Can syringe feeding cause GI stasis or pain?

[RoxMad]

So, my bunny has been getting treated for a Pseudomonas infection for quite a while. His eating has been up and down, and mostly decreasing little by little. He has never wavered on eating fruits and veggies, and continues to eat them daily. He has been eating a little alfalfa hay (never been a hay eater, but I thought alfalfa had a little more nutrients) occasionally. He has nearly stopped eating pellets. He is on a probiotic and has been since beginning antibiotic treatment. He never stopped pooping, but has been producing smaller pellets. We went to the vet on Saturday evening, and he prescribed Reglan, which he has been getting every 8 hours since then. He wanted me to hold off on syringe feeding, but I felt that he needed something, since he hasn’t been pooping as much in the last day or so. I fed him 10 CC this morning and 13 CC this afternoon. He gets Simethicone with each feed, and 5 mL of water with each feeding. He still is drinking water on his own, but the vet recommended syringing him 5 mL 3x/day until the Reglan kicked in. My concern is that he could develop stasis from syringe feeding…is this possible? I feel like I have tons of safeguards in place, so it should not happen, but just wanted to see if anyone had these issues before. Thanks in advance for the help!

[Snowleopard]

So sorry to hear your bun is poorly. I hope he has a speedy recovery. I’m not the most experienced bunny owner here, but all I can say is syringe feeding is what probably helped to save one of my buns from suffering more from stasis. It’s not pleasant for them (or you!), but it’s definitely the lesser of two evils. My bun wasn’t eating or drinking anything at all from the stasis, so I could handle her having to be uncomfortable from syringe feeding vs. the more serious effects of GI stasis.

[kirstyol]

I don’t see how syringe feeding could cause stasis, but it could discourage a bun from eating on their own because they simply wont be hungry. What we usually do (we go through this a lot with Bramble) is when he starts eating on his own we reduce syringe feeding slightly, he then eats a bit more on his own and we reduce again and so on. If your bun is still eating a normal amount of veggies I don’t know that there is a need for syringe feeding, but the vet would be best to advise.

[RoxMad]

Thank you all for the help! He has started to eat some on his own, so I have been able to back off of the syringe feeding. He seems to be growing more active and his breathing seems to be improving. We are going to a check-up tomorrow, so I will see what the vet recommends.

[RoxMad]

Hi guys, so I am reviving this topic because we are having issues again. My bunny gradually stopped eating again. His stool has remained normal up until yesterday, when I noticed tiny pellets, so I gave him a dose of Reglan, which he has been on every 8 hours since last night. He ate maybe a couple teaspoons of Critical Care last night and about 3/4c of veggies. I made up 1 tbsp. (dry) of CC for him and left him with it while I was at work. He hadn’t touched it by the time I got home, so I decided to syringe him. I use Fuzzies Kingdom for syringe feeding, so I syringe fed him 1 tbsp. (dry) of that. I also always give him a dose of Simethicone when syringe feeding. I feel like he has been uncomfortable ever since. He has been laying stretched out and not moving much. When I pick him up to give him his other meds, he runs a bit when I put him down, but he finds another place to settle and lays there. He was even laying in his litter box, which he does not do. He has pooped since his last meal, so that is good. I felt he was just not feeling well, so I gave him 1 mL of Simethicone in case of gas as well as Meloxidyl, which I had on hand, for pain. Has anyone had experience with a rabbit who isn’t eating getting “too big” of a meal?

[Bam]

It sounds like it could be gas pain. The bunny will settle, sometimes it just drops where you put it down. It doesn’t want to move but can change position. Lying in the litterbox when he normally doesn’t is another sign. Did you see any improvement after the simethicone and pain med?

It’s important to keep him warm. If it’s possible you can sit him in your lap and he’ll benefit from your body heat without any risk of getting too hot. You can try and elevate his butt a little bit, just an inch or three, to help gas escape.

Gas is a common “side-effect” of tummy trouble. It can be really painful for a bunny.

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