Volume 13 Number 2

T h e N e w s l e tt e r o f t h e B u c k e y e H o u s e R a bb i t

Bloat, or Acute
Gastrointestinal
Dilation in Rabbits
By Dr. Barbara Oglesbee, DVM
Capital Veterinary Referral &Emergency Center
5230 Renner Rd.
Columbus, OH 43228
614-870-0480
Gastrointestinal Dilation, also
known as gastrointestinal
obstruction or “bloat,” is oneof the few immediately lifethreatening conditions seen inhouse rabbits. Therefore, it isimportant that rabbit owners
be aware of the signs andsymptoms of this disorder.
The earlier medical treatment
is started, the greater the
probability the rabbit will survive.

Gastrointestinal (GI) Dilation
is not related in any way togastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis),or hypomotility syndrome,
although it can sometimes bedifficult to tell the two apart. GI
Dilation is caused by a sudden
and complete obstruction (orblockage) of the intestines. Mostof the time the blockage occurs
in the small intestine, just 2-3
inches past the stomach. Less
often, it occurs where the small
intestine meets the cecum (called
the ileoceco-colonic junction).
If the intestine is blocked very
close to the stomach, symptoms
develop very quickly. If theblockage is further down, by
the cecum, it may take longer
for the blockage to become life
threatening.
So, what happens when theintestines are completely
blocked? As you are probably

S o c i e t y Spring/Summer 2009

In this issue
Spotlight On Pumpkin .  .  . 3Tips For Tough Times . . . 9
Getting To Know ... Karen
Salvagno .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 10

Yaware, rabbits cannot vomit.
They have a very tight sphincter
at the entrance to the stomach
to stop anything from movingfrom the stomach up into theesophagus and out the mouth.
Rabbits also make a lot of saliva
to moisten and help digest food.
The stomach also makes a lotof fluid for the same purpose. If
the intestines suddenly becomecompletely blocked, the rabbit
This x-ray of a
rabbit with GI
Dilation (Bloat)
shows the verylarge, dilated
stomach.

Continued on page 4

Special Thanks to:
Doris Wishner, for her generous contribution in memory of her
dear Brioche.
Harelines, the Buckeye House
Rabbit Society Newsletter, ispublished by the all-volunteer,
non-profit Buckeye House Rabbit
Society, Athens, OH.
Chapter Manager: Herta Rodina. . . . . . . . . . bhrs-herta@ohare.org. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740-797-7616
Educators & Fosterers:
Canton. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . Kristi Cole
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330-484-8416. . . . . . . . . . . bhrs-kristi@ohare.org
Cleveland East . .  .  . Kristen Doherty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440-543-4959. . . . . . . . . . bhrs-kristen@ohare.org
Fremont....Keith & Sue Zimmerman419-355-8433
bhrs-sue@ohare.org
bhrs-keith@ohare.org
Cincinnati. .  .  .  . Michele Roth Kerley859-261-0556
bhrs-michele@ohare.org
Brandy Fields
513-300-4687
bhrs-brandy@ohare.org
Newsletter Editor: . . Herta Rodina
Layout/Design: . Rebecca Nagley
Contributing Writers: . . . . . . . . . .
Dr. Barbara Oglesbee,
Herta Rodina, Karen Salvagno,
Sue Zimmerman
Visit the House Rabbit Society
at http://www.rabbit.org and the
Buckeye House Rabbit Society at
http://www.ohare.org
T he B uckeye HRS R espects Y our
P rivacy
We know our members value their privacy
and that’s why we never, ever, sell our
mailing list or distribute it to any other party.
All of our members’ information is heldin the strictest confidence.

Gary and Sue Embree, for donating a huge box of grass balls
and chew rings to our foster bunnies.
Peggy Jensen, for her thoughtful gift in memory of Doris
Wishner's Brioche.
Microprint, Inc., for the royalty on purchases of Petchecks.
The following members, whose monetary and in-kind donations
allow us to meet our ongoing fostering and educational goals:
Marjorie Aleva, Kirsten Matzner, Natasha Miller, Donna
Waldorf, Liz Claytor, Leslie Mapes, Janet Reed, Stephanie
Anielski, Judy O'Neil, Ron Steger, Ryan and Cindy Battelle,
Deb Raddish, Jude May, Pey Lu, Bonita and John Chilcote.
Our new and continuing Sanctuary Rabbit Sponsors! This
program would not be possible without your compassion andgenerosity. We wish we could acknowledge each of you
individually!
As always, the Monks Copy Shop of downtown Columbus, fortheir discount on printing our newsletter.

