GI Stasis

[sgtsnuggles]

Hello all,

This is my first time going through GI stasis with my bunny; my other baby has had episodes but they always resolved in 4-6 hours max. I read up on stasis vs blocks and was asking for my bun’s temp, blood sugar, and for X-rays. The vet told me by physical exam he is not having a block and looks rather well. I felt my bun’s abdomen and I thought it was a bit distended but still soft. Anyways, the vet recommended waiting a week to see if he got better and sent us home after some hydration and IM medication; he is home on Emeraid and Reglan now. He advised against simethicone and massages.

My baby Winnie is 1.5 year old H. Lop (free roam, bonded). He is drinking and urinating which is good. However, he mostly stays in the same place and doesn’t stray from where he’s settled in to hide. He pees wherever he wants and has only went back to the hutch to pee when running away from me. Now he’s learned how to tuck his face and burrow into the towel to avoid letting me syringe the Emeraid (he likes Reglan more or less). Today is day 3 and although he has more fight and energy in him, he’s still very heartily refusing any sort of food. This morning before I left for work it was so difficult to feed him, he even tries to let the Emeraid fall out of his mouth rather than be forced to swallow. This behavior is just so scary and abnormal it’s been affecting my health and wellbeing deeply worried about him even though the vet says he physically seems fine. But behaviorally, it hurts so much to see him this way.

The ER pet hospital vet (confirmed exotic) sounded like he knew rabbits. I’m just very worried about what I should expect behaviorally and what improvement should look like. I wanted a second opinion from fellow bun lovers who can offer some insight from personal experience. The vet was very nice and answered my questions, but as I said I would be comforted to hear from others who love their buns.

Thank you in advance!

[DanaNM]

Is he on any pain medication? Pain management is really important for stasis treatment in rabbits, as the pain can cause their gut to continue to slow down. Especially with reglan, which can cause cramping and discomfort.

Has he been pooping at all?

Stasis recovery can be slow, so gentle supportive care is important. It is scary when they won’t swallow the food. I can help to use smaller syringes. Another member had good success using 1 mL syringes and I started doing this myself. I use the larger ones to load up the smaller ones from the back. For whatever reason the buns seem to swallow a lot more of it and it’s easier to make sure you aren’t giving them too much at once.

You can also try mixing the emeraid with a bit of mashed banana to see if he will eat it on his own. Encouraging a bit of movement also helps stimulate the digestive tract.

All of that said, if you feel something just isn’t right, absolutely follow up with your vet or get a second opinion. I would not try any super aggressive treatments, but he should definitely be on pain medication if he isn’t already, and sometimes buns need a different motility med (or a combo of two) to really get them going again.

. . . 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.  

[sgtsnuggles]

He was given a buprenorphine injection yesterday at his visit but none sent home, I will definitely reach out to them again and obtain some. Thank you, I have been using the big syringe to give 5mL but will go back to 1mL syringe. I definitely had more success with that when I initiated CritCare before. Thank you so much for these suggestions, it’s so frustrating for both of us trying to get the food in him.

Winnie is a very shy guy in general, he’s a big 4.5lb and is dominated by his bonded mate (Appa, 2.5 yo M H. Lop) who is a whole pound smaller. I haven’t separated them and the vet said I didn’t need to, but I’m not 100% sure if it’s Winnie’s poop or Appa’s but judging from shape and size regularity they are likely Appa’s. I haven’t noted any poops still. What should recovery look like, is it generally a pretty quick bounce back to normal behavior, gradual, or each rabbit’s recovery is unique? Do you normally separate your bond mates? They free roam my room which is pretty big and Winnie has taken to hiding under the futon where he sits on a little pad I put there and Appa comes by when he feels like it but doesn’t sit with him all day.

[DanaNM]

You should keep the bonded buns together, although yes it can be hard to tell who’s pooping.  Also feel free to try dif recovery foods. My buns do like emeraid a lot more than critical care but buns have have preferences for certain foods. Some buns will eat it if you mix it into more of a dough and offer it that way.

Each rabbit’s recovery is unique, but in general it can be slow (sometimes agonizingly slow), with lots of ups and downs, especially if the bun was fully in stasis (it’s been compared to trying to jump start a train…).

Usually meloxicam/metacam is given along with reglan, so I would just mention he’s showing signs of pain (sitting hunched and withdrawn) and hopefully they can give you some without too much fuss.

. . . 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.  

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