How long does it take for simethicone to work?

[MarMar & TimTam's Mom]

On Monday night we noticed Timtam had gas–a loud rumbling noise in his stomach–which we are pretty sure is due to some kale stems we gave him. He’d had kale before without any problems, but these were further down the stalk and I guess more fibrous than the usual. As of this morning (Wednesday) his stomach is still grumbling. Last night we gave him 1cc of simethicone and a tummy massage, and this morning I gave him another 1cc at 9am and then again at 10am (it’s now 10:45). 

He’s still pooping normally (I emptied his litter last night just to be sure, and yes, he’s definitely pooping plenty) and he is still eating but in much smaller quantities than normal. Last night he at all the banana and pumpkin puree I gave him, but left his greens and pellets. This morning I gave him a mix of mushed pellets and pumpkin, and he ate some of it but didn’t finish. I did see him eat a few mouthfuls of dry pellets as well, but there’s still quite a bit in his food bowl. He did eat more banana and he is devouring hay like crazy, but on a typical day he doesn’t stop eating until there’s nothing left. 

I guess my question is, is this just discomfort while the simethicone does its thing? I know if he wasn’t eating at all, that would be a problem, but our other bunny eats in small quantities like this all the time (he’s just picky) so I know that small quantities in and of themselves are okay… it’s just that Timtam usually eats so much more that it’s making me worried. How long does it take for simethicone to really work? The bottle says 30-45 minutes, but how will I be able to tell? If I’m still hearing his tummy gurgle, is that a bad sign?

[LittlePuffyTail]

How is your bunny doing today? If he is still unwell, I recommend a vet visit.

Simethicone can be helpful to reduce gas pain in a bunny but it does not always. When my buns have an upset tummy, my first go-to is Simethicone. You can do 1ml per hour for 3 doses, then 1ml every few hours after that. From my experience, if it hasn’t worked by 3 doses, it’s probably not going to. At that point, if my bun is still uncomfortable and not eating, I call my vet.

[Krose]

When our guy had some gas issues the vet had us put him on reglan, metacam and simethicone so I have never used just the simethicone. But as a combination with the metacam and reglan he started pooping and eating again about 16 hours later. It was a really scary day! What also worked was soaking his hay for some reason, I noticed he had started eating hay that was dipped in his water bowl first so I gave him a tupperware with wet hay and that was the first thing he ate consistently  

[jerseygirl]

The bunny in your avatar is CUTE! Is that him?

When I’ve used simethicone, it often made a difference within 20-30 minutes IF gas discomfort was the issue.

Since your boy is eating so much hay, I wouldn’t be too concerned that he is not as keen on the other usual favourites. It’s not uncommon for them to come back onto those last after an iffy gut. He seems to know what he needs (hay). Id probably cut back on the banana for now, although this is good to offer when a bun is refusing food as a way to tell how bad they’re feeling – as many usually go bonkers for banana! Ive always found my rabbit when feeling a bit off will snub the usual favourites and go for things like rose leaves and petals, and willow. Or greens they don’t normally get.

Dill and carrot tops are also worth offering as I read they can help with a gassy gut and many rabbits will favour them during those times.

I think I read your bun is young, correct? Are you just introducing him to greens now or has he been eating them for a while?

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