Lizzie is sick. **Update

[Deleted User]

So ever since we got Lizzie a couple weeks ago we have been having to clean her bum often because poo gets stuck in her fur.  Over the weekend and the couple of days leading up to it (since thurdsay night)  we weren’t able to do it because we were crazy busy getting ready for a trade show.

Last night we went to do it again, assuming she would need it again, but the poo was hardened and really stuck in her fur.  I cut out what I could of it, but it was really stuck there, and very close to her skin, she had had enough (she sat patiently for over an hour while i snipped at it).

But now today when I got up she just wasn’t herself.  Yesterday she was fine, but today she was just listless, won’t eat, just sleeping by her water bowl.

I took her into the vet (I was going to take her anyway to have them get the poo off her bum since I couldn’t get it all).  The dr. said what I suspected, that she is so overweight that she can’t reach her bum to groom properly, so she can’t eat the cecals.  The dr. cleaned off the poos with a solution that loosened them, and had a feel on her tummy.  He said that he thinks that since it was hardened on there that the other poos couldn’t come out properly, so now she’s backed up a little and her tummy hurts.

He gave me some medication to get things moving (he said hopefully we’ll see alot of poo come out), and some metacam for the pain.  He said to watch her closely over the next 24 hours because it’s very dangerous that she’s not eating.

I feel so terrible and upset   I hope that she will be ok.  He said he thinks we caught it early enough, but I just feel like if we didn’t have to do the trade show on the weekend maybe this wouldn’t have happened.   We adopted Lizzie to give her a better life, not to make things worse for her.  Although the dr. did say that if she was still at the humane society she might not be with us at all (living) at this point.

[Sarita]

Vibes to Lizzy. Do you think the poo’s may have also caused a urinary tract infection being stuck to her uretha area?

Your vet is right! She does have a better life – it’s going to take awhile to get her to a proper weight as well.

[KatnipCrzy]

Being at a home with an owner that is taking her to the vet when she is ill is the best thing for her!!!  I think you will be able to get her into shape and lose some weight and get her feeling better overall.  Did your vet give you any suggestions to implement for when she is feeling better?  And though you cannot make a rabbit “exercise” like you can a dog- taking them for a walk, or a cat- playing with a toy that causes a “frenzy”- there are things you can do to make a rabbit more active.  My dogs follow my bunnies around, nosing their bottoms looking for poo (to eat  ) and that keeps them hopping around at times.  I have used treatballs with them- set the opening to small and put dried fruit it in- Cotton will nudge and chase it around- Schroeder will nudge it, but also “hike it” like it is a football.

I hope she is better soon- and Lizzie is so lucky to have a caring owner!  There are a lot of bunnies that just sit in a cage getting fat that NEVER go to the vet.  All of us hear those stories- “I had a bunny but it died” and it is either followed by a gruesome reason or they have no idea why.

 

[LizzieKnittyBun]

Try to remind yourself that you’re doing everything you can to help her. When she pulls through this, you might have to hand-feed her her cecals for a while until she can reach them.

Good luck, and we’re thinking about you!

[Monkeybun]

((((((vibes for Lizzie!))))))

Hope she gets better soon!

[Deleted User]

Thanks guys.

Sarita: The poo wasn’t covering her genitals, just her bum, so I’m not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Katnip: Ever since bringing lizzie home she’s a workout queen. I think she’s just so happy to not be in the cage at the shelter anymore, she runs so much, way more than Bunny & Alistair do, so I think she’ll bring the weight off herself. As far as diet goes, the dr. said we are doing everything right.

Just another quick question though, if she’s not eating by tonight should I give her Critical Care? I called the vets office to ask but the receptionist said the dr. is in an appointment right now. If they don’t call me back do you think I should just give her some tonight?

[Sarita]

Yes, do give her critical care! You need to try to get her eating again. Have you ever given critical care before or syringe fed?

[Deleted User]

Sarita, I have given critical care/syringe fed my guinea pigs when they were sick. That’s why I still have a few unopened packets of it here. I’m assuming syringe feeding a rabbit is the same as for guinea pigs, except on a much larger scale. Not really sure how much to give her though.

I was able to get the meds into her easily by putting her between my legs and lifting her front legs so that she was somewhat upright. I think I’d try that for feeding her the CC too.

Anyway, any thoughts on how much to start out with. Oh, and she just pooed in her pan, so that’s a good sign. Not alot but about 12 normal size poos.

[Sarita]

Glad she is pooing.

It’s good you have experience syringe feeding. What size feeding syringes do you have? I think smaller is better (12 cc’s I think which is an ounce) rather than those big mumbo jumbo ones.

[Deleted User]

The vets office just called back. They said to start her on Critical Care, and if she continues not eating to give her 45ml’s 4x during the next 24 hours.

Man, I’m so stressed right now.

The syringes I have are the small ones.

[Deleted User]

Ok, I just managed to give Lizzie a bit under 45ml of Critical Care. Her tummy is pretty rumbly right now.

I was looking, and I think this is actually my last packet of Critical Care, and there’s probably not quite enough to give her another 45 ml later. I’m thinking later I’ll give her whats left, and maybe some pellets mashed with water? Would that work? Then I can run out and get more CC in the morning.

She’s so lethargic, it’s really scaring the crap out of me. I’m going to soak in the tub and try to relax a little. I hope the CC will stimulate her appetite a little.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

maybe some pellets mashed with water? Would that work?

That’s perfect actually You can mash pellets up easily by putting them in a ziplock bag, on a cutting board and hit them with a wooden spoon

Do you have a thermometer to check her tempeature? You can just put a little vaseline or even water in a pinch on the tip, insert in the bum and take the temp. I wonder if your bun is chilly which could cause lethargy. Course depending on what time of day it is hwere you are, could be normal sleepy bunny-My buns will get a bit more active in a few hours but now -theya re all loafing around and eating

Keep us posted!!

[Monkeybun]

Oh God K&K, Monkey would kill me in my sleep if I ever even DARED to think of taking her temp… lol

[Deleted User]

Ok, here’s this mornings update. A few hours (3ish) after giving Lizzie the Critical Care and bowel drugs last night she had a BIG poo! Like the poo itself was very large. So I think that’s what was blocking her up a bit. She had a few more small poos, and then she started eating again. She ate her lettuce, then her hay, then I gave her more hay and she ate all that too and the few pellets I had left her. And of course she made more poos.

Once she passed the big poo and started eating she started turning into her normal self a bit more, and today she is running around happy as can be. I am SO relieved! I was so worried, I have never had to deal with a bun that’s that sick before (just guinea pigs).

So now today I’m not sure what to do. The drugs they gave us we’re supposed to give her for 5 days (metacam 1x/day, cisapride 2x/day). Now that she seems to be close to back to normal though I don’t know if I should continue giving them. I’m afraid that continuing the cisapride will make her have runny poo instead which I know is also dangerous.

Any thoughts?

[Sarita]

I don’t think the cisapride will cause runny poo’s. If it were me, I would call my vet and find out what they want me to do.

[LizzieKnittyBun]

I think that if you’re supposed to give it for five days, then you should probably do so. I know that with humans it’s a problem when people don’t take their medicine for the full time that they’re supposed to.

But asking your vet is definitely the way to go.

HOORAY for recovery!!!

[RabbitPam]

would continue the full 5 days. It may be something internal that needs to be fully dealt with and unable to return, so the meds could be making a long term difference. Glad she’s seeming back to normal now.

[Author]

Messages