My bunny had bowel blockage surgery last evening. :(

[lindaprocopio]

A friend suggested I come here for advice on how to care for my dear little dwarf bun if she survives the surgery she had to have last night.  I feel so horrible and responsible for the mess she’s in.  She has never been a good veggie eater, although I kept trying to temp her with greens, so I always got her timothy hay and high fiber pellets.  But about 10 days ago I saw some ‘bunny biscuit treats’ at the pet store that were made by the same brand as her pellets.  I thought I’d give them a try and she just LOVED them.  I would only let her have one a day but she would go CRAZY with anticipation and run to her bowl to check if a treat was in there like it was CRACK or something; they were that yummy.  ARGH!  Her bowel was blocked with a cement block of hair and that damn biscuit when the vet went in there.  I did this to her!!  I feel so horrible!  (Why do they even SELL this stuff??!)

She did well through the surgery, but I know she could easily succum before she fully recovers.  The vet said that she was an over-groomer and that it wasn’t a question of whether I brushed her often enough (weekly in general, daily when shedding) but her diet.  He said this particular bunny cannot have pellets any more, that she needs to eat a diet of only coarse green timothy hay from a feed mill (he seems VERY anti-pet store food) and green grass and water, with an occasional kale or endive appetizer.  He said those ‘treats’ are like bunny candy and NOT good for a bunny ever.  I was asked to stay away and not visit until tomorrow morning so that she doesn’t become despondent when I leave her again.  The vet sounded tired and discouraged when I spoke with him after her surgery; she’s an easy bunny to care about, such a cutie.

If she survives and I get to bring her home, do any of you have tips to help me get her through the next few weeks?  I had major cancer debulking surgery myself 2 years ago and know what hell she awakened to this morning and some of the bowel challenges that may be ahead for her.  All she ever did was love and entertain me for the 20 months of her life to date.  I feel like such a bad mother!

 

 

[Sarita]

Don’t feel bad! I’m a bit concerned though that the vet did surgery on her as you are concerned as well. Did he try anything at all like fluids before to get her going?

Many vets recommend no pellets for rabbits especially those with these types of problems.

I would ask the vet about any pain meds for the next few days. I don’t think there should be any challenges as far as bowel movements.

Lots of grass hay as the vet suggested and lots of physical activity keep the gut going. Blockage is due to a gut slowdown.

[FluffyBunny]

It’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing that this would happen. In fact, probably just about any other food would have contributed to the blockage as well. You just wanted to give her some tasty treats…and I’m sure she enjoyed them!

Just curious…did the vet say she needed any special diet while she’s healing? (besides the long-term no pellets diet)

[Sarita]

Did the vet give you any critical care? If not, you need to ask him – you may need to syringe feed her until she will eat on her own.

[lindaprocopio]

The vet was pretty exhausted when he called last evening after her surgery so I didn’t press for post-surgery care instructions.  I brought her to him at 10 am yesterday, as soon as he opened for patients (following early morning surgery he had to do on a dog).  By then my bunny had gone 30 hours without pooping (On a Sunday I didn’t know what to do, as I am in the sticks and bunny vets are few and far between.  I wanted her to be seen by him. as he is experienced with bunnies.).  She was still alert and had her ears up when I brought her in.  The vet gave her a thorough examination and she was so good during it, trusting almost.  The vet worked on her all day between patients,hydrating her and giving her some sort of bunny stool softeners and a semi-enema, etc., and he did have her eating grass and drinking and got a littlle brown liquid-y poop.  But at 6PM he called and said that he was afraid to wait any longer.  His hope was to get in there, spay her, and then squeeze the now-soft blockage down and out her bowel.  But it wasn’t soft and he could only remove the hair/biscuit ball by cutting her bowel open to get at it., and said there was no way she could ever have passed this herself.  ARGH!  My poor sweet little bunny!  I’ll let you know what I learn, and I’ll ask about the take-home meds and for instructions.  Thanks.  I am supposed to be working but I can’t think of anything but her today.

[Deleted User]

I hope she pulls through! My long-haired rabbit passed away from a similar thing this summer, he was a major groomer in a group of four bunnies and the night before he started getting blocked, I had just reinroduced pellets to them… my guess was that he overate on the pellets and a dry mass was created in his stomach with hair and too much dry feed. Mine did not have surgery. Please keep us posted on your rabbit’s condition, rabbits can be resilient, and I am sending extra resilience vibes for her!! I wholeheartedly agree with you about the bunny treatws, they can be a dangerous choice and yet are so attractive to bunnies!

