Help me get him through the night (pain relief)

[rhianna]

I posted yesterday about my rabbit Luke, who is currently experiencing GI stasis. I have been giving him infant gas drops every few hours, as well as critical care and pedialyte when he will actually cooperate. I have also been giving him tummy massages, which has caused lots of gurgles and also has helped to get some poop out of him. I’m trying my best, but he is in pain and lethargic and won’t eat on his own. I am really worried about him.

I have been calling all of the emergency vet clinics in the area and none of them will see rabbits. I even asked if I could just purchase some Metacam for pain, but they won’t let me without a prescription. I just want to help relieve his pain through the night until I can get him to a rabbit-savvy vet tomorrow. 

Is there anything I can give him for pain? I don’t want to risk it with aspirin because it’s so controversial and can cause stomach problems. However, that’s all I can think of that I have access to right now. If any of you have some suggestions, that would be excellent. Thanks!

[DanaNM]

Ugh, so stressful.

I don’t know about alternative pain relief, but you can keep up with the tummy rubs, and keep him warm. You can also massage along the spine to stimulate the gut. Pain can cause their temp to fluctuate wildly, and can drop too low, sending them into shock.

You can wrap a warm water bottle in a towel for him to cuddle with, or just hold him on you lap to keep him warm.

Also try offering fennel and other fragrant herbs. Fennel has anti-gas properties. Keep pushing hay and any greens you can think of. Canned pumpkin is also good to mix with the CC to make it taste better to some bunnies.

Will the ER give him a prescription if they see him? Or will they not see him at all?

. . . 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.  

[Muchelle]

Don’t give him any medicines without prescription, it’s not really worth it. What you can do is manage his pain. Make sure he is eating and drinking enough (keep up the CC if he’s not eating), keep on going with symethicone and pedialite, keep on massaging him, better if his butt is lifted up. You can offer him (supervised!) a hot water bottle for comfort. After you’ve prepared the hot bottle, check that the temperature by pressing it against your inner forearm. It should feel comfortably hot but not burning. Wrap it up in a towel and place it beside the bun, so that he may decide if he likes it or not.

I know it’s hard, I wish I could magically make a bottle of metacam appear

EDIT: Sorry Dana I didn’t see you had replied… we almost wrote the same things ^_^;;;

[LBJ10]

Does he like willow? It has some natural pain relieving properties.

[rhianna]

Willow! Yes! I learned this in a pharmacy class at college. Aspirin was discovered because somebody noticed that injured animals would often chew on the bark of willow trees. Humans began doing this for pain, and it helped. Aspirin was later derived from willow bark!

I just did some digging and found a brand new package of willow sticks that I had bought for my bunnies and forgotten about. I just stuck some in the cage. Hopefully he will take a few nibbles. I also ran to the store and grabbed canned pumpkin, mint leaves, and a papaya. I heard that the enzymes in fresh papaya can be beneficial in digestion. Mint will hopefully entice him to eat.

Thanks for the support. I’ll keep this thread updated!

[jerseygirl]

{{{Vibes}}} for Luke! Are you able to take his temperature? There is a bit of a guide about that here: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

I have been calling all of the emergency vet clinics in the area and none of them will see rabbits.

This frustrates me no end, when people get told this. I don’t know if they say it in the hopes you’ll go somewhere else or what..
Maybe it’s legal liability that spurs them to discourage rabbit owners coming to them??
Can they actually turn away an animal in need if someone just turns up?
Even if they don’t normally see rabbits, they have things at their disposal that might help. And they can reach out to other professionals for advice.
Sorry to rant.

[Rain]

Yes, there’s this great video on Youtube (the channel is HowCast) about how to massage your bunny to relieve them of gas. You just gently and slowly lift up their bottom so that their tummy is stretched out and it helps move the gut some more.
I’ve read somewhere that fresh pineapple juice is good for this too, but I’m not sure. (someone correct me if I’m wrong please)
You could also try mint and basil. At this point, just try to get anything in his system (things that won’t increase gas of course). Push soaked veggies. I can’t offer more than that, and everyone else has already given great advice. I do hope he gets better!

