GI Stasis – Need Urgent Advice!!

[LittleFir]

I know there are posts already on this topic but I would love some advice for our specific circumstances. Here’s the story with as many details as I can give:

Nephy has GI Stasis.

We were at a wedding last night and we stayed over. My boyfriend’s mum fed all the bunnies last night and said Nephy was acting her usual self. When we got back this morning she asked me to come and look at Neph because she wasn’t right. She had covered her with a towel because she felt cold and she hadn’t moved or eaten or shown any interest in anything at all which isn’t like her! I knew immediately that something was wrong.

I brought her upstairs to snuggle on the bed and she was acting very off-colour, not trying to explore or run away, refusing any of the yummy food we tried to give her, but worse than that was the fact that she didn’t even try and throw it! Normally when she’s presented with something she doesn’t want she bites it out of our hand and tosses it aside because she’s a bossy madam, this morning she just turned her head away. She was also moving around in discomfort – lying down stretched out then getting up a second later and then lying down flat again and so on. This is also unusual because she’s not a lounger but a loafer so it was unsettling to see her in that position. I have read on the internet that it’s her attempt to try and stop the pain in her belly She peed on the bed and continued to lie on top of it until we noticed and shifted her which she wouldn’t usually do given her very tidy habits and litter-training. I also heard loud gurgling noises coming from her tummy which was a major warning sign.

So we rung a vet, not her usual vet because they were closed. We got her an appointment within the hour. He checked her teeth and ruled out dental issues, then he felt her tummy, which he said was really soft and squishy (which it is) so he didn’t think there was an obstruction, but because she flinched when he touched certain parts he confirmed his theory by testing her blood sugar, which apparently should be lower than a certain level and blockages make it rise.

She had a normal blood sugar level so he gave her 3 shots: a painkiller, antibiotics and something to kick-start her gut again. He told me 3 outcomes: the treatment will work and she’ll start to regain her appetite and return to normal, the treatment will work for a bit but then she will decline again and need longer-term treatment and medication or the treatment won’t work at all and she’ll need to go back in for an x-ray.

When we got her home, she seemed a little brighter, she even half-halfheartedly nibbled some rocket and watercress, but barely an hour later she was back to lying out lethargically and refusing food.

So I got online and looked up everything I could. This is what I have done:

1) Cleaned out her cage and brought it upstairs to our bedroom/lounge so we can monitor her all night and also see if she poops (whilst cleaning her cage I noticed poop ornaments, those strung together poos that are apparently a sign of not enough fibre which I will come back to  in a bit). I have put paper based litter pellets in one half and a folded towel in the other so she has the option of whatever is comfiest to her.

2) Made her some warm water bottles to snuggle up to because it says keeping her temperature up is really important. She has been on the bed next to me in a little duvet cave with these warm bottles for hours and has hardly moved.

3) Made her a box with timothy hay, kale, carrot strips, pellets, rosemary, spring greens and thyme which is right next to her. Every now and again I take something out and try to feed her but she’s refused everything so far.

 4) Forced her to drink water from a cup that I present her with every few minutes. She does take little sips from it but in a very lacklustre manner. I will keep doing this and try to stay awake with her through the night. I don’t want her to dehydrate from being near all the warm bottles.

5) I had some Fibreplex (a paste to encourage normal digestive function) left from when she got spayed so I gave her a tiny bit of that but she spat most of it out and cleaned it off her face so I doubt it has made any difference.

6) I tried to give her a couple of belly massages but without much success. She just tried to wriggle away and I don’t want to end up hurting her more.

7) I also tried to get her to move about a bit by putting her on the floor for a run but she just jumped right back onto the bed and led down in the warm duvet cave again. I don’t want to push her into this unnecessarily because she might be cold on the floor or she might hurt herself jumping up again.

8) I ran out and bought some Infacol (simeticone solution) which I read really helps with rabbit gas. The recommended dose is 1ml every hour for 3 hours and then as it’s needed. I managed to get a full dropper full into her mouth which is 0.5ml and then about half of another because the second time she squirmed. That was an hour ago, I just tried to give her a second dose and got another 0.5ml in but she won’t let me anywhere near her mouth for the second half. This is worrying me because the internet says that she should be showing signs of improvement after the first dose but nothing has changed which makes me think it’s a more serious issue than gas pains making her feel this poorly.

