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Living in constant fear of stasis

Lillian

Warren Veteran
It's taken a few of my buns in the past.. Then last month two buns became ill at the same time, one wouldn't eat for days and I was up every 2 hours at night syringing meds and food/water etc. It was a nightmare but he eventually recovered, the other bun, however, was severely ill and had to be put to sleep.

Now everytime I come on here there's another bun or more in stasis :(

Every second of the day I'm fearing the next bout of stasis, I'm scared to feed the buns anything in case I cause them stasis with certain foods. It's driving me mad. I'm constantly watching my buns for signs of stasis. I hate all this worrying :cry:
 
what is stasis?
what are the signs?

also do u take the rabbit to the vets straight away?

just asking so i know for future refernece.
 
It's taken a few of my buns in the past.. Then last month two buns became ill at the same time, one wouldn't eat for days and I was up every 2 hours at night syringing meds and food/water etc. It was a nightmare but he eventually recovered, the other bun, however, was severely ill and had to be put to sleep.

Now everytime I come on here there's another bun or more in stasis :(

Every second of the day I'm fearing the next bout of stasis, I'm scared to feed the buns anything in case I cause them stasis with certain foods. It's driving me mad. I'm constantly watching my buns for signs of stasis. I hate all this worrying :cry:

:wave: Hi Lillian, only you can stop it - we can only do our best, providing they have yummy hay and some basic greens and a good quality pellet with exercise and company and love there's not much else you can do - worrying about it won't mean it won't happen if you see what I mean sooooo chillllll out :lol:
 
:wave: Hi Lillian, only you can stop it - we can only do our best, providing they have yummy hay and some basic greens and a good quality pellet with exercise and company and love there's not much else you can do - worrying about it won't mean it won't happen if you see what I mean sooooo chillllll out :lol:

Mine have all that, but still 2 went into stasis around the same time. I can't work out what caused it, which has made the worrying worse. I used to live in costant fear of myxo but now I'm worrying about stasis non stop :( Having buns can be so stressful at times!!! Why do they have to be so fragil?
 
what is stasis?
what are the signs?

also do u take the rabbit to the vets straight away?

just asking so i know for future refernece.

Stasis is short for 'GastroIntestinal Stasis', it's when the rabbits gut shuts down and it can be fatal :(
The most common signs are rabbits refusing food, sitting hunched in a corner, loud noisey gut or silent gut, grinding teeth etc.

I believe you should always (whenever possible) take the rabbit straight to a vet to have it checked for blockages and treated with pain relief (metacam)and possibly gut stimulants (metoclopramide)

If you don't know about stasis, I strong recommend you do some research online, it can mean saving your buns life, should it go into stasis.
 
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not a nice way to live :( even this morning my heart stopped because Alvin didnt come out from under the couch straight away. wish i knew how to move on but with an episode every few months itll never go away... Stasis is evil :(

i dont even look for him now... if he dont buzz within a few mins i know its got him again.

sorry you have this worry too :cry:
 
Mine have all that, but still 2 went into stasis around the same time. I can't work out what caused it, which has made the worrying worse. I used to live in costant fear of myxo but now I'm worrying about stasis non stop :( Having buns can be so stressful at times!!! Why do they have to be so fragil?

How old were they? There could have been something underlying - I'm so sorry to hear that and wasn't being flippant, I was just trying to cheer you up, I think it's always in the back of our minds if we have experienced it with a bun but, if you let it 'take over' you'll not enjoy the experience of having them as pets and actually they might sense your tension (hugs)
 
me too lillian:(

i have no idea what really caused eric's recent bout - nothing had changed, it just happened (he'd had a dental a couple of weeks prior but picked up after a few days).

every day i see more stasis threads and my heart truly goes out to the worried bunny owners. its exhausting for us and horrible for the bun:(
 
How old were they? There could have been something underlying - I'm so sorry to hear that and wasn't being flippant, I was just trying to cheer you up, I think it's always in the back of our minds if we have experienced it with a bun but, if you let it 'take over' you'll not enjoy the experience of having them as pets and actually they might sense your tension (hugs)

I know you weren't being flippant :)

Violet is going to be 4 in July and Sweep would have been 3 in June :(
 
I'm another one that can totally sympathise. Each time you know it could be the time that takes their precious life. :cry::cry: Having not had any episodes for a few months I was coming out of the constant worry but Esme having a pretty bad episode a week ago means I have my heart in my mouth first thing every morning and when I get in from work. Yesterday I think I imagined each one was "lying funny" for a few seconds of panic. I think it's because it comes on so rapidly, it could come on at any time, so it's hard to believe it won't.

Hopefully if you get a few months without any more stasis episodes you can start to relax a little.
 
me too lillian:(

i have no idea what really caused eric's recent bout - nothing had changed, it just happened (he'd had a dental a couple of weeks prior but picked up after a few days).

every day i see more stasis threads and my heart truly goes out to the worried bunny owners. its exhausting for us and horrible for the bun:(

I'm glad little Eric is ok now :) My bun Butters died from stasis a few weeks after her spay, I don't know if the op had anything to do with it? :(

I always feel desperately hopeless when other members buns are in stasis. I always feel like I should be doing something to help, cos I know the hell they're in :(
 
I know you weren't being flippant :)

