GI Stasis please read

This morning i found one of my bunnies looking not quite right and certainly not his normal self. Every morning my bunnies are let out for free time (individually at present) while mucking out their hutches and preparing their breakfasts. This morning Gizmo did n't want to come out of his hutch which was very unusual, he had to be coaxed out, he went up the garden and led down on the decking, normally he would be running around and sniffing everything he can, after cleaning out i put him back in his hutch with his normal hay,pellets and veggies, his normal routine is to gobble up all his veggies as quick as he can, this morning he wouldn't touch them, by this time i'm starting to get concerned, i kept an eye on him and thoroughly examined him for fly strike which is always a big fear for us bunny keepers, everything was clear, several checks later everything was still clear, however about 2 hours after mucking out there wasn't a sign of a single fress poo, this is very odd indeed, so once again i checked his bum, by this time he still hadn't eaten any of his breakfast, on examining his bottom he had one poo pellet very hard stuck to his bottom, so i removed it and found ingested hair attached, his tummy had also swollen up, this caused panic and immediatley called the vet and asked for an emergency appointment. Gizmo was seen by the vet this afternoon and it seems he has GI stasis, he now has meds to be taken and as i haven't seen him drink water today he is also being given water by syringe, he has since eaten his veggies and a small amount of hay but no pellets. This is my 1st episode of dealing with bunny sickness and one give away that he was sick was he was lead in his hutch on his tummy and his body was trembling, thankfully the vet said i had got him there before it got serious and advanced, but my Gizmo is feeling very sorry for himself and he just isn't his normal self and yes i am very worried about him.

I have found this article on GI stasis and have posted the link below as i think it's important that other owners know how to recognise the symptoms, i am still trying to figure out what has caused this as i don't want to see my bunny like this again, it is very upsetting to see your bunny trembling in his hutch and working frantically through a list of what it might be, i even put a box in his hutch with a blanket in, just in case he was cold and he ignored it, when normally anything new given to him is greeted with a lot of investigating.

i'm on tenter hooks now until Gizmo gets better, he goes back to the vet in the morning to be checked over and i think it's going to be a long night

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

Sorry to hear Gizmo is poorly, I am glad you got him treated promptly though and it sounds positive that he has had some veggies and some hay. When they have stasis it can take a while to get back to their normal eating routine, I tend to find pellets is the last thing they go back to, and also a little while until poops go through their system. Keep a close eye on him like you have been and hope he gets on ok at the vets tomorrow. Sending vibes that he is soon back to his normal self. Its so worrying when they stop eating.

Thank you, i'm just at a loss as to how this has happened? as far as i'm aware i'm giving him a good diet, the vet said his diet is good, but i do find out of the 2 rabbits that he eats less hay than Kenzi, should i reduce his veggies to encourage him to eat more hay? i give them both a normal rabbit dish full of veggies every morning, he normally has spring greens a few carrot sticks, cabbage, sometimes a bit of celery, he has broccoli most days, in the evening i sometimes give them a bit extra greens for supper, he has his pellets aswell,and he has hay in his hay rack at all times, the only thing i can think of is that he doesn't drink as much of his water as i would like hence i'm giving him extra by syringe at the moment to try and soften things up. i just don't know what i've done wrong, his belly is rather swollen, yet overnight last night he had lots of poo's just as normal, it's only this morning things went belly up, anybody got any recommendations based on experience please ??


I'm one sad bunny mummy at the min


QUOTE=helgalush;5491626]Sorry to hear Gizmo is poorly, I am glad you got him treated promptly though and it sounds positive that he has had some veggies and some hay. When they have stasis it can take a while to get back to their normal eating routine, I tend to find pellets is the last thing they go back to, and also a little while until poops go through their system. Keep a close eye on him like you have been and hope he gets on ok at the vets tomorrow. Sending vibes that he is soon back to his normal self. Its so worrying when they stop eating.[/QUOTE]

uh oh, i've given the rabbits cucumber sticks as a treat for the last 2 days, could that have been the cause of it?, they haven't had much of it, but i hadn't given it to them before, now i'm wondering if that's what has done it

You haven't done anything wrong- most bunnies will get gut stasis from time to time. Moulting, diet changes, stress and weather changes are common triggers but sometimes it just seems to happen for no obvious reason.

If his tummy is bloated I would avoid offering sugary veg such as carrot (the tops are fine) or 'gassy' veg such as broccoli and cabbage for now. Leafy greens such as herbs or wild food such as dandelion or safe fruit leaves would be a safer bet and plus hay/grass and fluids to help him pass any partial blockages of hair and faeces.

Did the vet give him pain relief?

Lots of get well soon vibes for Gizmo xx

the vet gave me fibreplex paste,3 times per day and 1ml of zantac syrup 2 times per day for 4 days, recovery plus food, but no pain relief ! i've just read that tummy massage can be helpful. Thanks for the advice on veggies, did u mean broccoli and cabbage are ok for now or to avoid them for now? will get herbs 2morrow andchange his fresh food for a few days, and thank u xx[



QUOTE=lilbun;5491674]You haven't done anything wrong- most bunnies will get gut stasis from time to time. Moulting, diet changes, stress and weather changes are common triggers but sometimes it just seems to happen for no obvious reason.

