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Inoperable mass & in GI stasis: U/D prevention advise needed

ginge1

Young Bun
My bun is in stasis - not eating/pooping. She has an inoperable 2cm mass along her small interstines just behind her bladder.

This is the third time she has has stasis in two months. She had her myxi booster vaccine yesterday & was fine until 2am. 7.30am she wasn't eating or pooping. She is drinking & has been to the vets & had metaclop. She had metacam, zantac & infacol this morning from my bun first aid kit.

She is drinking but isn't perking up like the previous times. Is there anything I can do or give her to help get her through this?
 
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I am so sorry your bun is poorly. I'm not sure what to suggest for the mass in her tummy but I hope others with more medical knowledge will be along soon to offer you some advice.

In the meantime I am sending your bun lots of get well vibes xx
 
Have your vets said what this mass is? I'm assuming they mean it is separate to her GI tract and not an impacted mass of ingesta in the gut itself? If it is an impacted mass of ingesta then why is it inoperable? Has she had Xrays done?

Did they give her any additional pain relief or is all that she had your metacam? What sort of dose did you give her and how much does she weigh? She may need more pain relief in order to get her to eat. If she is not eating/pooping then I would wish for her to have fluids given under the skin if she was my bunny even if she is drinking as it helps shift any dried ingesta.... if this is what the mass is? Meanwhile you need to keep her calm and warm - do you have a heat pad or snugglesafe?
 
p.s what time were all the medicines given to her? If she is not responding at all then I would pop her back to the vet as she is likely to need to be admitted for more aggressive treatment.... She may however just need a little more time at home to rest and let the drugs work.
 
Thank you for the replies & vibes.

It's a calcified mass. They did x-rays & ultrasounds but can't determine what it is unless they operate. She's 7 & obviously surgery on bunny intestines is risky at the best of times. The mass hasn't grown & she has been completely fine in between these few episodes of stasis - eating & passing normally, & running around & digging things up like a nutter!

She had 0.2ml of metacam this morning orally, plus 0.4ml of zantac, & 0.2ml of infacol. She had metaclop at the vets this morning - lots of tummy gurgles earlier but no poops :( I've just given her another 0.2ml of zantac, 0.2ml of infacol & some fibreplex. She's been drinking more & has been snuggled up to her heat pad & her husbun in her fave corner next to the sofa listening to some soft & relaxing Chet Baker for the past few hours. I'm keeping her nice & calm.

She's not floppy or tooth grinding & is fiestly enough to violently nudge her water bowl, have a quick wash & do a lap of the sofa.
 
Is this your "Dental" bun?

No, she had very very slight molar spurs a couple of months ago but had them burred, which was when they found the calcified lump just behind her bladder in her small intestines.

She had her teeth checked yesterday before her myxi vaccine & the vet said that she had very slight points but it was nothing to worry about because they're not growing towards her cheek or tongue & aren't cause her discomfort or trouble eating.
 
ps. should I give her another 0.2ml of metacam? The last dose she had was 8am.

I'm wondering if maybe you should ask your vet to consider something stronger like Vetegesic. My late bunny Tululah had exactly these symptoms with frequent and more frequent bouts of stasis. It was suggested to be calcium as she had a mass near her bladder. The scan revealed that it was a tumour so again inoperable. The Vetegesic seemed to help until everthing else failed.
 
I'm wondering if maybe you should ask your vet to consider something stronger like Vetegesic. My late bunny Tululah had exactly these symptoms with frequent and more frequent bouts of stasis. It was suggested to be calcium as she had a mass near her bladder. The scan revealed that it was a tumour so again inoperable. The Vetegesic seemed to help until everthing else failed.

Agree. 0.2mls is barely anything even for a tiny bun. You should get vet advice tho as a prescription med. I think she needs more pain relief x
 
Agree. 0.2mls is barely anything even for a tiny bun. You should get vet advice tho as a prescription med. I think she needs more pain relief x

Thank you for the advice & vibes everyone :)

I called the vet & asked about more pain relief. They said to bring her in if I thought she was showing no improvement or getting worse & they would assess her condition & give the stronger pain med if required. I'm always super aware of how stress can make stasis worse & she always gets highly stressed at the vets & being in the carrier even with her husbun.

As she was no worse (but no better) I gave her a second dose of 0.2ml of metacam & a little more fibreplex (which she happily took from the syringe with no coaxing!) I picked her some fresh herbs, grass & oxeye daises & she ate them all! She also had hay, pellets & carrot & thankfully poops followed shortly! :) I will keep a close eye on her as I think stasis is easily brought on with her condition.

Many thanks again :)
 
Fabulous news!!!! Is she neutered???
I'ld push the grass,herbs and maybe some kale to keep her poo-ing and keep going with some meds.
So pleased she's picked up xxx

Thank you for the advice & vibes everyone :)

I called the vet & asked about more pain relief. They said to bring her in if I thought she was showing no improvement or getting worse & they would assess her condition & give the stronger pain med if required. I'm always super aware of how stress can make stasis worse & she always gets highly stressed at the vets & being in the carrier even with her husbun.

