Another case of stasis

Hi All,

I hope you dont mind me coming on here to ask for help or perhaps just a bit of support. Unfortunately Bubbles is having another case of stasis. He's been fine all morning going to the toilet and eating and then at midday went really quiet. I gave him 3 hours in case he was just tired or a little unsettled but he became quieter and quieter. He was taken into the vets at 3pm, given metacam and metacloprimide and he still remains quiet. No eating no going to the toilet but as his tummy is full he isnt being syringe fed at the moment. Also his stomach hasnt filled with gas. How quickly generally have you seen rabbits pick up after those meds if we are only in the early stages. I'm tempted to give him another 2 hours then make another dash to the vets hospital.

Thank you
x

Dem said:

Hi All,

I hope you dont mind me coming on here to ask for help or perhaps just a bit of support. Unfortunately Bubbles is having another case of stasis. He's been fine all morning going to the toilet and eating and then at midday went really quiet. I gave him 3 hours in case he was just tired or a little unsettled but he became quieter and quieter. He was taken into the vets at 3pm, given metacam and metacloprimide and he still remains quiet. No eating no going to the toilet but as his tummy is full he isnt being syringe fed at the moment. Also his stomach hasnt filled with gas. How quickly generally have you seen rabbits pick up after those meds if we are only in the early stages. I'm tempted to give him another 2 hours then make another dash to the vets hospital.

Thank you
x

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To be fair, I have turned stasis rabbits around in less than half an hour, but in general I would allow a day or two if you've caught it really early and there's no gas. I think it may be quicker than this though.

Some light reading?


http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv/basic

http://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/

I do use Infacol and tummy rubs, which sometimes single handedly gets them back on track.

If you or your vet can identify a cause of the stasis, so much the better. Very often it's not possible, and we just get them through the current episode

Good luck xx

MightyMax said:

To be fair, I have turned stasis rabbits around in less than half an hour, but in general I would allow a day or two if you've caught it really early and there's no gas. I think it may be quicker than this though.

Some light reading?


http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv/basic

http://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/

I do use Infacol and tummy rubs, which sometimes single handedly gets them back on track.

If you or your vet can identify a cause of the stasis, so much the better. Very often it's not possible, and we just get them through the current episode

Good luck xx

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Thanks. I'm surprised he is going downhill still as he was fine and ate plenty of hay at lunchtime. He did this before though when we got it early and continued to deteriorate at an alarming rate even when on medication. He has to wait until 11:30 for the next does of metacloprimide and he has had metacam which should go until lunchtime tomorrow. I fear ranitodine, cisapride and syringe feeding maybe the evenings activity for my little man.

i'm sobbing away as hes loved so much and we have no idea of the trigger this time (yet again). No teeth issues, no change to diet, hes a house bunny and no changes to there. It seems the wind changes and this little fella has an outbreak. The last confirmed case was late march 2016 so its at least a yearly activity.

Dem said:

Thanks. I'm surprised he is going downhill still as he was fine and ate plenty of hay at lunchtime. He did this before though when we got it early and continued to deteriorate at an alarming rate even when on medication. He has to wait until 11:30 for the next does of metacloprimide and he has had metacam which should go until lunchtime tomorrow. I fear ranitodine, cisapride and syringe feeding maybe the evenings activity for my little man.

i'm sobbing away as hes loved so much and we have no idea of the trigger this time (yet again). No teeth issues, no change to diet, hes a house bunny and no changes to there. It seems the wind changes and this little fella has an outbreak. The last confirmed case was late march 2016 so its at least a yearly activity.

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You're welcome


I wonder if it's to do with a moult?

Hair doesn't necessarily cause gut stasis, but it may slow down gut motility.

I'm usually not a fan of 'making a rabbit move about when in stasis', but if you think it's the right thing to do - go for it. If he's not 100% lethargic, then perhaps a spell out in the fresh air (if it can be managed safely) or something excitingly different, may trigger his appetite back?

What a worry!
I don't think you should syringe feed, should you, if there are no droppings?

Could you try to tempt him to eat some Bramble leaves, or Willow or Hawthorn? Sometimes trying these types of foods will help in getting a rabbit to start nibbling again. Try annoying him with it by waving it in his face. If he does, then soak them in water first so that he gets some fluids.

Poor baby. I've got a stasis prone bun and i'm a big fan of infacol and some gentle tummy rubs. Once done I try to leave him alone and hope that he perks up.
Are his stasis episodes a regular thing? Sometimes it takes a bit of investigating to get to the bottom of the problem. It took me around 6 months and that was with the help of a very good vet and all the lovely people on this forum With my bun the problem was pellets, he'd always had the same ones so I was convinced that they couldn't be the problem but since stopping them he has been fine!
Maybe list everything that he eats and go from there? xx

Oh no poor Bubbles [emoji17] It's such a worry when they're poorly [emoji17]One of my buns had two bouts of stasis at the end of last year. As with Bubbles, my vet couldn't find a reason for it. The first time he started to perk up an hour or two after the first set of meds. The second time he didn't eat for himself at all for the first 24 hours and had to be syringe fed. It took about 4 days for him to recover.

