Please Note - Medical Advice
Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.
You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.
We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.
Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.
I had two bunnies who ended up on daily Metoclopramide for months before they died, just to keep their guts moving. Whilst I didn't see any side effects as such, it gradually lost its effectiveness, and I think the gut comes to rely on it if you give it all the time. There was no choice with my bunnies though.
I believe that it seems to have a similar effect as long term laxative use does on a human, so the gut comes to rely on it, and you need more and more to just get the gut moving. Weaning off it can obviously be a challenge.
On a different note, there are rabbit savvy vets over in the US who don't believe that gut stimulants are beneficial in a lot of situations and just cause painful cramping, and they prefer to manage their stasis issues (generally) with lots of fluid and pain relief. So it can be done without gut stimulants in a wide variety of situations. I think it depends on the treating vet and the client as to whether or not they are used.
I agree that cramping must occur but honestly feel that in some situations the use of prokinetics is so useful to stimulate smooth muscle activity in the gut for peristalsis, in my experience the quicker you reestablish peristalsis the quicker you can relieve the gas and downward spiralling of ketosis from a stagnant bowel. I would always use metclopramide with my buns if appropriate. Fluid and analgesia is a priority but I find throwing everything at the cause leads to a faster result which is better for bun. I do accept that every case is different, I just know how important it is for my buns.
I wasn't saying it wasn't necessary in some situations, just that depending on your vet some will use it quicker than others, that's all. I know that some owners know that it works perfectly for their bunny and their situation, and that's cool. The reason I mentioned it was just because the OP seems concerned that there may be an issue with using so much, so just wanted to offer a slightly different option, that was all
It's okay I wasn't criticising your post at all - I think it is a very valid point! :wave: