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Forum DIET & CARE Diet after Cecal Dysbiosis and Stasis

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    • MissyBun
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        My 11 month old bunny had a bad case of cecal dysbiosis when she was a baby. She’s still very sensitive and keeps going into stasis very easily. She was never given pellets or greens because of the constant tummy issues and she has been on an all grass hay diet. We had an emergency vet visit last night and the vet said she could use to gain some weight and have more things in her diet. We did try to give her some more herbs a while ago and she was ok for the most part. Are there any safe greens that we could try and are pellets an option for her at all?


      • Bam
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          I’m sorry you are going through this.

          Herbs and leafy greens are very low in calories, so they wouldn’t help her gain weight. They could still be nice for her as enrichment.

          When I had a poopy-butt prone bun I used a brand of pellets for sensitive rabbits, cuni complete sensitive. It’s available in Europe and Canada, I dont know about the USA.

          A small amount of rolled oats could perhaps be sth to try. It’s easy on the tummy and often given to elderly or recuperating buns that have difficulty keeping weight on. Cereal is not normally recommended for healthy adult pet rabbits, but the main issue is that rabbits get fat from it. You could perhaps try just a pinch and go from there?

          As for grass hay, it’s of course very good, and the best thing is a variety of grass hays. Timothy, orchard, oat and meadow (meadow is often a mix of many grasses) are the most commonly available hays that are good for rabbits.

          Normally a rabbit shouldnt get alfalfa hay once its over 7 months of age, because it’s rich in calcium and protein. In your case a small amount now and then could perhaps still be a good option.

           

           


          • MissyBun
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              I think they sell those pellets at a nearby pet store. We’ll give them a try and see how she does. She can’t have alfalfa hay because it makes her gassy but we’ll try oats if the pellets don’t work out. Thank you!


          • DanaNM
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              Critical care is often used to help senior buns gain weight, I wonder if you could supplement her with some Critical care, or critical care cookies?

              There are also recovery foods made by other brands, you might try a few to see which one agrees with her the best.

              Often buns will be sensitive to a certain ingredient in pellets, so trying different ones can help. The ones Bam mentioned sound promising 🙂

              Have you tried any probiotics with her?

              I think incorporating some herbs would be nice, and I think slowly increasing the diversity of her diet will help her gut long term. It may not help with weight gain but would give some enrichment and varying nutrients. Mint, fennel, and dandelion are all good for bunny digestion. Fennel especially can help with gas and most buns tend to love it.

              As I’m sure you know, just be sure to only try one new thing per week and start with a very small amount. 🙂

              . . . 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.  


              • MissyBun
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                  Our vet mentioned critical care as well but she’s very picky with it… She would have to be syringe fed which stresses her out. I haven’t seen the cookies anywhere but I’ll have a look. Things like critical care in general are very hard to find here. We get our packs from the vet and they only have Oxbow Critical Care in one flavor.

                  Yes, she was getting something called Fibreplex for a while. I think it’s mainly a dietary supplement but it has probiotics in it. Our previous vet recommended it and that’s what helped her with dysbiosis. We used to give it to her whenever she went into stasis along with some simethicone. It worked like magic! That was also what she was getting to help her gain some weight when she was younger. She loved it and it didn’t cause any digestive upsets but we can’t find it anywhere anymore. She was actually given Benebac at first but somehow it really upset her tummy.

                  We’ll try introducing some more herbs slowly. Are leafy greens also ok to try if she’s so sensitive?


              • DanaNM
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                  Leafy greens could be OK, but some buns are sensitive to certain ones. Many buns tolerate dried greens better, such as dried dandelion, which you can find online.

                  . . . 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.  


                • Bam
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                    The same company (Protexin) that makes Fibreplex also makes a maintenance pellet food that has the same probiotic as Fibreplex. It’s called Pro-Fibre for rabbits. I’ve used it, my buns have all found it very yummy.

                    As Dana says, for some reason, dried greens and herbs seem to be better tolerated than fresh. I used to dry a lot of most herbs when I had my sticky poop-prone bun. I used a food dehydrator (a simple one, not one of the big expensive ones you make beef jerky etc with). Most herbs dry very well without a food dehydrator though.


                    • DanaNM
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                        You can also dehydrate herbs and veggies in a low oven with the door propped open by a wooden spoon! I’ve seen people make kale chips this way. 🙂

                        . . . 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.  


                    • MissyBun
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                        Thank you for all the tips!

                        Unfortunately our bun went into stasis on Monday. It happened out of nowhere. We tried everything but had to take her to an emergency vet. She was give fluids along with medication and we were sent home with her. The vet said it was caused by her ingesting a lot of hair due to shedding. We were given a couple of hours for her to start pooping as there was no movement and her temperature was worringly low. We kept her warm and looked after her but she never pooped and she wasn’t swallowing critical care. We brought her back in and she ended up staying there overnight. She started pooping in the morning so we took her home. She’s doing ok now, although she’s less active. She’s very gassy and her pooping isn’t completely back to normal yet but she’ll get there.

                        I don’t think we’ll be introducing new foods anytime soon but all the information was very helpful.


                      • pinkiemarie
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                          My bun has chronic dysbiosis and I help him keep his weight up and keep him interested in his food with pellets that have Timothy hay as the only ingredient. He gets them from exotic nutrition. There are probably other brands but it’s tough to find hay only with no other ingredients if other pellets don’t work for your rabbit. On the advice of his vet I also give him dried herbs which are easier on the tummy than fresh ones. He gets dried dandelion greens, mint, sage and oregano. He also does well with dried flowers like chamomile and calendula. I buy the herbs in bulk online and he gets a little pile in a bowl when the other buns have their salad. Just adding variety and some kind of pellet could increase weight by reducing food boredom.

                          Keep these options in mind for when she is feeling better! Also keep some baby simethicone on hand for gas if you don’t have any.


                        • Bam
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                            I’m sorry she had to go back in, lovely to hear that she’s back home with you now! I hope she’ll soon be feeling a lot better.

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                        Forum DIET & CARE Diet after Cecal Dysbiosis and Stasis