Should I go to the vet?

[Alice in Wonderland]

Hi, as you may know from my other posts my bunny Henri is particularly nervous and tends to stop eating at the slightest stress.  We trimmed his nails recently and since then, or maybe since just before then, he has been acting a bit weird, eating some of his food but instead of going nuts for it, just nibbling slowly, a pellet at a time.  He has also had a few accidents outside of his litter tray which is really odd because he has never done that before.  Most of his poos look normal but there are a few small ones.  He has been flopping more than normal which would be ok on its own because its hot but concerns me with all the other symptoms. But between flops he is still hopping about happily. Also last night when i was patting him, when I patted the side of his body he was pressing against me like he wanted me to pat the sides of his stomach harder, is that a sign he might have gas pain?  Basically I want to avoid taking him to the vet if possible because of the stress involved, and he does seem to be eating an ok amount (I gave him some criti care cos I’m paranoid) and hopefully it’s just the heat and the stress but I just want to see what you would recommend considering all these symptoms?

[JackRabbit]

Bumping this up

[Roberta]

It can’t hurt to give him some tummy rubs, working along his sides and abdomen gently stroking downwards. If his tummy feels bloated it could be has, also see if there are any abnormal tummy noises.

[Roberta]

Do you have any baby gas drops ? Infacol or Simethicone ? It is very helpful with gas and some GI issues. It is not a prescription drug and should not replace the vets treatments but it is handy to support other medication or deal with gas issues.

[LBJ10]

Yep, gas drops and tummy rubs certainly can’t hurt things. Since he’s still eating, then this isn’t a huge emergency. Definitely something to keep an eye on though since things can change quickly. If he doesn’t seem better soon, then it’s time to take him to the vet.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Hi Roberta, thanks for the advice, I tried the massage of his belly but I think he is ticklish because he wasn’t having any of it! It’s a tough call because he is eating some hay (less than normal I think but its hard to tell), vegetables (about his normal amount but I have been giving him extra because I read that vegetable can gel keep their gut moving) and about half his daily allowance of pellets, he hasn’t eaten any yet today but he tends to eat at night more anyway so I’ll wait and see how he is going tonight. I was thinking of buying some Simethicone but I am glad to hear of infacol because I am also in Australia and want to make sure I get the right brand. It’s tricky to know what to do because he is still eating and moving round fine but I don’t things can escalate quickly with rabbits!

[Alice in Wonderland]

Thank you LBJ10 it’s good to know that I can just keep monitoring him, as soon as I see any signs of him getting worse I’ll take him to the vet.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Hmmm I’m almost wondering if it isn’t the heat-I would think that would decrease appetite. The flopping sounds good to me actually-maybe he’s less stressed. how hot is it? Any way you could help cool him down (a pop bottle with a sock on it full of frozen water, fans, a tile to lay on etc) and see how he does?

If you keep a very close eye for other symptoms or worsening in anything you described-I think you are perfectly OK to wait-I always say better safe to go the vet, but with such a timid guy maybe it’s best to wait and watch a little. Do you have an emergency vet picked out should the symptoms get worse on a weekend or at night? If not phone around (to see who has a rabbit vet on staff) so you are prepared.

[Alice in Wonderland]

It’s been cooler today and he doesn’t seem any better… although he did have a nibble on his pellets this afternoon and has pooed in the last hour, smaller and less of them than normal so I’ll just keep watching, it’s hard to tell how he is feeling till nighttime, he is a real night owl! It’s good that the flopping is a good sign, I was thinking surely if he is in pain he would be hunched up rather than stretching out?

[Alice in Wonderland]

Now he is up and running round he looks much better and he is eating his hay with much more enthusiasm than he has been! I’ll keep watching him carefully though until he is totally back to normal but I am happy to see any little change for the better!

[LBJ10]

That’s a good sign!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Awesome! May be the heat and a little GI slowdown. You did the right thing with the critical care-fluids and fibre are really the best thing you can do while you watch and wait

[Author]

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