Help I need so sound advise :(

Question
My 2 year old dwarf lop rabbit seemed to be acting differently on Monday afternoon.  Not eating and sitting very still.  I also noticed that he was making a loud noise when eating like grinding his teeth.  He is normally very active and I knew something was wrong.  I took him straight down to the vet who checked him over and listened to his gut and said that she could hear movement.  I explained that he had not eaten or passed any toilet and that I was very concerned that he had a blockage. She gave him a small dose of pain releif and sent us on our way.  I wasn't 100% happy but didn't want to insult her judgement.
The next day he seemed the same but that evening when we returned home from work he was very still and when we put him down on the floor could not support his own weight and fell to one side.  I rushed him down to the emergency vet immediatley.  The vet checked him over and said that he wouldn't make it.  He had thick yellow puss coming out of his bottom and a very blotted tummy the vet said that he seemed to be going into a coma and the best thing would be to put him to sleep as he was in so much pain.  I feel like I could have done more.  Please help to explain what went wrong.

Thanks Lucy

Answer
Hi Lucy

The first vet you went to sounds like she wasn't very versed in caring for bunnies unfortunately.  Your rabbit had all the signs of GI stasis.  What generally happens is something triggers the stasis.  It could have been stress from an underlying illness.  You will probably never know what caused it since your first vet never checked.  That is really beside the point now.  The first symptoms usually include pain (which can present with grinding teeth), anorexia, lack of fecal droppings, excessive gas (which could be what she heard), lethargy, failure to thrive.  Since the rabbit isn't producing any droppings it is obviously not eating its cecotropes and it is also not able to get rid of its waste.  Its poor little body is building up so many toxins that is basically being poisoned and having major organ failure.

Ileus is basically a bowel obstruction that is brought on by the stasis (slow down) of the digestive system.  Many people believe this is caused by a fur blockage but this is not usually true.  A rabbit would have to swallow a whole lot of fur for it to have a complete blockage from it.  It is usually from an underlying illness.  The sad thing is that since they hide their pain so well we don't usually see it until it is to late like in your case.  When a rabbit is in so much pain that it shows it and is willing to let its self be vulnerable to predators and doesn't care if it dies then you know it is in bad shape.  

I am really sorry for the loss or your rabbit.  I am even more sorry that the vet you went to didn't listen to you.  I am not saying that it wouldn't have been challenging to try to save the rabbits life but she should have admitted him.  He should have been put on IV fluids, analgesics, antibiotics, exercise to stimulate GI motility, oral hydration as tolerated, extra nutritional support, motility modifiers to promote gastric emptying, possibly simethicone for gas pain, laxatives and enzyme supplements.  These are all the treatments that I have seen used for rabbits with obvious signs of ileus.  I have still seen a great deal of rabbits die even with treatments.  

I think by the time you went to the 2nd vet that they were right it was to late and you did the right thing by putting him down.  I am certainly not a doctor and I did not see your rabbit and I can't say for sure what was wrong with it.  However it was your animal and you have every right to 'insult her judgement' her complete ignorance may very well have cost you the life of your precious baby.  If this woman out right told you that she didn't treat rabbits or exotic animals then that is a different story.  If she claims to be an exotic pet doctor then she should have her licensed removed for her complete ignorance and lack of judgement.  The sad thing is that any veterinarian can treat any animal they want and all they have to do is open a book to read about the treatments.  They don't have to take special classes or do special continuing medical education to be qualified as exotic pet doctors.  Most of them are smart enough to know that if they are clueless on how to care for certain types of animals then they are better off refusing to do so or someday they are going to get sued.

I am so very sorry about the loss of your rabbit.  Don't ever be afraid to question any doctor whether it be a human doctor or an animal doctor.  If you are ever are in doubt then go somewhere else immediately.  Just remember that you basically hire them so they pretty much have to listen to you.  If they don't listen to you or aren't sympathetic or don't take you seriously then fire them and hire someone else.  I consider each and every one of my doctors my employees and I have an excellent relationship with all of them.  I am not afraid to tell them when I think they are wrong.  I am sure that some of them get a little annoyed with me and my repeated questions but so what!  That is why I pay them.  I feel the same way about my animals doctors.

Here is a site that I like to visit when I am dealing with the loss of a pet.  It really helps me to find comfort and I hope that it brings you some peace.

http://www.hgrabbitry.com/rainbowbridge.htm

Sincerely,

Pam