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Stasis prone bunnies - any prevention tips?

martlou

Warren Veteran
Ted has been in stasis again this week, a really bad bout this time and it's only 5 weeks since the last time. We took him to the out of hours vet on Monday night, usual drugs, obviously really uncomfortable on Tuesday morning so I took him back to the vet. They said he had an impacted mass and admitted him, straight onto a drip. He was then up and down for the next 48 hours. On Thursday dinner time we brought him home to see if he would pick up in his own surroundings and he did eat a few things so we kept him at home overnight and he's much better now (actually I think he's a little bit quiet at the moment but that might be because he's on so many drugs and fed up of us keeping picking him up). We went back for a check up yesterday and they were really pleased with his progress, and don't want to see him again until next Friday unless we have any other concerns. At the moment he's on Zantac, Emiprid and Buprecare 3 times a day and Loxicom once a day. The Buprecare finishes tonight.

We're supposed to be going to Florida next Saturday but we're putting off deciding whether to go - if he's not completely well then we'll stay at home.

What I'm wondering is, is there anything we can do to prevent this? There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. He's 8 in August, is a house rabbit with plenty of space to run round and a good, varied diet. He's a really good hay eater. I spend so much time worrying about him and if anyone could give us any tips at all to try and help with this I'd be really grateful.
 
Ted has been in stasis again this week, a really bad bout this time and it's only 5 weeks since the last time. We took him to the out of hours vet on Monday night, usual drugs, obviously really uncomfortable on Tuesday morning so I took him back to the vet. They said he had an impacted mass and admitted him, straight onto a drip. He was then up and down for the next 48 hours. On Thursday dinner time we brought him home to see if he would pick up in his own surroundings and he did eat a few things so we kept him at home overnight and he's much better now (actually I think he's a little bit quiet at the moment but that might be because he's on so many drugs and fed up of us keeping picking him up). We went back for a check up yesterday and they were really pleased with his progress, and don't want to see him again until next Friday unless we have any other concerns. At the moment he's on Zantac, Emiprid and Buprecare 3 times a day and Loxicom once a day. The Buprecare finishes tonight.

We're supposed to be going to Florida next Saturday but we're putting off deciding whether to go - if he's not completely well then we'll stay at home.

What I'm wondering is, is there anything we can do to prevent this? There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. He's 8 in August, is a house rabbit with plenty of space to run round and a good, varied diet. He's a really good hay eater. I spend so much time worrying about him and if anyone could give us any tips at all to try and help with this I'd be really grateful.

Oh dear :(

I always find Buprecare makes them 'quiet' and drowsy and I don't like to give it when I'm trying to get their guts up and running again. He must have been in quite some pain to have two lots of pain meds, poor lad :(

It totally depends on the rabbit, I find, as to the stasis episodes. I don't have many stasis episodes at all with my rabbits, but I've noticed in some it can be brought on by stress. In others it's perhaps a bit of something in the diet that caused too much wind. Then there's moulting, and I see the strings of pearls around the place.

I'm really sorry you're thinking of putting off your trip. Was he going to be boarded or was someone coming in to look after him?

If you didn't notice any change in behaviour, like not eating so much hay (could be dental issues) then it's really difficult to pin point. I know someone on here had tons of diagnostics because the stasis episodes were coming thick and fast.
 
What a worry. I've no idea what to suggest, as you say he is a good hay eater and I assume he only has about an eggcupful of pellets. Could it possibly be one of the veg? Some people find that cabbage doesn't agree with their rabbits. Mine are fine with it (touch wood) and love their spring greens. Hope you make it to Florida.
 
Oh dear :(

I always find Buprecare makes them 'quiet' and drowsy and I don't like to give it when I'm trying to get their guts up and running again. He must have been in quite some pain to have two lots of pain meds, poor lad :(

It totally depends on the rabbit, I find, as to the stasis episodes. I don't have many stasis episodes at all with my rabbits, but I've noticed in some it can be brought on by stress. In others it's perhaps a bit of something in the diet that caused too much wind. Then there's moulting, and I see the strings of pearls around the place.

I'm really sorry you're thinking of putting off your trip. Was he going to be boarded or was someone coming in to look after him?

If you didn't notice any change in behaviour, like not eating so much hay (could be dental issues) then it's really difficult to pin point. I know someone on here had tons of diagnostics because the stasis episodes were coming thick and fast.

What a worry. I've no idea what to suggest, as you say he is a good hay eater and I assume he only has about an eggcupful of pellets. Could it possibly be one of the veg? Some people find that cabbage doesn't agree with their rabbits. Mine are fine with it (touch wood) and love their spring greens. Hope you make it to Florida.

