worried sick - Opus won't eat or drink

thank you both for the concern.

i was a total wreck yesterday because i can tell there was something seriously wrong.

i called around to all the vets in the area but there were NO exotic doctors working until monday morning.

my husband told me to call further out.. and i ended up talking to a few doctors at the UC Davis Small Animal clinic - they advised me that it would be very dangerous to wait till the next morning and said he should be seen. UC Davis is about 3 hours away, and they made sure to tell me to expect to spend between $600-800. still, they heard the desperation in my voice and since they knew i was willing to make the trip, i was probably going to be willing to spend the money.

since every minute that went by was more and more dangerous to opus, they told me about a few vets that were closer and would probably be a little cheaper, so i called around. two of the three suggested didn't have rabbit doctors working. i was heartbroken.

then.. the third place i called had doctors working and told me to bring him as soon as i can, but to try to get Opus to drink something or eat mashed up pellets. Opus refused it all and even started shivering.

we made the 2.5 hr trip to elk grove, california. when we pulled up to the vet hospital, it was such a beautiful facility. a big ranch in the back, and most importantly, TWO rabbit doctors that were working late. we brought Opus in and checked him in.

the doctor wanted to speak to us, and we sat in the office and worried some more. when the doctor came in, she gave us the verdict-

-Opus was pretty dehydrated because when she felt around inside, everything felt really sticky, which was understandable because by the time she saw him, he hadn't eaten or drank anything in over 12 hours

-He was a little underweight, a Holland that weighed in at about 3lbs 11oz.

-Everything else sounded okay - heart, lungs

-They were going to need to keep him for at least 24 hours to rehydrate him via under-the-skin fluids, force feed him every 6 hours until he pooped AND ate on his own.

-They were also going to start antibiotics - basically acidophilus to get his GI system moving again and to make sure all the bacteria in his system is the right balance

-The bill was going to be between $365-679, depending on how long he stayed. after 24 hours, if he still wasn't eating or pooping, they would have to take an x-ray.

So off we went, and made the trip home. I almost broke down again when I saw his empty cage and all his toys scattered on the floor. I don't know what I'll do if I lose him. He is my first and only pet and he means so much to me.

I called last night when we got home, around 11:30PM - and he was resting comfortably, but he still had not made a poop or eaten on his own.

So thank you for your thoughts and please keep them coming -
It's going to be a tough day at work today.

Love,
Roo

hi everybody!

before i make this post too long - in a nutshell, opus is fine and home with me!

yesterday i called the hospital first thing in the morning and he was doing okay. but around 1:30 yesterday the doctor said he was eating and pooping and he was probably going to be ready for release by night time! so of course i did my best to get out of work early and we were on the road.

we got there and the technician gave us a couple different meds for us to give him twice a day, and also some oxbow critical care precisely for times like sunday where there were no available vets and he hadn't eaten.

i gotta tell you though - we gave him his meds this morning and a couple hours ago and that is so heartbreaking! he hates it!! i just have to remind myself that i spent a lot of money on him for him to get better, and the only way that is going to happen is if i follow the doctor's directions precisely.. so i'm glad my husband helps me by holding him and i just get to inject the meds in his mouth.

he seems skinny but he's back to his perky binky self and even after the tough medication time he forgives me pretty quickly. it's almost like he knows it's a necessary evil (as usual, putting WAY too much thought into it)

i really believe all your thoughts and warm wishes contributed towards him getting well and i want to thank you all. i don't post as much as i should but i'm really glad you all were here as fellow bun mothers (and fathers, maybe) to support me.. THANK YOUUUUUUU!!

bad news guys - =(

noooo he's not dead.

but he took a turn for the worse last night and today.
yesterday when i made my post he was jumping and dancing around for me - then he got tired and i just assumed he overdid it cuz he went to rest.

this morning - he didn't touch his food or his water again. so we gave him the critical care and he didn't wanna eat most of it - he fought me off. but we gave him as much as we could and put him in his cage to rest. i came home at lunch 6 hrs later to check on him and prayed he had eaten something.. but nothing. so i started mixing the critical care again. this time, when i fed it to him - no reaction. he stopped fighting and was grinding his teeth. and when i put him down, he wouldnt move. if his feet were sliding out from underneath him, he wouldnt bother straightening up. i got so emotional. i called into work in tears saying that i'd probably be late and they told me to just stay home and take care of Opus. i tried calling EVERYWHERE. nobody could help me - the doctor that treated him in Elk Grove wasn't working and the other rabbit doctor wasn't comfortable talking to me about his case since he didn't personally see Opus.

i ended up calling a local vet in town. they set me up with an appointment to see them. the doctor was very concerned about his stomach feeling so firm (like a hard-boiled egg). they gave him some pain medication (a morphine derivative) and some more under-the-skin fluids, and sent him home with me with more pain medication and some appetite stimulator and advice to keep it up with the critical care and give him baby gas-x. i also set up an appointment with them tomorrow just in case he needs more fluids. she said he's in pretty bad shape but if we could get the fluids working and get some food in and out of him he has a good chance.

in the waiting room though - a friendly looking lady came up to me and wanted to meet Opus - another rabbit person!! she asked me what was going on and she had two rabbits and they had gone through similar situations and gave me her number and address and told me to call her when the appointment was over.

i called her when i got home and he was just woozy and still very limp and she came over as soon as she could. she handled him like a caring mother would a sick child and got him to perk up a little. she works at home and so she even offered to care for him through the night since she knows i have to work. we talked for a while about rabbits and she stressed the fact that my emotional-ness isn't really healthy for either of us and so i prepared myself for the worst and weighed out the options - and i really don't know what would happen if i woke up to find him dead. so my husband and i brought Opus over and met her two rabbits (they have their own room, and her husband takes care of the wild rabbits that visit their house everyday at mealtimes) and he perked up a little bit more. i was a little bit concerned that she used pine bedding, and i insisted that she only use the manufactured bedding as litter (pine/cedar free) for Opus and she gladly agreed. she's keeping him in a separate cage in order to avoid problems with the other two rabbits (one male, one female). she thinks that Opus seeing the other rabbits running around will help him cheer up and I would love to agree. it's better hanging out with two stressed out parents that would do anything in the world to make his pain go away.

it truly was a tough decision to leave him with a stranger that i just met today but i think i'll need your warm thoughts again. i've been such a wreck this whole week and everything is so confusing. all these different people telling me different things and vets and websites and books and i just want Opus well and on the road to recovery. she gave me a book to borrow that I'm probably gonna read all night .. "a house rabbit primer: understanding and caring for your companion" by lucile c. moore Ph.D.

anyway i'm going to try to get to bed early - how much sleep i actually get will be a mystery - i'll try to get rabbit pictures up. i may need help -=)

thank you guys again for listening..