[rhianna]

Thanks for all of the very helpful responses. I got Luke to eat a couple of pedialyte-soaked mint leaves, a couple nibbles of the willow branch, and one bite of papaya before he turned away from it. I also mixed some banana baby food into the critical care and he was a little bit more willing to eat that. I will try canned pumpkin next (I know it’s good fiber). I gave him more gas drops and tummy rubs too. He is still just sitting in the corner of the cage, grinding his teeth. I wrapped a warm water bottle in a sock and put it up against him. He is also staying in a crate which is pressed up against the baseboard heater in my room, which he has been sitting next to. I unfortunately don’t have a thermometer to check his temp but his ears have been warm each time I’ve felt them thus far.

I am just counting down the hours. The vet opens in nine hours… I am still incredibly angry that the emergency vets won’t see him. I know what’s wrong and I know what he needs, I just don’t have access to sub-q fluids and metacam. I could so easily get those things if they would just let me bring him in. All they’ve had to offer me is “good luck, sorry”

[Rain]

That is so horrible! I am enraged to hear that they are doing this! I’m so sorry for you and your rabbit! But, you’re doing a great job and doing everything you possibly can, which is what matters. I’m glad to hear that he’s eating something. Just as long as you get something in his system every hour, he should be fine until you can get him to the vets. You’re trying everything. Has any poops at all come out of him?

[rhianna]

Hello! Time for an update.

Luke was seeming a little better this morning. I was able to get him into the vet, where he was felt up for a blockage. The vet gave him sub-q fluids and prescribed him some Reglan for gut motility, Metacam for pain, and said to continue critical care. She thinks that he got backed up because of how much him and his buddy Bear have been shedding.

I gave him a good brushing when we got home. I have not seen much poop yet, but he has perked up a bit. I am hopeful that he will start eating on his own soon – wish us luck! I feel like force feeding gets harder each time I have to do it to him.

[rhianna]

Hello! Time for an update.

Luke was seeming a little better this morning. I was able to get him into the vet, where he was felt up for a blockage. The vet gave him sub-q fluids and prescribed him some Reglan for gut motility, Metacam for pain, and said to continue critical care. She thinks that he got backed up because of how much him and his buddy Bear have been shedding.

I gave him a good brushing when we got home. I have not seen much poop yet, but he has perked up a bit. I am hopeful that he will start eating on his own soon – wish us luck! I feel like force feeding gets harder each time I have to do it to him.

[Muchelle]

Glad to know the night passed!

I had a very bad misadventure with excess fur last year, so I’ll share what I have learned: not only brush them consistently and often, but also clean everyday their enclosures, the rooms they are allowed to go and their haystacks. If they have a drinking bowl, consider to switch them to a bottle during heavy molt. They won’t only lick hair off themselves, but they may ingest more if it’s on their food and water.

I know force feeding is hard, but it’s for his own good. He’ll forgive you <3

[Luna]

Glad to hear he’s doing better!

[LBJ10]

Yay!

[rhianna]

So Luke has been up and down throughout the day. I have been getting some critical care in him and I also got some mashed up papaya in him to see if that would help with his digestion. I don’t think he has pooped all day. I’ve been giving him the baby gas drops, tummy massages, and he has gotten a second dose of both Reglan and Metacam. I gave him a big pile of fresh wet greens and he has been munching on them here and there. I’m really nervous because I’m getting food into him but nothing (besides pee) is coming out. I will be calling the vet again in the morning to let her know. I have Benebac coming in the mail tomorrow that I will try for him.

I am hoping desperately that I might wake up and find some fresh poop in his cage. Wish us luck.

[Luna]

Are his energy levels better, or does he still seem lethargic? Sending poop vibes! ((((Luke))))

[Muchelle]

Ok, don’t panic yet. There is be a lapse of time needed for the new food pushed into him to be processed and pooped. Keep going, the fact that he is interested in food is wonderful news! Poop vibes all the way!

[rhianna]

We have poop! I was up at 4am and still nothing, so I spent over an hour with him giving him simethicone and tummy rubs, very concerned because there was still no poop, his stomach was feeling bloated, and there were no gurgles. His energy levels also seemed to be decreasing. I was in tears trying to get him to take fluids from the syringe. I finally found that he would happily eat kale, so I created this awkward method of letting him munch the kale and sneaking the syringe of fluid in his mouth right as he’s swallowing. He was annoyed but it really worked – I got plenty of pedialyte in him this way, and I gave him a big pile of dripping wet kale leaves which he slowly munched on throughout the morning.

