Home Emergency Care
Steps to take until you can get your rabbit to a vet.
You can find some guidance on how to put together a Bunnymergency Kit in the Bunnymergency Kit file.
If your rabbit is showing these signs –
Not eating or drinking - 12 hours is the longest a rabbit should/can go without eating - this includes the time after surgery
Has reduced/altered ‘output’ - less or no poo and pee or smaller than normal poo
Is quieter than usual/unresponsive
Has an altered posture - crouched/hunched with squinty eyes or pressing its tummy to the ground
Is grinding its teeth loudly - this indicates PAIN
These are signs that something is VERY wrong.
Your rabbit may have bloat – which is where the gut is distended with gas and there may also be a blockage...
or
It may be in a GI slowdown/ileus/stasis – which is where gut function has slowed or stopped functioning.
DO NOT WAIT AND SEE … ACT QUICKLY … YOUR RABBIT’S LIFE MAY DEPEND IT!
WARNING - If your rabbit has had surgery DO NOT do this next step. Go straight to number 2, below
First up, do this –
With your rabbit on your lap and with their head facing away from you, very gently feel underneath them and palpate their tummy with your fingertips. If his/her tummy feels big, hard and swollen your rabbit probably has bloat and/or a blockage…
Get your rabbit to a vet IMMEDIATELY.
If their tummy feels soft, then your rabbit is most probably in a GI slowdown or stasis.
Do the following -
From your first aid kit get out the following -
Electrolytes
1ml syringe and larger bore syringe if you have one
Critical Care or Dual Care
Pain relief if you have it on hand
See below for a video on ‘How to Medicate/Force Feed Your Rabbit
1. Rehydrate your Rabbit. Giving your rabbit electrolytes before anything else helps to rehydrate them. It also helps to prevent organ failure and acidosis.
Make up some Electrolytes.
Gently lift the lip on one side of your rabbit’s mouth and slip the tip of the syringe into the side of the mouth in the gap between the front and back teeth. Give slowly so the rabbit has a chance to swallow it. Try to give at least 10mls, preferably 20mls of Electrolytes.
2. Once you have given 10mls of Electrolytes you can mix a small amount of Critical Care in with it and keep administering it until you have given a total of 10mls per kilo of rabbit weight.
3. After about 30-60 minutes, mix more Critical Care or Dual Care with Electrolyte at a rate of 1 part CC/DC to 2 parts water and aim to feed 10mls per kilo every 2-4 hours (to a total of 60mls per kilo per day). You may need to feed smaller amounts more often if this is too much in one go. Encourage your rabbit to move around to stimulate its gut. Keep an eye on your rabbit’s temperature through this time.
The Belly 'jiggle' illustrated in the included video can also help to move any gas along through the GI tract - supporting your rabbit’s body, lift their hind quarters up a bit and jiggle gently to help move the gas bubbles along the digestive tract so that they can be passed. Please note - Although the use of Simethicone/Infacol is mentioned in this video, it is no longer regarded as an effective therapy.
4. After steps 1 & 2; once your rabbit is hydrated and has some food in its stomach, it can have a dose of pain relief if you have it on hand. Follow the dosing instructions carefully.
5. WITHIN 4 HOURS if your rabbit has not started show signs of improvement TAKE IT TO A VET WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY. It will need to be checked, have pain relief (if not already given) and have a gut stimulant/motility drug administered - get enough of both to last 3-5 days to take home with you as well, this is very important. The vet may also give your rabbit IV or Subcutaneous fluids.
6. Once home don’t stop syringe feeding. You need to keep going – even if this means staying up all night with your rabbit, until it starts to eat for itself and begins to poop and pee.
7. Offer your rabbit its favourite foods as well as tempting things like wetted down fibrous greens such as long grass, Puha, Dandelion, Plantain, Chickweed, Lemon Balm, Fennel, Celery leaves, etc. and of course hay, to help tempt your rabbit to start eating for itself.
8. If your rabbit is still not eating 12 hours after seeing the vet and with continued syringe feeding, or if their abdomen becomes distended or they deteriorate, go back to the vet without delay.
9. Please be aware that there is an increased risk that your rabbit may relapse back into stasis in the weeks following an attack.
Copyright 2019 - JenHerd/Westley’s World
Further info can be found in the Stasis and Syringe Feeding files.
How to take your rabbit’s temperature - Georgia House Rabbit Society
Ways to warm up or cool down a sick rabbit - Georgia House Rabbit Society
Taking your Rabbit’s Temperature and Ways to Warm Them Up - Disabled Rabbits