If his tummy is bloated I would avoid offering sugary veg such as carrot (the tops are fine) or 'gassy' veg such as broccoli and cabbage for now. Leafy greens such as herbs or wild food such as dandelion or safe fruit leaves would be a safer bet and plus hay/grass and fluids to help him pass any partial blockages of hair and faeces.

Did the vet give him pain relief?

Lots of get well soon vibes for Gizmo xx[/QUOTE]

Hi I hope you rabbit recovers speedily.

New foods can upset the digestive system of rabbits. That's why you're meant to offer new foods gradually/slowly over a week or more.

E.g.
Different brand of pellets
Veg
Plants
Grass

To encourage more hay eating, I'd recommend mixing pellets and safe plants like plantain into the hay and offer it like that.
It works for my rabbit and other rabbits on this forum too
Herbs can be used as an alternative to veg when mixed in the hay, or with it doesn't matter really !

:wave:

I would avoid giving too much brocolli and cabbage for now.

I would be verycareful about making significant changes to the diet though- stick to things he's used to as far as possible.

I have always considered pain relief to be an essential part of the treatment for gut stasis/ileus- especially so if there is any degree of bloating. I would advise you ask the vet for some if he's not better xx

I have had exactly the same problem with my bunny recently...she was fine late at night then the next morning all hunched up, wouldn't eat and I could hear the gas in her belly. I give her a similar diet to you in terms of veg...spring greens and brocolli but have now been told to avoid both of those as they can cause gas which causes pain then they stop eating and the situation gets worse.

She seems to get gut statis every now so I have made changes to her veg and reduced her pellets as my vet recommended. Now I have cut out the spring greens and broccolli and stick to herbs (from the supermarket), coriander, parsley, celery, spinach. I now give her less veg and more herbs and wild forage. I collect forage for her - dandilions, grass, plantain, forget me not, wild stawberry leaves, bramble. (I avoid clover now though as this can cause gas I was told).

I keep some pain relief (metacam) in that the vet has prescribed (they give you a bottle full) and if she goes into gut statis I give her metacam, massage her tummy (this does really help) and I syringe feed her some recovery food. If she still doesn't perk up after a few hours I take her to the vets and they give her an injection of metaclop (gut stimulant).

Like other people have said bunnies do go into gut statis occasionally...my bluebell does it quite alot hence the diet change. If that doesnt help I will take her back to the vets for some tests but fingers crossed she just has a bit of a sensitive tummy.

Anyway you learn to see the signs and act on it straight away which makes the recovery quicker and easier. Remember if it happens again request some pain relief for your bunny as the pain is the reason they don't want to eat.

thank you so much for all the replies and the advice, i've made notes and will gradually change his diet. Gizmo has perked up a lot this morning and is eating his hay, he's not touching his pellets at the moment but from what i can gather that is to be expected. I've stopped the veggies that i was giving him so that he can get better, his tummy isn't so hard this morning and he is having his meds, plus i'm giving him water by syringe aswell, i'm trying gentle tummy massage and he seems to like it as he relaxes quite well when i do it. I'm going to try the herbs, he's had coriander before and liked it so i know that will be ok, so i'll just introduce a little bit at a time, does this mean though that he can't have any veggies at all now or i can give him veggies in small quantities?

Gizmo goes back to the vet in monday for another check up and i'll be asking why gizmo wasn't given pain relief and if i have a bottle to keep for emergencies aswell.

Thank you everyone for all your help

Gothymama said:

thank you so much for all the replies and the advice, i've made notes and will gradually change his diet. Gizmo has perked up a lot this morning and is eating his hay, he's not touching his pellets at the moment but from what i can gather that is to be expected. I've stopped the veggies that i was giving him so that he can get better, his tummy isn't so hard this morning and he is having his meds, plus i'm giving him water by syringe aswell, i'm trying gentle tummy massage and he seems to like it as he relaxes quite well when i do it. I'm going to try the herbs, he's had coriander before and liked it so i know that will be ok, so i'll just introduce a little bit at a time, does this mean though that he can't have any veggies at all now or i can give him veggies in small quantities?

Gizmo goes back to the vet in monday for another check up and i'll be asking why gizmo wasn't given pain relief and if i have a bottle to keep for emergencies aswell.

Thank you everyone for all your help

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I would offer leafy vegetables in small quantities and weeds as well :wave:

Thank youu

whitehood said:

I would offer leafy vegetables in small quantities and weeds as well :wave:

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Some people have said to me that rabbits don't need veggies at all and I am cutting them down due to Bluebell getting reoccurrent statis but my other bunnies are still having lots of veg but if your bunny has only had it once then I wouldnt alter his diet too much.

I used to give mine spring greens and brocolli each day like you and I suppose it can't hurt trying 'less windy' veg and alternating a bit more. If your bunny keeps getting it then maybe try changing his diet then but I wouldnt worry too much at the moment.

If you can collect forage though then thats really good for them and they love it but I suppose it depends if you live in or near the countryside.

Yes metacam is really good to have in the cupboard and some people say infacol can be given to bunnies. I haven't tried this maybe someone else can confirm which brand to get and if its safe.