Advice for treating megacolon (Cow-Pile Syndrome)?

[Jenk]

I have a Mini Rex, Zoe, who will turn 4 years old on July 12th. She has had Cow-Pile Syndrome (CPS) issues since she was just 9 weeks of age, so it's been a very long road with her in terms of caretaking, especially whenever she starts showing signs of digestive slowdown: mucous passed with fecals, followed by horribly dry (and decreased) fecals. Her fecals--even on good days--are always abnormal in shape and size.

I'm wondering if anyone has found a fairly successful regimen to help prevent, or at least treat, the symptoms of CPS? I would love to learn the details of your methods, be it in terms of diet, medication, and/or supplements.


Thank you,

Jenk

[GrahamL]

thumps_ on the forum has a bunny, Thumper with megacolon issues. He's nearly 6 now - i'll go find his thread for you. I'm afraid its a VERY hard slog to deal with from what i've read.

ETA: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/sh...hlight=thumps_

I'm afraid its VERY long.

[Jenk]

thumps_ on the forum has a bunny, Thumper with megacolon issues. He's nearly 6 now - i'll go find his thread for you. I'm afraid its a VERY hard slog to deal with from what i've read.

CPS/Megacolon is definitely a hard condition to treat. It's been nearly four years' for me, and I am exhausted. I love Zoe dearly, but it's very, very difficult to deal with her issues; I lose so much personal time and, of course, sleep, due to all the tweaks and treatments.

I will start reading the thread about Thumper right now. Thank you so much for sharing it.


Jenk

[parsnipbun]

Hi

we also have a rabbit with this - he has brain damage due to E cunniculli and the vet thinks the EC might in some way be linked to this issue as well.

We are using a combination of diet (only has wild food ) and medicine (cisapride twice daily) to keep things moving on every day.

Even so he has some slow downs for which we then leap in with metaclop and metacam.

It is complicated by his brain damage which means he has occassional fits and is largely deaf and blind.

But most days he is a happy little chap with two close friends he lives with who have adapted to him.

PS He is about 4 now.

[Jack's-Jane]

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_dise...fferential.htm

[Sky-O]

Good to see you here Jenk!

FYI of everyone else, I know Jenk via another forum and know how much she struggles with her megacolon, and also know how amazing the wild diet has been for some of those bunnies on here so prodded her in our direction. She's a tad sceptical that anything will be able to help, but I'm hoping those of you in the know can prove her wrong.

[parsnipbun]

We really have found that providing Blackberry with as many greens as he wants (in terms of wild food stuffs - plantains, grasses, dandelions, raspberry leaves, mil thistle, willow leaves and twigs etc etc) is the best thing for him.

He rarely ever eats pellets nowadays.

[thumps_]

Hi Jenk - Graham L is right that it is very hard work indeed, even with good access to ancient roadways no longer used by traffic & allotments where these plants grow in the UK.

I do not expect others in cities to be able to provide as we do. It's just not possible.

Thumper's thread is very long - it's a detailed record of trying something new, based on the old fashioned ways of feeding our buns wild plants with their veg. As parsnip bun says I ended up feeding them to Thumper, without limit & allowing Thumper to choose which plants he wanted, then supplying them.

Parsnipbun, you've made my day.
We haven't been in contact over this, although you may have read Thumper's thread.
We are both able to offer our buns a wide selection of wild plants. I have done so in the past & continue to do so fom time to time. Thumper gives a few others a little taste but always returns to these as his only feed.

I'm fascinated that Blackberry has chosen exactly the same plants independantly.

Like Blackberry, Thumper will not eat his pellets by preference when he can get enough fluids from his fresh plants. When we have to use a diet of dried plants I soak his pellets in water, just for the fluid content. He'll eat them then.

I have also found the condition emotionally distressing, & tiring with the constant alert for gut slowdown. There has been frequent self questioning of whether I have been doing the right thing by him, let alone trying to keep medical intervention to the minimal necessary, yet avoiding a big deterioration.

I'm delighted more than I can say that we've helped another bunny with this condition. thank you for posting.