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i have a dwarfmini lop rabbit mix who is about years old
Sent to Pet Experts January 05 09:04 PM

I have a dwarf/mini lop rabbit mix who is about 6 1/2 years old. His belly has been amking gurgling noises off an on for about 2 weeks along with having a little diahrrea. He would never eat timothy hay or lettuce until about a year ago when my daughter brought home a couple of guinea pigs now the rabbit loves to eat them both. I thought that maybe he had eaten too much so we have made sure to watch the amount of intake he has thinking it would help his problem. It goes away for a couple of days but then comes back for a couple. Is there anything else i could try? The closest rabbit vet is about a hour drive and he doesn't like car rides.

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $8
Answer
January 5 11:10 PM (2 hours and 6 minutes and 22 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Do you give him anything for hair balls? This is needed with rabbits if you do not brush them daily. It is actually a major cause of death in rabbits. You can use the regular hair ball medication for cats and dose it like a cat. This may help his stomach problem. Go easy on the lettuce and be sure the hay is fresh- do you buy it by the bale or from the pet shop in small quantities?

If my answer was helpful please click the green accept button My answer should not take the place of a Vet's diagnosis when needed. Positive feedback is most welcome and a bonus-though not required-is greatly appreciated no matter how small.
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Joni -- Certified Veterinary Technician -- 99% Positive Feedback on 1017 Pet Accepts
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Reply
January 6 7:55 AM (8 hours and 44 minutes and 31 seconds later)
         
Reply to Joni's Post: We get the hay from a pet store. I've never used a hairball treatment on any of the rabbits I have owned. This is the first time I've experienced any kind of health problem with any of them too. I have been reading a few different things since asking the first question. A couple of articles indicate that pineapple juice can be used for hairball treatment. Is that true? If we should be giving a treatment every now and then as a preventative meassure I would rather use something that is truely made to treat hairballs. I am curious about the pineapple juice though.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
January 6 8:55 AM (1 hour and 32 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark

Ultimately your best and safest bet is a vet visit- even if he does not like to ride. I have never heard about pineapple juice. I would be concerned with the amount of sugar in it. Let me try to find you some more info. on the hairball issue. I also have an excellent link to a woman who is more than happy to help with rabbit, squirrel, etc. problems. Her link looks like it is for squirrels only but it is not so keep looking and you'll find the rabbit part. Email her also as she is great.

Here is one good link

Here is her link


Edited by jwarder on January 6 2006 at 8:57 AM

If my answer was helpful please click the green accept button My answer should not take the place of a Vet's diagnosis when needed. Positive feedback is most welcome and a bonus-though not required-is greatly appreciated no matter how small.
Picture
Joni -- Certified Veterinary Technician -- 99% Positive Feedback on 1017 Pet Accepts
20+ years at vet clinic-all aspects of care for all small pets, cats, dogs and wildlife rehab
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