Stasis? Please help

[rhianna]

I am worried that one of my bunnies might be in the early stages of GI stasis. He was fine earlier today, but then he became a bit lethargic and hasn’t moved around much. I offered him some strawberries (his favorite) and he was not interested. He also wasn’t interested in any other favorite treats. I don’t think that he had eaten in several hours, and then I started noticing a teeth grinding sound.

I know that these are all symptoms of statis. I want to bring him to the vet, but it is 9pm and I called all of the emergency vets in a 2 hour radius and none of them will see rabbits. I have given him one serving of Critical Care with a syringe and he ate all of it, but went back to sitting in the corner of his pen. I am going to just keep giving it to him in 4 hour intervals. I wanted to ask, is there anything else that I can do for him? I really wish I could bring him to a vet right now, but it’s not happening, so I want to do whatever I can to hopefully stop this early enough.

Thanks in advance! 

[Deleted User]

You can give him simethecone (baby gas drops) to help relieve any gas he might be experiencing

[RosiePoppyLadyBear]

With the critical care I have always found it best to feed a bunny little and often. In some circumstances they can have a blockage, so try not to over feed just in case!

Sometimes stasis can be cause by dehydration, so ensure that fresh water is available.

Also, they may not like you for this, but you need to encourage them to move around as much as possible. Exercise will help to get their gut moving.

It’s important to keep them warm and quiet. Also try and monitor their poops!

And last of all, try a belly massage. You can place them on a towel/blanket in front of you. Face them away from you and gently massage their tummies. This helps to break up the gas bubbles. When I have done this in the past I have heard all sorts of gurgles!

Good luck!

[rhianna]

Thanks folks. I went out to CVS and picked up some pediatric simethicone, pedialyte, and low dose aspirin (will do more research before deciding whether I should give him the aspirin). I have also separated him from his buddy, but they can still see and smell each other. I want to see if he is pooping/peeing. I’m really worried because the regular vets are not open tomorrow either. I am going to call around again in the morning to see if any daytime emergency vets have rabbit experience.

[Bam]

This is a good video on how to massage a bunny’s tummy to help with gas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M

As RosyPoopyLadyBear says it’s important to keep the bunny warm. You can use handwarmers or a warm waterbottle or even your own body heat if you place the bunny in your knee , with a towel or light blanket over him. The warmth from a human is just enough to keep the bun warm without risk of overheating.

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