Sick Rabbit Surrended to the Vet/Shelter

[snowballsmomma]

I need some support and was hoping that anyone could let me know if I did the right thing.

When I went to see my foster bun Snowball this morning, he seemed totally fine (excited to eat pellets, pooping, etc.).  However, when I visited him at 12pm, something seemed off.  He started to flop a few times (which at first I thought was a good sign and he was happy), but he didn’t seem relaxed.  He actually seemed scared and his eyes looked frightened.  He was shaking a tiny bit.  He kept repositioning himself and elongating his body on the carpet.  His legs also seemed to be acting a little weird.  I first thought maybe the repositioning could be because of gas, but his stomach didn’t feel bloated or hard at all.  I then tried to feed him pellets/a piece of apple/simethicone (all things he loves to eat), and he refused to eat any of it.

I was getting freaked out based on how Snowball was acting and started crying (despite being an adult in my 20s).  My parents, who were just leaving to go somewhere, kept telling me I was overreacting and I should just wait a while and see if he gets better.

When my parents left, I took Snowball’s temperature twice and it showed up as 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  He didn’t seem cold, but considering that could mean he is going into hypothermia, I didn’t want to wait.  So I called my shelter (where they have vets on call) and they said to bring him in.

I brought him into the shelter and they said Snowball was “stable”.  The vet said that he may just have a poop stuck and that they gave him some medicine.  The vet also said maybe Snowball’s temperature (which they confirmed was 98.6 degrees) was “artificially lower” because of the poop that was stuck.   The vet didn’t seem that concerned.  That being said, because Snowball seemed to not be eating/pooping, had lost some weight over the past while, and had a bit of a fast heart rate, they said they would take him in and keep him for observation.  And because Snowball was my foster bun, and he had someone who expressed interest in adopting him, the shelter said they will keep him until the adoption.

I don’t know what has happened since I brought him in, but I can’t tell now if I overreacted or not.  Was I right to bring him in?  Should I have waited longer?  Has anyone heard about a bun’s temperature being “artificially lower”?  I fear that when my parents come back, they’ll tell me I was overreacting and I shouldn’t have brought Snowball in since the vet didn’t seem that concerned.  I feel like they are going to say I shouldn’t have a bunny if I am going to get so worked up at every little thing (I am naturally a worrier).  So I’m curious what other bun owners would have done in that situation and if I should have done anything differently. 😥

[prince dorian the bun]

I think in the case of buns and how quickly they can go from fine to critical it was a good choice. Maybe it was indeed nothing serious, but you called and they said to bring him in, so I think it was all pretty reasonable. I don’t you should ever beat yourself up for caring too much either!

 

[Bam]

It doesn’t sound like you overreacted. Rabbits can go downhill really fast, they’re not “wait and see” animals. You made the right call. He was in obvious discomfort , his temp was low and he wouldnt eat or drink -that is cause to take a bun to the vet. The bun needs  pain relief, sub q fluids, possible gut motility medication and warming up.

I dont know what the vet meant about artificially low temp. Low temp is a typical symptom of gut stasis, when the rabbit’s metabolism slows, the body temp drops.

Absolutely don’t beat yourself up about this in any way, because you did great.

[snowballsmomma]

Hi both – thanks for your responses, I really appreciate it.  A vet tech was nice enough to write me this evening and said they diagnosed him with GI Stasis and put him on Critical Care, subcutaneous fluids and Cisapride.  I’m not sure if the other vet I talked to initially was misinformed or something because he seemed so nonchalant considering how low Snowball’s temperature was.  It doesn’t seem like they always have rabbit savvy vets in the shelter (I know they have one specialist but I’m not sure about the others), but I’m not allowed to bring Snowball elsewhere since he’s a foster bun, so I really hope they diagnosed him properly and are also able to find out if there is an underlying illness that may have caused it.

I feel horrible knowing Snowball was/is in pain and I am really hoping I brought him in fast enough.  He’s just such a wonderful bun 🙁  It’s crazy how fast he went from being totally fine in the morning, to being in pain less than a few hours later.  I can’t imagine what would have happened if I had went to work and I wasn’t there to have checked on it.

[DanaNM]

I think you did exactly the right thing, don’t feel guilty at all! They really can go into stasis so quickly and for seemingly no reason sometimes.

It sounds like he is getting good care now so I’m sure he will be feeling better soon.

. . . 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]

Thanks Dana.  I keep thinking of all these “signs” that maybe I missed but maybe Snowball was in pain and I just didn’t see it.  The vet tech gave me an update and said Snowball gave one poop in the 24 hours he has been there, so I’m praying that he will pull out of this.  I feel even worse knowing he’s in the shelter alone, and all because of stupid COVID-19, I can’t even be there to visit him and fuss over him.  He’s had such a tough life with getting two surgeries for his teeth, and now this 🙁

[snowballsmomma]

This is a dumb question, but the shelter wrote me again and said Snowball was doing a little better, and “was started on a treatment plan as the vets suspect he may have colic.”  When they say colic, are they really just saying that he has GI stasis (which I thought I already knew)?

[prince dorian the bun]

I can’t answer your question, but hope you get good news about Snowball soon! Maybe when he is over the worst of it he can re-cooperate with you? Not sure how your foster situation works at your shelter, I know mine likes sick animals to be in foster as they tend to get better faster. Also trying to figure out what you may have missed will tear you apart, you caught he was in pain and did everything right. I tend to do the same thing of overanalyzing where I went wrong (so unhealthy!) so may be projecting, but please don’t beat yourself up.

[Bam]

I’m not altogether sure what they mean by colic, maybe they use that word because its one that people are apt to understand? Horses and human babies get colic. Horses are very similar to rabbits, digestion-wise. Some vets even say rabbits are just tiny horses 😀

I do think they mean what we call GI stasis. I’m glad they’ve made a treatment plan. And now you know for certain that your instincts were correct, and you did the absolute right thing. Well done!

 

[snowballsmomma]

Thank you both for your well wishes <3  I really appreciate it!

prince dorian – I also have heard lots about rabbits doing better in foster homes rather than in vet hospitals, but unfortunately, the shelter wanted to take Snowball in since he had an adopter lined up.  I wish I could have fussed over him like I wanted to (and supposedly bunnies do better when being fussed over!), but I understand.  Thankfully, Snowball is doing a lot better and is cleared for adoption as of today, so while I wish I got to say a better goodbye to Snowball (instead of me sobbing in front of the shelter lol), I’m happy that he made it through and is doing better.

I am definitely am one to overanalyze something, but knowing that Snowball is okay makes it easier for me to not blame myself so much.  But I do think that I’ve learned a valuable lesson in trying to advocate for my animal better, because there are small things that I think he should have got checked up on (ex. his stomach was gurgling a bit louder in the last week, he had moist poops for a long time and the vets were very nonchalant about it), that maybe could have prevented him being in pain.  I even asked the shelter to perform a bit more tests to double-check that Snowball doesn’t have any other underlying illnesses that we didn’t catch and were the cause of the GI stasis, but if they ignore it, it’s on them.

Bam – thank you 🙂  I wanted to check just in case there was a slight difference I didn’t know about but based on what I’ve read online as well, bunnies get GI stasis not colic, so not sure why they said that.  Bahaha thinking of rabbits as tiny horses is hilarous to me 😛

Thank you both again!

[LBJ10]

Perhaps they meant he has gas… which can lead to GI stasis.

[snowballsmomma]

Oh maybe!  I guess that’s a possibility as well.

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