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Gut stasis and critical care

Moonstone

Warren Scout
Millie has stasis, she saw the vet about 2 hours ago and was injected with two painkillers and a gut stimulant. He suggested if she's still not eating now I should start critical care. I'm just wondering how much I should give her in one go? She has eaten a small amount of mint (that I'd dipped in water to hydrate her) and has nibbled a little on parsley since being back from the vet but I haven't seen her eat anything substantial since 9pm last night. I'm aware that once I've force fed her she will not be force-feedable again. Will hide from me basically, but I don't want to shut off her tunnels (Rabbit Runaround) because that really stresses her out. So should I try to get a whole syringeful inside her? Or more even?
 
Millie has stasis, she saw the vet about 2 hours ago and was injected with two painkillers and a gut stimulant. He suggested if she's still not eating now I should start critical care. I'm just wondering how much I should give her in one go? She has eaten a small amount of mint (that I'd dipped in water to hydrate her) and has nibbled a little on parsley since being back from the vet but I haven't seen her eat anything substantial since 9pm last night. I'm aware that once I've force fed her she will not be force-feedable again. Will hide from me basically, but I don't want to shut off her tunnels (Rabbit Runaround) because that really stresses her out. So should I try to get a whole syringeful inside her? Or more even?

Did the Vet say what the cause of her gut stasis may be ? I assume that a full obstruction has been excluded ? Also, that the Vet checked her teeth ?

As for syringe feeds, how much to give depends on how much she weighs ??

If one of the pain killers she had was an opiate eg Vetergesic/Bupracare then this may make her extremely drowsy and less likely to eat for herself.

Has she still been passing some poo ?
 
Can you try her with some more of her favourite foods? Even if she is just nibbling this is a start, perhaps put some CC on a Dandelion leaf? Sending lots of eating vibes to your bunny.
 
Millie has stasis, she saw the vet about 2 hours ago and was injected with two painkillers and a gut stimulant. He suggested if she's still not eating now I should start critical care. I'm just wondering how much I should give her in one go? She has eaten a small amount of mint (that I'd dipped in water to hydrate her) and has nibbled a little on parsley since being back from the vet but I haven't seen her eat anything substantial since 9pm last night. I'm aware that once I've force fed her she will not be force-feedable again. Will hide from me basically, but I don't want to shut off her tunnels (Rabbit Runaround) because that really stresses her out. So should I try to get a whole syringeful inside her? Or more even?


Hi Moonstone

Sorry to hear about Millie.

Here are some guidelines about how often and how much CC to feed ..

http://www.oxbowaustralia.com/critical-care™-information-for-pet-owners/

Have you been given some gut motility meds and Metacam to administer at home over the next few days?
 
Thank you. I don't know whether a full obstruction has been excluded - would that require a scan? She's about 2.4kg, a little one. Her teeth were examined a month ago during a routine check and they were fine. It would make sense about the painkillers, she is drowsy. I haven't seen her pass any poo and I'm pretty sure she hasn't. The vet said to ring again at the end of the afternoon if she wasn't much improved.

I have put her favourite foods around her, she nibbled a little on hay, not remotely interested in pellets. I think I got about 5ml critical care into her, it's hard to guess as a lot of it went everywhere else, I decided to shut off the tunnels afterall, I was just too scared she'd hide in one and I wouldn't be able to check on her. I'm giving a short break from me now but will go back in shortly.
 
Thank you. I don't know whether a full obstruction has been excluded - would that require a scan? She's about 2.4kg, a little one. Her teeth were examined a month ago during a routine check and they were fine. It would make sense about the painkillers, she is drowsy. I haven't seen her pass any poo and I'm pretty sure she hasn't. The vet said to ring again at the end of the afternoon if she wasn't much improved.

I have put her favourite foods around her, she nibbled a little on hay, not remotely interested in pellets. I think I got about 5ml critical care into her, it's hard to guess as a lot of it went everywhere else, I decided to shut off the tunnels afterall, I was just too scared she'd hide in one and I wouldn't be able to check on her. I'm giving a short break from me now but will go back in shortly.


Your vet should have told you whether they suspect an obstruction. Put it this way, he/she wouldn't have sent you home and told you to syringe feed if there *had* been an obstruction.

You wouldn't really need a scan - did the vet take her temperature or take blood for a blood glucose test?


I'm glad to hear she's nibbling on something. Herbs (coriander, dill and parsley) are also good - serve them wet for added moisture :)
 
Thank you. I don't know whether a full obstruction has been excluded - would that require a scan? She's about 2.4kg, a little one. Her teeth were examined a month ago during a routine check and they were fine. It would make sense about the painkillers, she is drowsy. I haven't seen her pass any poo and I'm pretty sure she hasn't. The vet said to ring again at the end of the afternoon if she wasn't much improved.

