Second month of GI Stasis

[Califbunny]

Hello, thank you very much for this Web page. We have an 8-year-old bunny who has never had GI Stasis until now. She is the only rabbit we have had ever had. We took her immediately to a vet when she stopped eating on Feb 15th.  Although the vet advertised as being an exotic, her knowledge seemed very basic, but we were able to find a top-notch vet through a rabbit rescue.We learned from the second vet that our rabbit has GI Stasis from blockage. Since Feb 15th, we have been giving her subcutaneous fluids daily along with Critical Care. She has actually gained a tiny bit of weight. Sometimes the fluids go well and other times we have to hold her down which is heart-breaking. She also receives twice daily Simethicone or antigas medication, injectable Metoclopramide (Reglan),  Cisapride Suspension, and Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (Sulfatrim). She was for a number of weeks on Metacam, but the current vet said she no longer needs it. Our vet recently said we could try cat hairball medication once a day, but we have read some horrible things about that.  Has anyone used that with success? Our bunny no longer has any interest in hay, although we put fresh hay in her cage everyday. (We understand she feels full because of the blockage).   As I am typing this, she just ate some very, very tiny amounts of fresh greens–parsley. She can for days, now, without eating any fresh greens. (She use to be crazy about greens).  Sometimes she grazes a tiny bit outside in the yard–we are always with her, then. We use to limit pellets, but we keep them in her cage these days as she will eat them, although not a lot. Her lungs and heart are good, according to the vet. She is alert, although physically not very active.  Is there something else we should be doing for her? A friend keeps telling us we are just prolonging her live and should put her down. That friend has never owned a rabbit and this is our first one. Is there any chance of her coming out of the GI Stasis at this point? It is okay to be blunt with us. We want to do what is best for her. (She is now eating some pellets).  Thank you (Sorry for the length)

[ohbonobogirl]

That’s a long time to deal with that stress. Best wishes to you and bunny. I wonder if there’s more causing the stasis. My bunny just passed due to kidney failure, but had stasis as well. The vet did an autopsy and found something called an intussusception, which means a part of his intestines were folded back on itself and essentially blocking itself. Apparently it’s rare enough in rabbits that most vets don’t even think it happens. She said that in a rabbit that is otherwise healthy, surgery can fix the problem. This may be something to ask the vet about. Apparently, the regular motility meds don’t do much because the blockage is a part of the intestines.

[Megabunny]

I can do blunt. But it doesn’t mean I’m right.

That does sound like a really long time. I agree w/ everything ohbo said. And while 8 isn’t old for a lot of rabbits, it is getting up there and maybe you are dealing with something more serious. Surgery for an intussusception is MAJOR. They actually have to cut out the section of intestine and sew the two ends back together. Sounds like your bun has been through a lot. Have they done xrays to track progress? Don’t be too upset with your friend. It is hard to watch animals suffer. I’m not saying you’re wrong in treating her. I’m just saying that I understand your friend’s concern. But that length of time would concern me. Remember quality vs quantity of life. I don’t know a lot about stasis. You may want to have a serious talk with your vet about how much longer to go with this. Let us know

[Califbunny]

I want to sincerely thank the two folks who posted. We have never had a rabbit before, so we were not sure what is a responsible time for trying to overcome the stasis. (We have had her for most of her life, so we have been very lucky with her health until now. Until this incident, she was an amazing eater). Last time we were in, our vet thanked us for doing such a terrific job in maintaining our rabbit, but I have felt like she had become a pin-cushion and she certainly cannot understand why. Our vet said she would not survive surgery. Again, thank you to the two who posted. I appreciate it.

[ohbonobogirl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE3NMY0YtjM
This is a video that was helpful to me as we started to think about quality of life issues. Best wishes. It’s hard to go either way.

[Califbunny]

Thank you so very much ohbonobogirl!

[Paradigm]

I think some members have given their bunnies small quantities of pineapple juice to help break down a blockage.

I wish you the best, whichever route you choose.

[Sarita]

Pineapple won’t break down the blockage and the cat ball medicine is not effective.

Did the vet do an x-ray to see the blockage?

What about checking his teeth?

[Califbunny]

The teeth were checked–no problem there. No, the vet has not done an X-ray. He physically examines her stomach during visits and says he can detect the blockage and that it is not changing in size. He was recommended by one of the key volunteers of a rabbit rescue; she says she had taken her (own) rabbits to him for 40 years along with bunnies from the rescue. We will ask about the X-ray. We are hoping to get in at the end of the week and have a talk about the long-term situation and what is best for Xiao Bao Bei (Mandarin for “Precious Little Treasure”). I truly appreciate all of the feedback as she has been a hardy girl for 8 years until she stopped eating in February. (She nibbles very lightly–not enough to get her through a day). Again, thank you!

[JackRabbit]

I don’t mean to say anything bad about your vet — the vet we originally took our bunnies to recommended the cat hairball remedy too when Kieko had a bout of stasis a year ago. We tried the cat hairball remedy, and after one dose, decided torturing Kieko by force feeding her this stuff forever was not the solution and we sought a second opinion.
The cat hairball remedy is “old school” thinking and can actually worsen the situation by coating the hardened blockage and preventing it from softening and passing. Current thoughts are that water (including added ingested water) is needed to soften the blockage so that it can break up and pass. We really loved our old vet — he did a wonderful job with spay/neuter, as well as everything else new bunny parents ask — he had tons of experience with bunnies as he’d been seeing buns for over 30 years along with cats and dogs. He just preferred to do things the old way. Our new vets are the ones that got Kieko through stasis with “new school” advice.

So, my advice is that a second opinion may just be what gets things moving.

[Sarita]

I recommend having the vet do an x-ray…

[Megabunny]

Saritas been doing this a long time. I’d follow her advice
Just as an aside in addition to JR. I had rabbits in stasis years ago. The first one had surgery and died. The second one got flavored mineral oil which actually did pass the hairball but the rabbit still died. Both were angoras I was highly invested in both, emotionally. That was b4 I learned the right way to feed rabbits. It was probably 30’years ago. Some day I’ll get up the nerve to try again with an angora.

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