Dorian is having a bad gas bout and not sure what to do

[prince dorian the bun]

We had a few days of really bad heat, which the buns survived but seems to have triggered a really heavy molt in Dorian. I groomed him last night and he was fine. But this morning he refused his pellets and hasn’t eaten anything.

I started with simethecone and when after a couple hours that seemed to not be helping I gave him the metcam and metaclopramide his vet prescribed. I have given him hay tea, and a couple small feeding of critical care.  I tried massages and I can feel a harder area just under his right ribs (or maybe left on him since he was facing me and it was my right). Like a balloon tight, rather than rock hard.

It’s been almost 12 hours since we noticed. And almost time for his 2nd doses. Couple more hours for metcam. I am debating calling the emergency vet, but that’s an hour drive and though they are bun savvy the tend to opt for aggressive treatment. I feel like if this is gas, he will be better off here and not in a stressful environment. Also they don’t allow bonded pairs to stay together*.

I am really at a loss right now.

*Granted Miu is not a good nurse as she just used my distraction with Dorian to sneak out the front door. (It’s on to a balcony as she hasn’t luckily figured out the stairs).

 

[prince dorian the bun]

He seems in pain,  not sure if the metcam is working. He got 8ml. Supposed to wait 12hrs. That seem enough?

[Bam]

What strenght Metacam do you have? (8 ml sounds like very big dose. Do you mean 0.8? Normal dose for rabbits is 0.3 -1.5 mg per kilo body weight per 24 hours. Metacam is either 0.5 mg/ml or 1.5 mg/ml) Some vets say to give a metacam only once per 24 hours, but my rabbit vet says to divide the dose and give half every 12 hours.

You are doing what you can at home I think. Try to make him move around. If hes reasonably ok with being picked up you can pick him up and put him some distance away from his favorit spot so he has to hop back there. The hard thing you felt was probably his stomach. Its obv not good that its hard.

 

[prince dorian the bun]

Thanks Bam! It was .8ml, in 1.5mg/ml… think that worked out to a little over 2mg a day which seems to be the current recommendation.

I ended up almost taking him to the emergency clinic, but he saw the carrier and refused to let me near him… 20 minutes of me trying to catch him with out stressing him out, must of been just what he needed.  (Not at all what I  needed since it was 2am) he had also gotten his 2nd doses of metacam and the gut mobility around 12:30 as well as some critical care and simethecone (that was more for good measure, it only reallyworks if I catch it right away) . Also had put him on my lap with a hot water bottle and gentle massage for about 1/2 hr before I called vet office.

I did hear a loud gurgle noise coming from him while he was running away, which may have been the gas finally passing. I don’t think he ever went into stasis as can’t find any odd poops and he did seem to have normal cecotrope this morning (I couldn’t see it, but he was munching some self produced snack). He’s also back to eating normally, last night he initially only ate hay and mint. And only certain hay.

Not a fun experience,  but glad we avoided the vet and him and Miu are playing and eating together again. My son read that some bunnies if weaned too young can be more prone to this and given how he was found and how young he was when I adopted him (much younger than the shelter thought) it seems a decent theory. Heat wave plus really bad molt didn’t help. His fur is super fine and dense, like silk really. I got nearly handful of fur from just his forehead. Much finer than Miu’s and she’s a lionhead/lop mix. Makes me wonder what his breed may be.

Sorry long response!

[Bam]

Oh, great news! (Love the “long” response!)

Getting the bun to move really can work wonders for a gassy bun! The stimulation of trying to avoid the carrier was probably exactly what tipped Dorian’s GI system into working mode – you had done great foundation-work with the meds, the heat source and the massage. It’s great to have some meds at home, esp pain meds. Rabbits are sensitive to gas pain and tend become very unwilling to move when they’re in pain. And that makes the whole gas problem worse.

You said once Dorian was (part) rex according to the shelter, and your description of his fur quality makes it seem likely. My Snöa (mini rex) has ridiculously dense fur, very, very fine hairs that just slip through any brush or comb. Not even the furminator would make much difference on her fur, so manual plucking the loose hair seems the best option for her.

Rabbits that are weaned too early can have sensitive tummies bc their gut microbiota hadn’t had the chance to develop like it should. There are a whole host of microbes in the rabbit gut, primarily different bacteria and yeasts, and their interplay in the gut is enourmously complex. Some types of bacteria seem v important for the integrity of the intestinal mucosa. Rabbits are a lot more dependant on their gut microbiota than humans are, their digestion doesnt rely at all as much on digestive enzymes as ours do. And its not just about the work the live microbes do, rabbits recycle the protein from dead microbes when they eat their cecos. Thats a significant source of amino acids for them, sth like 20-30% of the bun’s daily need. (Buns are wonderfully interesting little creatures in so many ways 🥰)

 

 

 

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