Jesse is in the hospital!!

[angel21md]

Our poor Jesse is 1 and a half years old. She is believed to be a belgian loppear. She is 25lbs and very long. She had a bath today about 3pm and was running and hopping around for hours afterword. About 10pm she was found lying on the floor in my aunt’s bedroom, where her cage is. She was barely breathing and her body was stiff. We took her to the animal hospital, where they admitted her. They said she was having a seizure and gave her medication. Then they came back in and told us that her body temperature was zero, not even on their thermometer and her glucose was 25. She had been eating just fine and drinking. They asked us if she had possibly hit her head or tried to jump up and fell off of something. Not that we know of. She hasn’t jumped on much in a long time, she just hopps around the floor. And its nothing to do with her litter cause her cage was being changed and hadn’t even been put back in her room yet.

Does anyone possible know what might have caused her to have a seizure?? Please help, we are very worried!!!

My aunt suggested a possible stroke…..??? Please help us, we may know more tomorrow but was wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

[BinkyBunny]

Welcome! WOW 25 pounds!! That is one big bunny. I am just so sorry that you are all having to go through this. Rabbits really can baffle us and sometimes there isn’t a definite answer.

I know you said that she got a bath – was it a full blown, bunny all wet type of bath? Is this something she is used to and has had before? I normally wouldn’t recommend that because some bunnies can go into shock, and their fur is usually so dense it can keep them chilled and of course drying them safely is a challenge too… so maybe her body temp got too low???? Of course, there is no way for me to really know that.

If it was not related to that, then really I’m not sure. Rabbit are rather fragile creatures when it comes to their health and sometimes even the best vets are baffled, but I am sending out healing vibes for her to get better quickly.

Keep us updated with what the vets say. HUGS!

[angel21md]

Thank you for a quick reply. Yah, she is a big girl. When we got her they said she would only be 5 to 7 pounds. She out weighed that at 6 months. She is used to having a bath, about once a month. If anything she might have runny poop for a day but other than that she is fine. The hospital kept saying they think it is a head trama, and that is what they are treating her for. I’m scared they are treating her for the wrong thing. I’ve been lookiing on the internet and found something on seizures that say they will throw themselves down on their side when they have one and usually only lasts minutes. She has been doing that ever since we got her, we always thought she was playing because you would lean over her to make sure she is alright and a minute or two later she will jump back up again. We knew that she would through herself down pretty hard at times but always thought it was like a kid having a tantrum, especially when she wanted out to play. Could this possibly have been seizures all along?

Where I found this at is http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/seizure.htm

[angel21md]

Oh, and you can see pics of Jesse on http://www.myspace.com/angel21md under photos then my babies. My other rabbit is jack, and I have three rats, Myshka, Delilah, and Coco.

[BinkyBunny]

What you are describing sounds like “Flops”. A very common bunny move showing displaying bliss and relaxation. Here’s an example of one on YouTube.

 

Does that look similar to what you’re talking about?

As far as the link – wow, so many possibilities of what could cause a seizure – no way to really know for sure. Could she have gotten into anything toxic – a plant or ??

Also, this is not to place blame, but to just find anything health related to her issues. You said you give her a bath every month. Why is that? Does she have problems getting to her bum, does she have an odd smell (Most bunnies do not smell so maybe she had abscesses or ??) or what would make that necessary?

At least at the vets office, even if they don’t know for sure what is going on, vets will know how to stabilize, give fluids, warmth, meds and all the things that will be needed in an emergency to give animals a fighting chance.

I know the worst thing is not knowing! That really is hard, but you obviously love her and you got her to the vet, and so try to relax as best you can and get rest. I know that’s very difficult!

Peace vibes to you.

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

{{Jessie}} Yes, I agree what your describing of her previous behavior sounds like a harmless happy flop.

Please keep us posted! I saw your pictures-gorgeous bunnies!

[angel21md]

Yes, that is what she does, but sometimes she throws herself down harder than that. We give her a bath usually because her poop sticks to her behind quite often, even when we haven’t seen that it’s been runny. But we also give her a bath to help cut down on her shedding. She sheds constantly and has since she turned 6 months old. It is so hard to get all that loose hair off her, brushes don’t work. The vet had said to put olive oil in her food, which helped tremendously. We haven’t done that for some time now, though, there wasn’t much need. As for Jack, he gets baths less often, used to be more often but not really at all any more. He doesn’t have a problem normally with shedding except right now with the change of season but its a normal shed.

