Getting fed up of stasis

[Bindi]

This is more of a rant than anything because I'm sad and anxious and getting stressed out.

Pandora is elderly and her jaw muscles are not as strong as they once were, so her teeth are a bit misaligned now. She had a dental last week and took a while to recover from it, with abdominal pain and refusing to eat. She eventually came right but I really felt for her.

Bailey B is a megacolon rabbit, so stasis in his case is nothing hugely unexpected. All the same, going out on Monday evening and finding him desperately snuggling up to his wife Ciara and refusing food was a reason for my heart to sink. I gave him his meds and brought them both inside in order to keep him warm and keep an eye on him. He soon bounced back and I left them in overnight anyway.

On Tuesday morning I got up to find Bailey in full spirits but Ciara not eating. I took her to the vets and they gave her painkillers and gut stimulants and said she'd still got gut sounds and food in her stomach. She began eating when we got home and I went to work thinking we'd be ok. When I got home (my mother having watched over her and giving her afternoon meds) she wasn't eating again and then took a sudden turn for the worse and died on the way to the emergency vets. I decided against having a post mortem but the vets believe there was a secondary cause of death that I guess we'll never know about.

Tonight I went out to give Bailey and Pandora dinner and found him not eating AGAIN. I gave him meds, yummy incentives and snugglesafes and after around an hour he still wasn't eating so I set up the indoor pen (with the usual inconvenience...) and brought him in. When I went back out to close up the aviary I came back to mum saying "I reckon this one is having you on". He was hopping around and sampling the food.

Worse for me is that I suffer from Anxiety. Anything to do with the rabbits immediately makes me physically ill. As soon as I realised he wasn't eating I got gut cramps and felt nauseous.

Really hoping he's going to be ok this time, but for him to do this twice in one week and for me to lose Ciara to stasis/not eating as well, I'm deeply concerned. Even if I took him to the vets for a review (of course he'd be ill on a Saturday night when the vets are shut Sunday...) I don't know what they'd be able to do about it. His condition is terminal so degradation is expected but twice in a week out of nowhere is unusual even for him.

Just a very stressed bunny mummy... :?

 

[Jack's-Jane]

This is more of a rant than anything because I'm sad and anxious and getting stressed out.

Pandora is elderly and her jaw muscles are not as strong as they once were, so her teeth are a bit misaligned now. She had a dental last week and took a while to recover from it, with abdominal pain and refusing to eat. She eventually came right but I really felt for her.

Bailey B is a megacolon rabbit, so stasis in his case is nothing hugely unexpected. All the same, going out on Monday evening and finding him desperately snuggling up to his wife Ciara and refusing food was a reason for my heart to sink. I gave him his meds and brought them both inside in order to keep him warm and keep an eye on him. He soon bounced back and I left them in overnight anyway.

On Tuesday morning I got up to find Bailey in full spirits but Ciara not eating. I took her to the vets and they gave her painkillers and gut stimulants and said she'd still got gut sounds and food in her stomach. She began eating when we got home and I went to work thinking we'd be ok. When I got home (my mother having watched over her and giving her afternoon meds) she wasn't eating again and then took a sudden turn for the worse and died on the way to the emergency vets. I decided against having a post mortem but the vets believe there was a secondary cause of death that I guess we'll never know about.

Tonight I went out to give Bailey and Pandora dinner and found him not eating AGAIN. I gave him meds, yummy incentives and snugglesafes and after around an hour he still wasn't eating so I set up the indoor pen (with the usual inconvenience...) and brought him in. When I went back out to close up the aviary I came back to mum saying "I reckon this one is having you on". He was hopping around and sampling the food.

Worse for me is that I suffer from Anxiety. Anything to do with the rabbits immediately makes me physically ill. As soon as I realised he wasn't eating I got gut cramps and felt nauseous.

Really hoping he's going to be ok this time, but for him to do this twice in one week and for me to lose Ciara to stasis/not eating as well, I'm deeply concerned. Even if I took him to the vets for a review (of course he'd be ill on a Saturday night when the vets are shut Sunday...) I don't know what they'd be able to do about it. His condition is terminal so degradation is expected but twice in a week out of nowhere is unusual even for him.

Just a very stressed bunny mummy... :?

I am really sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time with poorly Bunnies Did the Vet take your poorly Rabbits' temperatures and was there any mention of it being raised ?

I am assuming your Rabbits are all fully vaccinated ?

