Vibes for Mellie Bun

[Tony's Mum]

I’m a little stressd and I could use some vibes for Mellie. I’m quite concerned about her and can’t get her into a rabbit-specialist vet until tomorrow at the earliest.

She has been eating, but not as much, for the last few days, but today she wouldn’t touch her pellets at breakfast etc. I got her into my vet (who is rabbit savvy) this morning and she thinks it’s stasis so we’re on gut stimulants, fluids, and painkillers BUT my worry is that four or five times this week I’ve found pee in random places (not near litter trays) and this is unusual. I haven’t determined if it was Mellie or Tony doing these pees, but I’m a bit concerned that if it was her, it could be related to the stasis and be a sign of something much more serious

There is a rabbit specialist vet about an hour and a half from my house but they have no availability until next week, although they may have a cancellation tomorrow so fingers crossed.

I’m tired and feeling very down and worried about my girl.

[Bunny House]

I’m sorry you’re going through this and I know how you feel, it’s exhausting. Gut motility meds should never be started until an X-ray is taken to make sure there isn’t a blockage. If there is a blockage, it could lead to their intestines rupturing.

Did the vet do a urinary test to see if she has a uti? That could be causing pain and making her not want to eat. The vet checked her molars right? And even her ears to make sure there isn’t an ear infection? My lop gets ear infections every month and it causes her to go into stasis.

Just remember, stasis is the symptom of a larger issue going on so testing should be done, like blood test and a urinary test as you said you think she might be peeing outside of the litter box.

((((Mellie))))

[Tony's Mum]

We didn’t do an xray, just a feel of her stomach and a listen for movement. Her ears and teeth are fine, but no bloods or urine tests have been done yet. We have an appointment with the rabbit specialist tomorrow so they will be a lot more thorough. She seems so utterly miserable ?

[Bunny House]

Keep us updated ❤️

[LittlePuffyTail]

(((((Mellie)))))

[jerseygirl]

Let’s hope the meds give her some comfort.
Lots of {{{vibes}}} for Miss Mellie!

[Tony's Mum]

She’s eating today so that’s good, but I’m still bringing her to the specialist because I’m concerned about the underlying cause, especially because I found another pee puddle this morning. I’m also going yo have them double check her teeth just to be extra sure. We’re going in a few hours so I’ll update when I get home.

[jerseygirl]

See if they can palpitate the bladder also, to feel if sludgy.
The peeing in floor is something my buns tend to do when unwell. I’ve often wondered if due to pain or something.

Hope the appt goes well and you can discern what’s going on with her.

[Bam]

(((((Mellie)))))

I agree with Jersey, sometimes they pee in unusual places when they don’t feel well and they stop when they feel well again. You can do blood tests to check kidney function of course, but obviously the stasis is the primary concern.

[Tony's Mum]

Okay, we’re back! So the vet checked her teeth thoroughly and said that she has a slight growth on one back molar but its so tiny that he doesn’t think we should do anything yet. He also said there’s no sign of redness or irritation around it so he doesn’t believe it’s the cause of the stasis, but he does want to see her again in a few weeks to check on it because if it grows it could cause problems down the line. But for now it doesn’t seem to be the cause of anything.

She has no blockages, and after I explained about the pee he felt her bladder and said that felt normal too, and that it could be just her feeling out of sorts and nothing to be concerned about, however he did also say that incontinence can be an early sign of EC, although he said that’s usually more dribbles rather than puddles. An EC culture came back positive, although he said it usually does as most rabbits are exposed to it at some stage and that doesn’t mean there’s an active infection, but he’s giving them both a run of panacur to be safe, and in the meantime I’ve to collect a pee sample so we can test it for infection.

He’s also given her a second gut stimulus medication that can help against ulcers because he said the combo of meds could be rough on her tummy, and he’s taken her off the pain relief because she seemed in good form and he said he doesn’t want to add strain to her kidneys unnecessarily until we can test her urine.

All in all, I’m extremely happy with how thorough he was (although I don’t think Mellie was impressed) and I’m not as worried as I was before. I’m also glad we spotted the molar thing before it really became an issue because now I know to keep an eye on it (he could only see it with a special camera he put in her mouth which our regular vet doesn’t have, it’s not visible to the eye yet). I will hopefully be able to get a urine sample soon and check for kidney infection but he says its unlikely because she didn’t appear to have a temperature or anything else that usually would signify it.