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Spotlight On …Pumpkin

By Sue ZimmermanThis beautiful gray rabbit has been in foster
care for over THREE years. Pumpkin was
raised for meat and was rescued from a neglectcase by animal control. She barely had any
human contact and was very withdrawn when
we first took her in. Pumpkin slowly came outof her shell and began to trust us. She is still a
bit on the shy side, but she absolutely LOVES
free time outside of her exercise pen. We callher "The Binky Monster" as she does multiple
mid-air binkies whenever she gets her free time.
We think that she would absolutely flourish in theright household, one that would let her have lotsof free range in the house.

W

hy not do something spectacular and give an older bunny a loving, forever home?? Make an
appointment to see Pumpkin today! Contact Sue Zimmerman: bhrs-sue@ohare.orgcCongratulations to all and an extra-warm thank you to Annette for making our raffle such a
success! We raised $362.00. In most urban areas in Ohio, that amount of money can spay
three rabbits or neuter four. It can spay five or neuter six in most rural areas. The generosityof our members and website visitors is directly improving the health and quality of life ofindividual foster rabbits and putting them one hop closer to their forever home.

{dHappy Spring to all!

c

c
d

c

We have a winner for our first-ever spring raffle -- Ama de Jong from The Netherlands! We
also have, for the first time, five runners-up, each winning a $10 voucher towards anything inartist Annette Tait's store -- Kathryn Haering, Tamera Herrod, Heather Baker, Patricia Brant,
and Kim Shay.

{

OUR WINNERS

{d

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Bloat, or Acute Gastrointestinal
Dilation in Rabbits
Cont’d.

will continue to swallow saliva,
the stomach continues to makefluid, but none of this fluid canleave the stomach. So, thestomach gradually starts to fillup with fluid. Then, the bacteria
trapped in the stomach overgrow
and most of these bacteria aregas forming. With time, thestomach fills with gas and fluidand becomes very dilated, like anover-inflated balloon, hence thename “bloat.”
An overstretched, dilated
stomach causes many lifethreatening problems. First,
it is very painful. Second, thestomach becomes so largethat it blocks blood flow toessential organs such as theheart and kidneys. Third, thefluid trapped in the stomach
causes dangerous electrolyte
imbalances. Fourth, the stomachwall becomes so stretched thatthe stomach itself starts to die off;
eventually it will rupture, virtuallypopping like a balloon. This is
the most common cause of deathin rabbits with bloat. When thestomach ruptures, the rabbit dies
instantly. Many cases of bloat
are probably not recognizedbecause of this. Things progressvery quickly so that in manycases the owner reports that
he went to work with his rabbit
looking either normal, or “just alittle off,” and came home to thehorrible discovery that the bunny
had died. Bloat is probably themost common cause of sudden
death in a previously healthy,
thriving rabbit.

This rabbit is undergoing gastric decompression prior to surgery.
What is the most common causeof obstruction? The answer
may surprise you and causes
a lot of confusion over the term“hairball.” More than 90% of
intestinal obstructions are caused
by a mat of hair. It is importantto realize that this mat of hairis NOT the normal hair that isswallowed by the rabbit every
day when he grooms himself.
The mat of hair causing theobstruction is very, very dense
and resembles a little block offelt. It is usually no bigger thana large almond. It is not reallyknown exactly where thesemats of hair come from. Some
believe that they are swallowed
whole, as hair mats off the rabbit
during grooming. Most likely,
however, they are formed in thececum. Hair that is swallowed in
the normal process of grooming
goes into the cecum, where it