Violet is going to be 4 in July and Sweep would have been 3 in June :(

Awww still quite young that's very sad, at least they were safe and loved though it's not the case for so many buns, take comfort in that thought, sometimes it's just their time I suppose and there is something underlying, if they had the appropriate veterinary treatment then you have nothing to blame yourself for or fear in fact, it might not happen again, you know what to look for so that's a positive, try to remember the happy times and enjoy your pets, I know it's hard but, positive thinking is better than negative;)
 
your not alone ruby seems ok with grass but im so terrified i decided the run was to go on slabs..
nice to feel safe knowing she can play in the garden without risk of stasis <3

RIP to all stasis bunnies that didnt pull through :(
 
I used to be the same with my buns, and I still don't know if I can ever go through all that again/haven't 'got over it'. :( I used to drive myself mad with all the research I did, and checked them constantly, all day long. All we can do is our best for our bunnies, but it's no wonder that we worry.
 
thanks to stasis... the shop had no kale, i bought a sweetheart cabbage instead..... didnt give the cabbage till today instead of saturday... just incase :roll:
 
Me too :( Stasis was always a worry but I never thought it would happen to me as Beano and Gordon always seem so happy and love food, but then Gordon got ill and that was so sudden. Now I'm terrified of giving them anything new to eat and check everything I give them. My heart stops everytime I see one of them flop, stretch or not go for food straight away :( But if we always worry we can't enjoy the time with our buns, try not to worry and focus on the good times you and your bunnies are having/had and because you know the signs of stasis you can help them as soon as possible xxxx
 
I've got a fussy eater bun (although hoping he will improve). It's always a relief when he eats something after refusing something I expect he will like. His stasis last September seemed to come from nowhere. I don't think food is always the cause, and bunny insides are so complex and delicate we might never know the answer sometimes. Stasis seems to happen to even the best and most experienced of bunny owners.
 
Lilian - I don't know if you saw my thread about Pie and her stasis this weekend gone but we almost lost her. She is back home now but I too live in constant fear of stasis. "Are they eating? why aren't they drinking enough, are they sleepy or in pain etc etc". You can drive yourself mad (which I do!).
The even more unfortunate thing is that no one is really sure why they get it. :(

It's such a cruel thing to suffer with.
 
Goodness, I thought everyone knew about the sort of things we can do to reduce the frequency of stasis, & the sort of factors that can add together to cause it.
Each individual bun is different, we can't stop it completely, but can often reduce the frequency.

My own bun is 51/2 with a rare gut disorder in which the nerve supply is being destroyed gradually, since he was about 14-16 weeks old. He had no caecal filling or movement for 10 months last year but we got it kick started again (when Sloe leaves became effective last Autumn) & he needs prokinetics every 8 hours. All is complicated by dental malocclusion so he needs his molar spurs burring every 3-4 weeks now.

A big factor causing gut slow down at this time of year is moulting which is a big stress for a bunny. They need to increase their energy intake by 40% to moult.
Blockage on fur balls occurs because the gut is already slow but obviously reducing the amount of fur ingested by grooming both buns is important.

The key is to keep the gut well stimulated naturally with a high fiber diet all the time, keep a careful eye that their fluid intake doesn't fall off too, & of course be alert to changes in poop quantity, size & shape.

If a bunny's gut is slowing down they tend to eat fiber & nutrient (trying to keep up energy stores & keep the gut going) & basically haven't enough room left for drinking water, so they get dehydrated. If the food going through the gut gets a bit dried out, it's difficult to push through, & can form a partial block, which is some vets think is commoner than was previously thought. (Dental buns are particularly prone to this)

It's important NOT to give stasis prone buns sugary or starchy treats, including fruit, & starchy veg. (eg the red part of carrot) because these predispose to the overgrowth of bacteria which release toxins which paralyse the gut.
The best diet is nearer to the type of diet a wild bunny would eat.
Hay/grass, culinary herbs (basil, mint, corriander, thyme, chervil, dill, fennel, parsley etc) & wild plants (safe weeds) while reducing pellet feed & the rich human veg. We do have to be careful that the bunny doesn't lose weight when doing this and make any changes very gradually with a bun with tummy problems.
Many stasis prone buns crave woody fiber which can be safely given in the form of safe tree/fruit bush leaves. Bramble leaves can even be found in the middle of cities, or bought on internet sites.
Our bunnies may appear to be fussy but given these types of food they usually select what they need.

It is also very important to correct unformed ceacals/mucky bum = dysbiosis quickly because this can rapidly lead to bacterial overgrowth. If you decide to use a probiotic, Biolapis is best cos it's the only one currently available specifically for bunnies.

Examples of what some of use are feeding our buns can be found on
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=264764&highlight=tree+leaves
It is noteable that a bunny vet Marie Kubiac has posted her experience of using tree leaves in an exotics vet hospital environment & that no 2 bunnies have the same underlying cause for their stasis.
Sadly the number of respondants is too small to draw scientifically valid conclusions. However the diet is a return to that routinely used 50 years ago by country folk, & is known to be safe.

Forgive me that I am not on the forum much these days. My own bun is unable to digest either hay or grass so I have to forage ALL his food daily as well as dry enough for winter months. Also a bun who goes in & out of stasis every 24-48 hours needs a lot of care.

Treatment of a stasis episode remains the same.
ON GOING PAIN RELIEF
HEAT PAD/WARMTH if your bun is cold.

When the vet has excluded obstruction (complete block)
FLUIDS either by mouth +/- subcutaneously (my bun finds the latter less stressful)
GUT MOTILITY DRUGS. Metaclopramide only stimulates the upper gut & is best taken on a full stomach to prevent gut cramping. Zantac stimulates the caecum & lower gut.

ETA In full blown stasis it is recommended that motility drugs be continued for 5 days after the bunny 1st. starts to eat, & then tailed off.
 
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