Agh!! Blowing Coat!!

[Binkles]

HALP!! Little-Bit is making clones of herself!

Bah, I try to keep her brushed as much as I can, but she just keeps shedding! All has been going well but he’s been having those big hairy poos and pearl bracelets on-and-off for the past couple of weeks. Now she’s having some gas issues here and there and I’m becoming a little paranoid… (Okay, a LOT paranoid. I tend to freak out about this sort of thing..)

Does anyone know what exactly it is about gas itself that can lead to stasis? Is it just because the bunny may decrease their hay/ food/ water intake when they’re gassy, thus leading to a slowdown, or is there some other factor that factors in? Because if it’s just that the bunny decreases their consumption, it would put me a little more at ease because Little-Bit ALWAYS eats her hay and drinks like a hog even when she’s visibly having gas issues. (And even on the rare occasion that she doesn’t feel like eating hay, I can almost always convince her that she’s hungry just by shoving it in her face. Lol. Power of suggestion.)

So I guess basically what I’m asking is, as long as she’s eating her hay and drinking her water normally, do I have any real need to fret about the possibity of stasis as much as I do? I mean, obviously I want to try and make her as comfortable as possible while she’s having these gas attacks, but how worried should I be about them as long as she’s eating/ drinking normally?

[KatnipCrzy]

I guess the first thing might be to determine what is causing the “gas attacks”?  A gas attack does not necessarily lead to GI stasis and could even resolve without you giving medication- though I certainly would not hesitate to give my rabbit Simethicone if I suspected gas.  I think it would best to try to determine what is causing her discomfort- if it is gas then you would look to diet modification to control the problem.  What are you feeding?  pellets? type? amount?  what veggies?

I think it is great that you monitor her so closely and are on top of her input and output- but I would not stress out about GI stasis from what you are describing.  It is always a possibility with rabbits- but I think you have her well monitored that you will be able to get her to the vet if she has something more serious than a gas attack.  I am a little concerned that it is not known what is causing her discomfort- it could be something else entirely like bladder, etc. 

I would suggest talking to your vet.  But unless they are really, really rabbit savvy- you might get better diet modification advice here if that is what you decide as a first step- what to try to eliminate, how to do a trial, what has worked for others, etc.  And if you can not get her “gas attacks” under control with diet then you could consider adding “probiotic” supplement to her diet.  But if you do diet modification and probiotic at the same time- you will not know which one worked.  A probiotic is a supplement and generally have little to no negative side affects- but I think it is important to prevent the problem as opposed to “treating” it if that is possible.   Probiotics help support a healthy balance of gut bacteria and that in general leads to good GI health.  If you are going to give a probiotic to your bunny I would make sure to get one formulated for pets and has no sugar and is dosed and palatable for bunnies.  I know American Pet Diner makes a supplement or 2 with enzymes although I have not looked into them closely- and there are others that have been used in bunnies like Prozyme- but again, have not looked into it for bunnies.

I would not attribute the shedding to gas attacks.  Shedding can cause an accumulation of hair in the stomach and GI tract when ingested during grooming- which has more to do with a hairball than gas.  The fact that she is passing “pearl poos” in my opinion is a good thing- rabbits are so clean they are always going to ingest hair when grooming- and the best outcome is for it to pass.

I would at least call your vet and at the very least discuss this with them.  But I would be curious to see what you feed daily, amounts, any treats, etc to see if you can figure out a simple solution. 

My bunny Cotton hasa more delicate digestive system than my other 2 bunnies- I can give X amount of treats per day- but not all at once otherwise she can get a little mushy stool.  But if I give the same amount divided by 2-3 times in the day- then no mushy stool at all.  I think the craisins and natural sugar in the papaya tablets are too much if given at one time, but in small doses- no problem.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Deep breaths

This is what I know-gas does not cause GI stasis. Gas can be seen in stasis, if their is a blockage. Just give some semthicone drops and keep an eye.

For future, try keeping a food diary so you know exactly what is not agreeing her tummy.

[Binkles]

Huh, so you guys really don’t think that the gas has to do with her ingesting too much hair? I was almost certain that was the cause since she started having the gas when she started passing pearl poos. =|

Actually, I THINK I may be mistaken entirely. Is it gas at all? What I am labeling ‘gas’ is not actual smells or flatulence that I’ve heard. It’s tummy gurgles -just tummy gurgles and some belly-ground pressing. I guess I was just always under the impression that tummy gurgles WERE gas, is that wrong?

Hmm…I guess now that I think about it, whenever I have tummy gurgles, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I have gas, does it?

Oh, wow…have I been mis-interpreting this all along? If so, are tummy gurgles something to be worried about under these circumstances?

[MooBunnay]

In my opinion – the serious thing to be really worried about is a lack of eating or a lack of pooping. And also a lack of interest in favorite foods like pellets or veg. My bunnies also get the pearly string poops from time to time, it generally passes when they are done shedding. I’m not a total expert, so i can’t tell you not to be worried 100%, but I can say that with my bunnies, as long as they seem to have their normal eating/drinking habits, and are acting somewhat in their normal character, I do not get too concerned.

