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Stasis Advice Please

Sproggie14

Warren Scout
Two weeks ago my lad Ginger, who is a rescue so we don't know his exact age but estimated at 7 or 8, had a dental. He'd lost some weight and was doing very small poops and an examination confirmed that he had some spurs.

The dental didn't go very well and his heart stopped under the anaesthetic. They got him back and he stayed at the vets overnight because he was recovering slowly and not eating much.

He came home 48 hours after the op and was still very wobbly, like a newborn foal, all daft on his legs. That evening I had to clean a big wadge of diarrhoea off his bottom. But he was eating ok and gained weight over the first couple of days. We were told to continue metacam for 5 days.

A week after the op and a couple of days after he stopped the metacam he'd lost a little weight so I took him back to the vets last Friday. On their scales he'd lost 10g since the op so they weren't too worried. They said to carry on with the metacam for another 5 days as his mouth was still quite red in places.

But over the weekend he continued to lose weight and had a little diarrhoea. He wasn't eating his pellets although he would eat certain other things.

I took him back to the vets again Wednesday as I wasn't happy with him. The vet could feel a lump in his abdomen so he was admitted for tests. Long story short an x-ray showed food lodged in his stomach and his bloods were pretty much ok. So they started him on treatment to stimulate his digestion as well as painkillers and fluids.

This morning the vet says there is a small amount of improvement in that he has eaten and pooped and even gained a little weight. But there is still food in his tummy and they have also removed some fluid and his feeling is that there may be a tumour in his gut causing a blockage. He said in a younger, healthier rabbit who hadn't had problems with his last GA he might do exploratory surgery but didn't recommend it with Ginger. He said the prognosis was not good and asked did we want to continue with symptomatic treatment or let him go.

Well I opted to keep going. The vet doesn't think he's in pain and in the absence of any definite hopeless cause I think he needs to have a chance to pick up. I wonder if he got into a slump following the surgery since he took so long to really recover and if his digestion has just been in a downward spiral since. I don't know, this is my first experience of stasis, but it seemed like a possible cause to me.

Anyway, I really just wanted to ask the opinions of those who have maybe seen similar in their buns. Does stasis sometimes just happen without an apparent cause? Is there anything else you have found worked that I could suggest to my vet? Any thoughts, experiences etc gratefully received. Ginge is a very special man and I want to ensure we do the right thing and absolutely everything possible to keep him with us.

Thanks x
 
Hi sorry your little bun is poorly, mine is too at the mo so i know how auwful it is.

Stasis can and does seem to happen in some rabbits for seemingly no reason. Im sure you'll speak to a lot of ppl on here who have stasis prone buns. Its fab that your vet is trying to get to the root cause. With an old bun like him the most important thing is to keep him pain cree and comfortable. I think my vet would keep up with the gut stimulant and metacam and maybe even some sort of laxative (im no expert just a thought) Keep an eye out to make sure hes eating lots of hay and drinking loads of water to keep everything moist. Id also put a warm hot water bottle under his bed which will help keep him warm and soothe his poorly tum.
So sorry i cant be more help, only you will know when the time is right to let him go.
Wishing u loads of luck from one poorly bunny mum to another :(
 
Aww poor Ginger, how awful :cry:
Jimby is prone to statis and has had several if not more bouts since we adopted him just over a year ago.
I agree the main thing is to keep him pain free, maybe try some Infacol to ease any bloating? Also a good thing is Fibreplex.
 
Thanks guys

Sorry, my post wasn't clear, he is still in at the vets and will be remaining there over the weekend unless there is any major change. So they have him on pain relief and they are also continuing to offer him critical care formula.
 
So sorry to hear this. :( Has EC been tested for? Not sure if you know the story of my bunnies...
 
I echo what's been said by someone sayingtry fibreplex, it seems to work quite well with my bunnies.

I have one rabbit that is very prone to stasis in the winter and sometimes it does just come from nowhere, my vet says the same thing.
 
Sadly the vets called to say that Ginger passed away this morning :cry:

I shall miss him hugely, he was such a character, so norty and cheeky. I shall miss him appearing next to me while I was cleaning cages and demanding a face stroke. I'll even miss him nibbling holes in the bin bag to try and steal other peoples left overs :roll:

But it's Kitkat who will miss him most. She has been in a right grump since he got ill and, as I type, I can hear her trashing her room :( I adopted a third bun last weekend to add to their group but he was only neutered Tuesday so she'll have to wait a little while to meet him. I hope she's ok in the meantime, this is the second husband she has lost :(

Run free Ging :love:

011108bunnies2.jpg
 
I'm so sorry to hear of Ginger's passing :cry:

Sending noserubs for poor Kitkat. I hope in time she will find comfort and happiness with your new bun xx
 
RIP Ginger, run free.

I know what you are going through at this point, its very hard.

((((((hugs)))))) for you and loads of nose rubs for Kit Kat.

Sue
xxxxx
 
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