GI Stasis help!

[ari.tashakkori]

Having a really tough time with my foster bunny, who was saved from a neglect situation. Since I got him months ago, he has had no interest in eating hay, and if I try to encourage him, he just breaks a piece off and spits it out. Over the past few weeks, he had been getting mad when I put him up into his pen at night and dug like crazy until he reached the tarp/puppy pads under his blanket. He had been chewing on those but I didn’t think that he was ingesting much. This week, I noticed his pooping slow down, and immediately took him to the vet. I had to take him to the veterinarian that works with our rescue, and I really felt like she did not take me or my concerns seriously. I’m hoping that someone can help me address my concerns, and come up with a game plan to help my little guy get better.

Details:

I think he is about 4 lbs, not sure because the vet did not give me the paperwork

Diet- Manna Pro Plus pellets (unlimited), lots of leafy greens/veggies, no hay

He is constantly offered a variety of hays and sometimes even grass, he just doesn’t want it

Habitat- he does not free roam but lives in a huge puppy pen

 

Veterinarian Visit Outcome:

She said that she felt distention and he looked painful, but to me, he was his usual mischievous self and still is. She has me doing 200 mL of subcutaneous fluids daily, 1.2 mL Reglan every 6 hours, and .35 mL Metacam once or twice per day. She had no suggestions on what to do about the hay situation, so I’m left in the dark worrying.

 

Here is what I’m doing:

I think it would be a better idea to split the subQ fluids into 2 administrations, 100 mL each. I also think that I should switch from Manna Pro to Oxbow rabbit food because that has higher fiber and more timothy in it. I will have to introduce it slowly but I will be starting that tonight. I ordered Orchard Grass hay, and hopefully, he will show some interest in that. I have also started syringing pumpkin puree with water into his mouth, and I put some into his water bowl to encourage him to drink. I am open to suggestions on what else to try.

Today is day 7 of him following this regimen, and I have not seen a huge amount of improvement. When he came home from staying at the vet for the weekend, his poops were much larger than they have ever been. Now, they are back to being smaller and not very frequent. He is not wanting to drink water on his own, but he is eating normally as far as I can tell, maybe a bit less enthusiastic but he is still getting food in his belly.

The vet said that this would be the same procedure if he had a foreign body (ie puppy pad plastic), which I don’t necessarily agree with and I thought that Reglan was not a good option in those situations.

I guess I am just wondering what to do, if I should seek a 2nd opinion, or if I should take him back to this vet for hospitalization. She was overall not very empathetic and did not listen much to my concerns, so I would like to avoid taking him back if at all possible.

[DanaNM]

Is he getting unlimited pellets because he doesn’t eat hay, or has he always had that many pellets? I think even if a bun is not eating hay well, unlimited pellets won’t really help the situation.

Have his teeth been checked thoroughly?

I do think that the lack of hay is at the root of the issues, but it would be important to rule out a dental cause vs. just filling up on pellets or never learning to like hay.

I would syringe feed him critical care if he’s still showing any stasis symptoms. The treatment all sounds normal to me, so I wouldn’t worry about that very much.  If he’s getting 200 mL of fluids a day and not eating hay, he may not be thirsty, so I wouldn’t worry too much about him not drinking with that many fluids being administered. If he is eating and pooping some I would continue the treatment prescribed and resist the urge to make a lot of changes (including changing pellets). Stability is important for bunnies, especially those recovering from stasis.

Vets may not realize the level of involvement that a foster has, so they may not be as good at communicating with you as they would a private owner, but that doesn’t mean they are providing poor care. I had a very sick foster at one point, and our vet was not really communicating the treatment with me, he was just talking to the leads at the rescue. But once he realized that I was a potential adopter, the whole situation changed and I was looped in.

 

FYI for the pen floor, i’ve had good luck using vinyl flooring from the hardware store. The cheaper stuff (around 50 cents a sq ft) is slightly textured and my buns have no trouble walking on it, and if the edges are outside the pen walls they don’t/can’t chew it at all. I just add some grass mats and blankets on top for them and they are very happy with it. It’s much more secure and safer than tarps etc. that they can chew on.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages