Is everything alright with my bunny?

[Uborka]

About 5 hours ago, Zatanna started acting weird. She stopped being interested in food, treats and cuddles, and the only thing she’s been doing for the past hours is flop to the side, her back, and do the flying superman pose. I also noticed some heavy and fast breathing, kinda like she’s exhausted. I understand that a flopping rabbit is commonly known as a happy rabbit, but something just feels off. Does anyone have any experience about rabbits that flop in discomfort?

Some pictures of her – http://imgur.com/a/G8acYj8
(Link reviewed and approved by Wick)

[Wick & Fable]

It sounds like she has some gastric distress. The postures you’re describing are typical for rabbits who are trying to find positions that make it comfortable while having stomach discomfort. Tummy massages (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M) can help relieve some gas, and if you can get some infant gas drops (simethicone), it can also help pass the gas and is harmless to rabbits.

Are her ears cold? Keeping her warm will also be important.

If a rabbit goes for 12 hours without eating, it is a serious emergency and the rabbit needs to go to the vet.

Did you happen to feed her anything new or maybe a bit more of sugary treats than usual? Is she shedding a lot or did she get into something she shouldn’t have?

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.

[Uborka]

I’ve tried to massage her tummy for some time, but her behaviour remains the same.  

Her ears are fine, neither cold or hot.

Me and my spouse just took Zatanna to a vet-clinic. I’m anxiously waiting in the car, due to the 1 person rule.

Her diet has been kept unchanged since we got her as a baby bun 2 years ago.

 

 

 

[Wick & Fable]

I hope everything has been fine/improving since the vet visit!!

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.

[snowballsmomma]

When my foster bun went into GI stasis, he was flopping a lot on his side and looked like he was in discomfort.  He also refused treats.

Please update us – I hope Zatanna is okay <3

[Uborka]

The vet-clinic we went to last night were not specialized in treating bunnies, so there was not much they could do. We had no choice but to take her home, and wait out the night.

First thing we did this morning was take her to a vet-clinic that could diagnose and treat her properly, where they confirmed that she was suffering from gastric distress. We left her there for 7 hours, where they did there absolute best to get her tummy running again. When we picked her up before closing, they delivered the news that she hadn’t gotten any better. The vet said that she did eat some apple pieces just before we arrived, which was the first thing she ate for several hours, but she didn’t poo anything, which means that it’s been more than 30 hours since she pooped.

The vet wanted us to take her home, and if she makes it through the night, we will return to the same vet-clinic for some more treatments.

I’m currently sittning right next to her at home, where she still refuses to eat anything, or poo, just hoping and praying that she will make it.

Thanks for the answers and the support.

View post on imgur.com

 

 

 

[Bam]

Thank you for the update!

Did the vet send any meds home with you? (They might of course have given her enough meds at the clinic to last her through the night).

The most important thing now is to try and keep her warm. Rabbits can get hypothermia when they are unwell. This is very dangerous. A warm water bottle wrapped in a towel could feel nice for her, but she must have space enough so she can move away from the heat source if she wants to. If having her in your lap works for you both,  that is a good alternative to a warm water bottle. Your body heat will never be too warm for her.

If the vet told you to feed her, you should obviously do that.

If she normally drinks from a bottle, you should serve water in a bowl as well, because its less work for her.

It can take a very long time until you see any poop after a bout of stasis.

Any questions you may have, we’ll be happy to try and answer. Many of us here have had to care for sick rabbits.

 

[Uborka]

The vet told us she had received plenty of medicine, and anymore would be lethal.

Thanks for the temperature information, I’ll try that right away.

The vet told us to offer her food, but not to force her.

She has always been a water bowl bunny, so she still has one available.

[Uborka]

Should I be petting her, or is it better if I leave her alone, so she can rest?

[Bam]

Sounds good!

You can offer her all her favorites, for example fresh herbs can often spark an interest. Pellets are often much less popular, but she should of course have pellets available to her, in case she feels like having a nibble.

Since she’s had pain meds, you can of course expect her to be somewhat zoned out tonight.

 

 

[DanaNM]

Did they give her fluids or syringe feed her? I’m very surprised they didn’t instruct you to syringe feed.

Do you know what medications they gave her?

. . . 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.  

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