Ill Bunny! Plz help if possible.....

[TehLizardKing]

So, I recently bought to bunnies, a French lop and an old English. The old English has been incessantly licking my hands all the time, and i'm not sure I've actually seen her drink.

I left it for a day, to see if it was just the stress of being in a new home, but all is not well today.

Previously, she had been running around, flipping, doing that 'sudden burst of speed' thing that is just so cute.... but today, nothing.

All she has done is sit there, while the other bunny sat with his head over her back, as if he knows something is wrong. I took her out to examine her, and there was no running, no playing, just sitting there, half hunched up, squinting. Her belly feels quite firm, and she is also grinding her teeth. She has not eaten or drunk. She didn't even nibble at the willow bark I gave her, to take away the pain she is quite obviously in. I hope she is just constipated or something, and it's not serious, as my sister loves this girl like nobody's business.

Now, I am normally a bird man, and I don't have much experience with rabbits. The only other was a lionhead I had when I was about seven, so it would really help if someone could give me some advice here.

Thanks all.

 

[SA Farm]

I'm so sorry.

It sounds pretty serious. I googled the symptoms you posted and this is what I came up with:

Clinical signs​

The rabbit is in terrible pain. Pain indicators include moaning, grunting, and grinding teeth. A rabbit may take an object into her mouth and bite down hard on it. Rabbits suffering from bloat are often dehydrated and will refuse to eat or move. The rabbit may appear depressed, sitting in a hunched position in one spot or in a litterbox. Some rabbits will "crash" their heads into their abdomens, where it hurts. Others may suffer breathing difficulties due to the lungs being compressed by the distended stomach. Most bloated rabbits are hypothermic.

Bloat is a most disturbing and life-threatening condition in rabbits. It happens suddenly, without any warning, and leads to a rapid accumulation of gas in the stomach (tympany) and extreme distension of the wall of this organ. The stomach feels hard and the rabbit looks like a “balloon”. When bloat reaches a certain stage, the situation is irreversible and fatal. The stomach wall of rabbits is not as elastic as in many other animals. Moreover, the distended stomach will compress the main blood vessels that surround this organ and lead blood to and from the heart. Blood flow becomes irregular, and rarely, blocked, causing disturbances of the cardiac rhythm, cardiovascular collapse and/or cardiac failure. Blood electrolyte imbalance and pain may lead to convulsions and epilepsy-like attacks in the terminal stages of the condition.
Causes of bloat remain unknown. It is suspected that in most animals bloat may be related to overeating and/or exercising immediately after eating. Additional causes may be a lack of fiber in the diet, a change in the diet, excessive drinking, dehydration, or stress. Recent necropsy studies concluded to pre-existing problems prior to bloat, such as necrotic tissue at the opening between the stomach and the duodenum (pylorus), presence of gastric ulcers or bleeding of the stomach wall.

Treatment​

Bloat is an emergency situation. If it is suspected that a rabbit is suffering from bloat, whether or not the rabbit is hypothermic, remove all food from the rabbit's area to avoid overloading an already distended stomach and a compromised digestive system.
Emergency veterinary intervention is necessary by a rabbit-knowledgeable vet. Still, prognosis for acute bloat is poor and most bloated rabbits do not survive longer than a few hours to a day after diagnosis. Steroid pain medication, fluids, antibiotics and anti-foaming agents (e.g. simethicone) bring little to no relief.
Analgesic drugs for use in rabbits are described here.
Putting the rabbit on its side and gently massaging its abdomen in the direction of the anus may help. A handful of rabbits were saved after intubation with a rubber catheter and aspiration of the content and gas of the stomach. The majority died within 24 hours after relieving the pressure on the stomach. Rarely, difficult intubation or repositioning of the catheter tube due to clogging by food particles led to excessive vagal stimulation, swelling of the tissues in the throat and caused a rapid death of the rabbit.