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Fivel was
brought to our clinic as a referral from a
veterinary hospital in Fond du lac, WI.
Dr. Beatty is known for his expertise on exotic
pets, so they thought the best chances for
Fivel's survival were here at My Pet's Vet.
When he
presented to the Fon du lac vet he had not been
eating or defecating for several days. His
examination showed that he was dehydrated and
had large amounts of gas and fluid build-up in
his abdomen. The radiographs or x-rays are
posted below. The referral veterinarian
was concerned that Fivel's intestines were
blocked and that he may require surgery.
The decision was made to refer him to Dr. Beatty
for further diagnostics and treatment.
To increase
Fivel's chances of survival, he was admitted to
the hospital for aggressive intensive care.
Dr. Beatty felt that with the proper medical
care, Fivel could avoid surgery. Fival
began receiving fluid therapy, intestinal
motility drugs, pain relief, and gentle force
feeding of herbivore critical care food.
While being closely monitored, treatments were
administered. Within a day and half
Fivel was active, comfortable, eating and
drinking! After almost 3 days of
hospitalization, Fivel recovered well.
Rabbits require
a high fiber diet consisting of at least
90% timothy hay to prevent many digestive and
dental problems. Many pet stores
incorrectly recommend
food mixes for rabbits that contain pellets,
seeds, fruit and other unhealthy ingredients.
Unfortunately, Dr. Beatty regularly cares for
many rabbits just like Fivel.
We are
all ecstatic that he is doing well without
surgery. He happily eats his fresh Oxbow
brand timothy hay. Fortunately, he
didn't require potentially risky and expensive
surgery to remove the blockage. We look
forward to seeing Fivel again and wish his
family the best!
Click Picture To View X-Ray
This
radiograph, or x-ray, shows the large gas
pockets that should not be present in Fival's
abdomen. The black spots inside the red
circle show that there is an abnormal gas
pattern. The bacteria in the
intestines are producing the gas as they digest
the plant material. The gas pockets
indicate that the intestines have stopped
moving. The medical term for this serious
condition is ileus.
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