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My new bun has gut stasis

A

Amity & Nic

Young Bun
Hi,

I'm new on this forum (I have been a visitor for a while) & sorry I'm just jumping right in for advice.

I adopted a rabbit two weeks ago (a neutered 1yr old female). She was living indoors for the first 9 months of her life, then outside for several months due to a change in the owners circumstances . I then agreed to adopt her, and she's now an indoor bunny.

She doesn't like veg very much! But has started eating two types. I tried her with several fresh herbs but she's not keen 😕. She loves her nuggets (handful a day) and a handful of readigrass.. She's less keen on hay but does eat it throughout the day (I've tried 4 types in several places so far).

I don't know if it's the stress of the change (she's actually a lot more relaxed now) but she doesn't eat or use the litter tray at night. I came downstairs 2 hours later than normal this morning, and she was in a house where she doesn't normally sleep. After several fusses, she reluctantly came out but sat in the corner of the room. Her ears were cold & she didn't seem right, so we went to the vet.

They said she has a lot of poo in her intestines and was tensing when pressed.. Then mentioned the dreaded gut statis 😥. She's also only 1.5 on the condition score (when her previous owner took her in May for vaccinations, she was a perfect weight).

The vet gave us metacam and emeprid for 4 days treatment, then they said it would be an x-ray if no improvement. Is this the best course of action? I would like to know if there's anything else I can do for Amity?

She is going through a moult (well, she has looked the same way for at least 3 months) and a fair bit of hair coming off when I brush her. Is there any way I can help this?

Sorry for the long post,
Nic
 
Amity & Nic said:
Hi,

I'm new on this forum (I have been a visitor for a while) & sorry I'm just jumping right in for advice.

I adopted a rabbit two weeks ago (a neutered 1yr old female). She was living indoors for the first 9 months of her life, then outside for several months due to a change in the owners circumstances . I then agreed to adopt her, and she's now an indoor bunny.

She doesn't like veg very much! But has started eating two types. I tried her with several fresh herbs but she's not keen ��. She loves her nuggets (handful a day) and a handful of readigrass.. She's less keen on hay but does eat it throughout the day (I've tried 4 types in several places so far).

I don't know if it's the stress of the change (she's actually a lot more relaxed now) but she doesn't eat or use the litter tray at night. I came downstairs 2 hours later than normal this morning, and she was in a house where she doesn't normally sleep. After several fusses, she reluctantly came out but sat in the corner of the room. Her ears were cold & she didn't seem right, so we went to the vet.

They said she has a lot of poo in her intestines and was tensing when pressed.. Then mentioned the dreaded gut statis ��. She's also only 1.5 on the condition score (when her previous owner took her in May for vaccinations, she was a perfect weight).

The vet gave us metacam and emeprid for 4 days treatment, then they said it would be an x-ray if no improvement. Is this the best course of action? I would like to know if there's anything else I can do for Amity?

She is going through a moult (well, she has looked the same way for at least 3 months) and a fair bit of hair coming off when I brush her. Is there any way I can help this?

Sorry for the long post,
Nic
Click to expand...

Hello, I am sorry that Amity is unwell. Did the Vet confirm that there is definitely no full GI tract obstruction- ie run a blood glucose test as well as a thorough abdominal examination ? A very high blood glucose with anorexia, no poo output and no/minimal gut sounds points strongly toward a GI tract obstruction. This is always a surgical emergency.

If a full obstruction has been ruled out then aggressive fluid therapy (IV or subcutaneous) alongside analgesia (usually Meloxicam) and prokinetics (gut motility meds-metoclopramide, AKA Emiprid/Vomend, Ranitidine, Cisapride and syringe feeding is the usual treatment. It is also important for the Vet to try to establish the primary cause of gut stasis. Rabbits with a poor hay intake may have dental problems; dental problems; a poor intake of hay can mean reduced gut motility and eventually gut stasis. If a Rabbit who already has a reduced gut motility ingests a lot of fur this can tip them over into gut stasis.

