GASSY BUNNY!
On Monday, our little girl Royce had a dramatic episode of GAS. She was very normal the night before but in the morning, she didn’t run towards her breakfast the way she usually does. We found her balled up in an uncomfortable hunch and when we checked on her, we found her tummy was bloated like a tennis ball! She was rushed to our trusted vets at The Animal Doctors immediately.
At the clinic, an Xray was first taken to understand her condition. As you can see from the result below, the gas was all over her tummy and was pressing against her organs and causing discomfort. Royce was given Pediatric Simethicone (‘Rid-Wind’) to help break down the gas bubbles and some painkiller to feel better. She was also placed on drip to stay hydrated. To help sooth her tummy, we gently cupped our hands around her belly and massaged her tummy from top to bottom (one direction only!) to help move the gas out. Hay and pellets were left within reach in hope she will munch on them. We will NOT force feed her as it can cause more obstruction which can make the situation worse.
3 hours later, another Xray was taken to check on the gas. Unfortunately, there was still a lot of gas in her tummy and the medication wasn’t enough to expel it. Dr Chan decided to do a Orogastric Tube Placement which requires a tube to be inserted through the rabbit’s mouth and into the tummy to remove the gas. However, it is a risky procedure as it requires Royce to be sedated and should only be conducted by a very experienced vet. At 10pm, we were informed that the procedure was a success and her tummy is no longer bloated. Dr Chan also placed Royce on a new medication which worked extremely well overnight. The following morning, we received a call from the clinic saying that Royce was bouncing around, messing up her litterbox and even removed her own catheter as if telling everyone that she is good to go home. Dr Chan did another Xray on her and to our delight, all the bad gas had been expelled and Royce is back to her normal health. What a relief!
All this drama occurred within 24 hours and our little Royce definitely gave us a rollercoaster ride. We have never seen such a bloated tummy before and if left untreated, can be fatal. We are thankful we rushed Royce to the vet as soon as we could and she also stayed strong for our trusted vets and nurses to treat her. The medical bill was expensive but we are just glad Royce is safe and back with us at the wonderland. Please send her positive healing vibes! Thank you!