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GI Stasis - Causes and Prevention?

blaisey

Mama Doe
We've just been through another nasty bout of Stasis with the Flopsie. It involved us having to take her on holiday with us, medicate, syringe feed and administer fluids under the skin ourselves (with tuition and a hotline to the vet if needed) It lasted about 5 days and she is fine now, the fluids were amazing.

I know it is quite a common problem in Rabbits and I thought it might be helpful to hear people's thoughts and ideas on prevention and cause of the condition.

The more people can do to spot the early signs and avoid full stasis the better. I'd certainly be interested in reducing it as the Flopsie has now had two quite nasty cases and a couple of minor ones in about 6/7 months.

So to start it off, does anyone think diet may be a cause?
 
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Sorry to hear you have all been through such a tough time:(

What sort of tests has your vet done to rule out any underlying illnesses?
 
I'm very glad that Flopsie turned around. Sounds like you did an amazing job with her, well done.

Stasis is secondary to something else, so its key to identify the primary cause, which can be stress, diet, pain, illness, blockage, etc. It will vary bunny to bunny, situation to situation.

I think the most important thing for stasis is knowing your bunny and being able to identify anything 'different' about them and then seeking prompt treatment. Obviously, a great vet helps too.
 
Would any underlying illness cause it or are there specific types of illnesses that would?

I don't like the idea of putting the Flopsie through a battery of tests as she doesn't deal well with the stress of going to the vet.
 
Any stress on a rabbit can cause stasis. Here is a list with just my buns reasons for GI stasis. Obviously there are more.

3 cm squared different types of new herb.

Chest infection.

Dental.

Prolapsed disc.

Not being able to reach hay box. (Put it in storage container, unaware bun couldn't jump.)

Myxi jab. Stress of traveling.

O/h and I arguing.

Bonding stress.
 
If a rabbit keeps getting bouts of GI stasis then I would absolutely get them to a vet. Your rabbit is stressed anyway when she stops eating, so it is the same thing, except you may find how to stop it from happening again:)

GI stasis is a sign something else has gone wrong.
 
There are an infinite amount of problems that could cause stasis. I've never dealt with full stasis, thankfully, because I've been able to head it off before it arrived, but dental is primarily why we see it, but then Autumn ate something he shouldn't, and Sky struggles if I don't sleep in my bed.
 
I was interested to read this post.
My Petie died yesterday from intermittent stasis over the last month.
He also had an episode of loss of appetite in January with no good explaination.
He had confirmed signifcant tooth disease (1 very bad tooth that was a little loose) he had a dental on Wednesday but went back into stasis on Thursday with a large poo-y mass in his tum yesterday lunchtime. He also had terrible arthritis through his spine knees and hips. The arthritis didn't cause him pain and even on Thursday he was running round.
I wonder if he may have had arthritis or disc problems as his cause? He was 9 so I chose to correct dietary problems and give him maximal drug therapy but I think he was too old and weak.
We need to understand our buns and we also need vets who know what they're doing or at least will listen to us!

Any stress on a rabbit can cause stasis. Here is a list with just my buns reasons for GI stasis. Obviously there are more.

3 cm squared different types of new herb.

Chest infection.


Prolapsed disc.

Not being able to reach hay box. (Put it in storage container, unaware bun couldn't jump.)

Myxi jab. Stress of traveling.

O/h and I arguing.

Bonding stress.
 
We have discussed causes with our vet, who is brilliant, but conceeded that any circumstances can cause it but Flops has generally good health and something, anything can trigger it if Flopsie is sensitive and will stop eating at the drop of a hat.

We think the biggest problem with the Flopsie is treatments, in the last month or so she has had both Myxi and VHD vacs and was treated for fleas (a condition of the bunny boarding she was due to stay at) although the packaging said safe for rabbits it contained an alcohol derived ingredient which I've since learnt is an absolute no-no. She's never liked VHD vacs either.

The first case of her having it followed us rescuing a new bunny, which now seems like a fairly obvious explanation.

Apologies for this turning into a Flopsie Case History but the more information I can get the better I can deal with the parky little madam.
 
I can't remember if I said this in this thread or the last one, sorry:oops:

Tiesto had frequent bouts of GI Stasis. Always could be put down to an outside stress. Be it hay box, arguments etc. I could always get her back to eating as I spotted it as soon as possible. In a sense it was not true GI stasis as Metacam and tummy rubs plus supportive feeding go her back on track. More ileus (gut slow down, rather than stopped.)

During her last bonding with Bureen, she stopped again, I nursed her back to health thinking it was stress induced, but it kept on happening, even after she was comfortable around Bureen.

