Bunny with GI stasis; no access to CC

[Carmen]

My bunny has been grinding his teeth nonstop for a few days, so I took him to the vet this morning. The veterinarian felt a mass in his stomach, took an x-ray, and determined he had GI stasis. She gave him fluids, gave me pain medicine to administer, and told me to feed him critical care. I checked Petsmart, Petco, and called other local pet stores, but none of them had critical care. I checked Amazon and they are currently out of stock and it won’t be here for almost a month. It’s strange because he is acting perfectly normal other than the teeth grinding; he still hops around, jumps up onto things, eats hay constantly, and eats all his veggies and pellets. Is it possible there was a misdiagnosis? If not, is there an alternative to CC until my shipment arrives from Amazon? I’ve heard about how bad GI stasis can be and want to do everything I can to make him better ASAP.

[DanaNM]

Is he pooping?

If he is eating normally then you don’t normally need to syringe feed. Was he eating normally before the appointment? I’m wondering if if the fluids and pain meds were enough to get his appetite back on track (I had a bun earlier this year that had stopped eating, but perked up almost immediately after some fluids). Gas pain can also cause lots of GI symptoms and then resolve rather quickly.

I’ve been hearing that CC is sold out a bunch of places. Sherwood also makes a recovery food that I’ve used before. You can also grind up pellets in a blender with water to make a slurry (aim for the consistency of pancake batter).

But you might want to ring your vet and tell her that he is eating normally.  Usually CC/syringe feeding is for when a rabbit isn’t eating enough.

. . . 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.  

[Carmen]

Yeah, he’s pooping and eating normally. He was even before the appointment, which is why the diagnosis confused me. I bought him some Oxbow digestive support treats, so hopefully that will be enough for now along with his regular diet. Thank you so much!

[DanaNM]

Yes that is really unusual! Maybe a mis-communication with the vet? Are they rabbit savvy?

Were his teeth checked?

. . . 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.  

[Carmen]

She works mainly with dogs and cats but is also certified for bunnies. The vet checked his teeth, ears, etc. and said everything else looked good. I made sure she knew he was acting normal other than grinding his teeth. She definitely saw a mass in his stomach on the x-ray, and she said it was most likely GI stasis and to get back to her if things didn’t improve.

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