# Rabbit going down--enteritis?



## Pearce Pastures (Dec 5, 2014)

Hi all,

DH is the rabbit person here so I don't know much and he is not available.

Here is what I know:
He is a male Flemish Giant, about 12 weeks old.
He was eating and drinking two days ago because I fed him and was playing with him.
He was lying on his side this morning and we thought he was dead but he is just very weak.
He is cold---I did not take his temp but I suspect it is low.
He was grinding his teeth a bit.
He is awake-ish and responds to touch but can't move very well.
He pooed but but it was a large lump and smelled bad.

Here is what I have done so far:
Took away food
Brought him in, put him on a towel on top of a heat pad on low.
Gave him a dissolved baby aspirin mixed in with water and honey
Weighed him (about 6 lbs) and then gave him 0.6cc of 40% dimethox 
Orally administered warm water with honey, about 5cc every 20 minutes, total of 25cc.

I suspect he is dehydrated, has something coccidia/enteritis/stasis from what I am reading but don't know which.  The vet manual said that Dimethox would treat the cocci and enteritis but I am just not sure that I doing the right things here for a bunny.  Goats are so my thing 

Help?


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## Hens and Roos (Dec 5, 2014)

is the rabbit trying to eat?  with enteritis they sound sloshy in the gut, try offering just hay as that helps.  the last couple of litters we have had we let them plus the doe into a bigger area and she weaned them off and the kits are not stressed.

Good luck, rabbits are hard to figure out due to being prey animals


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## Pearce Pastures (Dec 5, 2014)

Thank you.  I will go listen to his gut and offer some grass hay.  He has pooed a few times now and it smells AWFUL!  I rubbed his belly a bit because I saw it recommended in cases of GI stasis.  Not sure if there is much else to do.


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## animalmom (Dec 7, 2014)

How is he doing?


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## alsea1 (Dec 7, 2014)

From the sounds of it your doing what you can do.
Controlling pain or discomfort is very important. If the rabbit is hurting it won't eat or drink. If it won't eat or drink then things go real bad fast.  So getting him comfortable will get him back to eating/drinking.
Earlier this summer I found that for a rabbit that was in early stages of this sort of thing I gave mine a couple marijuana leaves that I  got from a local med. grower. It really helped to stimulate the rabbits appetite. After a day or two those rabbits couldn't wait for their medicine. LOL
Stuff worked wonders on the rabbit. Best recovery I have ever exp. with a sick rabbit.
Good luck with him.


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## Pearce Pastures (Dec 7, 2014)

He made it into the wee hours of the morning and then passed calmly.  I have learned quite a bit through this so though he was lost, at the least we no have a better understanding of rabbit health.  For one, my husband has not been offering much in the way of hay roughage, mostly pelleted feed.  With things like stasis and enteritis, that could be largely the culprit.

I really wish I had been able to bring him back and DH is quite upset.  I am making arrangements to get him another buck in a few months.


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## Pearce Pastures (Dec 7, 2014)

alsea1 said:


> From the sounds of it your doing what you can do.
> Controlling pain or discomfort is very important. If the rabbit is hurting it won't eat or drink. If it won't eat or drink then things go real bad fast.  So getting him comfortable will get him back to eating/drinking.
> Earlier this summer I found that for a rabbit that was in early stages of this sort of thing I gave mine a couple marijuana leaves that I  got from a local med. grower. It really helped to stimulate the rabbits appetite. After a day or two those rabbits couldn't wait for their medicine. LOL
> Stuff worked wonders on the rabbit. Best recovery I have ever exp. with a sick rabbit.
> Good luck with him.



I believe it.  I am not into the scene at all but the big geek that I am, I have read a bunch on the topic and there is great potential for this in medicine.


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## Hens and Roos (Dec 7, 2014)

Sorry to hear you lost him it is so hard sometimes to know that they aren't feeling well until it is to late as they try and hide their illness.


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## alsea1 (Dec 7, 2014)

Sorry to hear you lost him.
Rabbits can be tricky for sure.


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