Rabbit with severely swollen abdomen

Question
QUESTION: I have always been told my female rabbit who is 6 years old, is overweight. Yet she gets the same food as my other rabbit who is not overweight at all. I have had her at the vets many times because I have been so concerned with the size she was getting. Yet I was still told she was overweight. However the last vet I took her to said she was not overweight and was actually concerned at how thin she was! She said the swelling was completely abnormal and that something was wrong. She got an x-ray, but this showed so much fluid, which made it very hard to see what was actually going on. I was told that it was either a tumor leaking or was liver failure and was told nothing could be done to help. This distresses me because they have told me for months that she was overweight! I have been given diuretic tablets for her to try and reduce the fluid. But so far they have not made any difference. She is still eating and drinking normally and is bright enough. I would just like to know if this is a correct diagnosis and if anything more can be done to help her.

ANSWER: Hi,

well xrays detected a presenceof something that isn't normal.  You need a better rabbit vet to examine the xrays or maybe take better ones to figure out what she has.  I doubt it's liver failure if her appetites are normal and she's bright and active as ever.  I have seen animals and people in liver failure and they don't act normal.

there is always something that can be done.  All that vet really told you is that he/she would not be able to help you.

You need to go here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet where you are or near you.  If there are none, call them up and see if they can help you find one.  You need to act quickly.  She's six, she's still pretty young, and with nothing else otherwise wrong with her, she could easily do well from surgery.

Start looking today.  Get an appointment as soon as physically possible, explain it's a time-critical situation.  They might be able to get you in sooner that way.  You want to get her in now while she's still eating and drinking normal and her stamina is still very strong and there's nothing else wrong with her at the moment.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, the vet showed me the X-ray and it showed just how swollen she was. I was told all the white was the fluid and black areas were gas. My rabbit has been in surgery at least 3 times before as she has had to get her teeth filed down. Do you think its a good idea giving her the tablets? They are called Frusemide, 20mg tabs twice a day. So far I don't see the fluid down any. She is still huge at both sides of her abdomen and her body is actually very thin. You can feel her spine and bones. I also keep hearing a gurgling sound of all the liquid inside her. I just really don't know what to think. I'm very annoyed that the vets all from the same practice have been telling me for so long that she is overweight. I feel that if this had been picked up on earlier then something more could have been down. I did have her at the vets the other week because she was making squealing noises and looked very uncomfortable. The vet examined her and her bottom was very swollen and blocked. I just don't know if any of this is linked. Do you think it could be a tumor that is leaking? Thats what the vet said was the other possibility. I just want to know what I can do to help her. I have lost faith in my vet because of them mistaking this as fat for so long.

ANSWER: Hi,

if the vet said her bottom was swollen and blocked, and that she's been in pain, did they do nothing to unblock her so that this liquid and such might eventually find a way out of her?  Also did the vet give her any pain medication such as metacam (meloxicam) to help with pain and also decrease swelling?  given the vet saying her vent area is swollen and blocked she may be having problems urinating and getting rid of fluid.  When you get to a better rabbit vet, they need to do xrays to make sure she doesn't have a blockage in her urinary tract and her gi tract.

Do what I said earlier, look up a good rabbit vet today, call if open, leave a message if closed, get in tomorrow.  Your current vet office have  misdiagnosed her long enough.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, the vet cleaned her bottom a bit and squeezed her bottom and poo came out. She was given painkillers and something to help her gut but I don't know what it was. The vet said the liquid they took out in a syringe was not urine. She did give it a name but I cant remember what it was. My rabbit is still urinating normally. I have been looking for hours on the Internet to find good rabbit vets in my area but am having no luck at all. I live in Aberdeen in Scotland.

Answer
If you haven't already found these here are some links to look at:

http://www.rabbit-vet.co.uk/

http://www.vet2pet.co.uk/pethealth/rabbithealth/emergencies_rabbit.asp

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/?section=veterinary.html   -  (I would suggest joining to get access to their rabbit vet listings)

http://www.townandcountryvet.co.uk/banchory.htm

http://www.zettai.net/find/aberdeen/vets/

http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/centresnorth.html (the rescues that deal with rabbits will know of some good rabbit vets around you)

I reread your posts plus your current one.  A one-time pain med shot just isn't enough.  The vet should have given you pain meds to give her while she's dealing with this problem, they would have also reduced swelling she's been having around her vent area.  I think the European vets are a little behind the US vets in recognizing how important pain management is in rabbits, they are not dogs or cats that will move around and eat through the pain.  The Frusemide seems to be a proper choice of drug for excess water/edema.  Have they ever done bloodwork recently to determine if in fact it appears her liver and/or kidneys are having problems?  Bloodwork - a CBC test - if there are levels out of whack, would help confirm it.  But I wouldn't necessarily go back to these people, I'd find a better vet and ask to have bloodwork done.