He looked in pain, really couldn't settle at all and the vet told me after she felt the mass that he would have been in quite a bit of pain :( I had read that it could make them drowsy but he seemed to be quite bright in the evening yesterday and this morning but a bit quieter this afternoon. I know under normal circumstances he can snooze on and off for hours, I'm just being paranoid I think. In the last couple of minutes he's up and eating hay from the litter tray.

He used to be bonded with a bunny that picked on him (though we didn't realise at first) and he had a few episodes. Their bond broke a few years ago after he was admitted after an episode for 3 nights and despite repeated efforts we couldn't rebond them and so now they live in the dining room, one on each side of the fence, so they can see and smell each other. Diet wise he has always had the same variety of veg, could it be the case that sometimes he'd be fine with it and others not? He very very rarely gets cabbage, sometimes a bit of curly kale, often a small piece of brocolli, half a green bean, small piece of carrot, bit of red pepper, few celery leaves - not all of them, usually 3 different things once a day. Pellets he has SS, about 10 pellets morning and evening, the odd one extra as a little treat. We buy bales of hay and he eats lots of it. Treat wise he has 1 or 2 fenugreek crunchies a day, dandelion leaves, bramble leaves.

We've never noticed any change in behaviour before he stops eating and his poos don't change beforehand either. There has been some debate between vets about whether he's got a couple of tiny spurs but there's no redness, ulceration, change in eating or dribbling. We've resisted an 'on spec' dental due to his age and it seems unlikely when he'll quite happily eat normally for weeks.

Re the holiday, the bunnies stay at home in familiar surroundings. MIL comes in the mornings to do breakfast and my parents come for tea time and cleaning. They're all aware that not eating is critical and would go the vet. Assuming we manage to get to Florida we would come home if there's any problem.

He does moult a fair bit but we try to keep the excess fur down. We very rarely see any strings of poo so I don't think he's ingesting too much fur.

Thanks for your responses.
 
Ted has been in stasis again this week, a really bad bout this time and it's only 5 weeks since the last time. We took him to the out of hours vet on Monday night, usual drugs, obviously really uncomfortable on Tuesday morning so I took him back to the vet. They said he had an impacted mass and admitted him, straight onto a drip. He was then up and down for the next 48 hours. On Thursday dinner time we brought him home to see if he would pick up in his own surroundings and he did eat a few things so we kept him at home overnight and he's much better now (actually I think he's a little bit quiet at the moment but that might be because he's on so many drugs and fed up of us keeping picking him up). We went back for a check up yesterday and they were really pleased with his progress, and don't want to see him again until next Friday unless we have any other concerns. At the moment he's on Zantac, Emiprid and Buprecare 3 times a day and Loxicom once a day. The Buprecare finishes tonight.

We're supposed to be going to Florida next Saturday but we're putting off deciding whether to go - if he's not completely well then we'll stay at home.

What I'm wondering is, is there anything we can do to prevent this? There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. He's 8 in August, is a house rabbit with plenty of space to run round and a good, varied diet. He's a really good hay eater. I spend so much time worrying about him and if anyone could give us any tips at all to try and help with this I'd be really grateful.

Did the Vet mention the exact location of the impacted mass ? Was it in his cecum ?
 

She said she might do an x-ray but I didn't specifically ask, we've been frantic about him and so relieved to see him picking up. We've just done his Zantac and then put down his pellets and he started eating straight away which relieved my concern a bit. We just really want to see him completely back to normal.

If it was an impacted cecum what would that mean for us? I've looked at the disease agents mentioned on those links and he has wood pellet litter not clay (which I'm sure he doesn't eat) and he has lots of hay. I don't know what the first bullet point means though.

I asked the vet if it would be possible to give a low dose of zantac (for example) once a day to try and keep things going but he said no as it has side effects if used long term (I didn't ask him what, I don't know why). He suggested regular tummy massages, where should we be massaging, for how long, how much pressure? I sound like an idiot that I didn't ask these questions as the time but my head's been all over the place in worrying about him so much.
 
He looked in pain, really couldn't settle at all and the vet told me after she felt the mass that he would have been in quite a bit of pain :( I had read that it could make them drowsy but he seemed to be quite bright in the evening yesterday and this morning but a bit quieter this afternoon. I know under normal circumstances he can snooze on and off for hours, I'm just being paranoid I think. In the last couple of minutes he's up and eating hay from the litter tray.

