Gassy, GI Stasis? Help!

[PeachBunnies]

I first noticed my rabbit, Mora, acting strange yesterday late evening (~10 pm). I went to fill his hay rack up and he ran over only to check what I was doing and he then quickly scurried to the back of his home to sit alone scrunched in the dark. He pressed his belly to the floor and made a face of discomfort. I recognized this behavior right away as I am not new to tummy problems. Mora’s discomfort just snuck up on me out of nowhere with no warning signs.
So, I slept with him in the living room last night to keep close tabs on him. He didn’t really touch food (hay, pellets, greens, and water) and he didn’t produce any normal stools. I did wake up around 3 am today to find some clusters of cecotrophs scattered around. It hasn’t quite been 24 hrs. but since the cecals, he’s has produced 1-2 teeny tiny poos, if you can even call them that. My problem is I cannot afford to go to the vet at this point right now.
I have critical care, simethicone, pedialyte, hay, pellets, baby food, fruit and veg which I have been administering as regularly as he will allow me to.
I have given him belly rubs, which he’s not too keen on. His belly feels doughy sometimes and kind of tight in specific spots by his ribcage.
He takes the simethicone willingly but detests anything else in a syringe.
He’s about 3.5 lbs. I’m wondering if anybody here can help give me more insight as to what I can do in my situation. Even if I could afford to go the vet, I feel like they would tell me things I already know and prescribe a pain med. perhaps. Anything more (xrays, ct scans, stool samples) I just am not financially stable to do for him. I’m trying all the I can and taking everything into my own hands. Any help will be greatly appreciated!!
*He has not refused eating 100%, every now and then he will eat, but very small amounts. Just greens and fruit. No hay, pellets. He takes his gas meds (simethicone) willingly but not pedialyte/water/critical care, which takes a bit more effort to be administered *

[LittlePuffyTail]

How is your bunny doing today?

Other than giving simethicone and tummy massages, there is not much else you can do. If it’s something more serious like stasis the cause needs to be investigated. There could be a blockage or just a serious buildup of gas, which can be very painful. A vet could administer motility drugs to get things moving along the GI tract but Xrays are always needed prior to ensure there is no blockage.

[PeachBunnies]

Thank you for your response, LittlePuffyTail.
Mora, is doing better today. I’ve been documenting everything he does. He’s producing stools now. Kind of inconsistent and still rather small, but he is showing progress. He’s been a lot more adventurous and curious today. Still not drinking water or eating hay on his own, but I’m able to syringe feed him water/pedialite and he will eat pellets, critical care and greens consistently. His tummy doesn’t feel as bloated as it did yesterday. I’m so happy I could cry but I know it’s not over. Will post more updates. Do you know if there are any bunny safe motility medication I can pick up at the drugstore w/o a prescription? Thanks again, very much appreciated.

[Bam]

So happy to hear he’s doing better! Try to get him to move around, it helps the intestines move and propel their contents along their length.

We are not vets here so we don’t recommend you give any type of medicine to your animal. This is for informational purposes only, you have to use your own best judgement:

There are 2 problems with a prescription-free motility drug, a) it’s very dangerous to give if the bunny’s tummy problem is due to a blockage, and you need an x-ray to see if there is a blockage and b) it can be painful for the bunny, and there are no prescription free bunny painkillers that are safe to give to bunny that has a GI problem. That said, ranitidine (zantac) is bunny safe. Its main use is against too much stomach acid, but it acts as a motility drug in rabbits. 1/10-1/8 of a 150 mg pill for humans is suitable for a 3 kg (approx 6 lbs) bunny. It must only be given short-term and ONLY when you are confident there’s no blockage.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m glad he is doing better

[Author]

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