I have a very sick bunny. I’m surprised it didn’t happen before this. Sammy is the model of everything a rabbit should not do. He flat out refuses to eat hay or grass. He prefers drywall. He ate a room in my old apartment. Not the whole room – just as high as he could reach. So I’ve been expecting intestinal problems for years. Theoretically a rabbit can’t live to be 6 on a diet without hay.
He quit eating early in the week. It didn’t dawn on me because that was at the same time I was leaving for my grandmother’s funeral. When I got back I saw that he didn’t eat and then refused treats also. So we went off to see what was going on. He had horrible diarrhea and was lethargic enough that I could catch him.
I sedated him and x-rayed him. There is a blockage in his stomach. The blockage even contains bits of metal. Not a normal rabbit diet. I called one of my friends who is a high-powered bunny doctor for a consult. Basically, there’s not much to do. Stomach surgery in rabbits generally does not end well. They treat this will antibiotics, pain meds, and fluids and hope he can break it down enough to pass whatever is in there. He did eat a bit of a carrot (and some grass!) yesterday. He’s being very good to get his fluids so I know he isn’t feeling well.
His prognosis is very poor. I’ll treat him all week and see how he does. I don’t want him wasting away. This is going to be harder because he is sitting on my lap for the fluids and letting me cuddle him. When he is healthy I can’t pick him up or pet him without a major fight so I don’t spend a lot of time with him. I’m going to baby him all week and spend a lot of time with him and then have to euthanize him. Poor SammyBunny.
