Bloat - when to tummy massage or not?

Following the threads about Loki and Briony suffering from bloat and their treatment I am wondering about tummy massages. I totally understand the reasoning behind tummy massages and have no doubt that they help.

However, I have read elsewhere that tummy massages are not always advisable if there is a grossly distended stomach so am now really confused Does it depend on where the gas build up is ie stomach as opposed to intestine or on the severity of the condition?

Advice would be welcome - as a nervy bunny mummy who goes into a flat spin at the hint of something not being right - I need all the help/info I can get!

I think you need to use your own judgement really, and weigh up how much additional stress it is likely to cause the rabbit, how palpable the stomach itself actually is and whether the rabbit seems to experience any additional pain from the stomach being manipulated.

The problem is most people have never been shown how to do it properly, and so quite often they end up kneading the stomach rather than rubbing it. I tend to use it more in combination with Infacol in an attempt to help disperse the gas by bringing the two into contact rather than trying to manouver the gas bubble itself through the GI tract.

All we been doing is gentle rubs.if she seeems stress or in pain stop

Thank you

I think I need a tummy rubbing lesson. Maybe at the York meet

Sixer wrote:Thank you

I think I need a tummy rubbing lesson. Maybe at the York meet

I think Jay should do a video on it

Snowy wrote:

Sixer wrote:Thank you

I think I need a tummy rubbing lesson. Maybe at the York meet

I think Jay should do a video on it

Good idea

Happy to, could someone send me what to demonstrate and say