How to get bunnies to eat papaya tablets? – UPDATE (stasis)

[ScooterandAnnette]

Keelie and Kylie haven’t been eating well and not pooping very much.   The pet store doesn’t have Critical Care but we picked up some some papaya tablets.  Unfortunately they have no interest in them at all.   Any hints on how to get them to eat them.?

– Annette

[Monkeybun]

Well… with Monkey, I kept shoving one at her face until she got annoyed at it and picked it up to fling it away and discovered it tasted nommy. max has yet to touch the one I gave him today, he’s a bit shy

[MimzMum]

My bunnies loved the tablets until they changed the formula. Now, even though they will still nibble on them, you can see they don’t get devoured with the gusto they did before.
I agree with Monkeybun…probably just a little persistence will get them to reconsider. Do you have any access to fresh papaya at your grocer if not? I find I can’t live without it during the cold dark months, it is like a ray of sunshine for me as well as the bunnies.

[Sarita]

Papaya tablets really are not going to help with this. I would try to encourage them to eat more wet veggies and hay and get active. That’s going to help with motility – papaya tablets aren’t going to help with anything really.

[ScooterandAnnette]

She’s not really interested in eating anything. She might have eaten a raisin last night but no interest in additional ones. Barely touched the morning banana. No interest in the carrots. Will see how she does with romaine but I’m willing to bet she’s not interested in that either.
– Annette

[Beka27]

Oh no… How long has she been like this?

[Sarita]

The best thing then is vet care and a pellet slurry (like critical care) to get something in her. But definitely vet care.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Took her in to the vet today – looks like it’s stasis. She was given a shot of metoclopramide and some SubQ, with the advice to forcefeed the pellet slurry to her (as much as can be given, up to her normal pellet dosage a day), mix a crushed up papaya tablet with vasoline and give that twice a day, and 6ml of fresh (not from concentrate) pineapple juice twice a day. If she’s not improved by Monday then she’s t go back in.
– Annette

[Elrohwen]

Good luck! I hope she pulls through.

((go-away-stasis vibes))

[Sarita]

I don’t know about the vaseline or the pineapple juice. Those are very old fashioned and I’m not sure how effective.

Did the vet say why she may be in stasis? Did the vet do an x-ray. Did the vet do fluids?

Stasis is just a condition, there has to be an underlying reason why she is in stasis.

Does your vet see alot of rabbits?

Healing vibes!

[ScooterandAnnette]

The vet seems to have a fair amount of experience with rabbits. They did do fluids. We have no idea why she’s in stasis, we were out of town for 4 days and had a relative here house/bunny sitting. Relative has bunnysat a few times before. Keelie is the only one showing any signs of stasis or distress. Vet did do a pretty thorough exam and couldn’t detect any mass or blockage or anything unusual so felt an Xray wasn’t necessary at this point, but if she hasn’t improved by Monday then will do one. I’m fine with old-fashioned, as long as it works!

So far we’ve tried: papaya tablet/apple juice mix, papaya tablet/vaseline mix, raisins, romaine, carrot, banana, pellets, pellet slurry, hay, pineapple juice, pedialyte. She’s just not interested in anything. I’ll try her with some basil in a little bit to see if maybe that will catch her interest. She’s bright-eyed and responsive which is good. She’s still interested in keeping groomed and clean, which is good. She’s moving around some, not as much as usual but a bit at least. Healing vibes are very much appreciated!!
– Annette

[Sarita]

Did they give you some metroclopramide to give at home? I would definitely do the pellet slurry pretty aggressively. You want to be careful to keep something in her otherwise if they go without eating for a long while then they can get liver problems.

What about pain meds? Did they give any? Try to get her moving too…activity is supposed to be good as well – my vets try to get the rabbits moving (even if you know they don’t want too).

Strength vibes to you as well since having a sick bunny is super stressful!

[Sarita]

Also, did he look at her teeth? You’d be surprised at how often stasis problems are related to teeth.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Actually he looked at her teeth before feeling her tummy, said he was having a hard time getting a really clear look at her molars (she’s more docile than usual but she still hates people) but from what he could see of them they looked good. Didn’t give us an of the metroclopramide or pain meds for home, but definitely wants to see her Monday if she isn’t improved and he’ll give her more of the metroclopramide and presumably some pain meds then.

Heading out for a few hours this evening (have to escort a tour) then will try and light a fire under her furry little butt and get her moving around more. And we’ll try to get more of the slurry into her before heading out.   And thank you so much for the strength vibes, they’re needed!  What’s really ironic is that we were going to try to do some serious bonding with Keelie and Kylie and carbun since they get along fine outside their cages and we’d really like to get Carbun living with those two, but with Keelie like this Kylie has become very protective and now won’t let Carbun come close to them!
– Annette

[Sarita]

Please keep us updated.

