Awful Stasis Problems

Ted has had stasis for the past 5 days. He keeps starting to eat and poo and then stopping again. No idea what's causing it. We though originally it was due to depocillin he's been on, but 5 days after coming off it he's still in a really bad way. I've just spent 3 mths getting rid of his facial abscess and now I'm terrifird we're going to lose him to stasis.

To make matters worse, Zinzan had a bit of a caecal poo explosion last night, stick poo everywhere.

And we're having trouble getting a taxi to get them to the vet.

I'm really fed up.

Sorry to hear your buns are having problems and hope you manage to get to the vet so you can get something sorted for them-sue:wave:

Thanks,

I'm at work, but Rik is on his way with them both. I've told him to tell the vet he has permission to carry out any tests the vet feels is necessary. The vet is very good, and I trust him implicitly so hopefully we'll get it sorted.

Bearing in mind that Ted is 7 and Zinzan nearly 8 and both have had pretty major health probs in the past, but I really want to keep them going for another couple of years at least. They're really very special.

Toffee I hope it goes well at the vets for you and your buns having been though this recently with a bad outcome I really feel for you i've got everything crossed x

fingers crossed for the vet trip

I've just had feedback from Rik re vet trip.

The vet thinks Ted is on the mend as he has been eating and drinking progressively more over the past couple of days. He has given me 2 doses of metaclopromide to give him at home.

Vet thinks Zinzan will improve with some fibreplex.

Getting Ted's guts going does not seem to be a problem, it's keeping them going that is proving difficult.

it took Alvin 12 days to get over his latest stasis episode, ive read it can take weeks for normal gut function.

you will get him through it :wave::wave::wave:

loads of vibes xxxx

Hi there

Biscuit has had several episodes of Stasis, last time we were told to keep her on metaclopromide and zantac for 5 days so that her guts are working properly again. So maybe even after he has got better carry on with the meds for a few more days.

The fibre plex is brill, Biscuit would take this with no trouble.

We also got some biolapis from vets uk ltd (can also buy at your vets) which you mix with water, she takes this really well too.

We have found the following things can set Biscuit off:
some visitors
Not moving enough
The room being too cold (now her room is at 18-19oc day and night)
Trip to the vets
Carrots
Banana
Pellet food
Anything suddenly scaring her

AND also for no reason at all, the other day she was running around the living room, munching hay and when she was put in her room, she hunched up, tummy to floor, didn't want to be stroked, ears cold and didn't want to eat anything.

She has on numerious times been checked over from her nose to her tail including being knocked out to do her teeth etc (btw they don't think she has any problems with her teeth).

As soon as we notice her acting strangely we now, get the correct dose of metacam into her, 0.5ml of zantac, 1ml of infacol

Then rub her belly, get her a heated pad, get her moving and wave fresh herbs under her nose.

If after 2 hours no better, get metaclopromide, bio lapis and fibre plex into her. Rub belly again.

Thankfully we have only had to force fed one time, so up every two hours feeding her.

This works for us, other people will have different methods, she can go months and months being well then sods law she will wait until a bank hol, sunday night or a monday morning to become ill.

I've got my fingers crossed for your poor buns. I hope they are both ok and the vet manages to help you.

Biscuit Bunny said:

Hi there

Biscuit has had several episodes of Stasis, last time we were told to keep her on metaclopromide and zantac for 5 days so that her guts are working properly again. So maybe even after he has got better carry on with the meds for a few more days.

The fibre plex is brill, Biscuit would take this with no trouble.

We also got some biolapis from vets uk ltd (can also buy at your vets) which you mix with water, she takes this really well too.

We have found the following things can set Biscuit off:
some visitors
Not moving enough
The room being too cold (now her room is at 18-19oc day and night)
Trip to the vets
Carrots
Banana
Pellet food
Anything suddenly scaring her

AND also for no reason at all, the other day she was running around the living room, munching hay and when she was put in her room, she hunched up, tummy to floor, didn't want to be stroked, ears cold and didn't want to eat anything.

She has on numerious times been checked over from her nose to her tail including being knocked out to do her teeth etc (btw they don't think she has any problems with her teeth).

As soon as we notice her acting strangely we now, get the correct dose of metacam into her, 0.5ml of zantac, 1ml of infacol

Then rub her belly, get her a heated pad, get her moving and wave fresh herbs under her nose.

If after 2 hours no better, get metaclopromide, bio lapis and fibre plex into her. Rub belly again.

Thankfully we have only had to force fed one time, so up every two hours feeding her.

