Vibes for Ophelia

[TheDuchess]

Please send some good vibes for Ophelia.

It’s 4am here, and I woke up and went to give Ophelia her pellets. Normally I am tripping over her because she’s running between my feet and all excited for pellet time. My heart sunk when she didn’t come out. I shook the pellets, called out for her and still nothing. I went looking for her and found her haunched over under my bed, she wouldn’t even come out for pellets. I threw them in with her and she won’t eat them. Not quite sure what has happened, she was eating hay when I went to bed last night. I’ll be calling into work today and making an appointment with the vet as soon as they open. I’ll give her some simethicone in the mean time.

Suggestions on how I’m going to get her in the carrier when she won’t come out from under the bed?

[sarahthegemini]

Noooo Ophelia! Sending lots of vibes darling girl!

I would just try and push/nudge her and then scoop her up (easier said than done!)

[jerseygirl]

Sorry to hear that. {{{Ophelia}}}

Hopefully the simethicone helps turn things around.

I’m not sure what will work for getting her out from under the bed. You might have to use a broom and edge it near her, and if she runs out other side, have hubby block it off after so she doesn’t run back?

Or try Q8’s trick. One time she needed get Chewie out from under a sideboard. So she snuck her phone under there then rang it from another phone. He darted out apparently.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Lots of (((((Healing Vibes for Ophelia))))

Hopefully, it’s just a bit of gas.

[ThorBunny]

((((Ophelia))))) <3

I’ve used a long broom handle before to get Thor out of hard to reach places, as long as you block other exits hopefully you can gently scoop her towards you

[TheDuchess]

woohoo! The simethicone seems to have turned things around. I went to the gym and came back and she was still under the bed and hadn’t eaten the pellets. I got some cranberries out for a treat test and she ran from under the bed just as soon as I got to the door with them. Gobbled those up and then ate her pellets, I gave her some lettuce and she ate that up quickly, like the little piggies she is! She’s now been in her litter tray eating hay too!

Since I’ve already told work I needed to take her in, I’m going to go ahead and ring the vet anyways.

[Bam]

Oh, I’m so glad to hear the simethicone seems to have helped! Just seeing this now. Stay well now, Ophelia!!!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yay!!!!

[LBJ10]

I’m late to this. So glad to hear Ophelia is OK! Maybe it was just some gas? Leopold will act like that when his tummy hurts and simethicone always seems to snap him out of it.

[TheDuchess]

I don’t think this is just gas. She perked up yesterday morning and seemed to have gone back to completely normal. The exotics vet “wasn’t in” yesterday, so I couldn’t bring her in. Since she was seemingly acting normal, I was pressured to go into work and I did.

I’ve noticed that she’s being very picky with hay, picking out only the “softer” strands. She’s also picking up pellets and then trying to eat them but dropping them instead. This leads me to believe that she’s got some tooth issues going on. I haven’t heard any grinding from her. She’s also been very aggressive when I approach her but once I sit with her she lets me give pets.

I’m going to try to get my husband to take her to the small animal emergency hospital, otherwise the only appointment available with the vet is 5pm.

[BB8]

So sorry to hear Ophelia isn’t feeling well. I hope the vet can figure out what’s wrong and Ophelia will be back to normal soon! ((((((((Ophelia)))))))

[LBJ10]

Tooth issues could be a possibility too. I’m wondering if an emergency vet will be able to do anything though? I suppose it depends. I know the ones here have zero experience with rabbits. They can do supportive stuff in an emergency, but not much else. Obviously it’s after 5pm, so I imagine you have taken her to the vet (one way or the other). Let us know what happened!

[Q8bunny]

Having BB issues so could’t see this earlier. How is Ophelia now? I’m wondering if it’s mouth issues? Either teeth/molars or even a bad scratch on her soft tissue from a bit of hay or pellet? Either way, many vibes from us xoxo

[TheDuchess]

LBJ- so I didn’t know this, but the University of Florida emergency vet does have exotics vets. I didn’t even realize that the veterinary college had an emergency vet open to the public, but someone at work told me about it. So that’s really good to know, in case we ever do have an emergency!

We went to the vet after work yesterday and the vet said her teeth are fine. She didn’t open her mouth to check the back teeth though? I’m not sure what a dental exam is supposed to consist of. She opened her cheeks up to see her inscisors and then moved her jaw back and forth and said because the movement was “smooth” that meant there were no spurs…

Anyway, we got a diagnosis of early stage stasis, presumably from gas. She’s got the gut motility meds and meloxicam for pain. But I still can’t determine why she’s being so resistant to hay and pellets? She’s being very particular about what she will eat, but at least she is still eating. She’s even refusing banana!!! Have you ever heard?!?? She’ll eat lettuce still and cranberries, and these little hay cubes from small pet select. If I pick out the soft strands of hay and hand feed her, she will usually eat what I offer but she won’t go into the litter tray on her own and eat. But she’s not sluggish or I’ll-seeming at all? This morning she was binkying around and digging in her sandbox and doing bunny 500s. Still pooping too, fairly normal size and consistency too. Just being SO picky about food?? It’s not making sense to me

