Simethicone not helping gas

[LionelLop]

A couple days ago I noticed he was behaving strangely; stretching out and repositioning his tummy to the ground. I researched and have concluded he has gas. Yesterday I bought infant simethicone and have given him 0.3 ml every couple hours, 4 doses so far. Nothing has changed. He’s still laying himself out (with his back legs sprawled out) on the floor trying to find relief from the gas. 

He’s still eating hay like a trooper and drinking, but seeing him sprawl himself out is worrying me. I also hear growls from his stomach confirming that its gas. I massaged his tummy but nothing seems to be working. What can I do? I currently can’t go to a vet.

[Q8bunny]

Do you mean that your bun is stretching out and can’t seem to find a comfy position to stay in (i.e., he’s fidgeting), or that he’s stretched out on his tummy on the ground? Because bunnies will lounge in the superman position, where they’re tum on the ground, hind feet stretched out, looking like they’re sunbathing, and that’s just their way of relaxing. But if he can’t seem to find a comfy position to sit in, then you’re right – it’s probably gas.

Bunnies can’t OD on pediatric simethicone, so maybe you could try giving him more and every hour in tandem with tummy rubs.

[LionelLop]

Yeah he’s stretching himself out a lot more frequently which is unlike him. I guess I should just keep giving him the simethicone and hope for the best.

[Bam]

You can give 1 ml every hour for 3 hours, then 0,5 ml every couple of hours.
Is he pooping?
It’s good if you can get him to move around a little, that helps with gas too.

[LionelLop]

Yeah he’s pooping. He runs around my room for a little bit but just ends up laying down.

[Bam]

Gas can, if not resolved, lead up to GI stasis, a serious condition we do not want for our buns. You help the intestines move by giving zantac (ranitidine ) to a rabbit, it works as a gut motility drug. Zantac is OTC and easily obtainable in most places. You only give very little, about 1/10 of a pill for humans (which is 150 mg). It is very important though that you never give this to a bunny that has an intestinal blockage. That’s why I asked about if he poops and eats like normal. I can’t tell you what meds to give or not give your bunny since I’m not a vet, none of us here are, but I can provide you with links so you can read about ranitidine for bunnies:

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits/ (scroll down to the bullet point Prokinetics)

https://www.vetstream.com/lapis/Content/Generic/gen00848.asp

http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Common_drug_dosages_for_rabbits

You also want to make sure that he is well hydrated. If he has a bottle, give him a bowl as well. Sometimes, esp if they’re feeling a bit off, they drink more if they get water in a bowl.

I hope he’ll be feeling better soon. Keep us posted.

[LionelLop]

I’ve been giving him simethicone still and its not doing anything. It’s been probably a week and he’s had gas for that long. I can hear his gut popping when I press my ear to it. Is there any medicine I can get myself that is a sure-fire way to get rid of his gas? Will zantac help with that?

[Bam]

Zantac can sometimes help, that’s why I suggested it. I’ve given it to my buns and feel it has helped. But nothing is ever sure-fire when it comes to medicine.

Zantac won’t get to the root of the problem though, i e there’s some underlying reason why he gets gas, most often a dietary reason, and zantac can’t help with that.

[LionelLop]

His diet is 90% hay with a handful of pellets every couple days in a week. I’m not sure if he’s getting enough pellets and maybe that’s the cause, but I have to handfeed him them or else he eats too fast and aspirates them into his lungs. This gas might’ve started when I gave him a tiny piece of orange a week ago? It’s just strange it’s been constant for a week.

[Bam]

90% hay is great. Pellets doesn’t do a lot for digestion and teeth-wear. Maybe the orange didn’t agree with him.
I hope you’ll soon get it sorted!

[redbunbun]

Unfortunately, there’s really not much you can do for gas that you haven’t already done! In addition to simethicone, I’d really stress the importance of getting your bunny to move about actively if there’s gas in their tummy. Exercise is extremely beneficial to gut function, and a bunny with gas will likely not be as active as usual. It’s important to keep them moving, though, because that’s really the best possible medicine for it! If you need to, you can walk behind him and force him to run around even if he doesn’t really want to.

bam’s suggestion of Zantac is a good one as well, if you can get your hands on it. With all motility drugs, however, it is important to administer metacam (or another bunny-safe pain med) at the same time. Unfortunately, these pain meds are generally prescription-only. The motility meds work by inducing gut spasms to move the contents of the intestine through it more efficiently. These spasms can cause a bit of discomfort or even pain. Metacam is a good way to keep your rabbit feeling tip-top as the motility drugs do their work and move that gas out of there.

Good luck! I hope you guys get these gas troubles solved as quickly as possible!

[kmurphy]

With my bunny you can generally hear some popping/gut sounds most of the time. Our vet said that that is normal. If he is just laying down I wouldn’t worry really. The main concern is if he is pressing his belly to the ground or seems very uncomfortable. Repositioning himself multiple times in a minute etc. My bunny often runs a little and then lays down superman style and then gets up and hops a bit more when something interests him. During the day however, he just sleeps. If he is eating, drinking and pooping I wouldn’t worry too much but I would bring it up to your vet at his next appointment.

[LionelLop]

He’s doing better now I think. He’s not changing positions as much and is acting sweet again. Oranges are off the table from now on.

[Bam]

I’m happy to hear he’s doing better! No more oranges for him, luckily the world is full of other yummy treats =)

[LionelLop]

He’s 100% now. He’s running like crazy + binkied the last 2 days!

[Bam]

Great news! Thanks for the update!

[Author]

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