I had talked to the vet this morning about 7am and they said she was doing great! She was alert, standing up, and just wondering what was goin on. My husband is on his way to pick her up now. So I should know more later.

[bunnytowne]

You say she gets runny poop after a bath? Are you using shampoo on her people shampoo? Thats a big no no. Maybe causing her runny poop.

Does she have long hair around her vent area? maybe you could trim some of it down so things don’t stick there Just not too short.

You can give her a butt bath. Just wash the privates to get the stuck poop off.

I wonder if it is cecals that are sticking cause they are the grape like sticky poops.

What are you feeding her? I am asking cause something in her diet may be causing the excess cecals that are stickigngto her furr. Normally they eat all their cecals.

A bunny flop teheee. Yes they do scare us with those I ran up and check to see if they are breathing even now. You think I would be used to it by now.

[MooBunnay]

If your bunny is having runny poop it sounds like there is a dietary issue, usually bunny poops should be very firm and dry. How is your bunny doing eating her hay? The number one most important thing for your bunnies digestive system is unlimited amounts of grass hay, I think most people on this site use timothy hay, but there are other options if your bunny doesn’t particularly like timothy. Could you tell us a bit more about what her diet is?

Also, if you can find the root cause of the runny poop, then you won’t have to worry about the baths anymore. If a bunny has a dirty bum, its really better to just dampen that area to get the poops out than a full on bath, bunnies are naturally very clean animals, so they don’t really need to be bathed all over, maybe switching to just a quick bum bath would help the situation. You can do this in the kitchen sink by having your husband cradle the bunny and then you gently splash some lukewarm water on just the bum area to clean the poops off.

[jerseygirl]

Cute fur family! From those baby pics of Jesse, it’s hard to believe she grew so big. Also – love Jacks markings!
Have you ever had Jesse’s poop tested for nasties? With body temp dropping like that, sounds as if she went into shock for some reason. Glad she seems to have recovered nicely and is coming home.

[Scarlet_Rose]

angel21md, I am very sorry to hear about your rabbit in the hospital. I really hope that a cause can be pin pointed and to help you do a bit of research yourself, here is some info on seizures:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_seizure_disorder.html

http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00326.htm

[angel21md]

Jesse seems to be doing great and is eating well. We normally feed them Wild Harvest Super Premium Rabbit Blend, that you get from Walmart. They never cared for the Timothy Hay pellets, still Jack refuses to eat all his. They get a dish a day, they used to get two but we started getting worried about Jesse’s weight a while back and started only feeding them once a day and greens every other day. That’s funny too, Jack doesn’t like carrots. Its rare if he eats them, usually if that’s the only thing in there he will eat them. They devour the Timothy Hay but we don’t give it too them too often cause they seem to get kind of aggressive after they eat it. Almost like giving a cat a really high dose of catnip. We also give them yogurt drops as treats, which they love, and honey treat sticks, which they also love.

We do occasionally just give Jesse a light behind washing just to get the mess off but sometimes it can be really bad. But it only lasts for a day or two then she’s fine for weeks if not months. I am definately trying to discourage my husband from giving her anymore baths because she does seemed to get stressed over them. I can only hope he will listen.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Angel, you might want to check this out from Dana Krempels:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/rabbit-died-5.htm

Someone used this same food and their rabbit passed away unfortunately and they had questions about it possibly being in relation to the feed that they were giving the rabbit.

The food you are giving your rabbit is actually very bad for Jesse. I took a look at the bag here: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10318461

Nuts and seeds contain lots of starch which can cause GI upset and imbalance and is likely arseociated witht he problems you are experiencing. I realize that this is the only thing he will eat, however it is not the best thing for him and it really should be changed to the plain timothy pellets. I know that they are not treat-ridden and full of unhealthy things, but they sure beat paying for hospitalization at the rabbit vets.

Please never deny a rabbit hay. They must have a constant, unlimited supply available at all times. It is imperative in the rabbit diet to keep the GI tract constantly moving. The fiber in the hay does this without adding tons of calories and fatty, unhealthy foods. Why do say that they get more aggressive afterwards? I have never heard of this.

I have a feeling that the loose stools and GI problems are arseociated with the diet being given to him and some tough decisions to make him eat the correct diet is in order, as it really is in his best interest.

Please read more info on the rabbit diet, compiled by Binky Bunny:

https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/tabid/60/Default.aspx

I really hope this info helps you to resolve these issues.

