stassis?

I dont know if I've got the name right but my Elvis stopped eating his pellets on Monday. Hes still eating his veg but no hay either. So, yesterday I took him into the vets and they checked his teeth and mouth and they are all fine. They felt his tummy and it was empty. He was given an injection to get his stomach working again. I took him back today. Hes still not eating his pellets or hay. Hes been given another injection and a pain killer and I've got to feed him supreme rabbit recovery every hour.
I know that stassis is when the stomach isnt working but why has it happened? She said its very serious if he dosnt start eating again but he is eating his veg. Why is he not eating his pellets?

Did your vet check the teeth? If his mouth is sore I'm sure veg would be much softer and easier for him to eat than pellets.

I'm no expert but i can explain the basis of stasis, after a couple of mini-bouts for one of mine.

Stress can cause stasis, as can any change to the bunnys diet.

I find it odd that your bunny is still eating vegetables. Pellets and Hay are quite 'hard' to eat, whereas veg is often softer, so easier to eat, which would possibly suggest dental issues, but you say your vet checked them. Do you know 'how' he checked them? If he just put his finger in your bunnies mouth, he'd only be able to tell 'external' issues, rather than 'root' issues i think?

It may be an idea to soak some pellets in water, so they become 'puffed up' and a lot softer and try him on them. If he eats those, i'd be thinking dental issues possibly. Don't totally soak them, but enough so they are 'spongy' in your fingers.

Other things to try getting him eating (i dont know his age or what he's eaten, so take care) are herbs. Parsley / Coriander seem to be favourites.
Might be worth trying.

Your vet is right though, GI Stasis can kill, if it carries on, if it is Stasis.

If he doesn't eat for another few hours, i'd be back to the vets.

I hope other people come along and comment for you.

Vibes for your bunny !

Yes he checked his teeth and mouth. There is no problem there.

Amy104 said:

Did your vet check the teeth? If his mouth is sore I'm sure veg would be much softer and easier for him to eat than pellets.

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WHY OH WHY :roll:

you always beat me to it. I need to stop 'fleshing' my threads out !

I think the OP did say the vet checked teeth, but i guess only a finger examination.

Yes, he had a good look in his mouth. Apparently there are folds over the back teeth and you have to pull these back to examine them properly which he did. His teeth are fine and there are no ulcers in his mouth. The vet also felt around his jaw and everything seems fine. Elvis is about 3 years old.
Since I first wrote hes had a couple of mouthfuls of food. I've bought some royale mix to see if I can tempt him. Hes also had 4mls of the liquid food. He did have a big drink of water when we got back from the vets.
Theres been no change to his routine or diet other than he'd got out of his run at the weekend. I told the vet this as I was worried he might have eaten a foreign body but she said it was unlikely.

if it definitely isn't tooth related, i would continue with the recovery feeds, tempting him with his favourite hays and veg, and make sure you have pain relief to give him at home as he won't want to eat if he is in pain or uncomfortable. did you get given pain relief to give at home? :wave:

No, I didnt get any pain relief to give him at home. What is stasis? Is it painful?

ChristyRose said:

No, I didnt get any pain relief to give him at home. What is stasis? Is it painful?

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I'll try and find the link for info, but yes, VERY painful for a bunny

Stasis is slow down / shut down of the gut, in very basic terms, from my understanding.

Many things can cause stasis, but something has to. Its secondary to something else, be it physical or psychological (like stress).

When the gut shuts down the bad bacteria can build up in the gut, causing toxins to be spread about into the bunny, making them severely ill, and can cause death, which is why it is so serious. If your bunny stops eating or has reduced appetite you should never leave it, he needs to see a vet there and then, unless your vet has given you instructions for how to deal with that situation at home.

Sometimes bunnies eat fresh when they are feeling rough and their pellets can often go by the wayside. I would suspect that may be what is happening if visible teeth and his roots (via x-ray) have all been checked out.

If you have grass that's not been treated you can try giving some of that and seeing if he will eat it.

I definitely think you need some painkillers to give at home. I also think you need to provide tastey foods as a buffet and keep trying to tempt him to eat by himself.

Its all very strange. Hes sat eating his way through a carrot!! So, he is eating. He dosnt have a temperature. Can rabbits live without pellets and hay? Shall I just give him an unlimited supply of greens, carrots and apples etc?

Well, he has been eating a little and I've been giving him the liquid food from the vets. But I dont want to put him back in the summer house until hes pooed. He has done a wee which is good but still no poos. I think hes missing Amber but the vet said I must seperate them until I know hes eating and going to the toilet properly. How long do you think it will take?

ChristyRose said:

Well, he has been eating a little and I've been giving him the liquid food from the vets. But I dont want to put him back in the summer house until hes pooed. He has done a wee which is good but still no poos. I think hes missing Amber but the vet said I must seperate them until I know hes eating and going to the toilet properly. How long do you think it will take?

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If he doesn't poop for 12 hours, you really need to get him back to the vets, as there could be a blockage possibly?

ChristyRose said:

Well, he has been eating a little and I've been giving him the liquid food from the vets. But I dont want to put him back in the summer house until hes pooed. He has done a wee which is good but still no poos. I think hes missing Amber but the vet said I must seperate them until I know hes eating and going to the toilet properly. How long do you think it will take?

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Does he have normal things around him? Is he normally fussy about using his litter tray?

I think he, at the very least, needs to be next door to his girlfriend so can you bring her in and house them next to each other?

He will also need some exercise to get his gut moving so if you can give some exercise and maybe supervised play with Amber that might help.

Not pooing is not good though because it shows the gut is not moving. He will need to go back if he doesn't poo.

I think upping his hydration is very important for his gut. Very, very important. Could you lace his water with something bunny safe to encourage him to drink morE?

I think I will bring Amber in. I know why the vet wanted me to seperate him, so that I could see wether or not he is eating and pooing but I'm wandering if being seperated from Amber is stress in itself.
He has done some little currant poos overnight, so that must mean that things are moving a little bit. Hes had abit of kale this morning but still dosnt seem interested in his pellets. Does he need his pellets do stay healthy?
He has been sniffing around the kitchen this morning so he has been moving which is good but hes gone back in the utility now and is just sat there.
I do keep cuddling him and trying to massage his tummy (I heard that it might be good?)

I think he needs pain meds.

Pellets are often the last thing to come back when a rabbit loses their appetite. When he gets back to feeling better, that will generally come back, but you need to figure out what it is that is causing his problems.

The fact he has pooed is good and shows that it was moving slowly overnight. I would have a rethink about seeing the vet with him, at least for some pain meds that you can give at home for the next few days.

He had pain relief yesterday but how long does one injection last? Hes got an appointment with the vet at 2.10pm so I will ask about more pain relief then.

About 24 hours. He sounds very uncomfortable poor chap. I think the cause of this really needs to be investigated. Could you travel Amber to the vets with him?

ChristyRose said:

He had pain relief yesterday but how long does one injection last? Hes got an appointment with the vet at 2.10pm so I will ask about more pain relief then.

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Depends what it was.

If it was an opiate injection - 8hrs.

If it was a NSAID then 12-24, but in my experience it is more like 12 for the analgesic effects.

prettylupin said:

Depends what it was.

If it was an opiate injection - 8hrs.

If it was a NSAID then 12-24, but in my experience it is more like 12 for the analgesic effects.

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Oh yeh, I was stating for Metacam only.