There is some detailed information about gut stasis on the following links :

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-...OWkzeRO4iVp1B4Eeh_zDzxp9nzlA4O5AUi2tr-2Qm5hT8

https://veterinary-practice.com/article/working-together-on-gut-stasis

and some additional information about the Rabbit digestive system

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/article-ROWinter10p7.pdf

https://www.semanticscholar.org/pap...ac079915d6e64fe1afe442204871cb21c282f31b?p2df

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-diet/rabbit-digestion/

I hope that Amity will feel better soon x
 
Jane's given you some very good advice plus lots of information. I'm wondering if it is the stress of the change in her circumstances. In particular have you kept her diet the same as she was having in her previous home? Any changes to a rabbit's diet should be made slowly and over a period of time.

Sending lots of vibes for Amity and I hope that she improves soon.
 
I'm really sorry Amity is unwell [emoji17] Unfortunately stasis is something that most of us rabbit owners have to deal with at some point and any number of things can set it off. You did really well in getting her seen by the vet so quickly which will be a massive help in her recovery.

I can't really add much to the advice given above. It's not unusual for a rabbit to take several days to recover fully from a stasis episode so you may need to continue with the medication over the next few days. Also make sure to syringe feed her regularly if she's not eating for herself to keep the gut moving.

If you have access to dandelions, it would be a good idea to try and tempt her to eat with those. Many of us on here have found that they're very good for encouraging poorly buns to start eating again.

Good luck, I hope Amity starts to feel better soon.

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks SO much for the advice. I trusted that the vet did everything that was necessary. It's so hard at the moment as I had to wait outside ☹️. She didn't mention a blockage, but did do a thorough exam of her abdomen. Amity is on painkillers (is metacam meloxicam?) and emeprid which she took straight from the syringe, bless her. She had her teeth checked and she has a slight spur starting but they said not enough to affect her eating. How soon will I need to get that checked again?

In the future, should I not give readigrass so that she eats her hay? Her previous owner said she'll always eat readigrass over hay (so I made sure to only give a handful a day). Her diet is exactly the same & I made sure to stay in the same routine. I'm worried to cut back on anything as she's a bit underweight now. She was having some tropical muesli (Mr Johnsons) mixed with her burgess nuggets before lockdown but her owner was shielding & could only get the nuggets for the few months before I had her. Should i give her some as an extra to feed her up or is it not a good idea to start her back on it? I don't know any better high calorie/safe food I can give her. Or just increase the nuggets? (but then I worry about she won't want hay.. Ahhh).

She has picked up now (had a big drink, eating grass, grooming and looking curious around her run 😊).

Thanks so much for your advice. I will get reading x
 
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Amity & Nic said:
Thanks SO much for the advice. I trusted that the vet did everything that was necessary. It's so hard at the moment as I had to wait outside ☹️. She didn't mention a blockage, but did do a thorough exam of her abdomen. Amity is on painkillers (is metacam meloxicam?) and emeprid which she took straight from the syringe, bless her. She had her teeth checked and she has a slight spur starting but they said not enough to affect her eating. How soon will I need to get that checked again?

In the future, should I not give readigrass so that she eats her hay? Her previous owner said she'll always eat readigrass over hay (so I made sure to only give a handful a day). Her diet is exactly the same & I made sure to stay in the same routine. I'm worried to cut back on anything as she's a bit underweight now. She was having some tropical muesli (Mr Johnsons) mixed with her burgess nuggets before lockdown but her owner was shielding & could only get the nuggets for the few months before I had her. Should i give her some as an extra to feed her up or is it not a good idea to start her back on it? I don't know any better high calorie/safe food I can give her. Or just increase the nuggets? (but then I worry about she won't want hay.. Ahhh).

She has picked up now (had a big drink, eating grass, grooming and looking curious around her run ��).

Thanks so much for your advice. I will get reading x
Click to expand...

Yes, Metacam is a brand name for Meloxicam :)

I would not re-introduce the tropical muesli as it is a poor hard feed. What pellets are you giving ? You could increase the amount very slightly, but if you feed too many she wont eat enough hay/grass/readigrass to get her teeth back into good shape. I would want the Vet to check the teeth again in about a month. Sooner if she continues to lose weight (you need to weigh her a couple of times a week, 3 consecutive losses and I'd want the Vet to see her ASAP), and/or if she has more episodes of gut stasis. I would keep her on the Readigrass as that has a high protein content and is good to help with weight gain. It will help wear her teeth down too. Keep an eye on her wee output though as Readigrass is high in calcium. Rabbits prone to 'bladder sludge' should have their dietary calcium carefully controlled.

