Possible GI Stasis? Please Help!

[alcyone]

Thursday I noticed Marley was sitting in the same spot in his cage with his ears back (he’s a lop, so of course they’re usually down.) I took him out of his cage and offered him some lettuce, which is one of his favorites, and he wouldn’t eat it. Of course this concerned me, so I kept an eye on him. The next day I took him out of his cage and I thought he seemed better, his ears were back down and he was laying under his favorite table.

Yesterday is when I started to get really worried. He was still sitting in one spot in his cage with his ears back a little. I took him out and gave him parsley (his favorite,) which he happily ate. I also offered him a bowl of lettuce and broccoli, but he only ate a tiny bit of both. Usually if he leaves vegetables for a bit, he’ll eat them later, but he never finished them. I cleaned his cage and litter box while he was out, and put him back in his cage around 10pm. I always put his toys up on the shelf in his cage while I clean it, so when he gets back in his cage one of the first things he does is hop up on the shelf and throw all the toys down. This morning the toys were still on his shelf, which means he was never up there, which means he never ate any pellets since his bowl is on the shelf. I also filled his hay yesterday, and it doesn’t look like he touched it last night. He’s barely drinking and there is no poop in his litter box, only what looks like a little bit of pee. When I woke up this morning he was back to sitting in the same spot in his cage.

I took him out this morning and offered him some more vegetables, and once again he’s only interested in parsley. Parsley and lettuce are his favorites, and he won’t even eat lettuce right now, he just chins it. I also offered him some hay and pellets outside of his cage. He ate a tiny bit of hay and no pellets. He’s grinding his teeth loudly like he’s in pain, and the tiny bit of poop I’ve seen since I cleaned his cage yesterday is smaller than usual.

The vet I usually take him to is closed on weekends, so I called the nearest animal hospital and explained the situation. Even after explaining everything and telling them he’s been off since Thursday, they still only told me to schedule an appointment and continue feeding him parsley if that’s all he’ll eat. I made an appointment for Monday, but with it being Saturday and this having started on Thursday, I’m worried. What should I be doing until Monday? And what do you think the problem could be?

[Chelsea]

I’m sure others will chime in, but you need to keep him hydrated and get some more food in him, and get him seen if possible. You can try infant gas drops, syringe feeding critical care and bene-bac. I would make sure his parsley is nice and wet, and try some other herbs too like cilantro or carrot tops. Some people have had luck getting their rabbit to drink water with a splash of juice or hay tea. It sounds like he needs pain relief and a motility drug also. Having his teeth checked and an x-ray would be a good idea.

[alcyone]

I don’t have bene-bac or critical care on hand, but I just checked and the nearest pet store has bene-bac. I do have some strawberry flavored pedialyte, though, would that be okay to give him? He just ate some more parsley and a tiny bit of hay, and drank a little bit of water, so thank goodness for that.

[Chelsea]

I’m sorry, I don’t really know about pedialyte, but I’m if it is okay it would have to be watered down. I don’t think I’d do it though without checking with a vet first because I don’t know if the same electrolytes are good for bunnies as for people. You can make your own version of critical care by letting some pellets soak in water and mixing it with some pureed or canned pumpkin or other vegetable (not corn!) baby food. Some recipes call for a splash of pineapple juice also. If you’ve never had to syringe feed a rabbit, you want to go in from the side where there is a gap between their front teeth and molars. It takes (for us at least) two people. I would definitely try to find some other herbs besides parsley, because parsley (at least in humans) is a diuretic. That said, parsley is definitely better than nothing.

I’m so sorry you are dealing with this – it is so stressful. Feel better soon Marley!

[Paige]

Do you have any updates?

[Luna]

Definitely give him some baby gas drops (simethicone – 1cc every 3 hours). I wouldn’t give any broccoli either until he feels better. If he drinks from a bottle, also offer a bowl of water. Luna sends vibes ((((Marley)))).

[alcyone]

Marley went to the animal hospital on Monday and was diagnosed with early signs of GI Stasis. The vet said his teeth and ears looked good, and it was a good thing I got him in there as quick as I did. She sent us home with critical care which we’ve been syringe feeding since. Marley’s not a fan, but he’s already getting used to it, so thank goodness for that. After mommy making lots of messes with it and causing him to have to bathe himself a few extra times (oops, it’s hard to find his cute little mouth under all that hair), we’ve finally found a routine that works. He likes to lay in my lap facing me while I pet his head and feed him. Well, perhaps “likes” is a strong word in this situation. It’s definitely not his favorite part of the day, but he’s taking it very well, all things considered. He’s already pooping a little more, and some of the poop is already looking a little bigger than it was. He’s eating lettuce again and taking some hay as it’s offered to him. I’m very hopeful that he’ll be back to eating on his own in the next week or so. I’m so thankful we caught this early and saw the signs, and I’m hopeful he makes a speedy recovery. Thank you all so much for your help!

[Luna]

Yay! Sounds like he is on the right track .

[Author]

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