He used to be bonded with a bunny that picked on him (though we didn't realise at first) and he had a few episodes. Their bond broke a few years ago after he was admitted after an episode for 3 nights and despite repeated efforts we couldn't rebond them and so now they live in the dining room, one on each side of the fence, so they can see and smell each other. Diet wise he has always had the same variety of veg, could it be the case that sometimes he'd be fine with it and others not? He very very rarely gets cabbage, sometimes a bit of curly kale, often a small piece of brocolli, half a green bean, small piece of carrot, bit of red pepper, few celery leaves - not all of them, usually 3 different things once a day. Pellets he has SS, about 10 pellets morning and evening, the odd one extra as a little treat. We buy bales of hay and he eats lots of it. Treat wise he has 1 or 2 fenugreek crunchies a day, dandelion leaves, bramble leaves.

We've never noticed any change in behaviour before he stops eating and his poos don't change beforehand either. There has been some debate between vets about whether he's got a couple of tiny spurs but there's no redness, ulceration, change in eating or dribbling. We've resisted an 'on spec' dental due to his age and it seems unlikely when he'll quite happily eat normally for weeks.

Re the holiday, the bunnies stay at home in familiar surroundings. MIL comes in the mornings to do breakfast and my parents come for tea time and cleaning. They're all aware that not eating is critical and would go the vet. Assuming we manage to get to Florida we would come home if there's any problem.

He does moult a fair bit but we try to keep the excess fur down. We very rarely see any strings of poo so I don't think he's ingesting too much fur.

Thanks for your responses.

You're welcome :)

It's so difficult to know why they go into repeated stasis episodes. It does sound like Ted is sensitive and perhaps reacts more to stress.

When you said the vet could feel a mass and that he would be in pain, it wasn't a complete blockage they were thinking of? Did they say it was the same issue as previous stasis episodes, or a mass in a different part of his abdomen?

(sorry if you can't answer all these questions!)

Edited to add:

I've just found the article I was looking for:

http://rabbit.org/disorders-of-the-cecum/

According to my vet, a rabbit that has had cecal impaction is more likely to get it in the future, and diet is all important. Your rabbit seems to have a very good diet. I would just say that hay is very dry, and grass contains lots of moisture, so in some ways it could be a more helpful thing to feed regularly?
 
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Ted has been in stasis again this week, a really bad bout this time and it's only 5 weeks since the last time. We took him to the out of hours vet on Monday night, usual drugs, obviously really uncomfortable on Tuesday morning so I took him back to the vet. They said he had an impacted mass and admitted him, straight onto a drip. He was then up and down for the next 48 hours. On Thursday dinner time we brought him home to see if he would pick up in his own surroundings and he did eat a few things so we kept him at home overnight and he's much better now (actually I think he's a little bit quiet at the moment but that might be because he's on so many drugs and fed up of us keeping picking him up). We went back for a check up yesterday and they were really pleased with his progress, and don't want to see him again until next Friday unless we have any other concerns. At the moment he's on Zantac, Emiprid and Buprecare 3 times a day and Loxicom once a day. The Buprecare finishes tonight.

We're supposed to be going to Florida next Saturday but we're putting off deciding whether to go - if he's not completely well then we'll stay at home.

What I'm wondering is, is there anything we can do to prevent this? There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. He's 8 in August, is a house rabbit with plenty of space to run round and a good, varied diet. He's a really good hay eater. I spend so much time worrying about him and if anyone could give us any tips at all to try and help with this I'd be really grateful.


We had the problem years ago that one or both our rabbits would get it at least once every two months. In the end we found that it was corn causing it. Their stomachs can't digest the kernel husks and we used to give them small cut-offs to chew on. Apart form that we had a specific brand of food that they LOVED that was all colorful goodies and bits and when we checked the actual make up of the mix we found it was filled with corn. Most of the "snack" like foods you can buy for rabbits is complete junk to their systems and contains corn as well. When you buy pellets check by taking some out and make sure there aren't any corn pieces visible. We removed that and changed the diet to standard pellets, hay and fresh mint/parsley for snacks and we haven't had one case in the last 6 years. It stopped immediately.

We also have specific mix we immediately give them when the symptoms appear. This is just to keep them going until we can get to a vet (here in SA there are not a lot of vets who are familiar with rabbits and sometimes it is a day or two before ours can see us)

What you should keep on hand is Darrows and pro-biotic powder (both from the vet) as well as aloe vera extract (we buy a thinned version from a pharmacy/drug store). We mix the Darrows and pro-biotic with the aloe vera and some water feed it to them with a syringe. The pro-biotic you put in their water as well. The Darrows keep their energy up and keep them moving which is good for getting the stomach going, it also helps with re-hydration. The aloe vera makes the stomach move and the pro-biotic keeps everything healthy inside. Usually this actually clears up the case on the first night before you even go to the vet but I would not take chances.

