Rabbit dosent eat or poop

Question
I got my rabbit a month ago i also had 2 other rabbits from the past that passed away due to the same problem my current one as but theres a twist in this one , unlike the others this one dosent eat nor poop & he just sits dosent move & reachs cold places like my sliding door ( its winter where i am ) , i need help i have feed him pinapple juice & pepto bismol mixxed with some water . I NEED URGENT HELP PLEASE ! , i dont want him to pass away like the other 2 .

Answer
Hi Mahgul,

My first thought is a major digestive system condition.  He is in a condition known as stasis....in simple terms, he is constipated.  This is a life threatening condition and this rabbit should be seen immediately by a rabbit savvy vet.

Stasis is always a symptom..never a root cause.  Most stasis can be traced to an improper diet or eating something they shouldn't have such as carpet or other materials of this nature. In most cases they will develop an impaction in the gut.  It is commonly called a "hairball" but rabbits rarely get true hairballs.  The impaction is a dehydrating mass of ingesta (which is a combination of fur, undigested food and mucus).  If the diet is too high in protein and/or too low in fiber, the mass starts to slow down and you get stasis...if it stops completely, you get a condition called ileus.  The high fiber part of the diet is hay.  Grass hays provide the bulk in the diet....it is the pressure that keeps things moving along nicely in the gut.  We see a lot of this in rabbits that do not get hay in umlimited amounts.

I would highly suggest getting this rabbit to a vet now!  The primary attack against an impaction is hydration and a vet should administer fluids either IV or sub-q if an impaction is diagnosed.  Here are my suggestions on what to do....and what not to do.

>DO NOT USE PEPTO BISMOL OR ANY OTHER HUMAN GI MEDICATION.  A rabbit's gut is normally acidic in pH and the beneficial bacteria that digests the food requires a stable acidic pH in which to survive and reproduce.  Anything that alters the pH (Pepto and others contains antacids) will result in additional GI problems.

>There is no clinical proof that pineapple juice will help...but we use it successfully here.  BUT...it has to be fresh squeezed juice directly from the fruit.  Processed juice (concentrate, bottled, canned or otherwise packaged) contains far too much sugar and sugar will also compromise the integrity of the beneficial bacteria.

>Try to rehydrate him orally (by mouth) using an electrolyte solution such as Pedialyte (it's for human babies and is available under various names in different parts of the world).  Leafy greens such as romaine lettuce (not iceberg) or dandelion greens can also aid in rehydrating.

>He may go into shock.  Feel his ears...they will probably be cold.  Heat him up.  We use an electric heating pad set on lowest setting and covered by a towel.  Put your rabbit in a carrier so that part of the carrier is over the heat and part of it isn't....that way he can move away from the heat if he is uncomfortable.  Keep close watch so he doesn't suffer burns since the pad can get quite hot even on lowest setting.

>Get him to a vet for more advanced treatment including fluid infusions if it is determined that an impaction is the cause of his concern.  Some vets are still using GI motility drugs in rabbits....I urge extreme caution in allowing these drugs.  I do not allow them to be used on my rabbits.  If you don't know a vet, if you live in the US (and some parts of Canada) I have extensive listings of rabbit savvy vets.

>When time permits, review your feeding/husbandry protocols to ensure a proper diet of low protein (limited high quality pellets, limited greens/veggies and no sugary treats) and high fiber (unlimied amounts of grass hay fed free choice).

This should be considered a life threatening emergency.  There is a point of no return on issues such as this.  It is something that needs the intervention of a skilled rabbit vet immediately.