Stasis Question

[Aaron]

Hi, everyone!

My poor rabbit Sebastian was diagnosed with GI stasis this evening (thankfully, the vet said we caught it early). He’s had it once before in January of 2017. I noticed today that he wasn’t eating like he usually does, wasn’t interested in hay or water, and when I felt his belly, it felt hard to the touch. We went straight to the emergency vet and even though it was a quite a long wait (everyone had to wait in their cars due to COVID-19), he’s back home. The last time he had stasis, the vet gave us a gut motility drug (I believe it was called metoclopramide), an antibiotic, probiotics, and critical care. This time, the vet (different emergency vet by the way), gave us critical care, gabapentin (25 ml/12 hrs) and metacam. Should there be a gut motility drug in there as well? Last time, he responded great to the gut motility. Also, I have a “rabbit emergency kit” of sorts that includes Bene-Bac (probiotic), more critical care, and simethicone drops. Should I be giving him some of the pr0biotics as well?

Tonight when we got home from the vet we gave him his first dose of gabapentin and some critical care and is now laying down in the cage with Juliet, his wife bunny.

Any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

[Bam]

It is customary to give metoclopramide to stasis buns, if a blockage can be ruled out. If a blockage can’t be ruled out, metoclopramide could make matters worse. Do you know if they did x-rays of his belly?

Have you seen any poop since you came back home? It can of course be very difficult to tell since he isn’t a single bun, but it is still important to try to keep track of his output.

 

[Aaron]

The vet did bloodwork and an x-ray of his belly. The bloodwork came back normal and his x-ray also came back with normal findings, just gas in his GI tract. I was worried about him having an obstruction (he likes to chew quite a lot on the blankets I have for him), but the doctors ruled it out. I did clean out their litter box and put fresh hay and newspaper in to monitor his poops, and he did actually go into the litter box and help himself to some hay, which is a good sign. Still going to closely monitor him of course.

[Aaron]

Just checked the litter box to see that he passed some misshapen poops and then some cecotrophes. He was also laying in his litterbox which isn’t like him but I’m attributing that to not feeling like himself.

[Bam]

Poop is great. They will most likely be misshapen for some time now, it can take a couple of weeks even before they return to normal. The important thing is that there is poop!

You can give him probiotics if you want to, there are no guarantees they will help, but they won’t harm. Simethicone baby gas drops can be given too, they are not absorbed by the body, they just act locally in the gut and then come out with the poop. Again, there’s no guarantee they’ll help, but they won’t harm.

The reason he was laying in his litterbox was probably because he was feeling out of it. Gabapentin can cause rather marked drowsiness. I’s a powerful pain med though, and rabbits do need pain meds when they are in stasis. I’ve never used gabapentin myself with any of my buns, but I had a dog who was prescribed gabapentin for her bad back.

 

[DanaNM]

My vet (who is extremely knowledgeable) does not always do motility drugs. Sometimes pain meds and syringe feeding are enough to get things on track. They can usually tell if parts of the gut have completely shut down and use motility meds then. To me it sounds like your first vet might have over-medicated to cover all the bases (since they gave an antibiotic).

In any case, it’s great he’s pooping and munching some hay, sounds like he’s on the mend. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Aaron]

He’s doing much better today. He’s had a few doses of gabapentin and just got his first dose of metacam. He’s back to eating his hay and accepted his favorite treats today which is definitely a good sign because he refused them yesterday. I’ve been giving him some critical care as a precaution along with a little probiotic just to be sure.

[Bam]

Wonderful! 🐰

[DanaNM]

Great news!

. . . 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.  

[Aaron]

Just an update on Sebastian:

He’s doing so much better! Definitely on the road to recovery. He’s eating, drinking, and eating his hay like he used to. He’s taking his treats as well. One tell-tale sign that I know that he’s feeling better is that he’s fighting us to take his meds! On the day we got home, he took them with no problem. Now, he’s squirmy (we use the bunny-burrito technique for meds) and knows what time it is when I walk in with the syringes. His meds continue for a few more days (metacam and gabapentin) and I’ve been giving some bene-bac as well. (Side note: he HATES the bene-bac but my other rabbit, Juliet, would eat the whole tube if I let her. She LOVES it, so I give her a little bit too. I figured it can’t hurt since its all good bacteria).

[Bam]

Thank you for the update! Great news!

It really is a good sign when they’re squirmy 😄

Of course Juliet can have Benebac if she loves it. Its a healthy treat!

[Author]

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