Evo @ vets again..... diet questions

Poor boy . Same old story.... tummy ache. He was fine this morning, ate all his breakfast, but went all quiet & didn't poo from about 10 onwards. He's cost me a fortune, already been to the vet once this week to get some treatment for mites!!!! ( A whole other story. :lol: )

Anyone got any advice? I don't want this to happen to him again, it makes him so miserable. Could anything else be casunig this other than diet?

His diet at the moment is just a small amount of pellets and hay - no veggies. I'm sure he has less prolems when he was eating veg does anyone think it's worth reintroducing a few "safe" veggies such as carrots again, or is this likely to further agitate the problem?

Thanks in advance.

Laura XXX

I'm no expert but i would have thought some veggies would help the poo go through?? Does he ever have poos which are strung together or do they get very small before he stops pooing? or does he just simply suddenly stop?

Ok Laura.. if u come on msn later tonight msg me as im chatting to some breeders about Evo to see what they say.
They suggest maybe he needs long stem fibre and maybe give him a little weetabix. She also says giving him a bit of carrot probably wouldnt hurt.
Does he drink alot of water/have free access to water all the time?
Hope he is better soon

Hi Laura

Poor Evo.

Did your vet suggest cutting out veggies altogether - only asking this as my vet thought veggies should be increased, and pellets cut down to very little.

As you know Rob had lots of tummy/statis problems during the middle of last year, when we had endless vet trips. My vet reckoned Rob might not have been drinking enough water, and that veggies, washed, and left slightly wet, would be a good way of supplementing his water intake.

Since he came out hospital in August, Rob's daily diet has been unlimited fresh hay, two bowls of veg/herbs, some supaforage, and a very small amount of pellets (SS - high fibre and probiotic). I wash his veg/herbs, leave it wet, and supplement it with Avipro. He seems to be thriving on this as we have had no statis problems since . He has also lost almost 1kg, which is great as he was overweight He gets fruit as a treat now - nothing else at all.

I'm not suggesting it is anything to do with the diet Evo is being given as I know you have been changing Evos diet in accordance with the vet to try and find out the foods causing the problems. Just wanted to let you know what seems to be working for Rob . It seems to always be different for different buns, which makes things quite confusing :?

Does Evo always need medication to get things moving again when he stops pooing ? Again, when Rob was ill (I sound like a broken record :wink: :wink: ), as a last resort my vet done a barium enema to try and locate the exact problem. This involves a series of xrays taken whilst he was under aneasthetic. It follows the barium travelling :? through the whole digestive system, to identify where it slows down / stops etc. Haven't described this well, but it did identify that Robs problems were colonic, and this was not the original diagnosis.

However, as said, this was a last resort for me, and I only wanted this done when Rob was in a lot of pain, as I do worry about any type of intrusive procedure with bunnies.

Hope Evo is feeling better soon.

Aw eck! - Poor Little Evo - just when we thought he was behaving himself eh!! -

Buffs used to be prone to Statis probs but now her diet seems to suit her and we've had no further panics for around 10 months now - I know how difficult this can be - its almost a process of elimination to find what suits the bunny best :?
I know there is much debate on bunny diets but I do think a small amount of fresh herbs help - I've heard fennel particularly is good by their tums - but everything I give my trouble bundles is washed and left quite wet to hopefully aid digestion and help with water intake.

Sending cuddly snuggles to the lovely Evo

Thanks for your advice, all. Sorry I didn't catch you on msn last night, Chris..... your advice is very useful. Anyway.... looks like veggies are back on the shopping list.

In answer to your question.... he does drink a lot. For about a month now, I have given him both a bottle and a bowl to make sure he has plenty of access to water. When he was eating veg before, he would hardly ever drink. He does stringy poo about once a day, however much we brush him, and when he has an attack, the poos usually just stop, rather than getting smaller.

Poor Evo Hope all the advice will help Laura...kisses to Evo from me ''

ah thats ok Laura. I hope he is feeling a little better.
It is good that he drinks alot. When u start teh veg just do what we've said on here before.. give one at a time and check for any sloppy poos before introducing another veg/herb. If any runs then stop giving that veg. Was that why he stopped having veg in the first place? Cos he had runs? i cant remember what it was now.
One thing i have found with mine is that i give him dried grass that i bought at a petshop. He eats lots of it and his poos have gotten so much bigger since then. I dont think mine eats alot of hay.. but i would think evo eats alot seeing as thats mostly his diet at moment. Mine get a few stringy poos so as long as its not all the time its not too much to worry about in my eyes.
Well all the best. I hope he doesnt worry u again.. but feel free to msg me on msn anytime for a chat or help i dont mind.

I've had similar issues with my bunnies and they both have diet/teeth/stasis issues - you're doing the right thing with only feeding pellets and hay (preferably timothy grass rather than meadow hay or timothy hay), but I'd definitely introduce some veggies and herbs.

Not carrots though - carrots are very high in oxolates which can add to stasis issues. Carrots should not really bed fed to bunnies there are much better veggies for bunnies - green beans and fresh peas are amongst the best (low in oxolates, and peas are v v v low in calcium too). Someone above mentioned herbs - top plan - they're much better for bunnies - coriander goes down a treat as does basil & parsley (but these two are high in calcium).

You may have already said and I missed it but what about weeing - is your bunny weeing normally? by that I mean normally for your bunny colourwise and is it clear or cloudy.

Big hugs to Evo, I hope he's feeling better.

Oh, I forgot something else - exercise - encourage him to hop about a bit after he's eaten rather than just slobbing out - apparently its good for bunnies prone to stasis.

Let us know how he gets on.

Bev

Hiya Rallybunny

Hows the lovely Evo doing now - is he behaving himself for his mum :wink:

Well.... we justed played 'chase me' up and down the hallway, so I think he's ok. He has redeveloped a taste for skirting boards and door frames again now though. Not so good. :roll: