FORUM

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

FORUM HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Stasis medication advice!

Viewing 6 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • ButtersBear
      Participant
      12 posts Send Private Message

        Hi everyone! I’m a new poster to BinkyBunny but visit often when I have questions about my rabbit (toys, treats, x-pens, hair combs, litter boxes, for all reasons)! My 14-month-old bunny wasn’t eating or pooping last night, so I started him on Simethicone, Critical Care, and when he looked like he was in a lot of pain late in the evening I crushed a baby aspirin and syringe fed him some mixed with water (I know, debatable, but got very panicked and desperate and didn’t want him to be in pain).  I brought Buttercup to the vet where the doctor and the vet techs were able to get him to have 12 ml of Critical Care, and they gave him some Reglan (Metoclopramide), Cisapride, and subcutaneous fluids.  The vet said he was doing okay and to continue care at home with the Reglan, Cisapride, and Bene-Bac he gave me plus the Critical Care and Simethicone.  I asked about pain medication, and the vet wanted to hold off on them (and told me NOT to give aspirin again…my mistake from searching all over the internet for what to do in desperation last night) since Metacam (Meloxicam) might upset his stomach and something like Butorphanol would slow his motility down, which we didn’t want. Considering Dana Krempels section entitled, “Pain Relief: The key to keeping the bunny fighting to live,” I was a little skeptical but understanding of his reasoning.



        Now, finally, my question (since it’s almost 11pm and the vet opens at 8am): I have the Reglan, Cisapride, and Bene-Bac and was told to give it to him twice a day, so I was going to give it to him 12 hours after our vet visit.  However, when should I give him Simethicone?  Would it be too much to give him all those motility agents at the same time? 

        Things to consider: He has eaten a handful of cilantro and munched on some hay since our vet visit. He seems more active but still a little off, as expected. There are (thankfully!) a few poops in his litter box, some small and some a little misshapen, but I’m just happy they’re getting out of him!

        Also, Butters is also in the middle of a heavy shed.  I’ve been brushing him and just picking at him about 5x/day for 10 minutes at a time – I’m pretty sure I could have stuffed a pillow by now with his hair.  I’m pretty sure this contributed to our current stasis episode. 

        Thanks for reading! Any advice / comments would be appreciated!

        ——————————————————————————————————————————————————–

        Bunny Mom to Peter Bear (Scampering around Rainbow Bridge) and Buttercup (a.k.a. Butters Bear)


      • Azerane
        Moderator
        4691 posts Send Private Message

          To the best of my knowledge simethicone is non-reactive to other drugs. It is not a motility medication. It will only help if Buttercup has gas as it works to bind the small bubbles of gas together in the stomach to make them easier to pass. If he doesn’t have gas, it won’t do any harm, but it won’t do anything to help either.

          It is unusual not to give pain meds, but with the motility meds and fluids he should be starting to feel better soon.


        • ButtersBear
          Participant
          12 posts Send Private Message

            Thanks so much for the reply!  I hope he gets back to his rambunctious self soon – he has me worried sick! 

            His Reglan is flavored cause he loved drinking it out of the syringe and the Bene-Bac gel was seemingly very tasty, too. His Cisapride, however, is nasty, and I’ve spent over an hour trying to get him to take this syringe. 

            – Absolute bunny burrito refusal. He knows something he doesn’t like is coming.
            – Mashed banana around the syringe tip is not enough to mask the smell of Cisapride, and he LOVES bananas.
            – Mashed banana in a spoon with Cisapride isn’t working either. Sigh.

            I know from last night’s experience he isn’t a fan of the Simethicone, but I’m going to go ahead and add it to this regimen.


          • Bam
            Moderator
            17033 posts Send Private Message

              Cisapride helps the peristalsis (movement) of the small intestine and colon, metaclopramide increases the movement of the first 2 parts of the small intestine (duodenum and jejunum) but has barely any effect on the colon. Both help the stomach empty into the intestine. In short, they increase the motility in different parts of the GI tract, that’s why your’re sometimes given both.

              Simethicone is as Azerane says not an active drug, it stays in the GI canal and has no systemic effect. It breaks up gas bubbles so they get easier to pass and it might have a lubricating effect (make the intestinal walls more slippery) so the food can move along more smoothly. My bunnies hate it too, but I know there are some people that have had success with mixing it with sth yummy.