[BinkyBunny]

Quiet tummy gurgles are normal and gurgling SHOULD always be present. (A quiet tummy is not good)  You should be able to hear it when you put your ear up to their stomach, but if you can hear the gurglng just by sitting next to them and it’s rather loud, then that would be something to keep an eye on, especialliy if it is accompanied by some obvious behaviorial changes – uncomfortable posture, not eating, drinking and pooping.

I think gas can be painful enough to a point that a bunny can stop eating and go into stasis. In turn, then when bunny grooms himself, the hair will not be digested properly and continue into a more serious state of gi stasis. So though I think gas can affect the digestive system, I’m not sure if digesting hair would actually cause gas. 

 

[Sarita]

Yes, I have to wonder if they are gas attacks too – stomach gurgling is not gas attacks. I agree that if she is eating and drinking she is fine.

[Binkles]

Hmm, well thanks guys! You’ve been very insightful and helped me realize a big error in my thinking!

I’ll continue to keep an eye on her, if not just because shedding season poses inherent threats. :s But I don’t think I’ll continue to worry like I was.

And this next question is a bit embarrassing…despite the fact that I’ve been a bunny mommy for over five years now, I don’t think I can accurately tell the difference between a belly-ground press and a normal bunnysphinx/ bunnyhen posture. I understand that when they’re pressing their bellies to the ground they tend to stretch their hind feet forward underneath or to the side of themselves…but….don’t their hind feet naturally go forward anyway when they lay down like that?

[Sarita]

Well, I think as with any body language and the possibility that bunny is not feeling well is going to be a combination of things. It won’t always just be a position they are lying it but a combination of things. I think it’s just like when a bunny sneezes – it does not necessarily mean they are sick but if it’s followed by other behaviors that are not normal or other possible symptoms then at that point you may want to be concerned. I just don’t think it’s going to be any one thing but a combination of things.

[Binkles]

Yeah you’re right. I think I’m just hyper-analyzing things with Little-Bit. Most of the time when I think she may be belly-pressing, I lay down next to her and stick my hand out to pet her and she gets up, all bright-eyed and looks at me like, “What, mommy!?” The one time she did have real stasis/ gas/ discomfort issues other than after her spay, she was inconsolable.

I guess I’m just so used to Binkles’ behaviour. She was always so stoic and cool no matter what, it was hard to tell when something was wrong or right.

[MimzMum]

Poor Sarah! (hugs) I think it must be “Spazz Over Your Bunny’s Health Issues” Month for all of us. >.<

Did you ever see the thread I started about how I could actually see things moving back and forth in Fiver’s stomach while he was lying on the bed one night? Scared me to death! It looked like that Alien thing from that horrible movie all those years ago, but I was assured it was totally normal for bunny’s tummy to undulate like that. And that’s what this board is for, helping to figure out all bunny ways mysterious! ^_^

I heard Fiver’s tummy gurgling one day, scared me too, but he was fine. I think just a little indigestion and it passed on its own.

It’s odd, each bunny of mine is different in that ‘sphinx’ posture. Mimzy sliiiiides down into it and his front feet go out and his hinds disappear. Fiver tends to stretch his little hind toes out so far forward, they almost go up his nose! And Pippi tends to throw her legs back behind her and the lounges to the side in a total cheesecake pose. I still think the worst one is when they suddenly go over sideways like they’ve been shot. That dead bunny flop still makes me freak out.

I really think if there’s a gas/stasis issue, it’s going to be a little more obvious with Little Bit. She appears to me, in posts you’ve made about her, to be a bit more demonstrative than Binkles was. It’ll just take some observation to get to know her quirks. ^_^ But good for you for keeping a close eye! That’s the way to do it.

[jerseygirl]

What I’ve seen with the tummy press/gas related is they’ll find a position then 10 seconds later adjust, then adjust again etc. Jersey will lie on cool tile too when doing this. Sphinx and so on, she’ll go into pose, half close the eyes, and even do a few tooth noises (content though sometimes loud). She’ll sometimes get up soon after and groom, then settle back into pose, but I don’t think of that as adjusting as with gas, more like scratching an itch or finishing of the bath before settling for a nap.

[Binkles]

Yes Mimzmum I did see that post a while back! And I’m VERY glad you posted it. When I read it, I turned around to Little-Bit who was laid out on my bed behind me and stared at her side really carefully, and….good God you were right! 8D You most certainly CAN see their guts moving!! Kind of in circles like. Very, VERY subtle, but it’s definitely there.

That said, that HAS been one thing I’ve been looking at this time around -her undulating tummy. And sure enough, it’s been undulating!

Lol Jersey. I have these two marble tiles laid out for her in my carpeted room. Those two tiles are her absolute FAVOURITE things to lay on. I’ve seen her do some really hardcore indulgent flops on those things. She also does that exact same thing you’re describing all the time. Lay out, tooh purr, eyelids droop, seemingly fall asleep, get up suddenly 2 minutes later to groom something and then lay out again. I think it’s just a bunny thing…gotta scratch that grooming itch!

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