((((( HEALING VIBES ))))))) I am sorry to hear Stormy is not feeling well. Is he pooping? You are doing everything you can do for the moment. It is amazing how much sleep you can lose over one species. Out of all my animals, the rabbit’s health is the one that gives me the most gray hairs.

Poor Stormy and poor you too. I sure hope he’s feeling better soon, sending good vibes from NC your way.

Healing vibes to Stormy.

What type of mixture did she give him? He needs fluids and motility drugs and pain meds too. I don’t really think pineapple juice and mineral oil are the correct things to give him if that’s what the mixture is too.

You will also need to hand feed him critical care – is that what the mixture is?

Please ask your vet about fluids, motility drugs (reglan and cisapride) and pain meds.

how are things now?  i’m so sorry you’re having this scare… poor Stormy!  healing vibes are coming your way from the great white north! 

food passes fairly quickly thru their system doesn’t it?  i’m wondering if these weird poops are from his earlier period of not eating / being syringe fed with normal ones coming along soon? 

the morning after Baby’s operation there was a pile of odd-shaped poops which were sort of brittle when i swept them up.  i was alarmed but since she was eating by that time my vet said to just keep an eye on it.  they became normal by later that night.  i thought it due to that her diet was altered fo a half-day for her surgery.  just a thought. 

i sure hope this passes soon… you and Stormy have had a rough day!

I’m glad Stormy is better – I know how anxious this can be and especially when you don’t have a vet who is very rabbit savvy – it does sound like she/he might take some "suggestions".

This has been one of my holy grails with stasis:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

I would take this to the vet when this happens again and ask her what she thinks of any of these "suggestions" in this article.  I’ve used it before at vets and many times they are very open to taking these suggestions if they are asked in the right way from a concerned bunny parent.

Here’s another one from a vet magazine to take as well:

http://www.rabbitcare.org/ileus.pdf

Sometimes we just have to gently educate our vets.

An analgesic is a pain killer. I do think banamine is used in cattle and horses.

I would get some critical care – perhaps your vet has this so you can start handing feeding Stormy. You can try the tummy massage too. If your vet is willing to give you some pain medication for this then you can give Stormy some pain meds.

As for the articles I would just tell her that you read this article and it suggested several different options and what is her opinion on this – bring the article with you. Honestly I don’t think a good vet would be insulted with a client taking some initiative to help their pet. I ask all the time – what do you think about doing this…or this. Hey, when you are desperate you ask anything. Most vets and doctors realize there are resources out there that their patients are reading in magazines and on the internet – some of it’s good and some is bad so that’s why you discuss it with the vet or doctor. I hope she wouldn’t be insulted but rather glad that you are taking an interest in your rabbit’s health. I’ve had many friends bring articles and discuss different rabbit health care information they have read or heard with their vets and they’ve never had a problem with their vet being insulted.

Littlepuffytail I am very sorry to hear about Stormy and I am glad to hear that he is eating OK.  Like Sarita suggested, get some Critical Care made by Oxbow from your vet.  There could have been some fur blockage and while the pineapple juice helps to break up the mucous binding the fur together and pass it through, it doesn’t really help with the why this keeps happening.  Does he eat enough hay or fiber? I am wondering if he is getting enough fiber to move things along in his GI tract.  Rabbits can be very hard to diagnose as stress can even trigger a stomach upset.  Has Stormy had a fecal test? Also, another option is to syringe him some plain canned pumpkin too and you might want to add some acidophilus too if it is an imbalanced GI tract.

I totally concur with Sarita, bring the article with you and just say you found this on the internet and what did they think and if you could try one of those treatments. No vet that I know would be insulted if you just asked in that way and that you are taking an active part in reading more about what might be wrong.

Take care and I hope he feels better soon!

No problem, I worry about everybunny.  Do you give Stormy pineapple or papaya on a regular basis?  If not, you just might want to consider that for an every day thing as a preventative since it seems to work for him. I give my two a papaya tablet every day and no problems.  Bonsai though I have to keep an eye on because he will get lathergic and go into a funk when the weather changes (oh woe is me, flops in the litterbox and places his chin on the side and gives woeful eyes).  That stinker had me all panicked the first couple of times he did this, not to mention trips to the vet until we (the vet and I) figured it out.  Unfortunately Critical Care is not sold online and has to be from a veterinarian.  I don’t think your vet would object to you asking for it. So pumpkin and ground pellet mash is pretty good in its place. You could e-mail, I haven’t done that before, I’ve just always gone in.

Givng a tummy massage and offering a mush mix can be all helpful too. If you are able to get hold of some critical care that would be ideal. My vet told me that when you are giving it to help with Gi stasis, to make sure to make it a bit more watery (like pea soup) to make sure extra fluids are added. Also making sure a bunny exercises can help with gi stasis. Having unlimited hay is essential and that’s great! The fact that he eats so much of it should help with prevention, but what else is in his diet? I know you said that he has this a few times a year.  What kind of pellets, and which greens selections do you offer? Some veggies can cause bouts of gas which can cause gi stasis. As far as treats, what kind and how much? And is there anyone else in the house that could be a good sneaky treat giver? (for example, my husband used to be one, until he was educated about what too many treats do)

Also, bunnies can be great crumb scavengers – eating any crumbs from under the dinner table or around the living room or tv room – whereever you eat and snack.

This is not at all to blame, just to try and find out what the source could possibly be.

Another thing is to take away pellets if she is eating those. Most vets will take away pellets after so many bouts of stasis. Continue with the unlimited hay and veggies.

Canned pumpkin helps supplement what a rabbit may be missing diet-wise when they are not eating and it is high in fiber (keeps things moving). It’s consistency a little watered down is ideal for syringe feeding and will help out in a pinch when you don’t have Critical Care. Plus, rabbits usually like it and that makes it a little less stressful at feeding time. Oh yes, tummy massages galore.  Bonsai actually likes them even when he is feeling well. Just a thought, some rabbits are sensitive to sugar and are unable to have it.  I am going to look around and see if that can cause stasis.

If he’s on alfalfa pellets, I would seriously consider a slow transition to timothy. The HRS suggestions are a 1/4 cup a day of pellets per 5 pounds of bunny – so I would decrease the amount, especially considering he’s been having reoccurring episodes. You might even consider doing away with pellets entirely, as this is helpful in some cases. They’re more like a convenience food, than a necessity to bunny diet. You can just up the hay and veggies instead.

Hay is your friend – lots of grass hay! The more the merrier 🙂

When Niklaus was having repeat episodes – the vet had us cut out treats entirely.  It was hard, but we did it.  Sugar can cause the delicate balance of good / bad bacterias to get out of whack and lead to stasis.

Tummy massages are a good idea, and I am also a big fan of simethecone (infant gas relief), especially when you hear gurgling. I always keep Critical Care, Simethecone and clear pedialyte in the house in case of stasis.

I would recommend bookmarking this article about nursing your bunny through stasis, since the suggestions are right on:   http://www.mybunny.org/info/gi_stasis.htm

liittlepuffytale – pumpkin (unsweetened, no spices) can be a good choice for assist feeding since it’s high in fiber.

Stormy is all better now?

Parsley parsley parsley!!!! Always parsley in their diet, (and a bit of basil) I can’t hype the curley green of gorgeousness up enough. Hope your bun is well again!!!! 🙂

I have found that Maryann slows or almost stops eating twice a year and I have heard that this change can sometimes happen due to changes in the season. I’m not sure if that’s an old wive’s tale or not though.

Two paws up for bratty bunz!!!