bunny ate wire

Question
hi,while i was typing to you just now my rabbit ate or seem to have eaten a piece of wire.
i can't seem to attach the picture but it is a long thin needle like metal and is covered with plastic over it( with wire in the middle of a plastic tube)and is flexible. it's the type used to tie things together.
i've experimented with the wire and it seems that the plastic is hard to come off, so i'm hoping if she ingested it, the plastic would help prevent an injury. she has been greedy lately as we have reduced her pellets intake due to her molar problems and she seems willing to have a go at anything.

the most she could have eaten is half an inch, in the mean time i've fed her a handful of pellets and lots of hay. do you think (if she had ingested it) it will hurt or injure her digestive system? what are the symptoms to look out for the next few days?

hope to hear from you soon , thanks.

Answer
Dear Mike,

Ooooookay, this is not good.

Not only could the wire perforate her intestine, but if there are heavy metal components (which is likely), she could start to suffer from signs of heavy metal poisoning.

I would recommend you get her to the vet ASAP for radiographs to see where the wire is at this point.  Feed her plenty of hay to push things through with lots of cushioning, and hopefully it will pass through uneventfully.  BAD bunny!

The vet may wish to prescribe chelating agents which will sequester any heavy metals that might leach from the wire.  This will help prevent their entering the bunny's system in a form that could do harm.

I hope all will be fine, but this could be serious, and it's worth a trip to your rabbit-savvy vet.

Dana