Trouble with vet treatment

[alienat]

Hi! I am having some serious issues with my rabbit and the vets, and I’m kind of at the end of my rope.

The story:
my rabbit is male, amd he’s 8 years old.
He stopped eating at around 4am on Saturday. Throughout Saturday he only ate a little dill and some lettuce. He made 3-4 poops, covered in mucus. I took him to the vet who gave him simethicone.
On Sunday there were no poops except for one very early in the morning at around 5am, misshapen and large-ish and with a bit of mucus. Throughout Sunday he ate some more lettuce, and pooped some green mucus (no poops) now and then.
At midnight between Sunday and monday he made 1 last poop, large-ish and mucus covered. On Monday he mostly refused food, but later at night he suddenly found his appetite again. Ate a lettuce leaf, plenty of dill, a couple pellets and seemed very hungry for hay, he ate a good amount of it.

All these days he’s had no signs of pain except some pressing of his belly down on the floor. No loud teeth grinding like last time he had gut problems. He also acts mostly as curious and lively as usual, with some fits where he sits in a corner and looks miserable.

I have tried contacting my vet again and i tried contacting the only other rabbit-savy vet in the area but they refuse to help me over the phone. My main problem is that I got covid (symptoms started on Sunday) and I have a very high fever and can’t go the 1+ hour drive to the other vet. Or go outside much at all.

So i really don’t know how else to help him. I asked my mother to bring me metoclopramide later today, but i now can’t get a hold of either vet to ask for dosage, even though I’m telling them i will pay the equivalent of a visit if they can give me just some advice or the right dosage. I understand they don’t want to be irresponsible and do anything over a distance, but I’m really too sick to go out and I can’t find anyome with a car willing to take my rabbit to the vet. I haven’t slept well the past 3 days which is adding to the mess.
In terms of rabbit painkillers I can’t get any without vet prescription here.

I guess my question is does this sound like plain old GI stasis or could it be something else? Do i just wait, since he ate some hay and stuff? This morning he did eat some hay and a little dill, but still no poops. I felt his stomach for bloat according to video instructions and I’m pretty sure it’s soft and not hard or bloated. When I massage his belly it feels like there’s a lot of bubbles or air moving around, and it makes a bunch of noises like gurgling and stuff. I’m trying to encourage him to move around and massage him, is it possible that he needs more time? It’s been 37 hours since he last pooped.

Thank you very much in advance and I’m sorry if this isn’t the right place for this, I just don’t know what else to do.

[LBJ10]

Was he being treated for anything immediately prior to this? Antibiotics? Mucus is typically either a reaction to antibiotics or a sign of inflammation/irritation in the gut. Inflammation or irritation can be caused by any number of things and can also simply be the result of GI stasis itself.

Regardless, 37 hours with no poops is very worrisome. At least before, he was eating something and pooping a little bit… so things were still moving. But it sounds like that is no longer the case. This is considered an emergency and he needs supportive care. Would it be possible to take him to the vet yourself and just drop him off? Explain that you have COVID and that you need to stay in the car.

[Wick & Fable]

As a general and very important precautions, you should never forcefeed a rabbit unless it’s definitely ruled out that they do not have bloat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVW6Rw5rZzo

If your rabbit does not have bloat, I would recommend force-feeding some CC if your rabbit has not eaten much hay and is only nibbling veggies. The mucous is indicative of GI imbalance/irritation, and getting fiber through there is very important, in addition to appropriate nutrients.

Keep in mind GI stasis is a state– it means the GI has slowed down significantly or has completely stopped. It is often a symptom of something else. Belly pressing is often seen with gas, which can pass on its own, but sometimes medication is needed to help move things along.

As stated, if there is still no poop nor appetite at this point, an emergency vet is needed.

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.

[Bam]

Metoclopramide should not be given if there is a suspected partial blockage. It should in any case not be given without pain meds, because it’s painful when the intestines start to move (metoclopramide is a motility drug).

For a partial obstruction, a vet would give pain meds and aggressive fluid therapy, i e iv fluids. This is not something you can do at home.

What you can do at home, if the belly is still soft, is to keep the bun warm and encorage him to move around. As Wick says, dont feed if there could be a partial blockage. The most common location of a partial blockage is right where the stomach is supposed to empty into the intestine. If you force feed, the stomach gets full, the food cant go anywhere. The full stomach will put pressure on the lungs and heart.

I hope you have been able to get him to a vet. Partial blockages are sadly not uncommon in rabbits.

 

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