(Mental poop images ahead)
I woke up again at 7am to a few small, wet poops around his cage! I also saw him eating dandelion. I then started to call the vet and noticed him straining in the litter box. When he hopped away, there was a big pile of soft poo that was not formed. I talked to the vet and she said that this is all a very good sign, and I should continue with the meds and feeding, and normal poops should follow soon. I am thinking that he may have had a blockage last night that just wouldn’t soften up until loads of pedialyte and fiber from the kale. Thanks for all of the support through this. I have been a poop-obsessed sleepless nervous wreck the past couple of days.

[Luna]

Yay for poops! It can be days or longer for his poops to return to normal size/texture, but as long as he keeps pooping it’s a good sign .

[Muchelle]

soft poop is poop, so it’s excellent news! Keep going, he’s doing great!

[rhianna]

He had another pile of soft poop earlier this afternoon and I’ve been keeping him eating leafy greens. He munched on a few 100% timothy hay pellets here and there, and I got him to eat a tiny bit of canned pumpkin. I just got some benebac in him – it went much more smoothly than expected! I had trouble squeezing it into his mouth, but once some came out he gobbled it up, so I actually was able to just squeeze it on my finger and have him lick it up. His pain meds definitely seem to be helping and he is perking up a bit. He still won’t drink water on his own but I’m hoping the soaked veggies and occasional critical care will be enough. He is peeing a lot which makes me think that he is hydrating well.

[Bam]

Soft poop is still poop, it can take a couple of weeks for poop to go back to normal after a bout of stasis. If he’s peing well he’s hydrating well – if a bun gets lots of fresh wet leafy greens plus critical care, they often won’t drink. My bun barely touches his water, he gets freshly rinsed grass every day and very little pellets.

Great that he ate the pumpkin from your finger! Pumpkin has good fiber, so it’s great that he wants it.

[jerseygirl]

Im happy to read this update! Continued vibes for Mr Luke.

It’s great you got hold of some benebac. That will hopefully get his tummy back on track if the flora became unbalanced due to this episode.

[rhianna]

Luke is currently improving in a “two steps forward, one step back” type of way. At least we’re getting somewhere. He hates nothing more than he hates critical care, but I have still been getting it into him, slowly but surely. He is still making mushy poop piles here and there. I have gotten him eating plenty of fresh, wet veggies on his own, and I have been able to hand feed him a few strands of hay. His attitude is so much better since he’s had pain meds. 

Here is a photo from this morning

[LittlePuffyTail]

The pic won’t upload for me but sending some ((((Recovery Vibes)))). Glad to hear he’s improved somewhat.

[Muchelle]

So glad to know he’s starting to come around <3

[rhianna]

Luke is improving still! He is back to his regular personality, and he’s been eating a good amount of hay on his own. That has definitely helped move things along – I’ve seen more poop from him today than I had seen all week. They are still small, but I know that’s normal when buns are recovering. I was able to put him back into the pen with Bear (his best buddy) and that has helped a lot. He’s getting exercise and eating well enough that I have mostly stopped critical care. This is all such a relief – a major reason that I have been so upset is because I am only home for spring break, and I leave Saturday for over two months. My mom has been taking care of my bunnies while I’ve been at college and I really didn’t want to put the stress of a sick Luke on her.

Do any of you know when is okay to stop the pain medicine? His vet said to continue Reglan until his poop is normal size, but she didn’t mention when he can come off the Metacam. I don’t want to stop it too early if he’s going to be in pain again without it.

[rhianna]

Hi! I thought I would update this thread in case anyone was left worrying. Luke is 100% better and completely off the medications. It was a really scary bout of stasis – he was in a lot of pain and I was preparing myself for the worst. But he made a full recovery, and I finally caught up on sleep! Thanks for all of the support through that stressful week

[DanaNM]

That is excellent news!

. . . 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.  

[Bam]

Great news! Thanks for the update!

The pic did load for me, he’s just incredibly cute =D

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yay, glad to hear that!

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