I really hope Bubbles starts to pick up soon and I agree with offering some fresh food to tempt him to eat


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Hi Everyone,

I tried all his favourites to tempt him but it didn't work, i got to 6pm and i made the dreaded call, the vets have decided to start treatment at the animal hospital. Luckily they are a 24 hour a day set up and are incredibly good with rabbits. I looked like the mad rabbit lady as i went in sobbing with Bubbles in his carrier. They were very kind though. They wont be syringe feeding yet as his tummy is full. But his temperature has dropped so he will go into a heated kennel and they will get his fluids up. I gave them a list of his favourites and i will go back in tonight for a visit before bed.

I've sobbed all the way home in the car and i've got myself into such a muddle. Until i had him i really didn't realise the love you could have for such a small fur baby.

x

Sending Bubbles loads of vibes. I'm pleased that you feel confident with your vet and hope that the fluids help him.

Dem said:

Hi Everyone,

I tried all his favourites to tempt him but it didn't work, i got to 6pm and i made the dreaded call, the vets have decided to start treatment at the animal hospital. Luckily they are a 24 hour a day set up and are incredibly good with rabbits. I looked like the mad rabbit lady as i went in sobbing with Bubbles in his carrier. They were very kind though. They wont be syringe feeding yet as his tummy is full. But his temperature has dropped so he will go into a heated kennel and they will get his fluids up. I gave them a list of his favourites and i will go back in tonight for a visit before bed.

I've sobbed all the way home in the car and i've got myself into such a muddle. Until i had him i really didn't realise the love you could have for such a small fur baby.

x

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Sorry to hear his temperature has dropped, but pleased he is being taken care of by rabbit savvy vets

Yes, they well and truly get under your skin, and there's no denying they are the most beautiful and wonderful creatures on earth

Sorry I'm late here.
Millions and billions of vibes being sent xx

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Lots of vibes for your Bubbles.

Still thinking of you.

Any news on Bubbles?

Thanks for your support. I have just called the vet and he is taking the syringe feed now but refusing to eat himself or go to the toilet. But he is relatively settled and his temperature has come up so i am desperately keeping my fingers crossed. I will call at 7 am and get another update before the day vets take over.

Dem said:

Thanks for your support. I have just called the vet and he is taking the syringe feed now but refusing to eat himself or go to the toilet. But he is relatively settled and his temperature has come up so i am desperately keeping my fingers crossed. I will call at 7 am and get another update before the day vets take over.

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I'm really glad to hear that his temperature has come up now. Very good news

Overnight vibes for more good news, and hugs for you x

Sending more vibes for Bubbles. I hope he has improved overnight.

MightyMax said:

I'm really glad to hear that his temperature has come up now. Very good news

Overnight vibes for more good news, and hugs for you x

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Well i just made the call, he is ok, fairly bright ish and will hop around when let lose. He wont eat or poo and is being syringe fed every 4 hours. We have to wait now for the rabbit day vets to arrive and decide if we continue as we are and wait or have look to make sure there is no blockage.

Weirdly he ate a massive amount of hay yesterday, he always eats it but seemed to really enjoy it more than usual. I always have two permanent hay racks in his hutch with fresh hay 24 hours a day. It was mentioned that this may have caused the problem as over eating hay (which is dry) can bloat them out and slow the gut down.

I'm now really scared of how to handle things when i get him home (fingers crossed). Basically he has a small amount of pellets split over two meals (morning and night), fresh greens a couple of times a day (again not massive amounts as i don't want to encourage diarrhoea), in the better weather he does get a lot of scissor cut grass which i wean him onto slowly so as not to upset his tummy and he does get out during the day on the lawn too, and then permanent good quality hay.

Yesterday breakfast was normal, he had a run around in the house then i popped him away while i was doing cleaning (i never have him out if there is a hint of a cleaning chemical) he had some cut grass in his indoor house and masses of hay (which is what he ate lots of)

Am i doing this all wrong? And is this all my fault?

We are almost a year to the day since the last outbreak

x

From what you have described, I would not consider that you have done anything wrong with his food. Yes, hay is dry, but in my experience rabbits usually make up for this by drinking lots of water. The grass and fresh greens that he had yesterday will also have hydrated him. It is always very difficult to pinpoint an actual cause for digestive issues and in Bubbles' case it might have been that his tummy was uncomfortable and he therefore ate more hay to try to make it feel better. It is impossible to say.

When he comes home, I personally would not change the amount of hay that you provide. The only possible change to his diet that I might make would be to replace the fresh greens with herbs or fresh forage. Also make sure that he has plenty of water to drink. Rabbits always seem to drink more from a bowl than a bottle. Perhaps discuss all of this with the vet before he is discharged.

Omi said:

From what you have described, I would not consider that you have done anything wrong with his food. Yes, hay is dry, but in my experience rabbits usually make up for this by drinking lots of water. The grass and fresh greens that he had yesterday will also have hydrated him. It is always very difficult to pinpoint an actual cause for digestive issues and in Bubbles' case it might have been that his tummy was uncomfortable and he therefore ate more hay to try to make it feel better. It is impossible to say.

When he comes home, I personally would not change the amount of hay that you provide. The only possible change to his diet that I might make would be to replace the fresh greens with herbs or fresh forage. Also make sure that he has plenty of water to drink. Rabbits always seem to drink more from a bowl than a bottle. Perhaps discuss all of this with the vet before he is discharged.

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Hi,

Bubbles is an awkward bunny and is already a bowl drinking bunny, he wont touch a bottle. But he isnt one to drink a lot. I have only ever seen him drink a handful of times in 3 years. i wonder if there is anyway to encourage him to drink more??

Thank you so much for your comments. I will try a lot more herbs in his diet.

x