              His heavy shedding most likely has sth to do with the stasis. Bunnies get sensitive when they shed, some become very grumpy, some get gas or other stomach trouble. I don’t know why this is, but it’s frequently reported by bunny-owners.

              It is often difficult to give bunnies medicine, it’s best if you can get another person to hold the bun when you do it. It does get better with practice, but I of course hope you won’t have to practice a lot. One thing is good about a bunny that opposes being burritoed and given meds, it means the bunny has the strenght to put up a fight. As impractical as that is, it’s still a good sign.


            • ButtersBear
              Participant
              12 posts Send Private Message

                Thanks for such an organized and detailed reply, bam! Especially, thank you for saying it most likely has to do with his heavy shedding and that bunnies can become grumpy or gassy or with stomach trouble – I keep thinking I did something wrong, even though the vet told me I did everything right the night before I could bring him in.

                The vet also said the same about him being feisty taking his medicine – that he had the strength to fight.

                I just tried giving him the Simethicone mixed with about 1/8 inch slice of banana and he gobbled it all up Thank you for the suggestion! Unfortunately, now I’ve tried crushing his Cisapride tablet in some Critical Care, which he strongly opposed, and then I tried Cisapride + banana, but he didn’t want it either. I’ll try some two-person methods next.

                —–

                EDIT: I just contacted my vet who told me if he’s pooping fairly well then it’s not necessary to force the Cisapride but to try my best to administer until he’s back to his regular self. He also told me that Critical Care is to replace his regular diet and that if he’s eating, then I only need to give enough to replace what he’s not eating (from his usual diet). So, since he’s still eating some hay, pellets, and a full cup of veggies just very slowly throughout the day and not all in the same 10 minutes, I don’t have to force the Critical Care. I’m reassured, especially since I don’t have to stress him so much with force feedings, but still very worried and concerned. 


              • Bam
                Moderator
                17033 posts Send Private Message

                  It can take a couple of weeks before a bunny is completely right again after a bad bout of stasis. That’s not out of the ordinary, but I do understand your worry.
                  Critical Care can be mixed with baby fruit or veggie pure or canned plain pumpkin, that can entice the bun to eat the mix from a plate or a spoon. It really is a relief not to have to force feed, but I had to do it once for almost 4 weeks with one bun and even if he absolutely hated me while it was going on, it really seemed like it had strengthened the bond between us, when the ordeal was over.
                  I’m glad to hear he’s eating some on his own! Your vets seem like they really know their way around bunnies. That’s great, it can be difficult to find a rabbit-savvy vet.
                  Edit: Forgot to add, it’s very good if you can get him to move around some. Physical exercise helps with gas and GI movement.


                • ButtersBear
                  Participant
                  12 posts Send Private Message

                    I’ll try to get some baby fruit / veggie so he’s more enticed to have some critical care while he’s recovering – thanks for the advice – saving the banana slice for the simethicone and don’t want to give him too much banana. I’m sorry to hear you had to force feed for 4 weeks – I’m having a hard enough time with 2 days! He’s eating much better since my last post, which is an absolute relief (cilantro saves lives!), his poops are getting bigger in size and more frequent, and he’s done 2 bunny flops this afternoon. He’s much more alert, so I think we’re on a good path to recovery right now. I’m trying not to be too excited – I know it takes a few weeks for complete recuperation and I still want to monitor him, especially since he can likely slip back into stasis if I’m not attentive.

                    He’s done some running around outside his x-pen today! Otherwise his only exercise was escaping when I attempted to bunny burrito and force feed him. I’ve also groomed him a bit today since he’s feeling better and cleaning himself up more. I don’t want him to ingest more hair and have more problems.

                    I got really lucky finding a rabbit-savvy vet on a Sunday. The New Jersey House Rabbit Society didn’t have one listed in my county, and the closest ones were about an hour away from me and I was very hesitant to bring my sick bunny on a car ride for that long unless it was absolutely necessary and I had no other options. I just finished writing NJHRS a message about hopefully adding the vet I found to their list, so other bunnies (and bunny parents) in my area could get the help if needed.

                    Thank you so much for the support and encouraging words, bam (and Azerane!). It’s really nice to have a community here on BB to talk to and share my experiences!

                Viewing 6 reply threads
                • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                FORUM HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Stasis medication advice!