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?472636-Vaccinations-2019&p=7041560#post7041560

Have you recently used a new bag of pellet feed or a new bale/bag of hay ? Mycotoxins in feed could be a possibility

http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Mycotoxins

Could there be a predator about- A Fox for example ? Fear induced stress can cause gut stasis.

All that said, it may 'just' be a horrible coincidence that three of your Bunnies have become sick at the same time and I am so sorry that you lost Ciara I hope that Bailey's chronic condition stabilises and that your other Bunnies remain well x

 

[susie bun]

Sorry you lost Ciara and are having such an anxious time. The rabbit digestive system is so complex and some rabbits are particularly prone to stasis for reasons we might not be able to pinpoint. We can only do our best for these precious fur babies. Sometimes they pick up on our anxieties so it can be good to talk to them in a reassuring voice (not easy when we are really worried about them, but worth a try).

 

[Zoobec]

I’m so sorry you lost Ciara I’m sending lots of vibes for your remaining bunnies xx

 

[Bindi]

Bailey was still not eating this morning so, being a Sunday, we had to take him to an out of hours vet. The local one told me that since they aren't connected to the vet he's registered with, the consult fee would be over £200, possibly £250!!

He went to the same vets we tried to take Ciara to and he's had more gut stimulants, painkillers and fluids. They couldn't get hold of cisipride, which is unfortunately the best med for him. He's picked at a few things but he's gone back into his box.

Yes, they are all vaccinated. Pretty sure Ciara's temp did not get taken, although Pandora's probably did.

I've gone through a few bags of hay and have a new bag of pellets. Pretty sure Pandora's issues were unrelated, as they resolved after her dental.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Bailey was still not eating this morning so, being a Sunday, we had to take him to an out of hours vet. The local one told me that since they aren't connected to the vet he's registered with, the consult fee would be over £200, possibly £250!!

He went to the same vets we tried to take Ciara to and he's had more gut stimulants, painkillers and fluids. They couldn't get hold of cisipride, which is unfortunately the best med for him. He's picked at a few things but he's gone back into his box.

Yes, they are all vaccinated. Pretty sure Ciara's temp did not get taken, although Pandora's probably did.

I've gone through a few bags of hay and have a new bag of pellets. Pretty sure Pandora's issues were unrelated, as they resolved after her dental.

Was one of the gut motility meds given Ranitidine, AKA 'Zantac' ? If so that will have some benefit on the motility of his cecum.

Are you able to get any fresh forage for him ? Hawthorn, bramble leaves, dandelion leaves, rough course grass (not the green rich lush grass) ?

Sending lots more vibes for him xx

 

[Omi]

I am so sorry that you have lost Ciara Sending lots of hugs and I hope that your other rabbits start to improve soon.

 

[Bindi]

Yes, he had ranitidine but it is far less effective than cisipride so I'm going to need to go and have a big talk with my vets to see if we can get some but it doesn't sound easy.

I've got him various things, both wild and household. He's been picking at it, mainly at bits of fruit.

 

[Pets mum]

So sorry to hear that you have lost Ciara, and are going through such a stressful time with your other bunnies. I really hope they pick up soon. Sending lots of vibes for them, and also for you xxx

 

[Bindi]

He stopped eating again, bloated up, looked very uncomfortable and still didn't pass anything (24 hours). He got admitted last night (they gave me the choice of taking him home with more meds or keeping him in but I was worried, had hardly eaten all day, hadn't slept the night before as well and didn't want him to get worse at home) and I just phoned them and was told that he'd passed at least one poop and chewed through his drip line twice lol

 

[bunny momma]

Please accept my condolences on the loss of Ciara.
Having three bunnies ill in such a short period would stress out anyone; and having Ciara not survive would only add to your concern even if the occurrances are coincidental.

My Dash has chronic stasis issues due to cecum/colon/GI issues. He is still recovering from a very serious stasis episode. This time it took over 36 hours to see one poo and more hours to get a few more. Cisapride is not commercially available in my area. My vet writes a prescription for Cisapride. I take it to a pharmacy that compounds Cisapride from active ingredients they obtain. My vet knows Dash has a chronic problem so I always have extra Cisapride in the home for future use.

He also gets Medicam for pain and inflammation.

As you already know, fluids are important. I give both sub Q fluids and as many oral fluids as I can get my bunny to take with a syringe, especially if he will not drink on his own.

My vet also encourages me to give critical care or other recovery food to Dash so he gets more fiber when he stops eating entirely, or when he selectively eats foods with less fiber.

