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Impacted (GI Stasis?)

xAmandax

New Kit
Evening!

On Sunday I noticed that Coco was acting a lot more lethargic than usual and was staying hidden under the bed in a corner, she refused to come out all day, even during veggie time, so I had to put hay, veggies and even bring the water bottle directly under her nose just to get her to eat and drink, thankfully she ate and drank a bit, but was definitely not her normal self. Then during the night (I was checking on her constantly at this point) I noticed her poos were extremely small!

I'm a first time bunny owner, so have no experience whatsoever with rabbits, but from reading forums I was aware that this sounded like GI Stasis, so Monday I rushed her to the vets where they confirmed she was extremely impacted and was unable to pass waste properly although it sounded like there were no problems with her gut (sounds like GI to me??).

I had a different vet to the one I usually have who I felt just didn't explain things and was just trying to convince me to take the more extreme options!! 😞😞😞 (I usually have a lady who I used to take my Guinea pigs too who was amazing, but was unable to see the rabbits on the Monday, so was stuck with this new vet)

The vet gave me 4 options :
1. Admit her to the vets and they'd put her on fluid

2. Take her home with medication and treat her at home

3. They could operate on her to remove the impaction in her gut

4. Put her to sleep (I really hope this option was said in jest!!!!!)

I went with my gut Instinct and decided to take her home to treat her, thinking it would cause less stress for both bunnies if they were together, so she's been prescribed Zantac and Critical care and the vet said to give her water soaked vegetables but reduce her hay intake and stop feeding pellets as its very dry and we want to rehydrate her (from what I read I need to make sure she's getting fibre to get her gut moving though?). When I asked about pain relief the vet said she didn't seem uncomfortable when he was pushing around on her stomach so she shouldn't need any as pain medication can cause complications, so rs best to avoid it if unessesary.

I'm barely managing to syringe the medication into her mouth as she absolutely hates it and flinches every time I get the medicine anywhere near her mouth (I've been trying to bunny burrito her to get near her mouth), I'm not sure how much of it actually gets in her mouth and how much of it just gets in her fur 😩

Already she's seeming a lot perkier, I'm not sure if that's down to the medication or the amount of pampering she's getting. I am also giving her water via the syringe (she happily drinks from it when waters in there) as for whatever reason she won't use her water bottle, but at least syringing the water i know she's hydrated.

what I would really like some advice on is at what point would she need to be admitted to the vets again? From the way the vet sounded she's really impacted, if she carries on eating like this will it cause problems?? Or would she stop eating if there were issues? She's still doing extremely small poo's so I'm not sure if her impacted stomach is going down, I'm worried that I won't be able to notice when it's important enough to take her to the vets again, any help would be extremely appreciated!!!
 
Fluids and pain relief are the two main things when there is a blockage. Can you give her a bowl to drink freely from? Maybe also add a dash of boiled water to make it tepid as some bunnies like it that way.

I would not syringe feed if is a confirmed blockage as there is nowhere for the food to go. However, I would leave food available if she starts to feel like eating once things start passing through, which is sounds like they maybe if she is pooping. Wet veg will help the fluid intake if she is eating slightly.

Did she give you any metacam at all?

When one of mine had a blockage I would get her to move around gently for 3-4 mins each hour but not enough to stress her.

It is good that she is a little perkier, maybe the water is helping things pass through.

If you are not confident in the advice and diagnosis then I would take Coco for a second opinion or see your usual trusted vet.

I hope she feels better soon.
 
The vet said it didn't sound like she had a blockage, she refuses to drink out of a bowl unfortunately (been trying to switch them both to a bowl since I got them, have a bowl under their bottle and they just ignore it), so I've been using the syringe just to make sure she's getting plenty of fluid.

She eats hay out of her tray and happily gobbles up veg still, her appetite isn't as hearty as usual but she's going out of her way now to eat.

The vet wouldn't give me any pain medication as he said most of the side effects causes the rabbit to be drowsy and a bit all over the place, as Coco didn't seem uncomfortable or in pain he wouldn't prescribe any for her.

She's running around a lot more today, so fingers crossed the extra mobility will help move things along.
 
Has the vet not prescibed aNother gut stimulant such as metacolpramide or cisapride? Fresh Pineapple juice really helped my Cody with a blockage think it was 1ml per day. Sending vibes for Coco.
 
The vet said it didn't sound like she had a blockage, she refuses to drink out of a bowl unfortunately (been trying to switch them both to a bowl since I got them, have a bowl under their bottle and they just ignore it), so I've been using the syringe just to make sure she's getting plenty of fluid.

She eats hay out of her tray and happily gobbles up veg still, her appetite isn't as hearty as usual but she's going out of her way now to eat.

The vet wouldn't give me any pain medication as he said most of the side effects causes the rabbit to be drowsy and a bit all over the place, as Coco didn't seem uncomfortable or in pain he wouldn't prescribe any for her.

She's running around a lot more today, so fingers crossed the extra mobility will help move things along.

Sorry to hear about your bunny, Amanda.

Nicky, in my experience, some vets prescribe gut motility meds and others don't. To be fair, I've had success both ways, so I know a bunny can get through this without gut stimulants, and in some cases they can be counterproductive. However, it depends upon how savvy the vet is and how much he knows how to control this particular rabbit's situation.

Pain meds, that too can be controversial, and if your vet won't give them, then you can't administer them!

Fluids and fibre - I can't say that loud enough. They are the key to getting things moving. Fresh leafy greens, grass, herbs. Lots of moisture, by mouth, sub-Q and through food.

