Help! GI Stasis / Ileus in senior rabbit

Hello
Bo, our 8 year old senior dwarf lop, has been in and out of Ileus for the past 12 days and everytime we think it's looking hopeful, the cycle starts over.

Here's what's been happening...

Bo stopped eating pellets but was eating fresh foods. A few days later loud gurgling in her stomach and teeth grinding began. Bo stopped eating fresh foods and drinking water. Treated with Simethicone and manual abdomen messaging and the gurgling and heavy teeth grinding stopped for about 36 hours and she started eating moistened pellets, timothy hay and fresh foods again, very readily infact. Two days later and now she won't eat pellets at all, only lightly nibbles on fresh food, won't touch the hay and hardly drinks any water. The heavy teeth grinding is back and the gurgling is getting worse but not as bad as it has been. She is urinating, but not much at all and her poop is abnormal and infrequent. Also, about the same time this all started, Bo began to lean to one side when she sits in the cage.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Kim and Eric

Has she been examined by a Vet ?
GI stasis is usually a secondary symptom of another problem-eg Dental, infection, pain, stress aswell as numerous other things.
So whilst treating the GI stasis is obviously important, its equally important to try to establish the cause.

The teeth grinding indicates severe pain so at the very least she needs good analgesic cover. Prokinetics may be needed once a GI obstruction has been ruled out.
If the stomach is severely distended then the Vet may need to 'tube' the Rabbit to deflate the stomach.

The leaning to one side *might* indicate a middle ear problem-infection- which if present would require antibiotics.

Is she spayed ?

The not drinking is of major concern. Fluids being an absolute essential in all cases of GI stasis. Often SQ/IV fluids are needed as a Rabbit in stasis rapidly absorbs water from ingesta within the GI tract. This further dehydrates the gut contents making a full obstruction more likely. Keeping the wall of the GI tract well hydrated will reduce the rate of water absorption from the gut contents.

Its hard to give you any more advice without knowing if she has received Veterinary attention.

dvm/stasis

kimanderic said:

Hello
Bo, our 8 year old senior dwarf lop, has been in and out of Ileus for the past 12 days and everytime we think it's looking hopeful, the cycle starts over.

Here's what's been happening...

Bo stopped eating pellets but was eating fresh foods. A few days later loud gurgling in her stomach and teeth grinding began. Bo stopped eating fresh foods and drinking water. Treated with Simethicone and manual abdomen messaging and the gurgling and heavy teeth grinding stopped for about 36 hours and she started eating moistened pellets, timothy hay and fresh foods again, very readily infact. Two days later and now she won't eat pellets at all, only lightly nibbles on fresh food, won't touch the hay and hardly drinks any water. The heavy teeth grinding is back and the gurgling is getting worse but not as bad as it has been. She is urinating, but not much at all and her poop is abnormal and infrequent. Also, about the same time this all started, Bo began to lean to one side when she sits in the cage.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Kim and Eric

Click to expand...

definately something is going on inside,-consider--radiogragh and exam..sounds like teeth problem,,pain,,perhaps infection..sincerely james waller

How is Bo doing now? :wave: