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Forum DIET & CARE Possible GI Stasis?–Update: She’s doing better!

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    • megan_ann
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        I posted last week about how my neighbor got a new bun, Noelle, and agreed to let me go over and love her sometimes if I want. I have seen her a few times, and today she had to go out and had me watch Noelle while she was running around the living room.

        And I got to looking at her cage, and that was the issue. Her poops are not normal. I mean, I guess they might be normal for her, but compared to regular rabbit poops (at least compared to the Holland lop I used to co-own), they are maybe 1/4 to 1/3 the size of regular rabbit poops, so very small, and very wrinkly texture on the outside. And there weren’t a lot of them.

        When my neighbor got back, I ended up talking to her about it, and she said yeah, she doesn’t eat much, and she doesn’t drink much, and she doesn’t poop much. She also said that maybe day two of having her, she did have one spot of sort of puddle of runny-looking poop, but she just assumed that was due to the change in her diet. But now that she has these strange wrinkly poops, I can’t help but suspect it’s GI Statis, probably onset by the stress of moving into a completely new home.

        She’s not my bunny, but I’m a bit worried. Here are what her poops look like, the super small wrinkly ones, in case anyone has had a bun with GI stasis and might be able to shed some light on it.


      • Sarita
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          As always with a new animal, they should have a thorough well check with a vet and that I what I highly recommend your neighbor do asap.


        • Beka27
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            You’re in a tough position. She isn’t your rabbit and you can encourage her to take her to the vet, or re-evaluate her diet, or housing, or the necessity of having her spayed, but at the end of the day, none of this is up to you. I really fear this will end badly for you and/or the rabbit. Before you get in to deep, I think you need to take a step back and begin to remove yourself from this rabbit and/or relationship.

            I’m also “iffy” about the boundaries of talking about another person’s pet without their knowledge on this forum The problem is that we can all offer suggestions, but if she isn’t going to do what’s best for the rabbit, our hands are tied.


          • Sam and Lady's Human
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              From what I’ve read, those with GI stasis are sluggish and sit in a bunched position like they are uncomfortable. The odd looking poos could be from a change of diet, different hays or salads. And poos can be different sizes depending on breed, there’s a huge difference between my Flemish and Lionhead anyway


            • BinkyBunny
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                 If the bunny is not eating much, then the poops will not be much either.   Sounds like this a sweet bunny (but the part where he has his tummy upward and doesn’t squirm, could be the “trance” state that can sometimes happen when a bunny is put on their backs.  It’s a stress reaction even though it looks like the bunny is calm — that may not be the case here but just making you aware of that aspect. 

                You can offer some info to this neighbor – print out a Dana Krempels very informative page of Gi stasis http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

                You can also say that digestive problems are not uncommon and that you yourself keep this info around as it can come in handy and you wanted to share the info. 

                I think anytime you come across a friend, a neighbor, whoever, how you approach depends on how receptive they are.   Someone who doesn’t care, may never really care enough and you have to be prepared that you may be stuck in a very difficult position.  And as long as the owner gives adequate shelter, food, water…and vet care (depending on what your local Animal Care Control laws are and you can check that), then you could be dealing with a very heartbreaking situation.  So I agree with Beka, that if you find yourself really bonding with the bunny, you need to take a step back a bit.  

                If the neighbor seems somewhat receptive but basically if you push your luck, she’ll shut down, then you would need to offer help gradually, as things pop up. So for now, try and give her the info about Gi stasis.   Do you have a vet for your bunny?  You can give her the name and number of your vet on that print out.  That’s just good general info that would be helpful for anyone and may come in handy for her if she decides later to read it. 

                I have been in a similar situation.  The guy was someone my husband was working with and so we’d go to his house quite a bit during a project my husband was working on for him — he had his adorable very friendly bunny  (despite little interaction) in a tiny little hutch and he met all of the law requirements (except it good have been much cleaner!!).   I gave him all the info about house rabbits and his answer was “The baby chickens in the cage next to him keep him company.”  

                So right then and there I knew he was in a different mindset and I didn’t have much hope, and blocked off emotionally the best I could, but when we would go over there, I would ask a question to get HIM discussing it instead of me telling him something.  I’d just ask him how he chose that little bunny, what are some of  his habits, just general stuff..and then I talked about my bunnies. (This was done gradually and rather non-chalantly so he didn’t feel judged and I’d have a better chance at dealing with his rather hard-headed personality).    He started to ask some important questions on his own, and at least I got him to change his bunny’s diet a bit. I made very little headway…very slowly…little improvements…but I made enough because about 8 months later he said he had planned to rebuild the chicken coupe and he was considering letting his bunny just be free range in the backyard. He wanted my opinion on it (go figure!).