I have put her favourite foods around her, she nibbled a little on hay, not remotely interested in pellets. I think I got about 5ml critical care into her, it's hard to guess as a lot of it went everywhere else, I decided to shut off the tunnels afterall, I was just too scared she'd hide in one and I wouldn't be able to check on her. I'm giving a short break from me now but will go back in shortly.

Sometimes a Vet can identify an obstruction from abdominal palpation, but usually other diagnostics are required to confirm it- a blood glucose test, a very raised blood glucose being indicative of an obstruction. An abdominal Xray may be done too.

If the Vet did not check your Rabbits teeth at the consultation today then Dental problems cant be ruled out. A lot can change within a month.

There is some information about gut stasis here :

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv
 
Thank you. I don't know whether a full obstruction has been excluded - would that require a scan? She's about 2.4kg, a little one. Her teeth were examined a month ago during a routine check and they were fine. It would make sense about the painkillers, she is drowsy. I haven't seen her pass any poo and I'm pretty sure she hasn't. The vet said to ring again at the end of the afternoon if she wasn't much improved.

I have put her favourite foods around her, she nibbled a little on hay, not remotely interested in pellets. I think I got about 5ml critical care into her, it's hard to guess as a lot of it went everywhere else, I decided to shut off the tunnels afterall, I was just too scared she'd hide in one and I wouldn't be able to check on her. I'm giving a short break from me now but will go back in shortly.


Just to add that output is as important as input so this is definitely something to discuss with your vet when you ring them later.

Good luck x
 
Thank you, that's all really helpful.

Millie was admitted to the hospital in Bath last night because she was worsening. I really liked the vet who examined her there, she was very thorough and by morning Millie was eating and pooing and being much more alert, to my immense relief. But... I had to spend the day in London (self-employed, no-one to cover for me, 16 people to train from all over the country and my first piece of work for a new client). Such a nightmare as I felt so torn and exhausted but there didn't seem to be anything I could do for her while she was in hospital anyway.

However, they said she was ready to leave in the afternoon and my husband collected her at 4pm with some medicine and instructions and didn't even read the instructions let alone give her the meds. I am so furious with him, I got home at half nine and she'd refused her evening pellets, wasn't eating again and was clearly in pain. There were instructions saying that she should have had cisapride and zantac syrup at 6pm. :shock: I got them into her at 9.45pm. She's now relaxed and has been nibbling but so far has only had two pellets and a small amount of readigrass. Am about to syringe some rabbit recovery plus into her because the instructions say to do that if she doesn't eat normally. But she was eating normally before she left hospital so I'm spitting chips. I had to get him to go and leave us alone because I didn't want Millie to be around my anger. He said there was no way he felt competent enough to syringe medicine into her and I said if he wasn't prepared to look after her he shouldn't have collected her. Duh!
 
Thank you, that's all really helpful.

Millie was admitted to the hospital in Bath last night because she was worsening. I really liked the vet who examined her there, she was very thorough and by morning Millie was eating and pooing and being much more alert, to my immense relief. But... I had to spend the day in London (self-employed, no-one to cover for me, 16 people to train from all over the country and my first piece of work for a new client). Such a nightmare as I felt so torn and exhausted but there didn't seem to be anything I could do for her while she was in hospital anyway.

However, they said she was ready to leave in the afternoon and my husband collected her at 4pm with some medicine and instructions and didn't even read the instructions let alone give her the meds. I am so furious with him, I got home at half nine and she'd refused her evening pellets, wasn't eating again and was clearly in pain. There were instructions saying that she should have had cisapride and zantac syrup at 6pm. :shock: I got them into her at 9.45pm. She's now relaxed and has been nibbling but so far has only had two pellets and a small amount of readigrass. Am about to syringe some rabbit recovery plus into her because the instructions say to do that if she doesn't eat normally. But she was eating normally before she left hospital so I'm spitting chips. I had to get him to go and leave us alone because I didn't want Millie to be around my anger. He said there was no way he felt competent enough to syringe medicine into her and I said if he wasn't prepared to look after her he shouldn't have collected her. Duh!



You're welcome :)

Oh dear, good news and bad then! You can't get the staff, can you?

In fairness though, rabbits that are eating in hospital often then stop when they get home.
I think they do it to scare their owners rigid :shock:

I'm sorry you've had such a stressful time, but I hope it's onwards and upwards from here on in :)
 
Thank you, MightyMax. Nice of Millie to scare me rigid! But yes, that is a comfort of sorts.
I just got food all over her face and down her front. She was spitting most of it back out again. Still, she was licking it off when I left her!
 