Vets mentioning EC is very scary but he stressed that this was extremely unlikely and the panacur was purely a precaution, so I’m thinking maybe she just was peeing randomly because she felt unwell. I have no real clue what kicked off the stasis, but it looks like it’s nothing more than stasis, which is good and bad I guess. Good there’s nothing major, but she still has stasis ?

For now we seem good, considering. It’ll be a long weekend I think, but I’m much less worried now than I was ?

Ps there’s some theory that the stasis could be related to a particularly heavy moult she’s going through right now, which did happen Tony before and could explain it, although she’s three so she’s moulted before. But the vet pointed out, some rabbits can go into stasis because the wind changes, so if she’s well and all tests etc are clear, to just treat the symptoms and not let myself worry too much about the underlying cause because it may never be found.

[Bunny House]

Im glad the vet seemed very thorough in the exam, she seems to be in very good hands. Did he prescribe sucrulfate? That is an an amazing drug to line the intestines, it made patch poop within a day of being on it since it was painful for him to poop.

I personally think, even though we hate it, for a bun to have a diagnosis rather than trying to make them feel better and we don’t know what the issue is. So hopefully she’ll feel back to normal soon

And buns are so sentive, anything can cause stasis, they are so fragile!

[Tony's Mum]

I can’t remember the name.of the drug exactly, it’s on the bottle but that’s downstairs and I’m in bed lol. I’m really hoping for poops because we have some eating but not much and I’d feel a lot better if I saw poop.

I’d love to know what has caused it but in the absence of any medical reasons I can only assume it’s some kind of stress. Mellie is a rescue bun and she is very skittish at the best of times so it could be the heavy moult, or it could be that some random noise or smell scared her, or anything. She’s quite a nervous wee girl at the best of times and she did get a tiny scrape on her foot last month which upset her a little too, so maybe she’s just having a tough few weeks and that’s caused it.

She’s my little girl and I just want her to be okay ???

[jerseygirl]

I agree, it sounds like a great vet!

Okay, we’re back! So the vet checked her teeth thoroughly and said that she has a slight growth on one back molar but its so tiny that he doesn’t think we should do anything yet. He also said there’s no sign of redness or irritation around it so he doesn’t believe it’s the cause of the stasis, but he does want to see her again in a few weeks to check on it because if it grows it could cause problems down the line. But for now it doesn’t seem to be the cause of anything.

Im glad he’s suggested this. Even some tiny point can be a problem for senstive rabbits. That’s what Ive heard from some other members here.

He’s also given her a second gut stimulus medication that can help against ulcers because he said the combo of meds could be rough on her tummy, and he’s taken her off the pain relief because she seemed in good form and he said he doesn’t want to add strain to her kidneys unnecessarily until we can test her urine.

Im going to take a guess that this is Zantac (ranitidine) as he called it a gut stimulant also. It’s primarily for protecting the stomach from ulcers but it thought to have some gut stimulating factor also. Sulfacrate (as mentioned) is also another good one for protecting from ulcers.

Regarding her feet, and because she is a rex, have you seen her in the litterbox much lately? Could she be avoiding it a bit because of feeling of litter on her hocks?

[Tony's Mum]

Yes, Jersey you’re right, it is Zantac, she’s on a combo of it and Maxalon alongside the Panacur which we’re starting today.

We have had issues with her hocks in the past and litter tray usage but her hocks are in great condition atm and we’re using a soft paper based litter that she’s okay with even when she has hock issues, so I don’t think that’s contributing. I hadn’t seen her avoiding it up until Thursday when she refused to budge or eat at all which is why the pee confused me. The tiny scrape she got was on her front right foot and she groomed it OBSESSIVELY and seemed terrified of walking around. She was so upset about it that I was convinced she must have broken a toe or something so I got it looked at, and the vet said it might just be a little raw or sensitive but it was literally a scratch, not even big enough to bleed. I kind of stopped worrying because she only was uoset and limping when it suited her. She forgot all about it and was well able to run and climb when it was time to play or have dinner or treats or anything. She just gets upset easily I think. She’s quite the basket case ? ironically she gets stressed much more often than Tony, but he is the one who gets affected more by stress.