                 I told him why that was a bad idea and he actually listened to me.  He then asked me if I knew of anyone that could give him a better home.  I said, not at the moment, but I told him that if he gives me his bunny, I will find a good home for him. And that is exactly what happened. 

                But here’s the catch, it doesn’t always work out like that.  Sometimes you will be stuck in a very difficult situation.  You can only do so much and if someone doesn’t listen, if they aren’t breaking in laws, then to prevent yourself from getting emotionally torn up, you have to take a step back like Beka recommended. 

                 

                 


              • megan_ann
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                  Posted By Beka27 on 12/04/2011 08:26 AM
                  You’re in a tough position. She isn’t your rabbit and you can encourage her to take her to the vet, or re-evaluate her diet, or housing, or the necessity of having her spayed, but at the end of the day, none of this is up to you. I really fear this will end badly for you and/or the rabbit. Before you get in to deep, I think you need to take a step back and begin to remove yourself from this rabbit and/or relationship.

                  I’m also “iffy” about the boundaries of talking about another person’s pet without their knowledge on this forum. The problem is that we can all offer suggestions, but if she isn’t going to do what’s best for the rabbit, our hands are tied.

                  I had a good talk with my neighbor about everything, and she agreed to keep a close eye on her, and if she stops eating or looks pained (she is still eating, just not a lot), she will take her to the vet.

                  You are right that perhaps it would have been best not to have posted this on here; I was very emotionally charged when I posted it and wasn’t thinking clearly. I could have acted more responsibly and I can see that now, so I apologize if I acted poorly. I guess I was just too worked up! My neighbor is a very kind, responsible person and I get the sense that she really is trying to do what is best for the bun, but is very new at this! I find that as I talk to her about these things (reasonably and without being too pushy), she is becoming increasingly more receptive. At the very least, she is at least considering getting her spayed, which is a start!

                  Posted By Sam and Lady’s Human on 12/04/2011 09:22 AM
                  From what I’ve read, those with GI stasis are sluggish and sit in a bunched position like they are uncomfortable. The odd looking poos could be from a change of diet, different hays or salads. And poos can be different sizes depending on breed, there’s a huge difference between my Flemish and Lionhead anyway

                  Thank you for your assurance. I haven’t seen her sit in a bunched position. She actually tends to flop mostly, with her feet sprawled to the side or behind her; it didn’t take her long to get comfortable! 

                  Posted By BB on 12/04/2011 11:19 AM

                   I think anytime you come across a friend, a neighbor, whoever, how you approach depends on how receptive they are.   Someone who doesn’t care, may never really care enough and you have to be prepared that you may be stuck in a very difficult position.  And as long as the owner gives adequate shelter, food, water…and vet care (depending on what your local Animal Care Control laws are and you can check that), then you could be dealing with a very heartbreaking situation.  So I agree with Beka, that if you find yourself really bonding with the bunny, you need to take a step back a bit.  

                  If the neighbor seems somewhat receptive but basically if you push your luck, she’ll shut down, then you would need to offer help gradually, as things pop up. So for now, try and give her the info about Gi stasis.   Do you have a vet for your bunny?  You can give her the name and number of your vet on that print out.  That’s just good general info that would be helpful for anyone and may come in handy for her if she decides later to read it.

                  I think you are right on me needing to take a stop back. I can see that I DO have a tendency to get attached to animals, even if they aren’t mine (and how couldn’t you, with such a cute widdle fluffy bunny? ) so I’ve taken a step back to try to get a cooler head. Luckily, my neighbor is being fairly receptive to me and agreed to take her to the vet if she seems to truly have a problem. She even agreed to let me help her set up a NIC pen, so that the bunny won’t be crammed in such a small space (current cage is only 2.5 square feet!) all day!

                   

                   

                   


                • Sarita
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                    Megan-ann did you change your forum name? We ask that members do not do this as it is very confusing.


                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                      I’m glad your neighbor is being so good about the situation. I know that it’s very hard to not get attached to rabbits. I’ve been there too. I’ve boarded my horse at stables where they had barn bunnies that we’re not well cared for. It’s a very difficult situation. I wish you well!


                    • megan_ann
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                        I’d just thought I’d update everyone. I took a step back from the situation and didn’t visit Noelle for a few weeks. Well, I went to visit yesterday and was quite pleased to say she’s much improved. Her poops are round and normal-sized now, and she is eating and drinking as much as she should be. And she’s finally eating her pellets too (before she wouldn’t touch them). Maybe she was just stressed about moving and now she’s settled in and comfortable enough to get back good eating habits again. Either way, I was quite relieved!

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                    Forum DIET & CARE Possible GI Stasis?–Update: She’s doing better!