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Stasis step by step?

Bellatrix15

Warren Scout
All my bunnies are doing ok right now but just wondering for future what people recommend as a straight forward step by step plan to follow at the first sign of suspected stasis to hopefully nip it in the bud? I'd love a simple protocol I can follow to put my mind to rest if it ever happens. What are the first things that have worked best for you? Thank you!
 
The problem I think is we are never sure if it's Stasis or a blockage. If we assume Stasis and start giving the rabbit certain things but it turns out to be a blockage, we have possibly made the rabbit worse. I suppose the best advice is to take the bunny straight to a Vet. I am "lucky" that we very rarely suffer with this but I read a lot about it on UKR.
 
I agree with Tonibun, take your rabbit straight to the vet if you think they have gut stasis.
We have a rabbit prone to stasis and always play it safe by going to the vet as soon as we spot signs.
If you do this you can rule out any blockages, administer pain relief and gut motility drugs to help him as quickly as possible.

There are signs which we have learnt to recognise - our rabbit declines food including treats, tends to lie in a certain spot, looks a little sleepy (I think it's his eyes narrowing as it's uncomfortable/ painful). Next stage he starts to belly press and no longer socialises but instead hides away. Worse stage (hopefully we catch it before it gets to this point) he faces the wall and looks a little distant (he's in pain).

My view is that there is no point in waiting or trying things to alleviate the stasis. The longer you wait the harder it is to obtain a good outcome. A rabbit that isn't eating or drinking will become dehydrated which can make the situation worse. Although I know other RU members have helped their rabbits at home with success, I don't have the confidence to do this and would always be wondering 'what if' if anything were to go wrong and I hadn't gone to the vets.

My advice would be :
1. Don't be scared of gut stasis, but know the signs [rabbit stops eating or pooping and/or if they start belly pressing] and treat it seriously
2. You know your rabbit best, if you think they have gut stasis then they probably have.
3. Don't wait, the sooner you can have your rabbit assessed the sooner treatment can start, the higher their likelihood of a good recovery.
4. Be firm (but friendly) with vet receptionists when booking the appointment. Make it clear it is an emergency. Be assertive on your bunny's behalf - get the earliest appointment you can have. I've been offered appointments for 3 hours ahead and have politely declined ('oh no, that won't be soon enough, is there an earlier appointment - rabbits can die from gut stasis, I wouldn't want to wait that long' usually does the trick)

Just to add when it first happened I doubted myself and wondered if my rabbit actually had stasis. I came onto to RU and asked 'what should I do'. The resounding answer was 'get to the vets ASAP!'. I was so glad that I followed that advice. My rabbit did have stasis and the vet was able to help him.

I hope that helps :)
 
All my bunnies are doing ok right now but just wondering for future what people recommend as a straight forward step by step plan to follow at the first sign of suspected stasis to hopefully nip it in the bud? I'd love a simple protocol I can follow to put my mind to rest if it ever happens. What are the first things that have worked best for you? Thank you!

The best cure is prevention.
I've had an older doe who was prone to stasis for years. Of course, at first, I rushed her to the vet and had x-rays done everytime. After a while, I could tell when she was going to get one before it even happened. If it was a really early stage (like just a slow down of the guts) I stopped the pellets (I give very little of those anyway) and gave a lot of grass / wet leafy greens (rabbits tend to eat more grass than hay and it hydrates the guts so it's all good). If the poop was getting really small and the amount was really not good, I'd give stomach massages, I'd syringe water (with a 1ml syringe, about 5ml every hour or so) too.
It nipped a lot of episodes in the bud. I tend to give piles of wet leaves and grass and 'special' hay (like Crau hay or second crop) that the rabbits really like whenever I feel something might stress them out (if there is a lot of noise outside, unusual things like work done in the house, people visiting, a vaccination trip to the vet...).
When the stasis is here, there is not much to do except give Metacam and Emeprid, massage their belly and give water. I've never had to force-feed but it might be necessary if the stasis lasts (it was always resolved fast for me, but I always caught it really early, which I think is the most important thing).
So, I'd say : know your rabbits and watch them really closely. I give mine food several times a day and I never leave the room before I've seen them all eat something. If one of the rabbits doesn't come running for pellets or veggies, I suspect stasis and try to entice them with something they really like (like a piece of carrot). If they refuse it, the stasis is official. I don't think I've ever had a stasis episode that lasted more than a few hours before I've caught it and, as a result, they were generally solved after 12 hours, one dose of Metacam and two doses of Emeprid.
I would add that it would be good to have Metacam at home. It won't worsen a blockage and a rabbit in pain is likely to get worse a lot faster. If I notice something is not normal with one of my rabbit, I'm calling the vet faster than you can say 'ileus', but I will give Metacam before going to the appointment if they show any sign of pain.
 
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