gets compacted into a small,dense mat. Occasionally thismat of hair gets passed withthe rest of the cecotrophs
and is eaten by the rabbit.
As you know, cecotrophs
are swallowed whole withoutchewing. This almondsized mat now goes into thestomach where it causes noproblem, but when it gets
passed into the intestine itgets stuck. The usual spot is
2-3 inches from the stomach,where the small intestinenaturally gets narrower.
Other, less common causesof obstruction include cloth,
plastic or tumors.
It is important to recognize
the symptoms of bloat andhow they differ from thoseof GI stasis. First, bloat
has nothing to do with diet,

whereas many rabbits with GI
stasis have been on a pooror low-fiber diet and are often
fed carbohydrate treats. Since
diet does not impact bloat,
even rabbits on an excellent
diet can be affected. Second,rabbits with GI stasis often havea history of something thatrecently caused pain or stress,
such as illness, surgery, dental
disease, or another stressful
event. Although bloat can occur
in a sick rabbit, most rabbits withbloat appear perfectly healthy
and happy before the blockage
occurs. Then – and this is key– they suddenly act lethargic orlike they are in pain. They may
initially exhibit pain by not being
as social or by not wanting tomove around as much. They
may appear hunched up and/or
grind their teeth. As the stomach
gets bigger, the bloat causes
more pain, and because thestomach is blocking blood flow
and causing electrolyte changes,
the rabbit gets shocky. A shocky
rabbit looks very lethargic and isoften cold. Third – and this is thesecond key to recognizing bloat– the rabbit very suddenly stops
eating completely. Note that thisis different from rabbits with GI
stasis, who stop eating gradually.
In contrast, rabbits with bloat stopeating everything all of a sudden.
The important thing to note is
how suddenly a perfectly healthy,
happy bunny stops eatingcompletely and looks in pain or
lethargic. If you notice this, it isan emergency and immediate
veterinary attention is needed.

The diagnosis of bloat is basedon three things:
1. The sudden onset ofanorexia and pain.
2. The physical examination,
where a large, fluid and/or
air-filled stomach can be felt.
Depending on how long theintestines have been blocked,
the rabbit may also show signs ofshock.
3. X-rays show a stomach thatis over-filled with gas and/or air,with little or no air in the rest of
the intestinal tract.
The first step in treating
bloat is to decompress thestomach and correct shock. To
decompress the stomach, therabbit is tranquilized and a soft
rubber tube is passed into thestomach to draw off fluid andair. Meanwhile, an I.V. catheteris placed and shock treatment
is begun. The next step is todecide whether or not to go tosurgery. In most cases, thechances of survival are best if
the rabbit is taken to surgery to
remove the obstruction. In a
few cases, the obstruction may
pass with supportive care, but
the stomach may have to be
decompressed again before theobstruction passes. Also, therabbit needs to be continuallymonitored, on I.V. fluids, with xrays taken throughout the day tosee if the obstruction is passing.
If you are lucky, the obstruction
may pass, but most of the time it
has to be removed surgically.

Unfortunately, even with surgery,the prognosis is sometimes poor.
If the obstruction is removed very
quickly, there is a good chancefor full recovery. However,very often the problem is notdiscovered until after blood flow
to the kidneys and other organs
has been severely compromised.
This leads to problems that may
not be correctable, such as deathof the stomach wall, or kidney
failure from lack of blood flow
to the kidneys. Sadly, many
rabbits who survive surgery
die from acute renal failure
within 1-3 days. The veterinary
care after surgery can be asimportant as the surgery itself
or the care beforehand. Do
not be completely discouraged,
however. If caught early enough,the obstruction can be removed
before permanent damage
has occurred. The key is torecognize the symptoms of bloat
and to have an experienced
rabbit veterinarian who candifferentiate bloat from GI stasis.
Knowing what to look for canmake the difference between lifeand death.

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Somebunny Needs
YOU!
Sylvester is quite a uniquelooking bunny with his
stripes and two-toned face!
He LOVES his free time andpellets. This handsome guy
would make a great addition
to your home. He has lots oflove to give. Why not makean appointment to meet
him? Please contact Sue
Zimmerman (bhrs-sue@ohare.org) 419-355-8433.

