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Noticing that there are quite a few unexplained tummy issue buns just now

I don't know Shelly, possibly as I'm erring towards moult which of course is linked to time of year.

Timmy stopped eating last Thursday, showed all the usual signs of going into stassis, looked in pain/tummy pressing/not interested in anything. I couldn't get an immediate vet appointment and while we were waiting to go, I picked him up and was stroking his sides and gave him a tummy rub. I put him back down in the hay basket and he started eating straight away. Within an hour he had eaten hay and pellets, drank, wee'd and pooped and looked back to normal :shock:

Thinking maybe he was a bit gassy, but the first time it happened was almost exactly a year ago (April) and then again in Autumn. They are both moulting heavily and Timmy is always poorly in the mornings after being fine in the evening. Wondering if they groom more at night?:?

:oops::oops:sorry, that is a really long reply to your post. Glad Bobby is ok now!
 
Debster said:
I don't know Shelly, possibly as I'm erring towards moult which of course is linked to time of year.

Timmy stopped eating last Thursday, showed all the usual signs of going into stassis, looked in pain/tummy pressing/not interested in anything. I couldn't get an immediate vet appointment and while we were waiting to go, I picked him up and was stroking his sides and gave him a tummy rub. I put him back down in the hay basket and he started eating straight away. Within an hour he had eaten hay and pellets, drank, wee'd and pooped and looked back to normal :shock:

Thinking maybe he was a bit gassy, but the first time it happened was almost exactly a year ago (April) and then again in Autumn. They are both moulting heavily and Timmy is always poorly in the mornings after being fine in the evening. Wondering if they groom more at night?:?

:oops::oops:sorry, that is a really long reply to your post. Glad Bobby is ok now!
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Bobby had the same thing last April, so I agree about the moult thing
 
It's got to be a moult thing. Mine had worms on Friday and were rushed to the vet. No more worms but still getting the odd daisy-chain of poops/hair :(

stupid moult!
 
I'm certain Smudge's stasis is related to moulting. I also know that Mini's sticky bum sometimes flares up during moult too (although not during her latest moult).
 
 
Stator said:
Grass is growing again, providing different foods. Could be related.
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Yeah you could be right, I actually gave her a smidge of grass to start her eating again. My two are house buns so they don't get to go outdoors, not unless I go to my mums, and that hasn't happened yet this year
 
Yes moulting is definitely associated with moulting which is a considerable STRESS for a bunny. They have to increase their energy intake by 40% to moult. If they already have a bit of a slow gut it tips the blance for them, or they get fur balls forming in a slow gut.

Pineapple contains bromelaine which is a lower gut stimulant. It's probably better to get it in tablet form to avoid the fruit sugars in a slow gut.

Many buns drink less when their gut slows down, so the gut contents can dry out into a hard mass more easily, & either be difficult to push through or get stuck. Gradually adding herbs or fresh weeds can help by adding both fiber & extra nutrients which aren't starchy enough to cause dysbiosis.

I've just had a really difficult 5 days with Thumper, & he's moulting gently but we lost it with hydration.
 
Moulting and spring grass maybe? Our buns seem to do ok tummy wise throughout the winter months but always seem to get more bother once the weather warms up :?
 
thumps_ said:
Yes moulting is definitely associated with moulting which is a considerable STRESS for a bunny. They have to increase their energy intake by 40% to moult. If they already have a bit of a slow gut it tips the blance for them, or they get fur balls forming in a slow gut.

Pineapple contains bromelaine which is a lower gut stimulant. It's probably better to get it in tablet form to avoid the fruit sugars in a slow gut.

Many buns drink less when their gut slows down, so the gut contents can dry out into a hard mass more easily, & either be difficult to push through or get stuck. Gradually adding herbs or fresh weeds can help by adding both fiber & extra nutrients which aren't starchy enough to cause dysbiosis.

I've just had a really difficult 5 days with Thumper, & he's moulting gently but we lost it with hydration.
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That's really interesting :) Hope Thumper is getting over this and is happier. Have been giving them herbs more than other greens, so I hope that's helping. Also bought a good brush at the weekend to groom them, its much better at collecting the loose fur and the buns don't mind me brushing them while they eat :)
 
I think for some bunnies this time of year causes all sorts of problems. The massive temperature change between the hottest part of the day and the temperature at night can be an issue. As well as obviously the spring grass.
 