I am not sure if you know of the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund. They have a vast amount of information about Pet Rabbits on their website

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/

With regards to grooming, she may need to be groomed daily when in moult. Just gently teasing out the lose fur with damp hands can help.
 
If you need to get her weight up I think you could just give her more readigrass as it's higher in calories. It's essentially just freeze dried grass so she will get a good fibre intake from it. You could also try and introduce some fresh grass if you have access to it which is just as good as hay. Another good thing to try would be fibafirst sticks. They're made of compressed hay which would be good for her teeth and tummy. I think that would be a better alternative to increasing her pellets as they will still help get her weight up but she'll get a better fibre intake. Although, I should warn you that not all bunnies are that keen on Fibafirst sticks so it may end up being a waste of money!

With regards to getting her to eat more hay, the issue could either be that she's just fussy or that the small spur is making it uncomfortable her to eat hay. Some bunnies can struggle to eat hay even with very small spurs. There may even be spurs further back that can't be seen with a conscious examination. If it's the latter, then, if I remember correctly, you can try and get her in for a dental two weeks after she's made a full recovery from the stasis.

What hays does she currently have to eat? Many of us get hay from timothyhay.co.uk. The stalks timothy hay they do is very popular even with fussy buns. There is also the ings hay from hayandstraw.co.uk, which is again a very popular hay. You can get samples from both companies before shelling out on a big bag. Finally, Nature's Own do a sweet green hay. The strands are quite short, like ready grass, so she may find it easier to manage if she is struggling with that spur.

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk
 
Sorry i forgot to say thank you for all the good vibes being sent for Amity. She's picked up a lot and eating and pooing (so happy!!).

She is on Burgess nuggets and has Kaytee Timothy hay, burgess feeding hay, Pettex Meadow hay, hay cookies and just recently a friend gave me some from their freshly cut 3ft long hay (now i'm worried that had something to do with it.. I hope it's not TMI but i just saw amity had a fully formed piece of coarse hay in one of her poos). She loves the pettex sweet scented hay, which is quite soft & long strands.

I recently tried thunderbrook hay cobs (just the one to start) but that has been untouched since Friday. Fibafirst sounds very interesting though, i will try those (or amity will hopefully!). It sounds like Nature's Own sweet green hay would suit her. I have googled ings hay before, as i thought what is this all these rabbit owners are talking about?!

Thanks for the tip on the rabbit welfare website. I think I've been on there researching before picking Amity up.

Hopefully the damp hands grooming will work better than her little brush, again thanks for the tip.

I will definitely take her back to the vet if she seems worse or losing weight.

Nic and Amity x
 
Sending you both positive vibes for a full recovery. When she is back to normal, only Introduce small amounts of a new food and wait before introducing another.
Some bunnies cannot tolerate certain foods and can get gassy or stasis. Over time reduce nuggets to encourage hay eating while monitoring her weight.
Your quick action is applauded.
 
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Thank you bunny momma. Amity is doing very well.. eating everything (apart from veg as usual). I'm keeping a poo diary (something i don't think i've ever done before!) and she's going well now :)
 
Just jumping on to add our vibes for Amity. As a stasis bun owner, I know how you feel and as Scrappy correctly identified, most of us have had experience. You’ve done all the right things. The only thing I would add - something I’ve learned the hard way, is to tune into your rabbits behaviour. It’s not easy - they hide their secrets well, but with some careful observation and regular interaction, you will learn Amity’s routine and behaviour.
Change in this is key in spotting any illness, stasis particularly. It could be something as simple as not running out to greet you first thing, or a coat looking a bit scruffy. Eyes can be a big clue - do they look bright and alert.
The best advice I can give - and I appreciate that in these present times it’s not a comfortable one, is to ring the vet if you are in any doubt. Get Amity seen as soon as. I know it’s easier said than done, but your Amity’s guardian, so the quicker you respond, the quicker a diagnosis can be done and with stasis, the quicker you can get meds in. My bun was in stasis last week, and by getting her to a vet quickly, I had treatment going and within 3 days she was well on the road to being back to herself.
Loads of vibes being sent for Amity and please keep us posted and feel feee to join in to the various threads.Xx
 
I'm late to this thread but just want to add some ongoing vibes for Amity, hope she continues happy and healthy xx
 
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