at wits end

Question
I have a 7 year old Polish Dwarf rabbit.  She has been having attcks of ileus, which come on very suddenly.  Within two hours she will go from active and eating to cold, shivering and pushing her legs in pain. 3 daily doses of Reglan (prescribed by Rabbit Vet on the House Rabbit Societylist) has had a miraculous effect.  Within 2 hours she is back to normal.  Recently she had two attacks within 10 days - Vet put her on one dose of Reglan after that to prevent further attacks.  Guess what - she had another today?  I feed her only timothy hay, carrots, some romaine and pellets, plus lots of water.  Vet says there is nothing more to be done.  Help!!!

Answer
Dear Ann,

It's important to remember that ileus is not a primary illness, but rather a *symptom* that something is wrong with the bunny.  The chronic bouts of GI trouble will continue until the source of the pain/stress eliciting the ileus and GI tract slowdown is found and eliminated.

In dwarf rabbits, and especially those who are middle-aged, as yours is, my very first suspicion is molar spurs or other painful dental problem:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

You will need a rabbit *expert* vet to know how to look deep into the mouth and find and file any painful spurs.  But this problem is *incredibly* common, though often overlooked by vets who do not see many rabbits.

Please go here to find a rabbit-savvy vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If the teeth are fine, then it's time to check her diet, which is probably the most common cause of chronic ileus and messy bottom (cecal dysbiosis):

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

and if even *that* checks out okay, it's time to do more serious diagnostic tests, such as bloodwork (including complete blood cell count and chemistry), radiographs of problem areas where painful arthritis might be developing, or to check the bladder for stones or sludge, etc.

The ileus is not the primary problem:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

Please also check:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

to be sure you know how important it is to monitor her body temperature and keep it in normal range during these episodes until you have discovered and treated the primary problem.

I hope this helps.

Dana