GI Problems Please Help! (Update)

[Deleted User]

I took Skipper in yesterday for an emergency appointment because her stomach was gurgling really loudly.  They gave her Sub-Q fluids and Metacam and sent her on her way.  When I took her home she did great.  Some small poos but as the night progressed larger ones.  I went to bed thinking she would be okay in the morning.  I woke up this morning and there were no extra poos.  Her stomach is really hard. She’s still feisty-ish.  Not as much as I would like to see and is normal.  She does seem in pain so I gave her some Metacam.  Her stomach is still gurgling.  I’m at a loss of what to do.  My regular vet is closed but they have a number to an emergency vet.  I will take her there if I have to but since I don’t know them and I have no clue if they have a rabbit vet I’m not sure if I want to take her.  I guess my question is.  Should I take her to the e.vet or is there something that I can try and see if she gets better from that and if not then take her to the vet?  I know someone mentioned Simithcone.  But I’m not sure if that would help her.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Simethicone is always worth a shot. It can’t hurt and might relieve some of the gas. The rec. dose is 1ml every hour for the first 3 hours and then 1ml every few hours after that. Tummy massages can help as well. Here’s some info on tummy massages.

Massaging or vibrating your rabbit’s tummy is one of the best ways to help break up gas bubbles and encourage the gut to ‘get moving’. Sit bunny on your lap or on a towel on the counter and with your hands gently knead your rabbit’s abdomen, as deeply as she will allow. If she reacts in a painful manner, stop. You can also vibrate bunny’s tummy by holding your hand, palm up, under her belly, or one hand on either side of the belly and jiggling as quick as bunny will allow. Do these for as long and as often as bunny will tolerate.

Make sure to be gentle!

Is she eating? If not, you will have to try to force feed her. Critical Care if you have it or make a slurry with pellets and warm water and syringe feed (very carefully and slowly so she doesn’t aspirate).

It would have been helpful for your vet to do Xrays. If doing these things does not help, you will need more vet assistance. Please keep me updated.

((((Skipper)))))

[Deleted User]

We gave her the Simethicone.  She was not too keen on that.  But she is eating.  We are giving her pineapple to help with the digestion.  I took some of it away.  I’m honestly not sure how much we’re allowed to give her with everything that’s going on.  The Simethicone seemed to help with the gas.  Her stomach is not nearly as hard.  She’s still chipper and wants to run around the house.  I’m going to let her out again (put her away to eat real quick and see if she’ll some hay).  Or should I let her rest for a bit in her cage and let her out in an hour or two?  When I put her away I did notice that she had a real smushy poo stuck to her bottom.  Is that okay?  Is that what we want to see?  Her poos had varied in size before this.  Gradually getting bigger.  We let her have access to the other side of house. (Something we weren’t going to do until after she was spayed.)  But we figured the excitement and exercise of discovering the other side would be good for her.  Her pooing seemed to increase when that happened so we were happy.  Now I’m just concerned about the smushy poo.  Is that what we wanted to happen?  Is her gasy belly okay now?  Or should I continue the Simethicone and belly rubs?

Here’s what the poo looked like when I wiped it off of her.

[Deleted User]

Oh! And we noticed she was eating a vast majority of the poos she was making this morning. Is that normal???

[LittlePuffyTail]

The fact that she’s eating is good. I wouldn’t give pineapple as there is no real evidence that it actually helps with digestion and the sugar may be doing more harm than good. 

It’s also good that she wants to run around. Exercise is good because it gets the gut moving around. A bunny in stasis should be kept as stress-free as possible so it may be best to just let her run in an area she’s used to.

IMO, mushy poos are better than no poos. They may be mushy from all the vet treatments. Metacam upsets some bunnies. Is she not having any normal poos at all?  If the mooshy poos continue, you should call your vet on Monday. Mention that she’s eating her poos too, as that’s something I’m not sure about.

I would stop the Simethicone if she’s eating and willing to run around. If she seems to be gassing up again, you can start it again.

Have you had her teeth checked recently?

(((((Skipper)))))

 

[Deleted User]

Yes, the vet had taken a look at her teeth yesterday. Skipper was giving her some issues (she was a lot feistier than normal) and the vet said there was some teeth unevenness that worried her. We’re taking Skipper in for her fixing on the 20th and my vet said that she was going to do head x-rays while she’s out and take a better look then.

Skipper’s appetite doesn’t seem affected in the least. She loves eating. I’m just worried about her lack of poking. I wasn’t sure if it was possible for a rabbit to back it self up. She wasn’t pooing for a while until the big explosive poo. And now she’s having more solid poos of varyig sizes. They’re not completely sold though sort of mushy still.

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