Maybe gi stasis?

[Bunnybutt]

Hello!

So my little guy has had generally normal energy levels, a few days where he’s slept more, is eating less, drinking is normal, poo is generally normal sized except at night for some reason..and i’m not sure if this GI stasis and I need to get him to an emergency vet or if I can wait a few days and take him to his normal appointment which is Saturday?

I apologize for the run on sentence!

 

Thank you for any help you can provide 🙂

[DanaNM]

It sounds like something could be going on. If he is still eating and pooping some, it’s not an emergency yet, but is worth paying attention to. Is he showing any other signs or symptoms of pain?

 

 

. . . 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.  

[Bunnybutt]

Hello and thank you for the reply!

That’s the weird thing. He doesn’t appear to be in pain. When he’s had GI stasis before he seemed to hurt but he’s still running around and flopping down and all that. My biggest concern is the change in appetite. I do have some meloxicam from his last bout and i’m not sure if I should give it to him or not since he doesn’t seem to be in pain.

This all started after the neighbor made a bunch of noise at night and scared the crud out the poor little guy which made me think GI stasis.

[DanaNM]

Hmmm, can you try offering him some favorite foods to see if he takes those? Maybe not treats, but a big helping of wet salad with some favorite herbs? Sometimes buns will get a bit dehydrated and it contributes to some slight slowing. Continuing to push hay will help too.

What’s his diet in general?

 

. . . 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.  

[Bunnybutt]

So his diet is free feed 2nd cutting Timothy hay with 3rd cutting mixed in, and then at bed time he gets salad (mostly spinach) with a side of Tropical Carnival rabbit mix which he did eat all up this morning. And then he gets an oxbow cookie in the morning and at bed time. He has been very enthusiastic about his treats and salad, and today he’s been eating a little more hay, kind of randomly nibbling for a few minutes through out the day. He usually spends 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon gorging and then snacking all day so this is a departure fron his normal routine. He’s still producing quite a bit of poop somehow but the sizes vary through out the day. Its so bizarre.

He is drinking water but maybe not enough? I’ll try the wet salad and see if that gets him back on track

[DanaNM]

Hmm, so that tropical carnival rabbit mix does not look like a healthy pellet. Typically the types that look like granola or museli tend to be too high in fat,  protein, and starch, and can encourage selective eating. They basically include a lot of junk food, that the rabbit will fill up on and then not eat enough hay. How big of a pellet ration does he get per day?

I think to start, since he is still eating some hay and greens, I would reduce his pellet amount by half. You can also pick out the seeds, grains, and other “treat” parts, and leave just the pelleted parts (also, sorry if I am looking at the wrong pellet, I just googled that pellet brand).

Then monitor him to see if his hay intake increases (it should). If that helps, I would slowly start transitioning him to a better pellet. Look for one that is just pellets, not the types with seeds mixed in. Some popular brands that most buns do well on (and fit the nutritional recommendations pretty well) are Science Selective, Sherwood Forest, and Oxbow Essentials.

The other thing I wanted to point out is that rabbits shouldn’t have too much spinach. It’s OK in a rotation with other greens, but it has high oxalic acid content and can contribute to some health issues.

With any change in diet, it’s important to make the change slowly and monitor carefully. It’s generally easier to remove something than to add something, so it would be OK to reduce the pellets  and reduce spinach, and then slowly introduce some new foods once his hay intake improves.

You can see some more info on recommended diet, including pellet info : https://binkybunny.com/infocategory/healthy-diet/

Here’s a suggested veggie list: https://binkybunny.com/bunnyinfo/veggie-list/

 

. . . 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.  

[flopsy]

I would keep a careful eye on diet/poop. My bunny (who died 3 weeks ago) was the same–showed no outward signs of being in stasis and then, she collapsed and it was too late. I suspect it was stasis because she had it twice before. This time, she was eating but less than usual–just like yours. She was also moving and not sitting hunched up in classic stasis position so I ignored it. I don’t want you to panic but cutting back on the greens and pellets might be a good idea. Also, start pushing in some Critical Care just to get things moving….all the things I should have done in hindsight. Sigh!

All the best.

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