Possible GI stasis with Alice?

[Misspixie]

I posted this in behavior but am now thinking that it is more health related. Here is what I’ve posted there so far, “My bun, Alice, is a bit shy. She will allow head pets but she is not a snuggle bun like her husbun, Hatter. She’s never hidden from me when food or treats are being offered, unitl now.”

And last night Iposted, “I was able to get her out from hiding by getting under the bed myself and trying to offer her food. She would not accept it but did run into her pen. I’ve got her and Hatter in there right now. Hopefully Hatter can calm her as he is sitting next to her munching on hay. She is not currently eating and I don’t know if she’s eaten at all today. I am going to watch her. I’ve put fresh hay in there and fresh veggies. Normally she goes crazy for cilantro and apple but she refused those both this morning and now.”

This is not typical behavior, at least not that I have seen since I adopted her about 2 months ago. I know she was molting but I’ve been brushing her so that she does not ingest too much fur. Is it possible that she may have a hairball that she cannot pass?”

As of this morning, she has not eaten any of the food offered to her. No fresh hay. No pellets. No treats. Up until yesterday she was eating hay, pellets, veggies and chewing on her wood toys as usual. Now she is not as active and is not eating. She has been laying in the litter box since last night. She’s not sitting as though she is in pain but I’m starting to get very worried. I just went through GI stasis with Hatter.

[Sarita]

Definitely get her to the vet. Even if she acts like she’s not in pain, your instinct is telling you something is not right and you know Alice best.

[Beka27]

My Meadow will fall into funks like this, and the first sign is that she starts laying in her litterbox, whereas normally she hops in, does her business, then hops out. We recommend that if your rabbit does not eat and/or poop for 12-24 hours, seek vet care. The vet can examine her for a blockage, and if necessary prescribe some meds to encourage gut movement. The vet may also recommend that you force feed some critical care or smashed up pellets, but this can cause more harm than good if a blockage is present.

[Misspixie]

I have an appointment to take her in today. I feel like a horrible mommy. First Hatter had molar spurs and now Alice isn’t eating. Is it possible that I am feeding them incorrectly? Here is their diet:

Unlimited hay (just switched to Orchard mixed with Timothy due to my allergies)
1/3 cup pellets to share between both of them
2 cups of veggies a day (mixture of dandelion greens, red & green leaf lettuce, cilantro)
They get cilantro, parsley, mint and sometimes carrot, apple or banana as a treat

[Sarita]

That sounds fine to me. It could be a number of things that is causing the stasis – maybe it’s her teeth as well…

[Beka27]

You’re certainly not a “horrible bunny mommy”! First off, teeth issues are often congenital, so that has little or nothing to do with his quality of care. Second, with stasis episodes, some buns get them all the time, some never do. Just like with people, some buns are more susceptible to certain things. Some bunnies have “iron stomachs” and can eat anything with no problem, others have issues with pellets or veggies or with…? Who knows?

[Misspixie]

I guess I felt like a horrible bunny mommy since I’ve only had my buns for about 3 months and both of them have had problems. I am glad that I adopted them because I don’t know how long it would have taken the shelter to notice that Hatter wasn’t eating right. They must have had 30+ buns up for adoption. I would imagine it would be difficult to pay really close attention to all of them. They have already brought so much joy to my life. I would do anything in my power to make sure they are happy and healthy. I’m currently building a bunny condo for them.

The vet said that Alice is in GI Stasis. She’s on Reglan, Baytril and Lactulose, as well as Critical Care. Her teeth look fine, both front and back. The vet’s daughter was there this time and she picked Alice up and was cuddling with her. I think between the two of us we had her clam. I was a bit shocked that Alice was ok with the cuddling because at home she is anti-cuddles. She was feisty but a trooper with getting her nails trimmed and being prodded and poked by her vet. I’m getting good at giving my bunnies medications and interestingly enough I think it is bringing us all closer together. I like looking at the positive things which come out of distress.

[Misspixie]

So, how do you get a bun to eat critical care if they are spitting it up? Alice ate it at the vet but this morning she refused. Should I mix it with baby food?

[Sarita]

Try anything you can think of. Are you syringe feeding her? Also continue to try offering her fresh veggies and hay.

[KatnipCrzy]

I have mixed the CC with pedialyte grape and water instead of just water. I also just syringe small amounts at a time into their “cheek”/buccal pouch or mouth until they swallow what they already have in their mouth.
You could try mixing with baby food- whatever it takes to get her to eat/swallow. It takes a lot of patience and can be very difficult to get a reluctant bunny to eat- but you just have to keep at it. As the other meds help her feel better that should make the feeding easier.

[Misspixie]

I’ve been offering her fresh veggies, hay and the critical care. She is refusing all of it. I managed to get her to eat about 10oz of critical care mixed with baby carrot food but she was not happy about it. I am hopeful that she will start eating again soon as I just saw her ripping up a piece of the phone book again.

She is getting all of her meds down and not turning her nose up at them. *hoping she eats more soon* She is drinking water and starting to poop again. Little steps.

[Misspixie]

Ohhhhh!!! I just peaked around the corner into her litter box and she is eating hay!!! I wanted to jump up and down in happiness but did not want to scare her. *bounces* I’m still going to try to give her some more critical care but she’s eating.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

That’s fantastic-eating hay is such a great thing!! Freeze your critical care and it will keep longer then expiry. If you need to give more you could mix with 100% juices or pedialyte. Keep us posted and continued {{Healing Vibes}}

[Misspixie]

This morning she ran over when I brought their pellets, just like she normally does. She also accept cilantro with gusto! She is definitely starting to feel better. She even thumped at me when I put her down after picking her up to give her the medicines. Her bunattude is coming back.

Thank you for the tip on freezing the critical care. I would never have thought of doing that.

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