Hi everyone, this is my first post here and I’m not completely sure that I’m following the format / rules correctly. If I’m doing anything wrong, please feel free to let me know.

I have a two and a half year old rescued rabbit – I strongly suspect he’s a Havana – named Darwin. He has suffered from GI Stasis before (about a year and a half ago I believe) but was able to recover from it completely. I don’t have access to reliable transportation at the moment, so we are now seeing a different vet who is closer to home (and sees my parents’ cat).

To summarize this week, I noticed that Darwin wasn’t acting himself Sunday night. He was still playing and (as far as I knew) eating and using his litter box, but one of his ears was drooping and he was shaking his head a bit more than normal. I made an appointment for Monday evening at the “closer” vet. The vet checked his ears and said they were fine, but he did feel something strange in Darwin’s abdomen so we went ahead and did an X-ray. There is a bit of a language barrier between us, but my understanding is that Darwin has some kind of accumulation in his intestines. He is in the middle of his Fall shed, and even though I groom him very frequently, I am sure it is possible that he’s eaten some of his own fur – that was what my first vet assumed the problem was a year and a half ago. He also shreds baby blankets, so I am a little bit concerned that he’s eaten some of the fabric even though I’ve never really seen him do it. Anyway, the vet said that it wasn’t the absolute worst case he’s seen, but he was concerned and there was a possibility that he would have to operate on Darwin.

He ended up giving Darwin a Metacam shot and sending us home with an antibiotic (Enrofloxacin / “Baytril”), liquid Metacam and a laxative (to use as needed). He also recommended giving Darwin pineapple juice. I have been doing this routine since Monday night, and yesterday I also called to ask about an appetite stimulant and they prescribed “Mirtazapine”, which I gave for the first time last night. I also gave him simethicone last night and this morning because he looked like he was having some belly pain. I am also giving him water through syringes (orally) and massaging his belly.

He has been having 20 – 50 poops each day as far as I can tell. I have been frequently cleaning his litter box to monitor the amount he is pooping, but it seems to blend in with his litter. Some of the pellets are quite small, but they may actually be getting larger. What concerns me is that he typically is only pooping during the night, and going several hours during the day without pooping at all (as far as I can tell). And that even when he does poop, it’s not a lot. Is this normal? Does it just take awhile for it to get back to normal? 

He is eating, but less than normal. Last night, after his first dose of simethicone, he ate more hay than I’ve seen all week and this morning he has eaten some kale leaves.

After I post this, I am going to go buy some oat grass from the pet store to see if I can encourage him to eat more hay.

My questions for you are:

Is there any other medication I should be asking the vet about? Maybe something to help his GI tract start moving more?

Do you have any other recommendations for food / hay / veggies that might encourage him to eat?

Has your bunny gone through GI Stasis with a blockage? Were they able to pass it? How long does it take for them to start pooping normally again?

Thank you for any help you can give me. I’ve been so worried for him and I want to do everything I can to help him, so any advice is appreciated more than I can even say.