This is how I found Simon this morning. He never just lays in his litter box so that along with the pinched muzzle and pressing his belly to the ground clued me in that he was suffering from early GI stasis.
(Note: the wood chips are kiln-treated to render them safe to use as litter)
My guess is that the wind and rain from last night spooked him enough to cause him to stop eating.
After 6 hours of worrying, 3 doses of pediatric simethicone (for gas), numerous tummy rubs (to promote gut motility) and a bit of unsweetened peppermint tea, he was starting to be more active instead of staying in perpetual bun loaf formation:
You'll need to have the sound on for this to make much sense.
This picture makes me so happy! Simon is eating on his own again (and what comes after--no need for a pic of that)! I was ridiculously worried because he's never required more than one dose of the simethicone before. I was very close to taking him to the vet as an emergency. What a relief!
12 comments:
Cuddly bunny and pocket bunny
said...
Mmmmm... So sad to see Simon like this :( glad he's feeling better now.
Poor Simon! I'm so glad he is feeling better. Bella had GI Stasis last September and it was only from posts like yours that I knew exactly what it was immediately and Bella was fine in a few days. She had the emergency vet out and was very poorly but we made it through. Thank you for taking the time to do posts like this. I bet you have saved a few bun lives :) Please give Simon and River a cuddle from me.
Thank you so much! I just gave Simon his breakfast and he just dove right in. Such a great feeling seeing him eat on his own again! :)
Oh, poor Bella! Sounds like she had a nasty case of it. I'm so glad our posts helped you! Bunnies are just too good at hiding the fact that they're sick.
That's so sweet of you to say. I'll always try to post anything new that I learn that can help with behavior or health issues. The more bunny knowledge the better--you never know what may be useful in the future! :)
Many noogies were given and happily accepted (if the bunny purrs and flopping was anything to go by)!
You can give 1.0 cc of pediatric simethicone (20 mg/ml suspension) each hour for the first three hours and then 1cc every 3-8 hours thereafter--source: http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/se-pennsylvania/GIStasis.htm (sorry, you'll have to copy-paste it into your browser since the comments won't support a link). A few other useful links:
For distinguishing bloat vs. GI stasis: http://www.bunnylu.org/bloat.php
For causes and other info on GI stasis: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html and http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Gastrointestinal_stasis
Hope this helps! And thank you so much--I'll give Simon a noogie for you! :)
12 comments:
Mmmmm... So sad to see Simon like this :( glad he's feeling better now.
Poor thing! It's so good he's doing well now.
Poor Simon! I'm so glad he is feeling better. Bella had GI Stasis last September and it was only from posts like yours that I knew exactly what it was immediately and Bella was fine in a few days. She had the emergency vet out and was very poorly but we made it through. Thank you for taking the time to do posts like this. I bet you have saved a few bun lives :)
Please give Simon and River a cuddle from me.
Lebley (reddit)
Mm... So relieved he's ok.
So are we! :) He's happily munching on timothy hay as I type this, so I think he's on the mend. I'll give him a noogie for you!
He's acting more like himself today--excited for any food I offer him, so I think the little guy is on the mend! :)
I'll give him a noogie for you!
Hi Lebley!
Thank you so much! I just gave Simon his breakfast and he just dove right in. Such a great feeling seeing him eat on his own again! :)
Oh, poor Bella! Sounds like she had a nasty case of it. I'm so glad our posts helped you! Bunnies are just too good at hiding the fact that they're sick.
That's so sweet of you to say. I'll always try to post anything new that I learn that can help with behavior or health issues. The more bunny knowledge the better--you never know what may be useful in the future! :)
Many noogies were given and happily accepted (if the bunny purrs and flopping was anything to go by)!
So are we! :) He's happily flopped and munching on hay as I type this. I'll give him a noogie for you!
How much of pediatric simethicone did you give in each dose? And how long between doses? Glad Simon is feeling better!
You can give 1.0 cc of pediatric simethicone (20 mg/ml suspension) each hour for the first three hours and then 1cc every 3-8 hours thereafter--source: http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/se-pennsylvania/GIStasis.htm (sorry, you'll have to copy-paste it into your browser since the comments won't support a link). A few other useful links:
For distinguishing bloat vs. GI stasis: http://www.bunnylu.org/bloat.php
For causes and other info on GI stasis: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html and http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Gastrointestinal_stasis
Hope this helps! And thank you so much--I'll give Simon a noogie for you! :)
Thanks for the info!
You're welcome! :)
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