Trying to recover from GI stasis

[Anastasia]

My rabbit peanut had gone to get her vaccination, however it was a stressful experience as my other rabbit biscuit did not let the veterinarians handle her and they had to be taken into another room so two people could safely do it. Peanut is extremely clingy to me at the vet, always trying to climb on me and she calms down at my touch but being removed from the room, along with biscuit’s stress made it an even more stressful environment

As a result, she came home and acted normal but I realised that overnight she hadn’t touched her favourite foods or hay and was acting strange so I took her to the vet ASAP and she was diagnosed with GI stasis, where the veterinarian suggests from stress. She stayed the night and was discharged when her GI stasis was considered mild. 

She is definitely better at home running around and playing with biscuit and pooping but not as much (expected due to decreased food intake). She gets excited for food but doesn’t eat as much as normal. She is eating some hay but not as much as usual also. As a result, I’ve just been giving her critical care in the morning and at night. 

How long did it take your buns to get over GI stasis? And is there anything more I can do? I am trying to feed her plenty of fresh greens because it’s what she is most interested in at the moment. Also, it is extremely hard to get her to take her critical care (via syringe), she gets to a point when she stops eating it and lets it drool out her mouth. Any tips? And any general GI stasis advice?

Thankyou very much in advance 

[Bunny House]

How is she doing now? Buns that were in stasis can take up to 2 weeks to recover. Mine went septic and took him a month to recover. You can add in pumpkin and applesauce to the critical care and see if she’ll eat it on her own. You can also offer cilantro, parsley and basil as buns love those, and they can perk up the appetite. Just imagine if you were really sick for a while, you would feel tired coming out of it for a couple of days. Try not to offer too much of dry foods if she isn’t drinking water on her own. She will need daily subq fluids to make sure she stays hydrated. I know I did subq fluids after my buns stasis recovery since they didn’t drink a lot, and being dehydrated can make you very tired. My
Lop would let the cc drool out too. You need to get a smaller syringe and get it in her, often bigger syringes, for some reason make buns not want to eat it.

[Anastasia]

Thank-you so much for your reply- it was so helpful!!

She is doing much better now. Her eating habits isn’t back to normal but she is gaining her appetite back more quickly than I thought. Like you said, she isn’t drinking much so I try to soak her salad and veggies in water. The smaller syringe is a great idea, I will definitely try it today! Although eating a bit less, she seems to have more energy than usual playing with biscuit and doing those cute little flops before napping. I’m not sure if she’s just happy to be home but it definitely gives me a peace of mind knowing she isn’t feeling sick anymore

[jerseygirl]

Good to read she is doing better. It could also be a bit of a side effect of the vaccine also. Sometimes my buns would be a bit off food the day after their shots. And as you said, stress can certainly be a contributor. Syringe feeding can cause them stress also but sometimes there is no choice. I usually try encourage them to eat on their own as much as possible as Im not very successful with the syringe feeding. Seems only small amounts end up going in! I sometimes just offer the assist feed formula in a small dish, mixed with some fruit puree.

My rabbits will alway ignore their pellet food when the appetite is off. However, Ive always found they will take willow. So I keep some dried willow around specifically for those times. I’ve also found they’ll eat rose leaves and roses. Basically, any foraged type foods appeal and even greens they were not previously keen on!

She is definitely better at home running around and playing with biscuit

This was good. Her moving around would definitely help keep her gi system moving along.

[Anastasia]

I really appreciate your reply and will take them all into consideration!

She’s had vaccinations before and has never reacted like this, hence why the vet and I think it may be due to stress. I am trying to limit the critical care unless I think she needs it because it definitely does stress her out. I haven’t given it to her today because it has been the best day so far with eating and it seems unnecessary to throw her eating routine off. I don’t think she likes her salad in water but it’s the only way I can get her to drink- do you have any other tips? She also isn’t a big drinker at all 

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