[RabbitPam]

I hope she’s recovering and out of the woods. I would not blame yourself at all for giving her a treat. If she didn’t have a massive hair blockage to begin with it probably would have been digested. It was just the last straw. Hopefully the surgery has cleared the way and the better diet (tell her that fur is not a food group) will have her feeling much better after this.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[allegrabunny]

You didn’t do this intentionally, it’s like crappy human junk food. I certainly hope she pulls through. Definitely get the critical care and ask if they have a curved tip syringe, bunny burritto and flip her over before you try. Have a bowl of water avaliable for drinking. female buns can be slower when recovering from surgery. banana mush, or her pellets with hot water mush, pear mush, hay mush (food processor).

Also make sure your vet considers gut motility drugs in addition to pain meds. 

[lindaprocopio]

You were all so kind and helpful; thank you. I have the sad task of telling you that my dear bunny didn’t make it. My husband and I picked up her precious little body at the vet and finished burying her an hour ago in our backyard where the wild bunnies run and play. I cried all the way to the vet, managed to pull myself together to talk with the vet, but lost it again when we got home and I removed her cardboard boxes that evidenced her constant ‘construction projects’ of skylights and back doors and windows she was always chewing in them so that she could watch us on the sly from inside. The vet said her liver shut down from the stress of her recovery. My life just lost a little bit of sunshine. The vet said “You should get another bunny.” Maybe I will but I can’t think of that today. I just wanted to let you all know. so sad; I know you all understand.

[Sarita]

Hugs to you! I’m so sorry this happened – she knew she was loved. It is hard and it does hurt but she is at the Rainbow Bridge where she will be whole again.

I hope that eventually you will get another rabbit who will bring you as much joy as she did.

[RabbitPam]

Oh, I’m so sorry. You must be heartbroken. She was very loved, and really you did everything you could. Even the vet tried to save her with surgery after a long hard day, so all that could have been done was done. We search in our minds for every little thing that we might have done differently that would have mattered, but the truth is there was nothing else and you did your very best with total love. She knows that.

My vet asked me if I wanted to consider adopting a bunny on the day my Spockie died. I guess some people go right out and get someone new, but I couldn’t even imagine it. It stays in your mind though, and when it feels right the right bunny will appear. Meanwhile, please know that you are always welcome to post here. You might want to post in the Support Forum so others can know what happened and offer their condolences. It’s helpful to know that there are many of us who understand that she’s not “just a bunny” as some other types of pet owners sometimes say. Our furbabies mean the world to us. We like to see pictures if you want to post them too.
{{{{{{{{{{{ Hugs to you and your husband.}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[allegrabunny]

OH NO!, I’m so sorry. She was loved! I was hopign for a different ending. (hugs)

[nugget]

:’o(
This was not the update I was hoping to read. Hugs to you, it is so hard to lose a pet. I’ve found once we had a rabbit in our lives, it just didn’t seem right not to have one. But, time will tell when and if you are ready for another. We spent about 5 weeks looking at rabbits until we made up our mind to get another one.

[Deleted User]

I am sorry to find out she didn’t make it! I know the hurt you are feeling and I am sending my condolence vibes to you. Hugs!
Yes, do get another rabbit and know that you did your rabbit a huge favor by having the surgery done. It saved her from tremendous suffering that a blockage can cause as it kills them slowly.

[Dee]

I’m so sorry… you were a wonderful bunny mom and I know that she felt very loved. This is not your fault- just like humans, bunnies can have strange reactions to all sorts of things. I have spent hours thinking back onto what I could’ve done differently after I lost my pets. But we must remember that we can’t know in advance how everything will affect our pets- we just do the best we can.
I felt that I would never want another pet after the loss of mine, but after some time, I started to think how nice it would be… When you are ready, you will know it’s time to look for another bunny. In the meanwhile, please keep coming on this board- the support forum is a great idea.
((((((((((((Hugs and prayers))))))))))))

[Lintini]

I am so sorry you lost her, lots of hugs and bunny kisses from us to you and your hubby {{{{hugs}}}}

[lashkay]

I’m sorry. You were & are a good bunny mommy. Healing vibes. Take care of yourself. If you catch yourself starting to blame yourself, remember the supportive words that have been posted to you by the members. You loved her and she knew it and loved you and you knew it. In the final analysis, that’s all that counts. HUGS

[Author]

Messages