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Help! Lion head rabbit with possible GI stasis and distraught daughter

 
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The title says it all.  My daughter has a lion head rabbit with possible GI stasis.  Does anyone know of any home remedies?  And yes, she very attached to this rabbit and very emotional.

Thanks in advance,

Eric
 
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If it's caused by fur block, an enzyme in papaya is often used. There are products with papaya extract specifically for fur block.

You don't have much time. If digestion stops for as little as three hours, the rabbit can die.

I suggest in the strongest possible terms that you call a vet immediately.

Good luck. I hope it works out. Sorry.

-CK
 
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Eric, I'm not typically one to rush to the doctor, but in this case, you'll want to. They need to check to see how extensive it is, whether the gi has simply stopped, or if it's blocked. You don't have much time, I'd go, if you haven't already.
 
Eric Hanson
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Thanks for the information Chris.

My daughter stepped into our bedroom this morning asking if we could take her rabbit to the vet because she suspected GI stasis.  She watches this rabbit very acutely and she was choking back tears.  How could I say “No.”

As it was, we were searching frantically this morning for a vet that would see a rabbit.  Most of the usual offices that see rabbits did not have their exotic animal specialist in today.  Who knew that a rabbit was an exotic animal?

We did finally find a sorta local vet that would see our rabbit at the last minute—but it won’t be cheap!  I just got off the phone with the vet (we dropped off the rabbit) and they said that they found the very beginnings of stasis and are treating him.  He should be fine.

I posted the first post when I could not find a vet that would see our rabbit and was starting to think that we would have to take care of this on our own.  So thanks again Chris for the feedback.  I would have done the vet thing immediately but the offices were all closed and when they opened it was hard to find one that would take our critter.

Eric
 
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Phew! Glad you got the bunny to the vet in time, Eric. Praying he recovers quickly, and that the bill isn't too big.
 
Carla Burke
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Oh, that's great news, Eric!! Thank you for getting back to us! It's great that she watches him so closely, because it's very common for no one to notice the tiny changes that buns make, when in any kind of distress - they're just SO GOOD at hiding it!

 
Chris Kott
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My pleasure. It's a constant worry for me as a rabbit owner. They can live 16 years. Often they don't. Some breeds will literally give themselves fur block trying to groom themselves absent their humans' attention.

And that's just if it's fur block. There's a reason why every vet and rabbit owner I have talked to stressed the importance of quality hay. Apparently, a largely pellet-based diet can easily be fibre-deficient. Add to that fatty or sugary treats, and the whole tract slows down. And by fatty, I mean seeds and/or nuts of any kind, and by sugary, I mean even sweet potato (I know, I know, it was a shock to me, too).

We had a rough time finding a vet that would spay our buns. It turns out there are two in the city. We got the expensive one first, at around $600 for the whole procedure. We found the great one afterwards, and see him when we need to.

I hope everything turns out well. I am glad your first reaction was to trust your child's judgement, too. Hope she's coping well.

And before you know it, that buns will hopefully be back home, hopped up on stuff for gastrointestinal inflammation and maybe something to make them munchy.

Like that's ever a problem. Just leave an expensive charger cord unattended for a second.

-CK
 
Eric Hanson
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A quick update:

It is about 11:30.  We should be picking our bunny up at around 1:30.  My daughter is VERY observant of his behavior.  When we first got him we had plenty of pets and were a bit iffy about getting yet one more, but my daughter was absolutely pinning for a bunny so we said that that would be OK as long as she recognized that this was HER pet.  It would be my wife's and my grandpet, but my daughter had the primary responsibility for feeding, caring, etc.  She took to this very well.

She actually spotted the beginnings of stasis once before, almost 2 years ago.  I thought she was getting worked up over nothing, but we took the bunny to the vet anyways.  Turns out she was correct.  I trust her pet judgment implicitly by now.  She just knows how that bunny is feeling on any given day.

Good thing too, or this bunny would have not survived the day--or the day 2 years ago.

Eric
 
Eric Hanson
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Update 2:30

We just got back.  So the bunny was treated with some meds, mostly rehydrated, and returned to us with more meds and instructions.  The main point:  give as much food as possible.  But of course no sweets, nuts etc.  Basically just Timothy hay and salad greens.

I do wish we had more time there.  The vet tech was nice enough but under so much time pressure that I think I heard every other word she said.  The last time he had stasis the vet massaged his gut.  I don’t know if this got done this time.  We have two oral injections to give twice per day which will be awfully tough with this little bunny as he definitely has a mind of his own.  We may mix the meds with some food to sneak it down.

Another quick update from my daughter as I type: the bunny urinated in his litter (he wouldn’t this morning, probably too uncomfortable to jump in) and is now eating Timothy hay!  This is the best news yet.

Thanks again everyone,

Eric
 
Chris Kott
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Great to hear. I am so relieved.

-CK
 
Eric Hanson
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8:45 evening update:

The little lion head acts like nothing was ever wrong in the first place.  He is gobbling up his food as fast as he can.

My daughter continues to impress me.  I was seriously wondering how we were going to stick a syringe into this bunny’s mouth and give him liquid meds.  My daughter came up with a simple ingenious alternative.  She simply applied the liquid to the bunny’s paw and let him lick it off.  About the only part I don’t like about this idea is that I didn’t think of it (I am joking)!

Thanks everyone for all your advice and support,

Eric
 
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Eric Hanson wrote:8:45 evening update:

The little lion head acts like nothing was ever wrong in the first place.  He is gobbling up his food as fast as he can.

My daughter continues to impress me.  I was seriously wondering how we were going to stick a syringe into this bunny’s mouth and give him liquid meds.  My daughter came up with a simple ingenious alternative.  She simply applied the liquid to the bunny’s paw and let him lick it off.  About the only part I don’t like about this idea is that I didn’t think of it (I am joking)!

Thanks everyone for all your advice and support,

Eric


So glad it all worked out. I had a house rabbit who lived to be 11. He was a wonderful companion.  There is a non profit called House rabbit society here in San Diego Ca USA. They are wonderful and their website is full of educational info on the health and well being of rabbits. So many cool things your daughter  would love to read :-) ( link to a great article, with a bunny food pyramid)
https://www.sandiegorabbits.org/diet.php
Tons of info on their national site.
https://rabbit.org/
 
Eric Hanson
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Opal,

Thanks for that information.  I will pass it on to my daughter.

Eric
 
Carla Burke
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There are HRS chapters all around the USA, so I'd Google house rabbit society and add your state, then your surrounding states, to see if there's one near you.
 
Opal-Lia Palmer
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Carla Burke wrote:There are HRS chapters all around the USA, so I'd Google house rabbit society and add your state, then your surrounding states, to see if there's one near you.


Yes.Thanks I didn't clarify that.
In my comment above I put the link to the national website :-)
 
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