This morning we had a tiny poop! Gross and malformed but I witnessed it myself so it’s definitely her and it’s a good start. On the other hand, Tony is now not super interested in his breakfast. This could be because he’s been feasting for three days on all the food I’ve been leaving out for Mellie, but it also could be the stress from the trip to the vets. It’s a 90 minute drive each way to the specialist. I’m going to keep a close eye on him too because I don’t want him to get sick in the middle of all this and go unnoticed because I’m so focused on her.

I’m very tired ???

[Sofia]

Can’t believe I’m only seeing this now! At least things turned out alright I’m supposing it’s the specialist in Bray?

[Q8bunny]

Sorry I’m so late… BB wouldn’t load at all yesterday by the time we got back from the vet’s (it’s only a half hour drive out into the countryside for us).

I’m glad jet bunny seems to be on the mend, and the specialist sounds fabulously thorough
Couldn’t agree more, though: some buns go into stasis every big moult (so at least twice a year). I cared for a number of such floofs in the past.

And Zantac is awesome! Only personal hoom experience, of course – a couple of perforated ulcers, not stasis

[Bunny House]

I do have to say, my lop, will get the tiniest of points and then refuse to eat and go into stasis so she gets dentals a lot. I’m so glad both are doing better!!

[Tony's Mum]

Yes, we’re not out of the woods entirely yet, but poop is a beautiful thing to behold ?

I’m going to dial back on cc a little because it’s been three days and I’m shattered with midnight feeds etc and she’s starting to eat more herself, but I’ll keep up the meds for a bit until we see some better poops.

Boo; it was actually Naas! I’m on the total opposite side of Dublin (north east) to you so it’s a pain to get to, especially with the traffic on a Friday evening, but they’re great. Bray is supposed to be spectacular but it’s just too far from me. My local vet is lovely but I felt like I needed to bring in.the big guns this time!

Q8; Tony got extremely sick last year from stasis during his first big moult just before I adopted Mellie but I didn’t realise it could happen to adult buns too. I’ll have to keep an eye out during the next big moults now that I know!

BH; we’ve never had tooth issues before so it’s definitely something I’ll have to keep a close check on. She can be easily upset so it’s possible she’s sensitive to it like your lop! At least now I know it’s there, I can monitor the situation.

[Bunny House]

Keep us updated!!

[Tony's Mum]

Update; Mellie seems much better now, and I have stopped the gut motility drugs and cc. She’s eating by herself and seems in better form, although I’m still keeping up the panacur so she’s not happy with me.

I haven’t had any pee puddles since she started on the gut motility stuff, so I think it was just down to her not feeling well, which is a relief, although I’m still trying to get a urine sample and test it just to be sure.

I’m very relieved because I really did fear the worst, but we seem much better now. I still don’t know what exactly caused the stasis, but it looks like it’s likely the moult.

I’ll keep an eye on her just in case but I think she’s feeling well again ?

[LittlePuffyTail]

Glad to see that!

[Tony's Mum]

And we’re back in stasis ?

[Sofia]

Oh god!! Sending all the love and vibes ❤❤
(((Mellie)))

[LittlePuffyTail]

So sorry to hear that. ((((((Mellie)))))

[jerseygirl]

Lots of {{{Vibes}}} for Mellie!

[Bam]

Oh, no. ((((((Mellie))))))

[Tony's Mum]

She’s better now again. Going to have her tooth looked at again asap.

[Q8bunny]

That does seem unusual, even for a molting bunny. Thorough tooth exam would be wise.

[Tony's Mum]

I’m also wondering if it was the panacur. She was finished maxolon and zantac but not panacur, which she.is now finished. I don’t know. She seems in great form today but I’m still concerned and I want to get to the bottom of this.

[Q8bunny]

Has she been giving any form of probiotics a go?

[Tony's Mum]

No, I might try that.

[Q8bunny]

Defintely won’t hurt. ??

[Dface]

Poor little dote! Hope she stays better this time-its such a worry when they arent well

[Tony's Mum]

Aye she’s seems on the mend but I still can’t figure out what caused it which is driving me mad, but sure as long as she’s got her appetite back I shouldn’t complain!

[Author]

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