Anyway, I got her to the vet who did blood tests, both at the surgery and sent of to a lab, plus xrays and a really thorough check of teeth. It was crazy expensive, but worth ever penny as Xrays showed she had a prolapsed disc. Since she has started her medicine she is a completely different rabbit. She can climb and do crazy binkies now too. Unfortunately she has almost certainly had this since before I got her:(

With out a full health check it would never have been spotted. The only sign was a tendency to stop eating. Otherwise she appeared completely normal.

I am sorry for your loss hannah.mc:cry:
 
Thank you.
It was Petie's time I think.
Sometimes people and animals just get old and fed up.
Petie gave up just yesterday lunchtime. He was a brave and strong rabbit.
He'll be waggling his marvellous ears in bunny heaven xxxxxxx


I can't remember if I said this in this thread or the last one, sorry:oops:

Tiesto had frequent bouts of GI Stasis. Always could be put down to an outside stress. Be it hay box, arguments etc. I could always get her back to eating as I spotted it as soon as possible. In a sense it was not true GI stasis as Metacam and tummy rubs plus supportive feeding go her back on track. More ileus (gut slow down, rather than stopped.)

During her last bonding with Bureen, she stopped again, I nursed her back to health thinking it was stress induced, but it kept on happening, even after she was comfortable around Bureen.

Anyway, I got her to the vet who did blood tests, both at the surgery and sent of to a lab, plus xrays and a really thorough check of teeth. It was crazy expensive, but worth ever penny as Xrays showed she had a prolapsed disc. Since she has started her medicine she is a completely different rabbit. She can climb and do crazy binkies now too. Unfortunately she has almost certainly had this since before I got her:(

With out a full health check it would never have been spotted. The only sign was a tendency to stop eating. Otherwise she appeared completely normal.

I am sorry for your loss hannah.mc:cry:
 
Unfortunately both mine are absolutely terrified of travelling to the vet which is only a quarter mile away. The experience has deffo caused Cookie into Stasis as I had to rush him to the vet late one night after one of his annual jabs. That appears to be the only time with my two so two annual visits for their jabs is a nightmare worry for me and I have to watch both very closely for hours when they get home. I give them extra love and fuss and try to keep their minds occupied by putting new things in their run/hutch for them to have a nose at
 
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Hi, what is Flopsies diet like? i.e. what food, how much, what veggies/herbs/grass, how much hay etc.
Has she been moulting alot recently?
 
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Hi, what is Flopsies diet like? i.e. what food, how much, what veggies/herbs/grass, how much hay etc.
Has she been moulting alot recently?


She eats a handful of pellets for her breakfast, hay through the day and evening (but always has a supply) and some leafy green veg on a night. Apart from the odd dental episode she's had, she is a good hay eater. Flopsie is a lionhead and is prone to dental problems and it is the first thing checked if she has an episode or her health checks.

However, one of the main reasons I started this thread was to address diet. I was always concerned about giving too much veg so not to upset the Flopsie's tummy but have read that around 4 cups of veg shod be given a day. Converting what I currently give her to American cups I think Flops may only be getting one cup a day. I think this, combined with any increase in stress, may be the issue.

I'm contemplating a hay/veg diet but am worried the change may stress her and force her back to anorexia/ileus. My vet doesn't think cutting out pellets would be an issue if all nutrients were available but I'm worried about the stress involved with the rabbit.
 
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Unfortunately both mine are absolutely terrified of travelling to the vet which is only a quarter mile away. The experience has deffo caused Cookie into Stasis as I had to rush him to the vet late one night after one of his annual jabs. That appears to be the only time with my two so two annual visits for their jabs is a nightmare worry for me and I have to watch both very closely for hours when they get home. I give them extra love and fuss and try to keep their minds occupied by putting new things in their run/hutch for them to have a nose at


Flopsie isn't a people bunny at the best of times but always behaves with our bunny vet (who is great with rabbits).

It's just so frustrating that she takes badly to the trips :(

Do you give the bunnies treats after the vets? We always avoid treats with the Flopsie on account of her tummy seeming so sensitive. Is there any good bunny bribes you can suggest?
 
Rabbits insides are designed to be constantly receiving and processing food, so anything that stops this can cause stasis. If you think about people, they often feel less like eating when sick or stressed etc. and that's not a problem, but with rabbits it goes from not feeling like eating to their guts slowing down and then stasis setting in and you get a cycle of not wanting to eat and the guts not working.

You can't do much about illnesses that turn into stasis but you can minimise stress. Some buns are more nervous than others but you can improve their coping skills. For example, if you know your bun gets upset with vet trips then you could make them more comfortable by desensitising them to the carrier, movement, smells and the types of handling a vet would do.

The other big contributor to stasis is diet. Looking to wild rabbits is the best source of ideas - plenty of high fibre food (hay or grass), munching over a long period, etc. I also think encouraging the hop and munch to replicate a grazing rabbit can help with gut movement,
 
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