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Forum DIET & CARE Bunny’s recovering from stasis but won’t accept critical care

  • This topic has 11sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 1 month ago by LBJ10.
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    • Inaya
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        Hi!

        My bunny is recovering from stasis and it’s very scary , as it’s our first time (hopefully last!!)

        He doesn’t drink water at all, will only have a few bites of hay outside his litterbox, and will sometimes accept lettuce. He is willing to eat his forage (but I’m not giving those as I want everything stuck in his stomach to come our first.)

        He barely goes to the bathroom and when he does they’re the tiniest droppings.

        Our vet gave him fluids, and told us to continue force feeding him a lot of critical care. We also try and syringe feed him water and baby gas drops.

        But it’s very hard to force feed him to have his critical care, and it’s very stressful for him. I’ve tried wrapping him in a bunny burrito, but he trashes and always finds a way out. He also flinches any time I try to put the syringe in his mouth. Do you have any suggestions on how I could make this easier for both him and me? The only way he’ll get food, water,a nd gas drops down his system is if we force him, but it’s very hard and I really would like suggestions to make this less stressful for him.

        Thank you so so much!


      • LBJ10
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          If he’s eating something and still pooping (even if they are small), then I wouldn’t stress so much over the force feeding. If the vet gave him sub-Q fluids then he may not feel thirsty at the moment. Have you tried making the Critical Care thicker and putting it on a plate? One of my bunnies would eat it off of a plate. I also hear that Sherwood and Emeraid is more palatable to many rabbits.


          • Inaya
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              Thank you so much! Sorry for the late reply! My bun ended up accepting greens very willingly so I would sneak some critical care onto his greens and he would happily eat it! He’s gotten so much better, and is almost back to normal! Thank you!!!


          • Bam
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              It can be very tricky to syringe feed a rabbit. That he’s feisty is considered a good thing though, weak rabbits dont have the energy to make a fuss.

              Maybe you could mix the critical care with something that makes it more appetizing. Canned pumpkin for example (not pie filling mix that has spices and sugar). A tiny amount of apple juice (unsweetened) or baby fruit puree could work too, but only in very small amounts as a flavor enhancer, since sugar messes with the gut bacteria.

              He might be interested in eating fresh herbs on his own. That won’t contain enough fiber or calories to sustain him, but it could help him regain his appetite.

              If you can get a friend/family member to hold him in their lap in the burrito while you do the feeding, that could help make the process easier. Also use a syringe that you feel comfortable with. I’ve had luck with a rather big syringe (10 ml), that I loaded from the top, but some people prefer smaller syringes. You might need to customize the syringe tip with a warm knife.

              Did the vet give you a possible cause for the stasis episode? Like, did they look at his teeth (molars, not just the incisors), did they find any signs if a partial GI blockage on x-rays? Is he molting right now? Did they look inside his ears?  (Especially important for lop rabbits, a painful ear infection can cause a bun to stop eating.)

              Did they give you a painkiller to give at home? Any other meds?

              It can take a while for poop size and amount to get back ro normal post a stasis episode. If a bun relies solely on critical care for nutrition, you need to give quite a lot, divided up into 4-5 separate servings. The rabbit stomach can contain about 20 ml, so don’t give more than per serving. As LBJ says, sub q fluids will make him less thirsty, so not drinking after is not concering.

               

               


              • Inaya
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                  Hi! Thank you so much for your reply, sorry I’m replying so late ive been so busy.

                  Yes, he was quite feisty and speedy which I took as a really good sign!

                  Me and my dad tried having one person hold him in a bun burrito, and the other feed, but it only worked about half the time, and it would take a long time which would stress muffin out even more.

                  I also tried a 10 ml syringe and a 3ml and went back in forth, I think I got a lot of success with the smaller!

                  The vet said everything looked great, so we don’t really know what could’ve caused it. She also didn’t give any pain meds.

                  Thank you so much! I was really concerned of why his poops were taking so long to get better, so that definitely made me feel better. All of a sudden he’s been doing so much better. I’ve been sneaking critical care onto his greens as he accepts those now excitedly! He’s great now and is eating hay and food normally, his droppings are just a bit smaller and wetter, and more darker in color.

                  Thank you so so much with all your help I really appreciate it!!


              • BrunosMama
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                  Stasis can be scary! But, I agree with Bam – a feisty bunny is a good sign. 🙂 In my experience, it usually means they are on the mend.

                  I have had some luck with putting a bit of (thicker) CC on a small banana slice, although after the first time, the bun got smart and ate around the CC lol. But, I’ve also mixed in a bit of apple juice, which seemed to help some, too.

                  I’ve also made a similar mixture with their pellets, just ground into dust/powder, then mixed with water. Obviously its not as nutrient packed as CC, but may taste a bit better as a supplemental food in addition to CC if that is difficult to get in them.

                  When I have to give the buns meds or syringe feed, I wrap them in a burrito, then place them in my lap while sitting cross legged. I keep them upright (their natural position) and gently pull back one side of their mouth with one hand and use the syringe with the other. This still comes with lots of pulling away, but I can use my leg to keep them from backing out of my lap, and the burrito keeps them (mostly) contained. Admittedly, I still end up with medicine and water on the bunny chin pretty often lol.

                  Just be careful with syringing water and such, that you do it on small amounts at a time, since bunnies do not have a gag reflex and you don’t to choke them up. 🙂

                  But, if your bun is slowly eating and pooping on his own, thats great! The first few poops can look much smaller, but should get back to normal as his eating gets back to normal.

                  Wishing your bun a speedy recovery,!


                  • Inaya
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                      Thank you so so much for your reply! Sorry I’m replying so late I’ve been so busy!

                      I also tried putting some on a banana slice, and he did the same thing 😂. But I ended up mashing some into the mixture instead and he took it willingly! I also gave some CC with his greens as he started eating those!

                      I’ll definitely try doing that and sit crosslegged if I have to continue force-feeding, but luckily I don’t think I have to anymore!
                      Muffin’s almost fully back to normal and he’s eating lots of hay, greens, and running around so I’m so relived! His poops are still tiny, and he’s slowly getting better with his water, but in the last few hours I think his water intake is almost fully normal! Thank you so much for all the help!


                    • BrunosMama
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                        Oh yay, I’m glad to hear Muffin is doing so much better! 😀

                         


                    • mia
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                        Different buns had different ways they prefer when forcing syringe. I’ve had some buns do much better outside of a burrito.

                        Can try no burrito and just sit bun on lap with bun facing sideways. Hold bun and bun’s head firmly against your body. Usually get a lot on myself but somebuns thrashes less being a bit more comfortable with you hold so  you.

                        Can try putting bun in a corner, whether corner of house or a counter. Bunny butt to one wall while one hand/arm pushes bun to other wall. That hand/arm also holds head while other hand syringes.

                         


                        • Inaya
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                            I should’ve thought of those that’s so smart! I think the burrito made it much more stressful for him, so I’ll definet;y try that if I need to next time. I don’t have to force feed my bun anymore since he’s almost fully back to normal, he’s been doing great! Thank you so much though I really appreciate it!


                        • Bam
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                            Thank you for the update! Wonderful that he’s doing so much better! 🐰

                             


                          • LBJ10
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                              I glad to hear your bunny is doing better now. 🙂

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                          Forum DIET & CARE Bunny’s recovering from stasis but won’t accept critical care