food on hand to mix with CC if the sudden need arises; and honestly I probably would never have done so if it weren’t for this forum, but it has already come in quite handy for us! I hope things keep on the up!

[Megabunny]

That’s sounding great!! Wonderful job. That’s a lucky rabbit to have you staying on top of things!
Definitely get canned pumpkin, get him used to the taste and have it on hand in case this happens again. I learned that from a breeder friend of mine and have started pushing it on this forum for the past couple of months. Trust me. This woman has saved the lives of her rabbits and customers’ rabbits who have brought their pets back when in stasis. Canned pumpkin is a part of the emergency kit she has told me to put together and then, if I have an emergency with Gus, I will be prepared. She even gives these rabbits enemas for stasis, which her vet proabably thought was weird, but let her do so, and she finds it helps too.
Seems like I’ve read of some rabbits going through this off and on once they get it, and I’m guessing this scare won’t ever leave you and you’ll be watching for it always. You’ve done so well. I hope you are able to catch up on your sleep!

[prince squid]

Got the official “Out of the Woods” word from the vet today! Other than not caring about pellet food, he’s acting like himself again.

 

 

Thanks everybody!

[Megabunny]

Doin’ a happy dance!! Hooray!!

[Cottontail]

Woo! YAY for healthy buns!

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