[RabbitPam]

{{{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}}

[MimzMum]

Oh dear! ((((((((((adds more healing vibes))))))))))) Did your bunny sitter notice anything odd about her habits while she was there? Any information could give insight as to what caused the stasis.
I have to say that, having seen what happened after my ER vet gave my dog the Vaseline treatment, I don’t like that approach. I think it does more harm than good. It is a petroleum product and therefore may have other additives that, in my opinion, cause an animal to lose it’s appetite rather than stimulate it. (I know we’re just trying to get things moving, and it’s meant to slick down the insides.) But I suppose it’s not much different from Laxatone, although I don’t recommend that for bunnies either.

I hope Keelie gets well soon! Poor bun! (((((((((snuggles))))))))))

[jerseygirl]

Wow, I’m really surprised about the vaseline prescription! Did the vet say to only do this once? I have my reservations too…it’s good she got sub-Q’s beforehand though.
Hopefully the fluids and motility drugs will get things moving for her. (((Keelie))) How is Kylie doing? You mentioned both were not eating or pooping too much.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well we thought they were both not eating or pooping much, but it looks to be mostly Keelie. I think Kylie is probably doing a little less of both mostly because she’s spending so much time glued to Keelie’s side.

While stuffing pellet mush into Keelie earlier I noticed 3 small pieces of poop on her butt. It wasn’t there this morning, and I know it’s not much but it’s something at least so I’m pretty pleased about it. Still feels weird to be pleased about poop!
– Annette

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

{{Keelie & Kylie}} Oh scary!! But poops are good-even a few Any favorite veggies you could try? If she’s starting to eat a bit now, you might be able to move things along wiht some favoites, playtime and tummy rubs-at least until Monday and seeing the vet again

[Cassi&Charlie]

(((Healing vibes Keelie)))

I would have ben a petroleum product skeptic if parafin didn’t save Charlie’s life 2 years ago. It was a last chance thing, pineapple and vasoline and it worked.

Poops are good! Lots of tummy massaging as well. I hope everything is going ok!

[jerseygirl]

Was that really 2 years ago?!^ I have a bottle of medicinal liquid parafin on hand but though vaseline would be too thick. I sort of thik it’s good to have around but only would use if absolutely necessary if all else failed (as you did with Charlie from memory). It’s so confusing when you get conflicting information – especially at times when an animal is sick. I guess you just have to trust your vet.

How is Keelie doing? (((vibes)))

[Cassi&Charlie]

JG, you are completely right, it was parafin. My memory must be going.

btw JG - I’ll have had Charlie for 3 years at the beginning of April

[ScooterandAnnette]

Had her back at the vet this morning. Some more metoclopramide, some more SubQ’s, another tummy exam. Vet said she (different one) could feel a few small bits in there which she was happy about because it meant her tummy wasn’t totally empty. No big masses. Keelie has been pooping a little bit – small dark teardop poops but at least they’re poops. She’s had about 8 raisins today. She pretty willingly took the pineapple juice earlier. Still not eating pellets voluntarily but we’re keeping at her with pellet mush.
– Annette

[jerseygirl]

(((Continued vibes to Keelie))) She crossed my mind last night before I turned in. I seriously worry when “my” BB.com buns are not well.

[Sarita]

Continued vibes to Keelie. Have you tried any fresh herbs to entice her?

Those poops are good signs – that’s how Pepe’s looked after he started pooping again.

I imagine pellets may be the very last thing she will eat – that’s pretty typical.

[Sarita]

Also any clue as to the cause of the stasis? That can be pretty important.

[ScooterandAnnette]

No clue as to the cause of the stasis. It might have been stress from us going away and the sitter looking after them, might have been the different feeding schedule, who knows.

I tried her with some herbs from my little windowsill herb garden, no interest in them. And then I picked up some cilantro at the store this evening and tried her with that and at first there was no interest and then after about half an hour she crept towards it and stole a piece to munch on. We figure she’s maybe had 5 or 6 stems of it, which might not seem like much but it’s the first interest she’s shown in anything green since last week.
– Annette

[jerseygirl]

Have you tried any gas meds with her? Do you think they might be worth it?

[jerseygirl]

How is she doing? {{(((Keelie)))}}

[Sarita]

I think you should ask about doing more fluids and more metrolopramide – you may need to do these at home. The more aggressive you can be the better and continue hand feeding.

