GI Stasis AGAIN?!?!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 6 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 09/07/2018 at 8:46 PM
  deadneonflies
  Participant
  72 posts
  I am at a loss of what to do what to do with my girl bun. She is 9 1/2 years old and will be 10 in February. Generally she has had no health problems her entire life. Since January this year she has had GI Stasis 4 times, and the last two times were two weeks ago and last night. Last night was the worst one yet, I was sure she was going to die in my arms. From all the vet visits, I had meds left over and gave her some Cisapride and Metacam and force fed her water until she was feeling better enough. But it was quite scary for a few hours and I was wondering if she was going to be alive when we woke up this morning. The weird part was she was literally fine only a few hours before. Like…. eating her veggies, binking around and everything. So weird.
  
  Anywho, after the scare two weeks ago we went to the vet to get her checked out and the vet on basic analysis thinks it might be her back teeth. He said they looked “a little sharp” and may need a tooth trim. Based on my experience with buns, I know that tooth trims are hard on the bun, it is an ongoing process, and with my almost 10 year old, it is always risky. So I wanted a second opinion. The second vet said just about the same thing and took blood tests to check for anything else (tests came out negative). The second vet suggested I started tracking her weight because with teeth problems, buns can lose weight over time. So I’ve started doing that now too before we make any big decisions on getting the tooth trimmings. They also didn’t see any abrasions on her tongue (there would be if she has pointy teeth back there, right?)
  
  Two weeks later (last night) she has the worst scare of my life, as explained above. In general, she hasn’t been eating her hay like she used to, but still eats her pellets normally (grazes throughout the day), goes bonkers for her veggies, takes her morning supplement and her nighttime barley biscut. She loves to munch on her wood toys.
  
  I guess my questions are this… what else could be causing all this stasis in her?! Would it be wise to try switching to a different kind of hay (right now I use timothy). I have never had her on orchard hay, but I figured it if WERE teeth problems, wouldn’t the timothy hay be best for that?!
  
  any ideas or thoughts are appreciated!
  
  -Meg & Zee
- 09/07/2018 at 9:38 PM
  Bunny House
  Participant
  1241 posts
  I’m sorry you’re going through this. I lost one of mine last week from this but he had other issues too.
  
  I have to say that when they are on gut motility drugs, for a certain time frame, the body will decrease the sensors in the gut to keep it moving while they are off of it. My bun was on it for a month and then a new vet(horrible decision) decided to take him off and he went into stasis the next day. They need to be weaned off the drug very slowly or be on it the rest of their lives as you know, their tract is very very sentive. So many that’s the cause?
  
  Has she been on antibiotics? That can kill gut flora and cause the tract to not work properly and then stasis sets in.
  Have they done X-rays to see if something is wrong with an organ( bunnies don’t need to be sedated for it if they can be calm enough)?
  Is she getting enough water daily? Too little water can cause the tract to stop working and dry up.
  
  They’ve don’t blood tests to make sure everything is working right, right?
  
  And as you know, stasis is the symptom of something bigger going on so you need to treat the issue and then the stasis at the same time.
  I know they can sedate bunnies for dentals( not recommended, but if they are bad or too old for anesthesia they can sometimes do it )
  I personally think her molars are the issue, but her age makes it risky.
  
  Switching hay is never bad! Switching to a softer hay might make her eat it so it’s not too hard to chew. So it’s a good idea to try and get a small bag of oxbow(I prefer) of different kinds to see what she likes so you don’t waste a lot of money on one big bag.
  
  Keep us updated ❤️
- 09/08/2018 at 1:36 AM
  deadneonflies
  Participant
  72 posts
  OH NO I’m so sorry to hear that. That wasn’t that long ago, it must be horrible going through that loss
  
  I was thinking of asking the vet if it would be possible to keep her on her meds indefinitely. I think she does best with both the metacam and the cisapride. Unfortunately she does NOT like taking meds, of course. I think if this happens again, we should take her in and ask if it is possible to keep her on meds from now on.
  
  No x-rays have been done, only the quick look at her back teeth and the blood tests for her liver and kidneys. She was spayed when she was 1 year, so no thoughts about it being cancer. And she is not boney yet like some older rabbits get. Her figure is pretty good for being almost 10.
  
  I’m pretty sure she gets enough water, but they do drink from a bottle, so I’m sure its hard to gauge.. Do you think switching to a bowl would be better?
  
  Next time I buy hay, I’ll try out the orchard! The vet also recommended pulling back on the veggies and hoping that will make her eat more hay and pellets.
  
  Thanks for the suggestions.
- 09/11/2018 at 2:15 PM
  deadneonflies
  Participant
  72 posts
  UPDATE:
  We still have not determined what is CAUSING her stasis, but we have changed a few things and she is doing much better. The buns have a play area on the opposite side of the apartment from their pen. They like to lay by the window and play with their toys there, so now I have been putting a small amount of her favorite hay there. In addition, I have added a water BOWL in addition to their TWO water bottles, for more options. Since I added these two things, she has been eating hay more frequently and been drinking water more frequently as well. Hopefully this trend sticks around
- 09/11/2018 at 2:38 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  I’m glad to hear she’s doing better! It sounds great with the higher frequency of hay eating and also increased water consumption.
- 09/11/2018 at 2:58 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  Senior buns can develop spurs due to changes in bone density that affect the jaw alignment, even if they don’t have a history of dental issues.
  
  Glad to hear she is doing better, but due to the frequency of her episodes, I tend to agree with the vets that her teeth could be the cause, even if there aren’t sores or abrasions.
  
  Rabbits are very good at hiding pain, and subtle changes can have big effects on them. Once spurs exist, it’s usually hard to wear them down with hay. Hay is more of a preventative.
  
  I think if it were me, if she has another stasis episode, I would go for the tooth trim. It is risky for an older bun, but ongoing stasis is as too. I would just make sure you have a good vet team and a very experienced anesthesiologist, that has tons of experience with rabbit dentals.
  
  You can also start supplementing her with critical care regularly. My buns love to lick it off a plate. It has lots of added moisture and digestive aids, and might be a good preventative to incorporate into her diet for times when her teeth are irritating her.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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