EMERGENCY – PLEASE HELP!

[Cinnamon Bun]

Please help me – I’ve just noticed that Binkie’s been acting odd. She won’t drink water, she won’t eat treats, and she keeps pressing her tummy against the ground, in an uncomfortable way. When she gets up, it looks like she’s really struggling. She hides underneath things, and she won’t come out no matter how much I try and coax her. I’ve just checked her litterbox, and a few of her poop pellets look smaller than usual. I’ve massaged her tummy, and it doesn’t feel hard. Could this be a sign of GI-stasis, or is she just feeling uncomfortable due to gas?

[Wick & Fable]

She can have gas and gas can coincide with GI stasis. Tummy pressing is a sign of gas.

Do you know how long it’s been since she  has eaten? If it has been more than 12 hours, you will need to go the vet.

If you’re able to, you can get infant gas drops that can help rabbits pass gas.

Is she cold at all? It’s important to keep her warm if shes getting cold. Her ears would be cold.

Do you have any critical care? If not  you can soak some pellets in water to make a paste and see if she’ll eat any.

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.

[Cinnamon Bun]

Hi, Wick. I don’t know how long it’s been since she’s eaten. I was out for a few hours, and when I came back I realized she wasn’t acting herself. She’s not cold, but she keeps tummy pressing on the ground. If I order the gas drops I’ll have to wait a few days for shipping, which might not be fast enough. Critical care could take a while to arrive here, too. I can try and make the pellet paste though, and try and feed it to her. Will pineapple help soothe her tummy?

[Cinnamon Bun]

Also, I’ve just noticed she’s tooth grinding…

[DanaNM]

I wouldn’t give pineapple because the sugar can upset her tummy more if it’s gas. They have gas drops at pharmacies, if you can go to one (they are sold as baby gas drops).

You can give her a tummy rub for now. If it is gas only that sometimes is enough to help. Encouraging her to hop around a little can help too. Keep offering favorite wet veggies, especially fragrant herbs.

If you have a syringe you can also syringe her some fluids (either water or hay tea).

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

I’ve always had a lot of luck with simethicone (baby gas drops). Some bunnies will have gas pain, but if you can relieve their discomfort then they will snap out of it and start eating again.

[Bam]

I realise I dont have much to add. Please keep us posted

You can give her a massage and try to lift up her butt a little to help gas pass more easily. It is also often helpful if you can get her to move around a bit, because that too helps gas find its way out.

Simethicone gas drops are very good to have on hand, they can as a rule be found in the baby aisle in stores like Walmart, or if you are in the UK, at Tesco.

If you have mint ot chamomile herbal tea, you can make that, let cool and feed by syringe. You can also make hay tea (let hay steep in hot water, sieve off and let cool, feed by syringe).

A massage can be given like in this video: https://youtu.be/LbyC6CWbm5M

[Cinnamon Bun]

Hi everyone. Binkie is feeling so much better today, and I haven’t seen her tummy pressing at all. Yesterday, I made her some bun mush (pellet paste) and syringe fed it to her. She didn’t like it, but at least it went well. I also syringe fed her some fluids, and some mint tea. She’s back to eating her hay & treats now, and running around which is great! I didn’t have to give her any simethicone – it seems that the tummy rubs and fluids were enough to help soothe her tummy. It’s so relieving to see her back to being her normal self again! Thank you everyone for taking your time to get back to us.

-Ariadne & Binkie XOXO

[Bam]

Oh, thank you for the update!

Lovely to hear shes doing so much better! ❤ 🐰

[Cinnamon Bun]

@Bam, thank you! I didn’t know about simethicone before, and I wasn’t even sure you could syringe-feed bunnies tea for gas, but now I know exactly what to do if I see her tummy pressing again.

[Author]

Messages