J.J. is a funny and confident
bunny who loves to playwith his toys and be aroundpeople. He weighs about
five pounds, is perfect withhis litter box, and is used
to being around dogs. J.J.
would be a good choice fora family with kids. Pleasecontact Kristen Doherty
440-543-4959.

Maggie-Pie (aka Maggie)
is just about the friendliest
bunny you will ever meet!
She loves to play inside
her Bunny's Magic Dream
Cottage and loves to follow
you all over the place. She
also enjoys standing on her
back feet and leaning forward
at the front of her pen. Thisis so that you can give her
her favorite thing: belly rubs!
Make an appointment with
us to meet Maggie soon! Please contact Sue Zimmerman(bhrs-sue@ohare.org) 419-355-8433.

Petite and sweet -- that's
Kelby! Weighing only about
two pounds, this-softer-thansoft mini rex will cheer up thegloomiest day as she races
through her cardboard tunnel
or tosses her plastic keys.
Affectionate and easy to pickup, she's always ready for aserious cuddle, even at meal
times. Kelby has already dealt
with a lot in her year or so oflife. Found in the woods in early September '08, Kelby gavebirth to four babies within days of being rescued. She wasa wonderful mother and all four bunnies survived. Once herbabies were weaned, Kelby was spayed and is now waiting
for that special someone to make her New Year bright. Pleasecontact Herta Rodina (bhrs-herta@ohare.org) 740-7977616.

Tazwell is one of the bunnies
rescued from the Elyria
overcrowding situation, fromone of the last litters born
there (Jan – Apr 2006). Taz
is a little shy, he will needtime with you to warm up anddevelop trust. He’s on thesmall side, weighing roughly
4.0 lbs, his full-grown weight.
He loves his bamboo paper plate holders for chewing and isperfect with his litter box. Please contact Kristen Doherty
440-543-4959.

Felix (along with his
brother, Oscar) was foundabandoned outside awildlife rehab center. He
is a tan and white Dutch
mix. He weighs about 4
lbs. and is approximately
6 months old. He is active
and friendly. He has had
a full examination by a veterinarian and has been neutered.
Please contact Kristi Cole (bhrs-kristi@ohare.org)
330-484-8416.

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Esther is a beautiful dark brown
agouti girl with long ears thatstand straight and tall. She is anindependent spirit with a mindof her own, and she’ll keep you
amused for hours as she hops
about and exerts her assertive
personality. She weighs about
5 lbs and is perfect with herlitterbox. Please contact Kristen
Doherty 440-543-4959.

Ashie is a small, young
rabbit who is very active,
so she needs lots of toysand lots of free time to burnoff energy! She doesn't
mind being held for shortperiods, but she is most
happy running around andexploring! Please contact
Sue or Keith Zimmerman
if you'd like to meet Ashie (bhrs-sue@ohare.org or bhrskeith@ohare.org) 419-355-8433.

Oscar (along with his brother,
Felix) was found abandoned
outside a wildlife rehab center.
He is a tan and white Dutch
mix. He weighs about 4 lbs.
and is approximately 6 months
old. He is active and friendly.
He has had a full examination
by a veterinarian and has been
neutered. Please contact
Kristi Cole (bhrs-kristi@
ohare.org) 330-484-8416.

Jelly Bean is a female
black lop and we think she's
around a year old. She
is very active, especiallyat feeding time. She haslots of energy and loves
exploring and interactingwith people. JB has abeautiful black coat andlikes to be groomed. If
you'd like to meet JB,
please contact Sue or Keith Zimmerman (bhrs-sue@ohare.org or bhrs-keith@ohare.org) 419-355-8433.

"Izzy" cute and adorable or
what? Yes, he is! Meet Izzy:
this four pound gray dutch
bunny is as sweet as he iscute and adorable. And hehas excellent litterbox habits
too. "Izzy" going to be apart of your family? Pleasecontact Michele RothKerley (bhrs-michele@
ohare.org) 859-261-0556.

