Scooter update

Question
Hi Dana, after I wrote you about Scooter's issues he basically stopped eating and stopped pooping. So I took him back to the vet and they did X-rays and discovered a stomach blockage but thankfully minimal gas so far. We were at two options, get him to eat more roughage stuff like dandelion leaves and clover to try and get the blockage moving but if I didn't see poops in two days we would need to consider surgery as a last resort. I took him home and got him set up in a confined space where I could monitor him and left out lots of hay and greens. He ate some and the first day he had rocky, hard poop but the second day he had better poops - that were full of hair.  It has been about 6 days and he is still eating, no messy poops, but smaller than average poops. His litter box habits greatly improved until this morning I noticed he peed beside his box. I try not to stress him out with handling but I do grab him occasionally and give him a tummy massage, he does seem to like them.  Hopefully we are on the road to recover but it is likely going to take time. I agree his issue is largely diet, he's pretty stubborn.

Answer
Dear Farrah,

I'm glad you didn't have to agree to surgery, which is most often a death sentence.  Only a really inexperienced rabbit vet will suggest this for a stomach mass.  These should be treated medically unless the only other choice is death.  

If Scooter has a lot of hay in his diet, and fresh, wet greens he should have better ability to pass ingested hair.  It's also critical to keep intestinal contents *hydrated* above all!  Once the mass is hydrated, it will begin to slowly break up and dissolve, passing uneventfully.  It can take time, but with patience, it will resolve without surgery.

Once he's recovered, ask the vet to check for molar spurs (if you think the vet is experienced and rabbit-savvy enough, which I'm not sure about given the suggestion of an enterotomy), which can often cause picky eating habits.

Glad to hear he's improving!

Dana