I am sending you some gentle Hugs, and some positive vibes for Pandora and Bailey.

I am adding to this post because I just saw your update on Bailey. While I am sorry he had a relapse and had to go to the vets, I am glad he is getting a lot of care and that he passed a poo, or more. I hope you can get some rest while he is cared for at the vets.

 

[Bindi]

Thank you. Make that three times through the drip cord. He has been released from the out of hours clinic and went straight to my usual vets, who examined him and said aside from the lack of poo and eating he seems clinically not too bad. She advised him to come home instead of being admitted there. He only passed the one poo about 3am. When he got home he did have a nibble on a few things but not a great deal before he settled back on his snugglesafe. The vet who saw him, one of the two head vets, is going to speak to the rabbit specialist vet and get back to me regarding where we go from here and what kinds of tests to do to see if he and Ciara ended up suffering from something in particular.

Pandora is still eating, although it isn't easy observing her behaviour. Due to the medication she thinks everything I do is a trap and due to her age she isn't very active. I'll discuss her with the vets later as well.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thank you. Make that three times through the drip cord. He has been released from the out of hours clinic and went straight to my usual vets, who examined him and said aside from the lack of poo and eating he seems clinically not too bad. She advised him to come home instead of being admitted there. He only passed the one poo about 3am. When he got home he did have a nibble on a few things but not a great deal before he settled back on his snugglesafe. The vet who saw him, one of the two head vets, is going to speak to the rabbit specialist vet and get back to me regarding where we go from here and what kinds of tests to do to see if he and Ciara ended up suffering from something in particular.

Pandora is still eating, although it isn't easy observing her behaviour. Due to the medication she thinks everything I do is a trap and due to her age she isn't very active. I'll discuss her with the vets later as well.

I am sorry that you are still having ongoing worries about Bailey and Pandora. I really hope that they will both improve a lot soon xx

 

[bunny momma]

Sending you more vibes for Pandora and Bailey.

 

[Bindi]

Thanks all.

Bailey is still not eating or pooping- we are at about 53+ hours. He's passed a lot of mucus tonight, which isn't good in itself but at least it is coming out so hopefully poops will follow at some point. The vet says there is nothing more they can do, or that the emergency vets can do, so wait and see. I'm going to be up all night syringe feeding, giving meds, tummy massages and encouraging him to move to treat his gas. Unfortunately one of the possibilities for why the meds haven't been working well is that the nerves in his gut may have been damaged by over extension of the intestines, either from the existing megacolon syndrome, the amount of gas, or a combination of the two. It's going to be a looooong night.

 

[bunny momma]

He still can improve, as my Evan did in 2018 after three days of no pooing. He and Dash, who has a similar condition to Bailey's, both passed gelatin like mucus before they passed poos--and even after. Sending you gentle hugs and more positive vibes for Bailey.
Would he still be able to pass anything, even mucus, if his nerves are badly damaged?

 

[Bindi]

Thank you for your experience.

I'm so tired... I've only slept maybe six hours at most since Saturday. I'm glad I work for somewhere where I can phone up, go "the rabbit is sick!" and they tell me not to worry about coming in.

 

[Bindi]

Well, I finally passed out on the floor about 3pm and woke up to find him exactly where I'd left him. Thankfully though, he'd obviously moved because he'd used his litter tray.

64+ hours and we have achieved poopage. It isn't good poopage and it stinks, but it is there! Mr Trouble is currently chowing down on some dandelion leaves.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Well, I finally passed out on the floor about 3pm and woke up to find him exactly where I'd left him. Thankfully though, he'd obviously moved because he'd used his litter tray.

64+ hours and we have achieved poopage. It isn't good poopage and it stinks, but it is there! Mr Trouble is currently chowing down on some dandelion leaves.

Well it sounds as though things are finally shifting through. Sending millions more vibes for him xx

 

[bunny momma]

Well, I finally passed out on the floor about 3pm and woke up to find him exactly where I'd left him. Thankfully though, he'd obviously moved because he'd used his litter tray.

64+ hours and we have achieved poopage. It isn't good poopage and it stinks, but it is there! Mr Trouble is currently chowing down on some dandelion leaves.

Your wonderful news brought tears to my eyes. Please give Bailey some extra pets from me and my bunnies.
It sounds like your Bailey and my Dash suffer from the same chronic medical condition. We have to so vigilant with these bunnies. I am sure that the only reason Bailey is not a bridge bunny is because you caught the signs early and gave him round the clock care.

You must be exhausted.