[ScooterandAnnette]

I’ve been giving her tummy massages, yesterday I could feel what felt like gas moving about, today I could feel a lot of it and hear it too. She’s got an appointment to go back in tomorrow afternoon. But I’m thinking that the movement is a good thing, because while she’s not interested in fruit today she did eat 2 helpings of cilantro and one of parsely so far today. And she drank a fair amount of water earlier today. I’m definitely going to continue with the force feeding until she’s back to eating normally!!
– Annette

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

OH that’s great news she’s eating cilantro and parsley

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well here’s today’s update: Another trip to the vet because her tummy was really gurgling last night and we weren’t sure if that was good news or what. I thought it probably was but when giving her a tummy massage you could really feel and hear the gurgling and I thought maybe it was too much. So back to the vet today, where now we’re to switch from a pellet slurry to a minced hay slurry because the vet feels the carbs from the pellets will make her feel bloated and not want to eat. We’re to stop the pineapple and papaya at this point (although I might add some ground up papaya tablets to the water), and try to get her to eat as much of the hay mash and leafy greens as possible, and to drink a lot.

She’s also got some antibiotics, because with all the stuff that we’ve been trying to get into her and her seriously not cooperating it’s been dripping down her face and neck and getting stuck in her semi-lionhead mane and irritating her skin. As a result she’s got the startings of a skin infection there now, so they shaved those areas so they can get some air and she’s got an antiobiotic.

I’m sure I’m probably missing something from the update, but it’s been a long day and I”m tired. I can tell you that yesterday and today both have been extremely difficult for trying to forcefeed her. I can get the stuff in her mouth but she’ll just sit there with her teeth clenched and not swallow. Slurry, liquid, doesn’t matter she’ll just hold it in her mouth and stare at you. And then spit it out. It’s very frustrating to spend 40-60 minutes at a time trying to get her to eat and knowing that she’s actually swallowed very little of it. She has however had a few helpings of cilantro and parsely, which is good because it’s pretty much the only food she’s had today.
– Annette

[Beka27]

What is a minced hay slurry? Is it wet chopped up hay?

(((Keelie!)))

[Sarita]

I’m curious what that is as well Beka!

Continued vibes to Keelie.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Yes, it’s basically just chopped up wet hay. The vet feels it’s very important to get her eating the hay, and she has absolutely no interest in it. I can’t get it into her when it’s dry, but when it’s chopped up (used a coffee grinder) and wet at least I can kind of mush it together and shove some into her mouth. Doesn’t guarantee she’s going to eat it because she did spit it out quite a few times, but at least some of it got into her. Just spent a fair bit at the store buying a variety of green stuff to try her with today.
– Annette

[Beka27]

It makes sense that a hay slurry could be more beneficial than a carb-rich pellet slurry. I’m curious to hear if anyone else has thoughts about the effectiveness of this…

[Sarita]

Interesting – I know the Critical Care also has extra beneficial things as well. I suppose many vets recommend this because it’s convenient and it’s still high in fiber – not as high as hay but very high.

I imagine it does make her feel full – has he done an x-ray yet? An x-ray would tell if there is a blockage which will also make her feel full.

What I do to hand feed my rabbit is to put him down after each mouthful to get him to swallow – seems he’s less likely to spit it out that way and it gives us both a break. I also try to use smaller syringes to feed than the big old mumbo jumbo ones.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Well she’s eating a lot more, and her poop is more normal shaped and larger than it was although still not full size. I think I’ve spent more on bunny veggies than people food this week!
– Annette

[jerseygirl]

Thank Goodness! Hopefully she’s well on the way to full recovery.

[Beka27]

Very good! Continued healing vibes to Keelie!

[ScooterandAnnette]

This is Scooter. Update: Keelie is hopping around like normal now, is gobbling down her salad, and even ate most of her breakfast banana slice this morning! Our bunnies all love their breakfast banana, and Keelie refusing to eat hers was one of the signs that something was wrong. We haven’t observed her feeding much at the pellet bowl yet (it’s impossible to keep that away from her while she’s housed with Kylie, and we thought that the companionship would be helpful), but it does look like she is pulling through.

[Sarita]

Glad to hear that! I bet you are relieved too.

[jerseygirl]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully everyone can relax now for the Christmas break!

[RabbitPam]

Been following your updates. She sounds so much better. Back on banana is a very good sign.
Wishing you all a restful, peaceful and nourishing Christmas.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Scooter again. New update. For Christmas day Keelie decided to go back to bossing Carbun around and kept mounting him. We are taking this as a sign that she’s more or less back to normal!

[bunnycutie]

i really hope she gets better!!! hug for you!!! and bunny bun!!! as far as getting the papaya tabs in the bunny goes, buttons didnt want them at first either. so i held it in front of his face yelling “EAT! ITS NUMMY!” for about 15 minutes. people began to wonder if something was wrong with me LOL im so proud jk jk lol. and he still didnt want it so i pushed it in his mouth and then he chewed. and he liked it. HAYLEY WINS AGAIN!!!!!!! SHE WILL ALWAYS WIN THE PAPAYA TABS WAR! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[Author]

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