As she was no worse (but no better) I gave her a second dose of 0.2ml of metacam & a little more fibreplex (which she happily took from the syringe with no coaxing!) I picked her some fresh herbs, grass & oxeye daises & she ate them all! She also had hay, pellets & carrot & thankfully poops followed shortly! :) I will keep a close eye on her as I think stasis is easily brought on with her condition.

Many thanks again :)
 
Fabulous news!!!! Is she neutered???
I'ld push the grass,herbs and maybe some kale to keep her poo-ing and keep going with some meds.
So pleased she's picked up xxx

Yes, she was neutered when she was younger. I'm giving her zantac, infacol & fibreplex to help support her gut function after the stasis. She's pretty sick of food now - I''ve been up every couple of hours through the night to feed yummy things to her. She just wants to sleep & have some peace for a bit now bless her!
 
Advise on preventing stasis & supporting gut function required

Just want to throw an other question out there. What is the best course of care/treatment/feeding plan to help support gut function long term, & to help prevent the onset of stasis?
 
Just want to throw an other question out there. What is the best course of care/treatment/feeding plan to help support gut function long term, & to help prevent the onset of stasis?

A hay only diet to begin with to restabilise the caecal flora, and from there a diet that mimicks a wild rabbit diet as closely as possible - large amounts of large particle indigestible fibre - hay and fibrous weeds/plants/tree leaves/branches etc. and small amounts or nil protein/carbs.
This article may help you:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3012&S=1&SourceID=43

There are also many threads here on a wild diet, foraging for wild plants in the UK and if you read this thread:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=226422
Although very long and with ref specifically to a rare gut disorder in rabbits - it does highlight how the gut works and what natural foraging can be effective for all gut issues.

My advice would be to initially go hay only provided your bun can eat hay comfortably (no dental issues) and doesn't starve themselves. I would remove or reduce pellet consumption and focus on grass, weeds, and other fibrous plant materials and avoid shop bought/commercially grown vegetables and any other starchy/high protein foods (pellets included)

The holistic approach is also needed - reduce stress, increase activity and exercise and address ANY underlying disorders that may contributing to or sparking off the GI stasis in the first place - most commonly a hidden pain condition. Good luck x
 
A hay only diet to begin with to restabilise the caecal flora, and from there a diet that mimicks a wild rabbit diet as closely as possible - large amounts of large particle indigestible fibre - hay and fibrous weeds/plants/tree leaves/branches etc. and small amounts or nil protein/carbs.
This article may help you:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3012&S=1&SourceID=43

There are also many threads here on a wild diet, foraging for wild plants in the UK and if you read this thread:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=226422
Although very long and with ref specifically to a rare gut disorder in rabbits - it does highlight how the gut works and what natural foraging can be effective for all gut issues.


My advice would be to initially go hay only provided your bun can eat hay comfortably (no dental issues) and doesn't starve themselves. I would remove or reduce pellet consumption and focus on grass, weeds, and other fibrous plant materials and avoid shop bought/commercially grown vegetables and any other starchy/high protein foods (pellets included)

The holistic approach is also needed - reduce stress, increase activity and exercise and address ANY underlying disorders that may contributing to or sparking off the GI stasis in the first place - most commonly a hidden pain condition. Good luck x

Fantastic advice!
 
A hay only diet to begin with to restabilise the caecal flora, and from there a diet that mimicks a wild rabbit diet as closely as possible - large amounts of large particle indigestible fibre - hay and fibrous weeds/plants/tree leaves/branches etc. and small amounts or nil protein/carbs.
This article may help you:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3012&S=1&SourceID=43

There are also many threads here on a wild diet, foraging for wild plants in the UK and if you read this thread:
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=226422
Although very long and with ref specifically to a rare gut disorder in rabbits - it does highlight how the gut works and what natural foraging can be effective for all gut issues.

My advice would be to initially go hay only provided your bun can eat hay comfortably (no dental issues) and doesn't starve themselves. I would remove or reduce pellet consumption and focus on grass, weeds, and other fibrous plant materials and avoid shop bought/commercially grown vegetables and any other starchy/high protein foods (pellets included)

The holistic approach is also needed - reduce stress, increase activity and exercise and address ANY underlying disorders that may contributing to or sparking off the GI stasis in the first place - most commonly a hidden pain condition. Good luck x

Thank you very much for this brilliant advice & the links. My bun has never had any health issues until this mass presented itself so it obviously causes her pain from time to time. We will continue to manage her pain relief as such major surgery is really not an option here, & will continue to improve upon her diet by gradually adding more natural food sources to her main diet of fresh hays. I have looked into natural diets & have been growing various yummy weeds which the buns are loving.

Many thanks again :)
 
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