I've had a few issues with Honey recently as well with my mum having to take time off work to sit with her one day and then me the next day. On Saturday there my mum sent a text at 12.30 saying she looked like she looked like she was having bother again. I went across and gave her metacam, zantac, infacol and fibreplex, lots of tummy rubs and she was fine again within the hour. :(

It makes you wonder how many bunnies lose their lives because people don't understand how serious it is for a rabbit not to eat. I imagine many take the view of "if it's still no better in the morning we'll go to the vet".
 
Yes there seem to be a lot of near-misses with stasis at the moment, like Crunchie was saying. Or "almost-stasis." Last year I remember people put it down to the spring grass and moulting etc, and I suspect that both of these factors are involved.
 
Candiflare said:
Yes there seem to be a lot of near-misses with stasis at the moment, like Crunchie was saying. Or "almost-stasis." Last year I remember people put it down to the spring grass and moulting etc, and I suspect that both of these factors are involved.
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I agree. I didn't realise that so many people still kept their buns on grass.
Yes, we only have to look at sheeps bottoms to see the effect of the high carbohydrate content of spring grass to imagine what it does to bunnies delicate caecal microrganisms. This is where part 2 of the stasis story comes in. Some of the wrong bacteria produce gas & others can produce toxins which paralyse the gut. If the gut is running well they get flushed out before theycan do any damage, but if the gut is slow they build up & cause problems.
The old fashioned remedy for buns with mucky bums on spring grass = mild dysbiosis was bramble leaves, & it's still effective.
Wildies eat them too even climbing in the briars. They eat the old leaves which have greened up again in spring.
ETA When I introduced spring grass to my bun even though he'd been fine on grass the previous year I started with a pinch am. & pm. & increased it very gently.
 
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Some really interesting posts there. It really has taken this episode to fall on almost the exact same date again this year for me to realise that it may be connected.

Bobby is a real piggy and will munch and munch and munch, where as carlo will leave greens when he has had enough and start eating hay, he seems to know what is good for him and his gut, hence having no stasis or "near" stasis episodes.

The temperature change thing that Sarah mentioned is also a very interesting factor, I have no heating on at all at the moment, as I want to save money but, would that be a factor towards slowing the gut down? :?
 
:wave: Hi Shellypops. You're not much further North from us. The temp here is OK at the mo. I kept the heating on low in our bedroom/hutch or 24/7 & only heat the rest of the house enough to stop it freezing.
Temps have been good recently, the radiator doesn't come on even at 3.00am.

The probs for house buns are sudden fluctuations, usually in winter when we heat our house when we're at home but turn the heating off at night or when we're at work. So temps are fluctuating from above 20C to below 10C. I suspect it's that particular range of temp change too. For us it's the difference between summer clothes & winter clothes. For outdoor buns it's when it's really warm outside & then there's a sudden hard frost at night.

The way I see my own bun & a few others I know well, is that they start with sensitive tummies. There are a whole range of factors which will make the gut slow down a little, some more than others for each individual. They can get through OK if there're just 1 or 2 factors, but if several group together in short succession they have problems. Frustratingly it can be a different group of factors each time. :roll:

The reason I encourage a high fiber low starch/sugar diet is that we can't do much about a lot of the factors, but the fiber keeps the gut working efficiently, & flushes out any wrong caecal bacteria (dysbiosis) which can lead to bloat or make toxins which slow the gut down more.

Encouraging a bun to run around a lot helps too - excercise is so important for gut health.
At moult times, I'm grooming Thumper about 2 hourly if he's in heavy moult. :shock: but he's at incredibly high risk. Grooming both buns (cos they allogroom) about x2 daily can prevent them from ingesting a lot of fur.

As you know, my own bun won't drink water although he's able to do so. Dehydrated food in the gut can stick together with fur & get rolled up into the ball which causes a block. Anything which encourages a bunny to drink more fluids is also a big help.

Sorry I haven't sussed that one out yet. Some people get away with adding a small amount of unsweetened fruit juice to their water. My bun is so sensitive to fruit sugars/starch he'd just pour liquid caecs. :( The best I can do is to wean him over to fresh weeds & fresh leaf fiber as fast as I can in Spring.