[KatnipCrzy]

I think some diet changes could help Jesse- switching to a better quality pellet will help. Also giving unlimited timothy hay- hay should be a staple of their diet and I would think any aggresiveness/frantic behavior should reside after they realize that hay will always be available.
I am also very concerned about the olive oil- yes, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids help for a healthier skin and hair coat- usually used in dry skin or itchy skin or dull coat dogs/cats. I have never heard of it recommended for a rabbit. Rabbits in general need a low fat diet- and adding the oil can increase their weight and loosen their stool.
If Jesse is overweight she may not be able to clean herself properly- and that can contribute to the “poopy bum”. Also her joints will be affected and she will not be as agile in her jumping.

I know it probably sounds scary to make changes- but I would start giving as much timohty hay as she can eat- always have available and add fresh every day or 2. Reduce her pellet amount and slowly start mixing in a higher quality pellet. Hold back on any sugary treats such as carrots, apples, yogurt treats, honey treats until a regular diet can be established to get her gut producing normal, dry, firm poos. Then slowly decide what treat to add in to guage her guts reaction to it. Veggies also play an important role in diet.

I have 3 bunnies and I don’t spend a ton on feeding them. I feed unlimited timothy hay- I bought a bale from a local farmer for $5 back in November and this is the main hay I feed them. I do buy other hay and use it as “treat hay” I give them a handful of oat, wheat, brome, etc every other day or so. They are always happy to get more/new hay and immediately begin chowing down. All of my bunnies are adult ranging from 3 1/4 lbs to 4 1/2 lbs- and they get about 2 cups of greens veggies a day. And for pellets I feed them the Oxbow Basics-T- about a Tablespoon in the am and pm. So the most costly part of their diet is the pellets- and that is feed in very small amounts- so it is not expensive to feed. The veggies are probably the next biggest expense- but I buy lettuces (romaine, leaf, spinach) that I can make as a salad for me to eat also, but I do buy some veggies that are bunny only – like collard greens, turnip greens, kale, etc. But I have a large supermarket near me with a huge produce department and excellent prices.

Any other question please feel free to ask. With low blood sugar and her going into a seisure/uncontrolled state- is it possible for your bunny to be diabetic? Did the vet consider that? Rabbits can get Diabetes Mellitus- which is controlled typically thru diet and not insulin.

Julie

[jerseygirl]

Scarlett, I saw those links to that feed on allexperts.com too. Sends some alarm bells ringing! angel21md, the expert on this site Dana Krempels, is very knowledgable in rabbit health. She also has here own site http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/hare.html.

I would urge you to look at her articles:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

Sorry bout the links, I can’t make them hyperlinks at the moment as this site is undergoing some maintainance.

[Beka27]

Welcome to the site. I am so sorry it’s under such unfortunate circumstances. I really hope Jesse feels better and can come home soon.

I will urge you to follow the advice of Scarlet Rose and KatnipCrzy and the others who gave you diet advice. Poopy butt is definitely avoidable with the correct diet. We follow the guidelines that are here on the BinkyBunny site, which are the same guidelines that are on the House Rabbit Society’s website. HRS is an international group that deals with the care, health and housing of indoor rabbits. If you have not yet visited their website, I strongly suggest you do. They don’t have a forum like here, but they have tons of short, easy-to-read articles and FAQs on virtually EVERY topic. Their site is: http://www.rabbit.org

(((((((Healing vibes to Jesse!)))))))

Please keep us updated on how she is.

[MooBunnay]

I agree that you will definitely see very positive changes in your bunnies health by putting her on a correct diet. Even though sometimes it is hard to cut back on the things that they like, we have to be like parents to our bunnies, and make sure to keep them healthy by giving them the things that are good for them.

I would bet they are aggressive after eating the hay because they are really craving the fiber in their diet and wanting to get more of it. If you are concerned about your bunnies weight, definitely cut back on seeds or honey treats, and just use those as an occasional treat.

If you are wondering why hay is so vital to rabbit’s diet, it is because rabbits can get stasis very easily and die from it within 24 hours. Stasis occurs when food stops moving through a rabbit’s stomach and just sits. Rabbits must be able to graze and eat non stop to keep from going into stasis, and grass hays like timothy hay are vital to keeping the digestive system moving. Seeds and honey treats pack tons of calories, and can contribute to stasis. If you have any questions about where or how to get hay, just let us know! (BTW, make sure it is timothy hay, and not alfalfa, alfalfa is very fattening and is really only for baby buns or buns that need to put on weight.)

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

Everyone is giving very good advice and I hope you take it into consideration. It sounds like you have a happy little fur-family and it would be great to have them 100% healthy too

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