Thank you, MightyMax. Nice of Millie to scare me rigid! But yes, that is a comfort of sorts.
I just got food all over her face and down her front. She was spitting most of it back out again. Still, she was licking it off when I left her!


Rabbits usually manage to get it on the hooman as well as themselves.
I'm always amazed that by the morning they have cleaned themselves all up. Just in time for another dose to go down their frontage :roll:

Are you going to be up through the night doing this?
 
Hi. I'm sorry you are having so much worry over Millie. I've recently had a rabbit with multiple bouts of stasis lasting between a couple of hours and 3-4days. Just in case it you haven't tried any of these things/think these might benefit Millie in addition to meds from the vets I found mixing the critical care with baby food (fruit and veg purees) and juice rather than water made it more acceptable although we both still get covered in it. I also decided to syringe feed him water with a small amount of juice (pineapple but I understand apple is also good) in it as I didn't think he was drinking enough/at all. Fresh long green grass - a rare thing at the moment- I had to travel to find it, was what encouraged him to eat more than anything else bun everybun is different. He won't touch his pellets until he is completely better but when I've run out of critical care I've crushed pellets up to use instead. He sounds really gassy sometimes - very audible stomach noises so I give him some infacol when that happens. He has been well for a continuous week now[emoji4] so I really hope this is behind us. Really hoping millie continues to improve and that even a tiny bit of this might help you. I do understand how stressful it is x

Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
 
I went to bed at midnight, got up at 6am, she was worse, I took her back to the hospital and she's been admitted again.

She's not as ill as the first time she went in but they intend to keep her until at least tomorrow afternoon. I like the hospital. In the waiting area a dog started howling and scared her and I didn't even have to ask, they came rushing over to whisk us away to wait in an empty consulting room. They keep the rabbits in a separate building because they're sensitive and at the moment there is only one other bunny in there so I know she's getting some peace and quiet. As she was being taken away she started nibbling on some hay in her carrier!! :?

The vet said it was always nice for them to have them in early, she said many rabbits are owned by children and haven't eaten or pooed for days, often a week before they come in and there isn't really any hope for them. :(

They count the poos as they monitor them and apparently she did over 80 before they discharged her yesterday and was eating whatever they offered so they were surprised to see her again.

Thank you, Julia, baby food hadn't occurred to me but it really makes sense because she's much more likely to eat fresh things than pellets when she's ill. The vet also said to spray her basket with something calming before I bring her home.

Thanks all :love:
 
I went to bed at midnight, got up at 6am, she was worse, I took her back to the hospital and she's been admitted again.

She's not as ill as the first time she went in but they intend to keep her until at least tomorrow afternoon. I like the hospital. In the waiting area a dog started howling and scared her and I didn't even have to ask, they came rushing over to whisk us away to wait in an empty consulting room. They keep the rabbits in a separate building because they're sensitive and at the moment there is only one other bunny in there so I know she's getting some peace and quiet. As she was being taken away she started nibbling on some hay in her carrier!! :?

The vet said it was always nice for them to have them in early, she said many rabbits are owned by children and haven't eaten or pooed for days, often a week before they come in and there isn't really any hope for them. :(

They count the poos as they monitor them and apparently she did over 80 before they discharged her yesterday and was eating whatever they offered so they were surprised to see her again.

Thank you, Julia, baby food hadn't occurred to me but it really makes sense because she's much more likely to eat fresh things than pellets when she's ill. The vet also said to spray her basket with something calming before I bring her home.

Thanks all :love:

I do hope that with more intensive treatment at the Vets she will soon be a lot better xx
 
I went to bed at midnight, got up at 6am, she was worse, I took her back to the hospital and she's been admitted again.

She's not as ill as the first time she went in but they intend to keep her until at least tomorrow afternoon. I like the hospital. In the waiting area a dog started howling and scared her and I didn't even have to ask, they came rushing over to whisk us away to wait in an empty consulting room. They keep the rabbits in a separate building because they're sensitive and at the moment there is only one other bunny in there so I know she's getting some peace and quiet. As she was being taken away she started nibbling on some hay in her carrier!! :?

The vet said it was always nice for them to have them in early, she said many rabbits are owned by children and haven't eaten or pooed for days, often a week before they come in and there isn't really any hope for them. :(

They count the poos as they monitor them and apparently she did over 80 before they discharged her yesterday and was eating whatever they offered so they were surprised to see her again.

Thank you, Julia, baby food hadn't occurred to me but it really makes sense because she's much more likely to eat fresh things than pellets when she's ill. The vet also said to spray her basket with something calming before I bring her home.

Thanks all :love:


So sorry to hear she is worse today :(

However, she's in the right place and I hope things will improve very soon for her x
 
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