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Adopted!
Jongee is enjoying the company of his girlfriend, Trixie, in his wonderful home with Erik and Marla Mohr.Y
Lucy is hopping around her forever home with the Smith family in Toledo, OH.Y Kristen Beck has welcomed
Benji into her home and heart. Benji bonded instantly with Kristen's bunny, Poopsy. After 3 long years in fostercare, we are thrilled for Benji!Y The "tiny lionhead pair", Risa and Otani, recently became permanent fixturesof John and Karin's new home in Wooster.Y Rob and Kim, longtime Buckeye HRS supporters, have adopted
Freud into their lives and their home in Twinsburg; he keeps them amused with his hilarious "sideways dance
step."Y After 1.5 years in foster care, Diva has finally found her special place with Sherri in Parkersburg. She
loves the view from the sunroom and is quickly becoming pals with her new canine and avian housemates.

Introducing the new HRS Visa Card!
We're excited to announce a brand new way that you can support the House Rabbit Society!
When you apply for the new House Rabbit Society platinum Visa Card, the issuing bank (UMB)
will donate $50 to the House Rabbit Society the very first time you use it. And UMB will donate apercentage of all your future purchases on the card to HRS as well. All of this is done at no cost to you
and no cost to the House Rabbit Society!
The more of us who participate, the bigger the impact we can make.
All the benefits of a platinum Visa card will be yours, along with the satisfaction of showing your supportof the House Rabbit Society's mission every time you use your card.
Each of the 3 custom House Rabbit Society card choices makes a statement about our mission andabout you.
So join us in applying for the House Rabbit Society Visa card today:
http://www.cardpartner.com/app/hrs
P.S. Click on the "share this" link at the bottom of the application page to share it with all your friends
and to post it on your social networking sites!

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Tips for Tough Times
By Herta Rodina

The grim economic news is affecting everyone in one way or another. Here area few money-saving ideas to help you and your bunny cope with less cash:• Use wood stove pellets instead of more costly litters such as Yesterday's
News or Carefresh. Ensure a smooth transition to the new litter by mixing
bunny's familiar litter with the wood stove pellets for the first few days.

• Collect cardboard boxes for bunny play houses from stores like Costco andSam's Club.

• Buy hay from a local farmer, provided you have a cool, dry place to store it. A
rectangular bale costs less than $5.00 and will give your rabbit months of highfiber chewing pleasure.
• Look for wicker baskets and toys from charity shops such as Goodwill. Be
sure to wash them well before giving them to your bunny.
• Grow your own greens in a garden or indoor planter.

• Purchase cardboard tubes intended for pouring concrete posts at home
improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. They make inexpensive
tunnels and you can cut them down to any length.
• Calculate your rabbit's weight by weighing yourself then weighing yourself
holding the rabbit. The difference is bunny's weight. No need to buy a baby
scale!
• Learn to trim your rabbit's nails yourself. Have your vet show you how to
perform this simple procedure safely.

• Use dedicated cloths, instead of disposable paper towels, for washing anddrying bunny's litter box. Be sure to keep them clean. If you have multiple
rabbits and one is ill or has a condition such as E. cuniculi or pasteurella, keep
his/her cloths separate from the others.
Have a money-saving tip we didn't mention? Send it to Herta Rodina– bhrs-herta@ohare.org – and we'll publish an addendum in our next
newsletter.

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Getting to Know … Karen
Salvagno(Part Three in our occasional series on theamazing individuals who volunteer for the
Buckeye HRS)
I got my first rabbit about fourteen years ago. He
was a Holland Lop named Flopsy. One of theguys at work was getting out of breeding rabbits
and was giving them away. I fell in love at firstsight. Flopsy was an extremely friendly, easygoing bunny. I kept him in a cage in my livingroom. When I was home, he had free run of thehouse. Flopsy was that perfect bunny who only
did his business in his cage and never chewed
on anything. I learned from someone at work thatyou could spay and neuter rabbits, so I did have
him neutered. There wasn’t much information on
the internet at the time, so I just fed him pellets. I
didn’t know rabbits should have hay and veggies.
A short time after I got my first rabbit, I wasat a wool festival and another breeder was
selling Netherland Dwarfs. Yes, I bought one.
I simply didn't know that adopting a rabbit wasan option and that pet rabbit over population
was a serious problem. I picked a female andFlopsy immediately bonded with her. I named
her Penelope and had her spayed shortly after
bringing her home. So now I had a bonded pairliving in a cage in my living room with free run
when I was home.
About a year after that, I became interested in
alpacas and decided that it would be fun to havean angora rabbit, so I could have that fiber aswell. I got a German Angora and named her
Tassels. She ended up bonding with my first two
rabbits and now I had a bonded trio. I moved
them downstairs and they had full run of thebasement all the time. Unfortunately, Tassels had
E. cuniculi and lived for only three years.