This works for us, other people will have different methods, she can go months and months being well then sods law she will wait until a bank hol, sunday night or a monday morning to become ill.

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That ALL sounds very familiar!!!

I have been giving bio-lapis. I think Ted's improving, just very slowly:

Day 1: Not eating, rubbing bum on floor. To the vet, stay overnight. Metaclop given.
Day 2: Collect from vet. Told he is eating/pooing. Get home - all ok
Day 3: Not eating, rubbing bum on floor. Back to vet. Metaclop, metacam, stay overnight. Eats minute amount of pellets.
Day 4: Not eating, hunched up. Back to vet. Metacam, Metaclop. Eating then 2 hours later no poo, not eating. Gave infacol, syringe recovery formula+fibreplex
Day 5: eating a little then hunched up, no poo. Back to vet. Metaclop at 10am and 6pm. Syringe fed 2x10ml water+biolapis + 1ml infacol mid afternoon.By evening tucking into veg+hay+readigrass. V. happy bunny!
Day 6: eating half portion of pellets then laid flat, no poo. Meanwhile caecal explosion from Zinzan, v. messy.

So you can see there's improvement - it just feels like 2 steps forward and then a step back. I might skip Zinzan's veg tonight - she eats plenty of hay so I think I'll just give hay and readigrass to see if that sorts her bum out!

toffee said:

That ALL sounds very familiar!!!

I have been giving bio-lapis. I think Ted's improving, just very slowly:

Day 1: Not eating, rubbing bum on floor. To the vet, stay overnight. Metaclop given.
Day 2: Collect from vet. Told he is eating/pooing. Get home - all ok
Day 3: Not eating, rubbing bum on floor. Back to vet. Metaclop, metacam, stay overnight. Eats minute amount of pellets.
Day 4: Not eating, hunched up. Back to vet. Metacam, Metaclop. Eating then 2 hours later no poo, not eating. Gave infacol, syringe recovery formula+fibreplex
Day 5: eating a little then hunched up, no poo. Back to vet. Metaclop at 10am and 6pm. Syringe fed 2x10ml water+biolapis + 1ml infacol mid afternoon.By evening tucking into veg+hay+readigrass. V. happy bunny!
Day 6: eating half portion of pellets then laid flat, no poo. Meanwhile caecal explosion from Zinzan, v. messy.

So you can see there's improvement - it just feels like 2 steps forward and then a step back. I might skip Zinzan's veg tonight - she eats plenty of hay so I think I'll just give hay and readigrass to see if that sorts her bum out!

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My goodness what a nightmare. you must be completely stressed out.

Sounds you are doing all the right things though.

Will your vet not give you 5 days (at least) worth of all meds, to medicate at home? The only reason I say this is that trips to the vets stress bunny out which can then cause them to stop eating, so turning it into a vicious circle.

Have they checked his teeth and ears (one of my bunnies had severe stasis caused by an ear infection)

I feel that we have to give pain relief & gut motility agents in a reducing dose for up to 5 days after stasis.

There is a further drug Zantac (Ranitidine) which is very helpful for some buns. It both improves the motility of the lower gut, and protects the stomach from painful acid inflammation.

[Metaclopramide only improves upper gut movement]

Everything crossed for your bun. Please keep us updated about your bun's progress.
ETA I didn't realize you went to the vet to be given meds every time. Everyone else on here gives them at home by syringe. It's incredibly stressful for a bun to go to the vets that regularly.

I think he is getting better slowly - he wasn't uncomfortable before his evening dose of metaclopromide last night and he ate all his veg, but this morning he ate half his breakfast (pellets) again and then was a bit hunched up. I gave more metaclopromide this morning. I managed to get home at lunchtime for 5 minutes and he seemed better.

I've asked the vet to prescribe more metaclopromide for me to give at home to give him a break from travelling.

Ted lives free range in the kitchen, and it gets quite cold at night at floor level. I was wondering if I should move him into a chest-height cage in my rabbit room overnight so he'll be warmer. Could the cold be affecting him?

Or could the pellets he has for breakfast maybe be making him feel uncomfortable? He seems fine before breakfast, maybe the pellets are a bit heavy for his tummy and I should be giving something lighter like veg?

On a positive note, Zinzan's caecal poo trouble seems to have resolved itself. I think it was just a one off, there doesn't appear to be a particular reason for it.

The cold can have quite a big effect on bunnies gut motility, I think moving him to a more constant temp, & reducing vet visits, will reduce some of the factors which are potentially delaying full recovery.