[Bam]

Very small spurs can be difficult to see if the bun is awake, even with an otoscope. But I’d ask for an exam with an otoscope if this carries on. I have had vets so the “sliding jaws” test on my buns, but my rabbit savvy vet also looks at the molars with the otoscope so my guess is it’s best to both have a look and do the sideways sliding. My bun Yohio had very small spurs, but they were still bothering him so much that he needed them burred. In early stages, molar problems can go away or improve a lot with an increase in hay or grass consumption. Even soft hay wears the teeth and hay cubes do too, so if she eats that, it’s really good.

If nothing else seems wrong and this keeps up, I’d go for a proper dental exam. You can of course have your regular vet do a blood test to check liver and kidney function, maybe also a blood count to see if there are any signs of an infection. It’s really great that she seems to be in good shape otherwise, that kind of also points to teeth as the possible root of the problem.

[Q8bunny]

Ditto. Standing by my hunch. I was afraid the vet would only look at the incisors, which is why I mentioned the molars. I find it annoying that so many vets who deal with rabbits don’t even bother with an otoscope molar exam, despite the bun presenting with food pickyness or complete inappetance. Pfff… noobs.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Hahaha Q8 I was saying that this morning. Like if her poops are fine and she wants to eat but is being very picky. Clearly there’s a dental issue going on.
Bam: when you were talking about small spurs bothering her I was thinking it’s almost like people. Some have very sensitive teeth and everything hurts them, and other people could have a terrible cavity and be totally unaware.

[LBJ10]

That’s good to know! I wish we had an emergency vet here that knows something about critters. I think they used to have someone there, but the clinic is the kind where vets rotate from regular vet clinics. It would be nice if we had a veterinary college nearby!

I agree with Bam, if Ophelia doesn’t improve with a gas/stasis treatment regimen then I would insist on a thorough dental exam. Some bunnies are just more sensitive than others when it comes to tiny points on their teeth.

[TheDuchess]

Well she’s been on the stasis treatment since Friday pm and it’s now Monday am. She seems to be acting fine, and is still excitable about food, just very, very, very picky. So I really do think it is a tooth issue. Her behavior, to me, is not typical of a stasis bun.

We’re going to close on our house right now, and then I’m bringing her to the emergency vet at the veterinary college. Hopefully we get some answers!

[TheDuchess]

I hope I’m not overreacting.

She’s going to get a full blood workup and X-rays. The vet didn’t find any tooth issues when she scoped, but Ophelia is also dehydrated and doesn’t have much “gut sounds”.

So. Workup and subcutaneous fluids. Still no answers

[Gordo and Janice]

Late to this but you are not overreacting at all in my opinion. Full workup sounds in order to me. How old is Ophelia?

And many many ((((((((((positive vibes for Ophelia)))))))))) by the way.

[TheDuchess]

Thank you, G&J! She’s about 1 1/2 years old, so still a very young bun!

The vet rang and said that her X-rays all looked “great” and there’s no indication of a blockage or gas. They are waiting on blood test results, but they expect to have those in by the time I go and pick her up.

For whatever reason, they think that she’s just had some stress that pushed her into mild stasis. It feels bad to still not have any answers… mostly, I just feel really bad for her and want her to feel her best again the ONLY thing I can think of that has changed recently is that I started packing for our move, because we just bought a house. I honestly didn’t think that it could really affect her THAT much though? I’ve hardly packed anything…

[TheDuchess]

And now I feel bad that I put her in such a stressful situation, where she had to go under anesthesia and everything was it all for naught? Would she have been better off if I just kept up treating for stasis and hoping she would eat…

[Tony's Mum]

You made the right decision. It’s the same one I would have made. Don’t beat yourself up over it, she might have been happier without the workup but also you could very likely have found something serious in that work up that could have saved her life, so you absolutely made the right call.

I know it sucks having no real answers to a stasis issue, I’ve had similar recently with one of mine. But you did everything right, regardless of the results (or lack thereof).

[TheDuchess]

Thank you! <3

I’m just ready to get her home, get some proper love in and have her back to her normal sassy self!

[TheDuchess]

Blood work was all normal, the vet said she is in near perfect health, aside from the stasis She’s starting to eat hay now

[Gordo and Janice]

Frustrating I’m sure. The no answers part of this. ((((((((((Ophelia)))))))))) I suppose the silver lining is that there wasn’t anything seriously wrong that involved a poor prognosis. Hopefully she continues to normalize.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’ve dealt with many undiagnosed stasis situations. Frustrating, for sure. Glad she’s eating hay now.

[Author]

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