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Two issues - Another case of stasis and contraceptives

Dem

Young Bun
Hi All,

We've been clear of stasis for a few weeks now and then Bubbles went all quiet last night so we made the mad dash to the vets at 9:30pm. As he's funny about staying in he was sent home with all the meds and we started treatment last night, although he has passed a few droppings and had small mouthfuls of food, he is still extremely quiet. Will this ever end! :censored:

We talked to the vets on friday about neutering and they came up with another solution of putting him on contraceptives? I've never heard of that so thought i would run it past you guys first. They thought it wise to try in case him being so amorous has become a learnt behaviour rather than hormonal. Anyway we haven't tried yet as he had his RHD2 vaccine on friday and with this latest case of stasis we just want him to settle again. But i wanted some opinions before pursuing it.

D x
 
Hi All,

We've been clear of stasis for a few weeks now and then Bubbles went all quiet last night so we made the mad dash to the vets at 9:30pm. As he's funny about staying in he was sent home with all the meds and we started treatment last night, although he has passed a few droppings and had small mouthfuls of food, he is still extremely quiet. Will this ever end! :censored:

We talked to the vets on friday about neutering and they came up with another solution of putting him on contraceptives? I've never heard of that so thought i would run it past you guys first. They thought it wise to try in case him being so amorous has become a learnt behaviour rather than hormonal. Anyway we haven't tried yet as he had his RHD2 vaccine on friday and with this latest case of stasis we just want him to settle again. But i wanted some opinions before pursuing it.

D x

I expect the Vet meant a hormone implant- something like Lupron ? Is neutering out of the question because of other health issues ? Could his repeated episodes of stasis be because he is so frustrated ?
 
Hi All,

We've been clear of stasis for a few weeks now and then Bubbles went all quiet last night so we made the mad dash to the vets at 9:30pm. As he's funny about staying in he was sent home with all the meds and we started treatment last night, although he has passed a few droppings and had small mouthfuls of food, he is still extremely quiet. Will this ever end! :censored:

We talked to the vets on friday about neutering and they came up with another solution of putting him on contraceptives? I've never heard of that so thought i would run it past you guys first. They thought it wise to try in case him being so amorous has become a learnt behaviour rather than hormonal. Anyway we haven't tried yet as he had his RHD2 vaccine on friday and with this latest case of stasis we just want him to settle again. But i wanted some opinions before pursuing it.

D x

Hi Dem,

Why does your vet not wish to neuter Bubbles?
 
The vet was reluctant for two reasons, firstly the stasis and secondly they've seen rabbits where the neutering makes no difference as it becomes a learnt behaviour. He's only been inside a few weeks, he wont have learnt this in that short time would he?

The stasis i do get, the wind seems to change and bubbles' gut seems to have a tantrum.

But i didn't see their rabbit specialist. So i called this morning and have asked him to call me back for a chat when convenient. I too am concerned that this latest case of stasis is linked to the frustration and i'm wondering if this is the lesser of two evils
 
Sorry should have added that i wasnt sure which drug they were suggesting. The vet i saw was more of a GP so i do need to speak to the rabbit expert i think before ruling in or out.
 
Sorry should have added that i wasnt sure which drug they were suggesting. The vet i saw was more of a GP so i do need to speak to the rabbit expert i think before ruling in or out.

Personally I would prefer to neuter rather than use a hormone treatment. I am a tad confused as to why the Vet thought hormone treatment would help if the 'amorous' behaviour is learned (which I also doubt, personally). It seems to contradict what they said about neutering not helping :?
 
The vet was reluctant for two reasons, firstly the stasis and secondly they've seen rabbits where the neutering makes no difference as it becomes a learnt behaviour. He's only been inside a few weeks, he wont have learnt this in that short time would he?

The stasis i do get, the wind seems to change and bubbles' gut seems to have a tantrum.

But i didn't see their rabbit specialist. So i called this morning and have asked him to call me back for a chat when convenient. I too am concerned that this latest case of stasis is linked to the frustration and i'm wondering if this is the lesser of two evils

I would certainly consider neutering first. Behaviour such as you're suggesting can easily be 'unlearned' when hormones have died down (approx 12 weeks after neutering).



I think a chat with a specialist is in order too. For the stasis, certainly to try and pinpoint a possible cause :D
 
thanks guys, i think i need to speak to the expert rather than letting this one go. I'm wondering if fridays vet was thinking to try hormones first and see if he stops being quite so amorous??? if it does we know its hormonal and not learnt as opposed to putting him through and op to find he still does it??? i'm not sure but clearly i'm as confused as you guys.:D

I'm off out to cut some grass and forage as i need to get Bubbles eating well again and he is turning his nose up at my current offerings.

But i shall call them if i dont hear back today and i will keep you posted. You're right MightyMax I also need to deal with this stasis situation and find out why it keeps happening

D x
 
I have heard of - and experienced to a small degree - learned male behaviour such as spraying etc. Two of our boys - Prudhoe and Joey - were exceptional sprayers before being neutered and it's taken along time for them to stop doing it - but it is getting less and less nowadays, so it's not something I would worry about.

However - I suppose there is the danger of stasis from undergoing the surgery of neutering.

Hopefully your rabbit expert will be able to provide more answers for you.
 
Personally I would prefer to neuter rather than use a hormone treatment. I am a tad confused as to why the Vet thought hormone treatment would help if the 'amorous' behaviour is learned (which I also doubt, personally). It seems to contradict what they said about neutering not helping :?
I agree.
Even if it is a learnt behaviour there are still benefits to neutering (reducing cancer risks etc) and neutering could reduce hormones and help with other behaviours, training etc.
Having a lower set of hormones in his system can also help stasis I would imagine as he wouldn't be so on edge etc

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
 
thanks guys, i think i need to speak to the expert rather than letting this one go. I'm wondering if fridays vet was thinking to try hormones first and see if he stops being quite so amorous??? if it does we know its hormonal and not learnt as opposed to putting him through and op to find he still does it??? i'm not sure but clearly i'm as confused as you guys.:D

I'm off out to cut some grass and forage as i need to get Bubbles eating well again and he is turning his nose up at my current offerings.

But i shall call them if i dont hear back today and i will keep you posted. You're right MightyMax I also need to deal with this stasis situation and find out why it keeps happening

D x

It's always good to try and find out, but sometimes (for whatever reason) the cause remains hidden and stasis just keeps occurring. In those instances, it's about managing the issue long term with drug therapy to make sure it never gets out of hand x
 
I'm in agreement with you all. I think if before the op we prepared and then afterwards we went onto the meds to prevent stasis and keep his tummy turning over i'm thinking we could get through it without too much stress.
 
My 6 buns all got neutered at 12 weeks (3 girls, 3 boys from same litter) Cosmo still spays wee all over his wife bun and the others if any out of the other groups are near. Some of them still hump, for dominance not for friskiness, The all have certain buns who they dislike out of the other groups and would fight if i let them near each other. Mum and dad buns got neutered nearly a year ago and the 6 babies got done 8 months ago. I dont know if its learned behaviour or just because they share a lot of the same spaces but i dont regret having them done. I think you are asking all the right questions and are getting some great advice. You also might want to bond him to another bun in the future and it would be easier if he was neutered. Your doing a great job xxxxx
 
Neutering a male is a routine operation, the risk of stasis would come from the anaesthetic (slows the gut down) and the pain afterward. These can be managed with preemptive gut stimulants and metacam though. Most males bounce back within a couple of days.
But if he is having frequent stasis episodes then I think these do need to be investigated more first, to see if you can stabilise them. Not sure how long this has been going on, but it would be worth looking up the symptoms of a gut slowdown and watching him carefully to see what his own signs are, as you may be able to catch it before it becomes full-blown stasis and start him off on fibreplex, critical care and gut stimulants to stop it escalating. I'd talk to your vet about what to look out for and preventative measures. I'd also look at his diet, sometimes stasis-prone bunnies need very strict diets, there was even one bunny on here a few years ago that could only have hay, even grass was too rich for her.
 
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