These tummy bunnies are all such individuals. I think we can say that these are the sort of things which can slow down the gut - these sort of things help
but the nitty gritty of getting something to work for your own bun is trial & error.

The hawthorn leaves at the mo. haven't got as much fiber in them as they'll have when they darken but a lot more than human veg & plenty of juice.- I'd use them to replace some of Bobby's veg.
Please remember to take the buds out from the center of the leaf clusters. You'll find fewer buds on the dark side of the bush! ;) I'd try Bobby on a few green bramble leaves too. If she goes for them - great. Buns often only go for added fiber at certain times of year. ;)

ETA this thread summarises what various buns with severe stasis issues are given which may give you some ideas. http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=264764&highlight=tree+leaves
 
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thumps_ said:
:wave: Hi Shellypops. You're not much further North from us. The temp here is OK at the mo. I kept the heating on low in our bedroom/hutch or 24/7 & only heat the rest of the house enough to stop it freezing.
Temps have been good recently, the radiator doesn't come on even at 3.00am.

The probs for house buns are sudden fluctuations, usually in winter when we heat our house when we're at home but turn the heating off at night or when we're at work. So temps are fluctuating from above 20C to below 10C. I suspect it's that particular range of temp change too. For us it's the difference between summer clothes & winter clothes. For outdoor buns it's when it's really warm outside & then there's a sudden hard frost at night.

The way I see my own bun & a few others I know well, is that they start with sensitive tummies. There are a whole range of factors which will make the gut slow down a little, some more than others for each individual. They can get through OK if there're just 1 or 2 factors, but if several group together in short succession they have problems. Frustratingly it can be a different group of factors each time. :roll:

The reason I encourage a high fiber low starch/sugar diet is that we can't do much about a lot of the factors, but the fiber keeps the gut working efficiently, & flushes out any wrong caecal bacteria (dysbiosis) which can lead to bloat or make toxins which slow the gut down more.

Encouraging a bun to run around a lot helps too - excercise is so important for gut health.
At moult times, I'm grooming Thumper about 2 hourly if he's in heavy moult. :shock: but he's at incredibly high risk. Grooming both buns (cos they allogroom) about x2 daily can prevent them from ingesting a lot of fur.

As you know, my own bun won't drink water although he's able to do so. Dehydrated food in the gut can stick together with fur & get rolled up into the ball which causes a block. Anything which encourages a bunny to drink more fluids is also a big help.

Sorry I haven't sussed that one out yet. Some people get away with adding a small amount of unsweetened fruit juice to their water. My bun is so sensitive to fruit sugars/starch he'd just pour liquid caecs. :( The best I can do is to wean him over to fresh weeds & fresh leaf fiber as fast as I can in Spring.

These tummy bunnies are all such individuals. I think we can say that these are the sort of things which can slow down the gut - these sort of things help
but the nitty gritty of getting something to work for your own bun is trial & error.

The hawthorn leaves at the mo. haven't got as much fiber in them as they'll have when they darken but a lot more than human veg & plenty of juice.- I'd use them to replace some of Bobby's veg.
Please remember to take the buds out from the center of the leaf clusters. You'll find fewer buds on the dark side of the bush! ;) I'd try Bobby on a few green bramble leaves too. If she goes for them - great. Buns often only go for added fiber at certain times of year. ;)
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Thanks for this Judy, I have already tried her with Bramble last year, but think I over did it a bit :oops: Gave carlo messy poops.
 
Im almost certain that alot of tummy issues at this time of year are caused by/linked to the spring moult. I hate it!
As I mentioned on either your or Schuettes thread (or maybe both :?) the only treats I offer mine around this time is the occasional chunk of fresh pineapple. Especially when they are producing me lots of poo bracelets!
Also fresh food wise I mainly give mine fresh leafy,stalky herbs rather than spring greens etc as I have a theory that the long stalks will help drag the fur through their guts. I may be totally wrong about that, its just an instinctual thing I go with :oops: I also give them grass and dandys in small amounts.
I lost my Tilly to a blockage so Im extra paranoid about it now and constantly harrassing my poor bus with the moult brush :oops: I can tell when its getting them down though, they just dont seem themselves. Thats when I step up my fur fighting regime!!
 
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