Here's a good article:

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits/


Good luck!!
 
Fluids and pain relief are the two main things when there is a blockage. Can you give her a bowl to drink freely from? Maybe also add a dash of boiled water to make it tepid as some bunnies like it that way.

I would not syringe feed if is a confirmed blockage as there is nowhere for the food to go. However, I would leave food available if she starts to feel like eating once things start passing through, which is sounds like they maybe if she is pooping. Wet veg will help the fluid intake if she is eating slightly.

Did she give you any metacam at all?

When one of mine had a blockage I would get her to move around gently for 3-4 mins each hour but not enough to stress her.

It is good that she is a little perkier, maybe the water is helping things pass through.

If you are not confident in the advice and diagnosis then I would take Coco for a second opinion or see your usual trusted vet.

I hope she feels better soon.

bunny babe has given you good advice. As your Vet stated it is important to try to rehydrate the gut contents. That is why it nay be necessary to admit the Rabbit to enable fluids to be administered IV as well as orally. Fibre is essential too and personally I would not want to withold hay from the diet. I'd want hay to be the main part and lots and lots of fluids, including IVs.

Pain relief is usually needed and in my experience it is an essential part of the treatment of gut stasis. Not all analgesia causes sedation.

I do hope that your Rabbit is improving now. If she is still exhibiting symptoms today personally I would want a Rabbit savvy Vet to examine her again. A lot more information about what is going on in the GI tract can be obtained from a 'hands on' examination than just from seeing what is going in and coming out.

It may be useful for you to read this article about gut stasis :

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits/
 
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I tried to look at the article linked to by MightyMax and Jack's-Jane but it doesn't work on my phone. Could someone confirm it works for them?
 
Do you know if your vet did a blood glucose spot test?

This is how vets can tell if a blockage is likely or not.

If she does have an impaction im sure surgery is usually the only way to fix this?
 
Do you know if your vet did a blood glucose spot test?

This is how vets can tell if a blockage is likely or not.

If she does have an impaction im sure surgery is usually the only way to fix this?

Not necessarily, a full obstruction is a surgical emergency. An impaction could be treated medically xx
 
Oh I see Mighty Max. I thought they would always prescribe gut stimulants blockage situations. Interesting to know they don't always. Hope Coco is improving x
 
By impaction, I think he just meant that as she wasn't pooing normally, she had a lot of food stored that had nowhere to go, he said her gut sounded healthy so it didn't sound like there was a blockage

She seems like she's back to normal! Eating hay like crazy, scoffing all of her veggies, her poo's still aren't full size but they're bigger and look like they have the same texture as a normal poo and she seems to be going regularly, definitely not lethargic anymore and is hopping around like normal, so the Zantac seems to be working.

I've been waking up early each day and staying up late to give her fluids and medicine, so will be glad when all this has passed as I am ridiculously tired (all the stress of it probably doesn't help! :( )

I've got her booked in with my normal vet on Friday so will see whether Coco still seems impacted, but fingers crossed shes all better.

From reading the links you guys sent regarding GI Stasis it seems like she was in the beginning stages of it, where everything was slowing down, but she never completely stopped eating or pooing, either way I will double check with my normal vet that there's nothing else that could have caused it.
 
By impaction, I think he just meant that as she wasn't pooing normally, she had a lot of food stored that had nowhere to go, he said her gut sounded healthy so it didn't sound like there was a blockage

She seems like she's back to normal! Eating hay like crazy, scoffing all of her veggies, her poo's still aren't full size but they're bigger and look like they have the same texture as a normal poo and she seems to be going regularly, definitely not lethargic anymore and is hopping around like normal, so the Zantac seems to be working.

I've been waking up early each day and staying up late to give her fluids and medicine, so will be glad when all this has passed as I am ridiculously tired (all the stress of it probably doesn't help! :( )

I've got her booked in with my normal vet on Friday so will see whether Coco still seems impacted, but fingers crossed shes all better.

From reading the links you guys sent regarding GI Stasis it seems like she was in the beginning stages of it, where everything was slowing down, but she never completely stopped eating or pooing, either way I will double check with my normal vet that there's nothing else that could have caused it.

It is good to read a positive update in regards to Coco. I am sure your prompt action and fluids/medication helped her to recover. You mention your bunny does not want to drink and not getting enough fluids can be one of many reasons for stasis.
 
By impaction, I think he just meant that as she wasn't pooing normally, she had a lot of food stored that had nowhere to go, he said her gut sounded healthy so it didn't sound like there was a blockage

She seems like she's back to normal! Eating hay like crazy, scoffing all of her veggies, her poo's still aren't full size but they're bigger and look like they have the same texture as a normal poo and she seems to be going regularly, definitely not lethargic anymore and is hopping around like normal, so the Zantac seems to be working.

I've been waking up early each day and staying up late to give her fluids and medicine, so will be glad when all this has passed as I am ridiculously tired (all the stress of it probably doesn't help! :( )

I've got her booked in with my normal vet on Friday so will see whether Coco still seems impacted, but fingers crossed shes all better.

From reading the links you guys sent regarding GI Stasis it seems like she was in the beginning stages of it, where everything was slowing down, but she never completely stopped eating or pooing, either way I will double check with my normal vet that there's nothing else that could have caused it.

Really glad to hear about the improvement!

Yeah, that Vet Times link I posted is really helpful.

Also, if you've the time, you could watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg5-0ngWHXU

There can be impactions and slow downs in various places in the gut. Make sure the fluids and fibre are kept up!
 
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