I doubt if the morning pellets are a contributing factor. It's more likely that the temp drop at night has slowed down his gut, so ANY food would cause gas until the analgesia & motility agents have taken effect.

thumps_ said:

The cold can have quite a big effect on bunnies gut motility, I think moving him to a more constant temp, & reducing vet visits, will reduce some of the factors which are potentially delaying full recovery.

I doubt if the morning pellets are a contributing factor. It's more likely that the temp drop at night has slowed down his gut, so ANY food would cause gas until the analgesia & motility agents have taken effect.

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Thanks. I will put him in the rabbitry at night for the rest of winter and then back in the kitchen after breakfast when it's warmed up. I'll see tomorrow if that has an effect at breakfast time.
I only realised how cold it gets at night in the kitchen because I ended up sleeping on the floor with him on Saturday!!! I was frozen, so I imagine he must be a bit nip too. And I had a sleeping bag and he doesn't!

Yes, I was fooled by that one. I was sweltering at 18C above ankle level & wondering why the chilblains, until I got on the floor to Thumper's level. It was like a fridge down there. He had gut issues after his last dental until I sorted out the temp.

I've got a piggy that has recurring stasis. To stay healthy he needs a tummy massage every 3 to 4 hours. If I'm an hour late, he goes into stasis the next day, and it's TLC time, even though he seems in perfect health with a good appetite before.

I am wondering if with older animals, their guts just get a bit saggy, not as good muscular contractions, and pockets of food build up? Milo my piggy seems to be fine after he's managed to pass what is obviously a blockage - an impacted, large ball of small poops, plus a load more misshapen ones which have apparently been shed from this ball inside him.

I have started, when he's very ill, giving him quite a deep tummy massage, more like you would press onto your side if you got a stitch from running. I noticed this morning he hadn't eaten much in the night, so I did this deep massage at his first session - I could feel a lump inside, which moved as I massaged it - we then had gurgles like water slopping around a bucket!

At his 2nd daily session he passed 'the blockage', and has eaten some. Still not got much appetite, except for veggies! Not for hay or pellets, because there's half a ton of poo filling up his tummy. He actually won't poo when he's like this, without some help - I'm getting lots of misshapen poops out of him now, and I expect him to recover tomorrow if I keep at it.

I do have to massage his tummy normally (not the deep massage, just a medium pressure, circular motion either side of his belly button) every 4 hours at least, every day. This is the only thing keeping him alive. I've tried extending the gaps between sessions when he seems perfectly recovered, but he gets stasis again the next day. If I ever got a job, I'd have to have him PTS as he's obviously uncomfortable and quite miserable when he's got an attack of it. In fact I decide every time 'I'll get him PTS next week' - and then he's fine, so I think oh well we'll see maybe next time.

The regular, frequent tummy massage has made such a huge difference to him though - he's so much better now (till I forget again )

I think that bunny guts & piggy guts work on slightly different principals, at the lower end. You are right that the gut can get a bit sluggish - can piggies have zantac. Maybe even just alternate days? I'll tell you what I know if you pm me elve.

thanks but he's fine if I remember to do the 3 and a half hourly thing religiously without fail :roll: I went shopping today and was half an hour late, so that didn't help

Just remembered (after session 5 mins ago) the other thing they forget to do when they have stasis is DRINK - Need to force feed water every few hours too. Also the change in posture seemed to help Milo just now - sitting him upright on his bum puts their guts into a different position. I certainly didn't need any deep massage this time either - I can feel all the backed up poops under his skin like strings of sausages Had a very gentle rub and we had another gurgle - gurgles are always good

gave him some water, and I await developments as usual. He's been like this for months now and it always follows the same pattern, although he's not as desperately ill this time as I've got used to the 'drill' on what to do and when. Usually increase from 3 or 4 hourly sessions on him to every hour - problem being overnight as I need sleep :roll:

Just given Benny bunny his supper pellets, and it reminded me of something else that might help with stasis buns - as has been said, they don't exercise as much, especially when older (and male?) I noticed ages ago that Benny doesn't do much when out for a 'run' so I let him out for short periods, more often, rather than long periods free to just sit and sleep out of his hutch - he's more excited to run about when he's been shut up for a few hours.

the other thing I started doing ages ago, to try and get some weight off him (he barely eats any pellets) was make him run - so I will trot round the patio shaking his food dish (morning and evening he gets some pellets) and urging him on - he skips about and gets some exercise that way, plus I split his veggies into seperate 'meals' and get him to skip about the patio then as well - even though it's barely anything, it's really made a difference to how fit he is, and that keeps their guts moving too