I adopted several more rabbits over the years,
and at one point had eight rabbits in a large family
room with the metal puppy pens as their living
quarters. I currently have a bonded pair (Flemish
Giant and mixed) and a single Dutch rabbit who
have 4x8 areas in our basement adjacent to ourfamily room. When we are downstairs, we letthem run around with us. Along with our threerabbits, we have five dogs, four cats (one indoor
and three barn cats), six alpacas, and threellamas – definitely a multi-species household.
Thank goodness my husband of ten years is an
animal lover also!
I discovered Buckeye House Rabbit Society on
the internet about twelve years ago. Amongother things, I learned that rabbits need hay
and veggies. It was also nice to discover that
there were many people out there with indoor
rabbits running around their home. Soon after
joining, the person who was taking care of thegift shop could no longer do it. So when the callcame for a volunteer to take over the gift shop, I
volunteered. I have been doing it ever since.
As the gift shop coordinator, I am responsible forkeeping the merchandise at my house, mailingout orders as they come in, and bringing the gift
shop items to events such as the Buckeye HRS
picnic. I also keep Kristi Cole up to date on what
we have in stock and I let David Sharpe know
when the website needs to be updated.
Over the years, in addition to taking care of
the gift shop, I have helped in other ways as
well. I have mailed out information packets andhelped out at events. I have volunteered at largescale rescues and transported rabbits. I have
temporarily fostered rabbits and cared for sickones. I have donated hay and feed. I have also
adopted quite a few of the bunnies in foster care.

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I have had some memorable times over the years. I remember when the Portage County APL seized
a lot of rabbits from a backyard breeder. We went there to help them assess the rabbits' health andclean cages. We had to write down everything that was wrong with each rabbit, so that charges could
be filed. I ended up taking home several rabbits and temporarily fostering them. One was very ill with asevere respiratory infection and another had very bad sore hocks. With the help of veterinary care andantibiotics, I nursed them back to good health.
Another time, I helped out at a home and brought hay and feed. I also transported rabbits so they could
go to other foster homes. We could only take a few rabbits at a time, so we had to leave remaining
rabbits with the owners until we had room. The last thing I did for that huge rescue was to retrieve thelast six rabbits on a very windy and snowy day. If I hadn’t picked up those rabbits that day, at least one
would have died, since she had no cover from the terrible wind and snow.
Helping out at events was also fun. We had good times talking together and providing information abouthouse rabbits and their needs. It was a great opportunity to meet some interesting people and dispel
some myths about proper indoor rabbit care while also stressing the importance of spay/neuter.
Volunteering has been very rewarding. Even though I can’t be a full time fosterer, it has been gratifying
to know that what I do does help the rabbits. I pitch in where I can and I know it is appreciated.

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Membership FormYour $33.00 annual membership in the Buckeye HRS includes:

Please make checks
payable to:• National membership ($18.00) and 3-4 issues of the House Rabbit Journal• Local membership ($15.00) and issues of Harelines
If you are already a national member, your local fee is $15.00

House Rabbit Societyo I would like to donate $_____________ to help a foster rabbit (vet care, supplies)

P.O. Box 5767

o I would like to donate $_______ in memory of _________________.
The grieving family receives an acknowledgment of your gracious gesture.

I would like to volunteer to:

BuckeyeAthens, OH 45701
All donations aretax-deductible.

o Distribute information to vetso Assist with mailingo Help at Buckeye HRS booth at Pet Expos and fairso Other ________________________________________

Name_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip _____________________________________ Phone _____________________________________________
E-mail address ________________________________________________________________________________________
Bunnies’ names and special dates _______________________________________________________________________

Buckeye House Rabbit Society
P.O. Box 5767
Athens, OH 45701

Buy a bunny a little time…