Bunny not eating: when to go to the vet?

[Bun-chan]

My bunny Tanu-kun is 1 year old. I was giving hay this morning and he didn’t run over like usual. He was hunched in a corner, refused all his treats etc so I brought him to the vet (an apparently rabbit savvy exotic vet) who saw us at noon.
The vet did a whole physical, said he couldn’t find anything wrong, and gave us some pain meds and gut motility meds. The meds were fed at the vet’s, and it was prescribed once every 12hours so we haven’t given any since (it’s 8pm). I’ve given him a dose of critical care too.

His tummy is not distended, and on auscultation bowel sounds were reduced. He did a small pee but then went back to huddle in a corner.

This has happened once before but he recovered very quickly (couple hours) right after meds. The vet also told us to go back if he doesn’t start eating in four or five hours. In your bunny care experience, what should I do? Should I bring him back to the emergency vet?

My concerns are that going tonight would stress him out even more, and I’m not sure the emergency vet is rabbit savvy (although it’s an exotic animals clinic). The first vet said stress may have contributed to this episode (we had to cut his nails yesterday, stressful but we’ve cut his nails many times before too), so what do you do if the GI problems are due to stress?

Your kind advice/anecdotal advice would be greatly appreciated. I’m worried sick about my baby boy. Thank you

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, this is a tough one. It can take a while for stasis treatments to work, and a lot of advice says to have some patience and allow things to work before trying additional aggressive treatments. I think expecting eating in 4-5 hours is a high expectation if the stasis is serious. I know some vets will keep a rabbit at the clinic until they start eating just to monitor them. If you feel the stress may have contributed, that’s important too.

That said, he might benefit from fluids, a different motility med, or a stronger pain med.  Whether or not there is a true rabbit-savvy vet on staff at the ER will make a huge difference too (if not, then I def wouldn’t take him). And how confident you are in your first vet.. could they have missed something more serious? Liver torsion can present like stasis, but I think they would have noticed that in his physical.

Personally… I think I’d been inclined to wait until he’s had another round of meds and feeding, unless you seem him get noticeably worse. You could also add some fluids to his regimen (by syringing some extra water or hay tea), because dehydration is often a complication and cause of stasis. But, I think you will need to trust your gut on this one, because you know him best.

. . . 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.  

[ParsleyBun]

I totally agree, give another round of meds first.

[DanaNM]

How’s he doing today?

. . . 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.  

[Bun-chan]

Thank you so much for your advice!

We did jump the gun and brought him to the emergency vet. At the clinic he acted completely fine, and then started getting agitated because we had to wait a long time (unfortunate cat with internal bleeding). We asked the nurse for some hay and he began eating furiously. We brought him home and he’s back to his usual energetic and mischievous self.

in the end I think your advice was good and I’ll remember it for future. The vet did suggest that he recovered because we brought him out and there was a small spike of adrenaline that helped him get back to his feet, haha.

[DanaNM]

hah! Glad he’s doing better!

I usually threaten my bunnies with the vet…. “If you don’t start eating we are going to the vet… and I know you don’t want to do that!”. Maybe he was like “OK FINE I’LL EAT”!

. . . 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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