Living in constant fear of stasis

[Bunny Buddy]

*Deleted*

... my little whinge as it was too self-pitying.

I've woken up and think better of it now

 

[shadow05]

Stasis is short for 'GastroIntestinal Stasis', it's when the rabbits gut shuts down and it can be fatal
The most common signs are rabbits refusing food, sitting hunched in a corner, loud noisey gut or silent gut, grinding teeth etc.

I believe you should always (whenever possible) take the rabbit straight to a vet to have it checked for blockages and treated with pain relief (metacam)and possibly gut stimulants (metoclopramide)

If you don't know about stasis, I strong recommend you do some research online, it can mean saving your buns life, should it go into stasis.

okay ill do that i didnt know much about it i knew it was something to do with the gut but didnt know exactly what it did. thanks for the advice ill reszearch now. :wave:

 

[thumps_]

*Deleted*

... my little whinge as it was too self-pitying.

I've woken up and think better of it now

Oh goodness I didn't mean to belittle the constant worry of whether we'll pull them through it each time, or the frazzled nerves & sleepless nights we all have. Let alone trying to syringe feed a bunny with really bad tummy pain & who feels full to bustin'.
It's a horrid condition.
I guess that's why I've put a lot into trying to understand it & left no stone unturned in trying to reduce it by safe simple means.

I suppose that it's only human, knowing that I'll inevitably lose the battle with Thumper, wanting to do something that'll help others with better chances.
But Hey, folks! How many "megacolon buns" have made it to 51/2 & only had 1 episode of ileus (complete gut paralysis) & how many buns have managed to get through 10 months without a working caecum & NOT lose weight?

I haven't got used to it either & TBH spent so much of last year crying my heart out. I guess that's why the tummy bunny mummies used to stick together on RU. I'm just too tired to think straight to post much these days.

 

[donnamt]

I haven't got used to it either & TBH spent so much of last year crying my heart out. I guess that's why the tummy bunny mummies used to stick together on RU.

we gotta look out for each other.. one day the vets will be able to figure out wtf is going on until then we got RU

 

[Bunny Buddy]

Oh goodness I didn't mean to belittle the constant worry of whether we'll pull them through it each time, or the frazzled nerves & sleepless nights we all have. Let alone trying to syringe feed a bunny with really bad tummy pain & who feels full to bustin'.
It's a horrid condition.
I guess that's why I've put a lot into trying to understand it & left no stone unturned in trying to reduce it by safe simple means.

I suppose that it's only human, knowing that I'll inevitably lose the battle with Thumper, wanting to do something that'll help others with better chances.
But Hey, folks! How many "megacolon buns" have made it to 51/2 & only had 1 episode of ileus (complete gut paralysis) & how many buns have managed to get through 10 months without a working caecum & NOT lose weight?

I haven't got used to it either & TBH spent so much of last year crying my heart out. I guess that's why the tummy bunny mummies used to stick together on RU. I'm just too tired to think straight to post much these days.

I never thought for a minute you were belittling the worry and stress. I deleted my post because I had said more or less: however much I know, I never seem to get past the worry. Then I thought as it was after your post, it might look like I was suggesting you were saying you won't worry if you know what you're doing ... I know you weren't saying that but I was too tired to express what I meant without it looking bad however I worded it so I just gave up. (I'm not very with it before about 10.00am)
I'm not really sure what you mean by tummy bunny mummies used to stick together - I've always felt we still do. I try to offer as much support as I receive but I know I can never repay all the advice and goodwill I've received

 

[thumps_]

Truth is that I've been going frantic over the last few days cos Thumper needed a dental & was slipping into complete ileus. I don't express myself very well when like that & can't empathise with other folks worries properly cos I'm all out of control myself !!!

Now a bit of hope for you all & something very new.
Most bunnies will start to eat after they've been treated for stasis if we give them blackthorn/sloe leaves.
I won't recommend something on here unless I'm 101% sure it's safe.
Herbalist vets use them for bunnies, wild bunnies eat them, & they were really dramatic on about 6 buns who'd been in stasis for 5 days plus & still not eating. I've now got experience of them working for many other buns in stasis, except PL's buns won't eat them.
They are natural caecal motility agents, added fiber, & help to treat the bacterial overgrowth which occurs whenever a bunny gut slows down.

Thumper showed me that they only work effectively if gathered in Autumn after the berries have ripened. Obviously Thumper needs them all the year round which meant gathering 2,000 twigs & drying them, but those of you who have episodes of stasis with normality between just need a small boxful.

They are used as medicine for stasis NOT as part of the daily diet. Although Thumper has eaten them in large quantities for 6 months throughout autumn & winter he now prefers brambles. I had to give him a good probiotic after 5 months of continuous use. I have used them for Thumper for 4 years now & there is always a dramatic effect.

There is a possibility that they might bind protein & iron so it can't be absorbed from the gut. This has no effect on the bunnies whatsoever if given for only a few weeks.

Sloe/blackthorn is found across the UK, usually in hedges. It has white flowers just before hawthorn & is coming into blossom here now. It's a good time to see if there's any in the hedges of the countryside near you now & over the nest few weeks & take note of where the bushes are, so you can get some leaves in Autumn. If you google blackthorn =prunus spinosa images & look at the flowers then compare them with hawthorn you'll be able to tell the difference.

OK it won't stop stasis but it makes stasis easier to deal with, & reduces the need for syringe feeding in many many bunnies.
People can help lots of other bunnies & stasis bunny owners if you'd kindly let me know whether it works & just importantly if it doesn't work, because I'd like to see if we can predict which bunnies it will help, but need large numbers to do so.

We also need to work out how we can help those people who don't have sloes in their area.
BTW If you gather the berries for yourselves it's soooo easy to make a nice liqueur with gin/voka/brandy very suitable as christmas presents!