Once you have given them the mix, massage their body from front to back with your fingers on the stomach and intestines, not on the back or sides as their spleen and ribs are very fragile and sensitive. You will actually feel the hard areas on their insides (like little balloons) just keep massaging from front to back with firm pressure but not so that you hurt them, same as you would on an infant. We usually stopped when they start passing gas :)
Do this in the morning and evening.
 
Ted has been in stasis again this week, a really bad bout this time and it's only 5 weeks since the last time. We took him to the out of hours vet on Monday night, usual drugs, obviously really uncomfortable on Tuesday morning so I took him back to the vet. They said he had an impacted mass and admitted him, straight onto a drip. He was then up and down for the next 48 hours. On Thursday dinner time we brought him home to see if he would pick up in his own surroundings and he did eat a few things so we kept him at home overnight and he's much better now (actually I think he's a little bit quiet at the moment but that might be because he's on so many drugs and fed up of us keeping picking him up). We went back for a check up yesterday and they were really pleased with his progress, and don't want to see him again until next Friday unless we have any other concerns. At the moment he's on Zantac, Emiprid and Buprecare 3 times a day and Loxicom once a day. The Buprecare finishes tonight.

We're supposed to be going to Florida next Saturday but we're putting off deciding whether to go - if he's not completely well then we'll stay at home.

What I'm wondering is, is there anything we can do to prevent this? There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. He's 8 in August, is a house rabbit with plenty of space to run round and a good, varied diet. He's a really good hay eater. I spend so much time worrying about him and if anyone could give us any tips at all to try and help with this I'd be really grateful.


We had the problem years ago that one or both our rabbits would get it at least once every two months. In the end we found that it was corn causing it. Their stomachs can't digest the kernel husks and we used to give them small cut-offs to chew on. Apart form that we had a specific brand of food that they LOVED that was all colorful goodies and bits and when we checked the actual make up of the mix we found it was filled with corn. Most of the "snack" like foods you can buy for rabbits is complete junk to their systems and contains corn as well. When you buy pellets check by taking some out and make sure there aren't any corn pieces visible. We removed that and changed the diet to standard pellets, hay and fresh mint/parsley for snacks and we haven't had one case in the last 6 years. It stopped immediately.

We also have specific mix we immediately give them when the symptoms appear. This is just to keep them going until we can get to a vet (here in SA there are not a lot of vets who are familiar with rabbits and sometimes it is a day or two before ours can see us)

What you should keep on hand is Darrows and pro-biotic powder (both from the vet) as well as aloe vera extract (we buy a thinned version from a pharmacy/drug store). We mix the Darrows and pro-biotic with the aloe vera and some water feed it to them with a syringe. The pro-biotic you put in their water as well. The Darrows keep their energy up and keep them moving which is good for getting the stomach going, it also helps with re-hydration. The aloe vera makes the stomach move and the pro-biotic keeps everything healthy inside. Usually this actually clears up the case on the first night before you even go to the vet but I would not take chances.

Once you have given them the mix, massage their body from front to back with your fingers on the stomach and intestines, not on the back or sides as their spleen and ribs are very fragile and sensitive. You will actually feel the hard areas on their insides (like little balloons) just keep massaging from front to back with firm pressure but not so that you hurt them, same as you would on an infant. We usually stopped when they start passing gas :)
Do this in the morning and evening.
 
Some bunnies don't seem to be able to tolerate pellets or vegetables. Also daily peppermint tea can be helpful for stasis-prone bunnies.
 
We went through a similar thing with Harley Every 6 weeks he would go into stasis.

We had every test done that we could but they all came back negative. All we did was to increase his hay intake and give him a much bigger hutch and attached run as well as cutting down on kale and brocolli as veggies can cause a build up of gas. We also put a powder probiotic in his water that we got from pets at home.

Nowadays if he has a stasis episode it's normally because he has a spur on his tooth that he has cut his tongue on. We always have a bottle of metacam, bottle of gut motility (metroclopimide or emerpidd sp?) and Infacol in the house.
 
Just a thought regarding the comment on corn, Fenugreek crunchies contain corn, so may be try cutting them out completely? It may not make any difference, but you never know. Hoping you get to the bottom of the tummy troubles. I too have a bun who suffers from bouts of tummy trouble, he actually had a bout last night, and I cant get to the bottom of what is causing it. He can be fine one minute and then have tummy pain suddenly and I dont know what causes it. I know what a worry it is and how frustrating it is as to what is causing it. Sending your bun healing vibes. Xxx
 
Thanks all and particularly the comments about corn in food and fenugreek crunchies. The last time Ted had stasis it was the morning after he'd had a fenugreek crunchie from a new packet and I had mentioned to husband that those in the new packet looked a bit different. After that episode we didn't give them for a few weeks but I just thought I was being paranoid and it was a coincidence so a week or so ago we reintroduced them. That could well be the problem, thank you. We will not give them to the bunnies any more.

I've checked the ingredient list for SS and there's no corn on it (unless it's under a different name) and I've certainly never seen anything corn looking in there. They've never had fresh corn and they don't get any other kind of treats apart form the dried / fresh herbs and grasses. I think to be on the absolute safe side we'll cut out any brocolli or anything else from the cabbage family (which is very little anyway) and see if this helps at all.

Thank you all, it would be amazing if we found the route of the problem. We've been desperately worried about him and much as I want to be able to go on our holiday I'm sure we'll be worrying about him whilst we're away as well. If we can cut these things out and improve things that would be brilliant.
 
I worry about mine constantly and if they don't go for their nuggets the minute I give them I go from 0 to panic in 0.1 second!

The best thing to do is to have people you trust looking after them while you are away.
 
Interesting on the fenugreek crunchies. I've just checked the ingredients and there are only two, corn and fenugreek, so they are obviously mostly corn. There is no corn in Science Selective. Worth a try to rule it out, as you say.
 
I worry about mine constantly and if they don't go for their nuggets the minute I give them I go from 0 to panic in 0.1 second!

The best thing to do is to have people you trust looking after them while you are away.

Same here! Ted in particular. Rosie mooches about and comes and goes for bits until it's all gone but Ted normally hoovers them up immediately. We do trust that they'd know to go to the vet straight away and at least there are flights from Florida every day so we should be able to get back fairly quickly.

Interesting on the fenugreek crunchies. I've just checked the ingredients and there are only two, corn and fenugreek, so they are obviously mostly corn. There is no corn in Science Selective. Worth a try to rule it out, as you say.

I've never looked at the ingredients before, but yes 98% corn and 2% fenugreek so that's the last the bunnies have seen of them. Good to know that SS has no corn.
 
Some bunnies don't seem to be able to tolerate pellets or vegetables. Also daily peppermint tea can be helpful for stasis-prone bunnies.

I 100% concur with this. I have found that one of the main things that helps a Rabbit with GI tract motility problems, especially those related to the cecum, is to slowly move the Rabbit onto a 100% pellet free diet. I only wish I had realised this years ago as I feel certain I could have prevented several of my previous Rabbits from suffering from alot of GI tract problems.

Obviously any dietary changes need to be done with extreme care and tailored to fit the needs of the individual Rabbit. There is no 'one size fits all'. It is also important to monitor the Rabbit's weight carefully by weighing them ever 2-3 days.

So far I have not had one Rabbit who has been adversely effected from having a pellet free diet.

The only 'pellet' I may offer as an occasional treat is a tiny bit of Fibafirst stick

I would ask the Vet about having Cisipride as a prokinetic should more treatment be needed.

It has been brought to our attention recently that people are finding it difficult to obtain Cisapride. This statement from RWAF vet Richard Saunders should make the present situation clear

"Your vet can obtain cisapride from abroad, but this requires a certain amount of paperwork and delay, and is done on a "named patient basis" ie only for a specific rabbit, which means that it is difficult to hold it in stock, to start treatment immediately. There is now a UK source, which allows for more rapid ordering and less delay in getting the drug in, and allows vets to stock it for urgent situations. At present this is only available in tablet form, but it can be converted into liquid form by another company. This can be done as required, or vets can hold the liquid in stock for emergencies. Bear in mind that vets are often reluctant to do so as such medications may, if not used frequently, go out of date, and so tablets, which can be given directly to rabbits, or crushed and administered mixed with food or other carrier substances, are often more practical. The suspension may be a good option in chronic cases where rabbits need the drug on a less urgent, longer term basis, and owners are finding it more difficult to give medication in tablet form"



http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Cisapride.htm

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/managing-gi-stasis-in-rabbits/
 
I've found some bunnies are so much more sensitive than others, When I had my quad they would trough through mountains of forage, but one leaf of some things would set Boots off tummy pressing. He's ok with broccoli, small amounts of carrot but I don't give him any cabbage at all.

Could you get a webcam set up for when you go away so you can keep an eye on him?
 
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