Stomach Pressing

[Ivana]

Hi everyone, so my bunny is frequently suffering from gi stasis perhaps 4 or 5 times a year and the problem is always solved with baby gas drops. My question here is why does it happen so often and all of a sudden because her diet consists of hay and pellets and her poops are amazing shape and color, she is also free roaming so she exercises a lot and one minute she is perfectly fine and happy bunny, the other minute she is hiding and refusing food and pressing stomach on the floor. Although the problem is almost always easily solved with simethicone i really want to get behind the reason why this happens because it scares me how often and how sudden this happens. I can literally hear the gas in her stomach and I’ve tried massaging but it doesn’t help. Please any advice is welcomed.

Thank you in advance.

[Wick & Fable]

I think it’s important to understand what GI stasis is, because what you’re describing actually just sounds like very mild instances of gas, which is natural and is a part of the natural digestive process.

GI stasis is the state in which the rabbits GI literally stops– therefore “stasis”. If a rabbit’s GI has truly stopped, it is very unlikely that some simethicone would do much to resolve what is a very serious condition.

The mere presence of gas is not a bad thing, and actually hearing gas isn’t necessary bad either– it means the gas bubbles are moving, which is what you want. I would bet that if you did not give simethicone in some instances and just encouraged your rabbit to move a bit, they would recover from the slight gas discomfort as well. There are probably instances where you might do literally nothing and the rabbit can resolve gas on its own. It’s also possible you may be misconstruing lounging with stomach pressing.

Simethicone is not a major medication– it just attempts to change the gas bubble structure so they are larger and easier to pass.

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.

[DanaNM]

As said already, this sounds more like gas. Gas can progress to stasis if it doesn’t resolve, and can also be caused by stasis. Since this is frequent, you might try eliminating pellets to see if she is sensitive to an ingredient. Does she eat her hay well? It also may be worth having her teeth checked, as dental pain can lead to gas in some instances.

. . . 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.  

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