• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Advice needed for gut stasis recovery

P

perrypad

New Kit
Hello,

My Rabbit Belle is currently unwell with gut stasis and i would love some advice from rabbit owners with experience with gut stasis as there is so much conflicting articles online.

Friday 17th of February


Belle was hiding all day (shes a free roam rabbit) under a table and not eating hay or much veg. She was not doing any number 1s and 2s either.

She would only eat small amounts of basil/mint dipped in water :(

Saturday 18th of February

We called the vets at 9am for an emergency appointment where belle was checked over by touching and teeth looked at. The vet prescribed belle with painkiller and medicine for gut movement along with critical care pellets and syringes so we can force feed belle at home.

We spent Saturday keeping a close eye on her and followed the vets instructions. She ate a small amount of basil too.

During the night she had done some very small number 2s and a couple of small number 1s


Sunday 19th of February

Belle seemed to get worse during the day and did no numbers 1s/2s and we continued to force feed. We read online that its normal todo number 2s one day then none the 2nd then more on the 3rd day so we waited till the morning to see if she had been.

It was 5am Monday morning and she had been in the same spot all night with her face to the wall. We decided to take her into an out of hours emergency vets.

Monday 20th Of February

The vets checked her over again but when they took her temperature it was high and they said most rabbits with gut stasis have a low body temperature. They checked her glucose levels which was around 11 but her lactate levels were high/concerning.

They gave belle some gut and painkiller medicines via an injection and said we should take her to our vets at 9am to be hospitalised and to be given fluids via IV.

We called the Vets at lunchtime for a check up but belle has not shown signs of improvement. We have to pick belle up today at 18:30 and either bring her home or take her back to the out of hours emergency vets for continued fluids.


I would like to know if anyone knew how long it takes for rabbits to start eating/ going toilet after a whole day on IV and if there is anything else we haven't thought of to do?

I feel it will be less stressful at home for her but do not want to make the wrong decision

Thanks
Perry
 
Welcome to the forum Perry. I'm sorry to hear Belle is poorly. Its always difficult deciding whether to leave your bun at the vets or see if they fare better at home. If the vet feels she is stable & hydrated enough maybe you could give her supportive feeds & tasty herbs tonight & reassess with the vet you are more confident with. It really depends what the reasons for her gut stasis are. There is always a cause although fathoming out that cause is neigh on impossible at times. Even with the same cause of stasis all bunnies respond differently.

I'm no expert but I don't think things should have been done differently. Blood work & xrays would prob be useful if your vet is concerned about her recovery. My last bun in stasis took several days to eat properly. We never established the cause either - but its useful if you can. I also know nothing of lactate levels & what high ones might indicate
 
Fever indicates probable infection, either viral or bacterial. Raised Lactate occurs in cases of sepsis.

Is she fully vaccinated ?

Is the Vet prescribing antibiotics to address the possibility of a bacterial infection ?

The gut stasis is likely to be a secondary symptom not the primary problem.
 
Update for Belle

Hello everyone, thank you so much for your time to reply i really appreciate it.

We went to the vets to collect Belle but she was not responding well to the iv treatment and got worse. She recommended we take her back to the out of hours vets which we did.

When we was there the vet said because she has not responded to the treatments he believed it to be something more serious like a surgical problem such as a tumour which may have caused the gut issues.

She has had a very traumatic last 3 days and couldn't bare another night of pain and stress for her to then have surgical procedure and all the time afterwards it takes to heal. It wasn't fair on her

The vet said its very unlikely she would recover and the best option would be to put her to sleep. Myself and my partner was there with her and she looked so tired and stressed it was awful, she just laid motionless with her chin on the ground as if she wanted it all to end.

i kissed and said my final goodbyes she was only 6 years old which the vet said was old but i thought life span was 10 to 12 :(

Im heart broken and have never experienced loss of a pet before. I know it sounds weird but she was everything to me my life revolved around her.

Im just getting comfort knowing she is no longer in pain and being stressed and nervous but at the same time i know i will never see her again and its so upsetting.

Thank you again for the reply's, this isn't the update i wanted to share.

If anyone has any advice on grieving and what you did to come to terms with loosing your beloved pet would be appreciated.

once again, thank you

Perry
 
I know it wasn't an outcome that any of you wanted, but you cared enough to notice that she wasn't well and you did something about it by getting her professional veterinary treatment - which is far more than many rabbits get. Then you made the ultimate choice for her to stop her suffering any more. She was well loved and I'm sure she knew it.

They leave a huge gap and grieving is a different process for everyone. Be kind to yourself. Sometimes it helps if you have some sort of memorial - a favourite photo, a plant in the garden, maybe press some flowers that are out now, etc. I write some notes about them on the back of their vaccination card, so I can look back at their personality quirks. You can also put a memorial page on here under Rainbow Bridge.

RIP Belle bunny.
 
perrypad said:
Hello everyone, thank you so much for your time to reply i really appreciate it.

We went to the vets to collect Belle but she was not responding well to the iv treatment and got worse. She recommended we take her back to the out of hours vets which we did.

When we was there the vet said because she has not responded to the treatments he believed it to be something more serious like a surgical problem such as a tumour which may have caused the gut issues.

She has had a very traumatic last 3 days and couldn't bare another night of pain and stress for her to then have surgical procedure and all the time afterwards it takes to heal. It wasn't fair on her

The vet said its very unlikely she would recover and the best option would be to put her to sleep. Myself and my partner was there with her and she looked so tired and stressed it was awful, she just laid motionless with her chin on the ground as if she wanted it all to end.

i kissed and said my final goodbyes she was only 6 years old which the vet said was old but i thought life span was 10 to 12 :(

Im heart broken and have never experienced loss of a pet before. I know it sounds weird but she was everything to me my life revolved around her.

Im just getting comfort knowing she is no longer in pain and being stressed and nervous but at the same time i know i will never see her again and its so upsetting.

Thank you again for the reply's, this isn't the update i wanted to share.

If anyone has any advice on grieving and what you did to come to terms with loosing your beloved pet would be appreciated.

once again, thank you

Perry
Click to expand...

So very sorry for your loss :cry:

Rip Belle x
 
I am very sorry for your loss. Many people on this forum have felt like you do about their rabbit. Losing a pet feels like you lost a part of yourself. You did what was best for her even thought it caused you pain. Hugs.
 
Thank you for updating us.

I am so sorry that you lost Belle :cry: Sleep tight little one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Gut stasis surgery advice help
2 3
Replies
53
Views
3K
bunny momma
bunny momma
X
Stasis stress!! :( Day 5 - still no poops!
2
Replies
27
Views
832
xEMMAx
X
L
Gi stasis, no vets available
Replies
9
Views
205
ERCD
E
Back
Top