9) I also grabbed the only fruit/veg based organic baby food I could find in Sainsburys because I’ve read that I have to get some food into her but I haven’t tried to feed her any with my little syringe yet because I’v also read that if it is an obstruction then feeding her will be adding to the problem, and since she doesn’t seem to be improving from the simeticone dose that makes me think that it might well be an obstruction after all.

Nephy was a foundling and has some strange eating habits. She doesn’t eat much hay and she’s a skinny little thing, even though her appetite for other things is healthy enough. I buy my rabbits only healthy, sugar-free, natural treats and foods so that even if they’re not munching as much hay as they should be they are at least having everything else healthy. I don’t give them fruit either, only leafy veg and herbs. I already have one bun who is on a strict diet for tummy problems but he’s never actually had stasis, just ISC. The problem, however, is that my boyfriends mum thinks I’m too strict with them and buys them sugary treats and actually hides them from me so she can feed them in secret. This is an ongoing battle in our household and it really upsets me. I know that she gave them strawberry sugary sticks while we were away and Nephy ate the whole thing while she’s not been eating good amounts of hay lately. I bet this is a major factor in why she’s got poorly.

Basically I’m asking you guys for any advice. Have I been doing the right things tonight? What more can I do? I will get her another vet appointment first thing in the morning but I’m so terrified of her rapidly declining overnight. Should I keep going with the Infacol? Should I try the baby food? I’m barely keeping it together feeling so helpless and seeing her so sick! She is lying here chattering her teeth and looking so weak and miserable. What are her chances of getting through this?

Any advice would be appreciated hugely!!

[MK]

It sounds like you have been doing all the right things, I would definitely make sure Nephy sees a vet ASAP. I would recommend that you keep trying to get her to especially take water and try hay/pellets. Its important that her gut gets moving again. You could try syringing her water if she isn’t drinking it, so she doesn’t get dehydrated, since that will add to the problem.

Hang in there! I know this is a difficult time but you are doing everything you can! Attempting to give her a gentle tummy massage is also something you can try if it doesn’t unduly stress her.

[Bam]

It does sound like you’re doing everything right.

Have you seen any poop?

[sarahthegemini]

Poor baby. It really does sound like you’ve done all the right things. I’ve dealt with stasis on three occasions for my girl. The third time was by far the worse. It still only took a few days to recover but it was constant up and down whereas the times before she recovered quicker. She needed quite a few motility stimulant injections plus a few for pain relief. As well as oral versions. She made a full recovery and there was no underlying issues, no blockages etc.

Obviously every case is different but don’t lose hope. It’s lunch time here now in the UK, is there an update for her? Sending vibes for Nephy xxx

[LittleFir]

Hi everyone, thank you for you supportive words and personal experiences! They’re a great comfort

We made it through the night!

After I posted on here I managed to get her to have a bit more of the Infacol and also managed a couple of tummy massages, which she reluctantly accepted. I also managed to get her to drink a decent amount of water too which was good.

At about 1am after her 3rd tummy massage and last dose of Infacol she suddenly perked up and went for a little wander around. At this point I got her a grape (favourite treat) and presented it to her. I almost fainted with relief when she ate it! So I grabbed her a bunch of spring greens and kale too which she ate a good amount of.

I made her a bowl of luke-warm chamomile tea to go in her cage and put the warm water bottles in there with her when she had finished eating and hopping about. I didn’t expect to see any droppings so soon but about 15 mins after being in her cage she produced a couple of good sized poops, but they were strung together. My boyfriend said that he’s read online that the first poos after Stasis were normally not the healthiest looking though so we were just glad to see them at all.

I rung the vets this lunch time and told them the news and they told me that it all sounds really positive but to keep an eye on her still. Most of the day she’s been her bright, bossy self again and I bought her some fresh mint which she ate. She’s also been eating a couple of her regular pellets and some more leafy veg.

My next steps are a little unclear now. I know that there’s still a chance she might relapse so I’ve been giving her a couple of preemptive tummy rubs, which she’s putting up with less now that she’s not docile anymore.

The internet says to put a Stasis recovering bunny on an all hay diet for a couple of days but I’m a bit unsure. I don’t want to throw her straight into a hay diet because she doesn’t eat much hay and might not eat enough to keep her gut moving. Also, she’s an underweight rabbit as it is and still hasn’t fully recovered her weight from her time in the wild so I wouldn’t want to make her weaker.

She’s been out in our room with her cage door open and she’s done some little binkies and lots of leaping on and off furniture so I know she must be feeling better herself, but I don’t want to make any wrong moves where her health is concerned.

What would you guys do next?

[sarahthegemini]

I would also be hesitant to put her on a hay only diet given her circumstances. It sounds like she’s on the mend so I would continue with her normal diet. Maybe syringe some water in her every so often for the next day or two to keep her hydrated as that will help her tummy to keep going. Have you been given any oral medication? I had to give oral ranitidine for a day or so after she started eating on her own. Just in case.

As her poops were strung together, I assume she’s moulting? She possibly ingested too much fur from self grooming and the hair sent her tummy a bit loopy. Try and groom her as much as you can.

[LittleFir]

Yes she’s moulting like crazy!! And she’s got a bit of OCD about grooming herself, she’s pulled/licked/nibbled huge chunks out of her shoulders and legs. She’s got quite a lot of little neuroses and odd habits that we can’t seem to stop her doing. I’ve asked the vet about a few and he says they’re generally harmless but that she needs an eye kept on her.

I have been brushing her since she started moulting but her hair is so silky that the bristles of both types of brush just glide over the top of her coat! It’s a loosing battle. But I’ll be sure to keep on top of it as much as possible.

Another factor is that any time I clean her out she always goes over to lick Knox, one of my boys, through his cage and he is the most thickly furred of all the buns and is basically a constant moulter.
I have thought it would be nice for them to be bonded in the future seeing as how they obviously really like each other but Knoxy isn’t allowed pellets or veg because he’s got a dodgy tum all the time and he’s supposed to be loosing weight too so it would be hard to feed them both together.

My theory is that the moulting, plus the lack of eating much hay or drinking much water and then the sugary treats she wasn’t supposed to have were all a contributor to her sickness, I will be keeping her cage away from the others so there can be no more errors for a few days.

I just syringed some water into her mouth and now she’s in a huff with me (back to her usual self definitely!!)

Is there any way I can know for sure when she’s fully recovered?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By LittleFir on 4/08/2018 12:11 PM

Yes she’s moulting like crazy!! And she’s got a bit of OCD about grooming herself, she’s pulled/licked/nibbled huge chunks out of her shoulders and legs. She’s got quite a lot of little neuroses and odd habits that we can’t seem to stop her doing. I’ve asked the vet about a few and he says they’re generally harmless but that she needs an eye kept on her.

I have been brushing her since she started moulting but her hair is so silky that the bristles of both types of brush just glide over the top of her coat! It’s a loosing battle. But I’ll be sure to keep on top of it as much as possible.

Another factor is that any time I clean her out she always goes over to lick Knox, one of my boys, through his cage and he is the most thickly furred of all the buns and is basically a constant moulter.
I have thought it would be nice for them to be bonded in the future seeing as how they obviously really like each other but Knoxy isn’t allowed pellets or veg because he’s got a dodgy tum all the time and he’s supposed to be loosing weight too so it would be hard to feed them both together.

My theory is that the moulting, plus the lack of eating much hay or drinking much water and then the sugary treats she wasn’t supposed to have were all a contributor to her sickness, I will be keeping her cage away from the others so there can be no more errors for a few days.

I just syringed some water into her mouth and now she’s in a huff with me (back to her usual self definitely!!)

Is there any way I can know for sure when she’s fully recovered?

I feel your pain – no brush I’ve ever tried has done a damn thing for my rabbits. Have you tried a grooming mitt? It’s the best I’ve tried. My female is in a constant moult and even with daily grooming, there’s still the occasional hairy poop but the mitt is the most successful grooming method I’ve tried. These tips didn’t work for my stubborn rabbits but they might help you:

-plucking her instead of grooming

-using a lint roller

-running damp hands over her fur

And of course changing her water bowl several times throughout the day in case there’s fur in it. I still prefer bowls but many use bottles during a moult so that the water is always clean of stray fur.

I can see why you’d be hesitant to bond her and Knoxy because of his tummy issues but if you decided to go for it, I’m sure we could help you find a way around things

In terms of full recovery, I think once she’s consistently eating and pooping well and moving around, she’s okay though I’d still be cautious for the next few days at least. Don’t worry too much about her not having perfect poops, I’ve heard it can take up to two weeks for poops to return to normal though it’s never taken that long for my Buttercup. But so long as they are formed and plentiful, it can only get better

[Author]

Messages