Stasis / Gas Support

[jess&peter]

I came home from work tonight and became alarmed after my 1 year old house bunny Peter wouldn’t eat his salad — that has never happened before. Then I noticed the poop in the litter tray was small and some were strung together with hair (he’s been shedding for about 3 weeks, so I had seen some hair recently, but nothing alarming). He was acting pretty energetic, but was doing weird stretches on the carpet that seemed out of character. 

He’s free in the kitchen and dining room of my house while I’m at work, but has a cage on the floor of the kitchen where his litter box and food bowl are kept. I noticed today he seemed more into staying in his cage, instead of following me around as usual. Rather than the usual hunching / tooth grinding I’ve read about, he stayed in his house and did about 30 bunny flops in a row, which wasn’t sweet but kind of alarming to watch. Yikes. 

So I just got back form the emergency care center. The vet did an exam, ran blood work, and did x-rays and told me:

– There were noises from his gut, but not as much as she’d like

– His abdomen was soft, but his belly was slightly enlarged, which she wasn’t happy with

– His temp was 98.8, which is not good, but she didn’t express huge concern

– His blood work was fine, but calcium and glucose were slightly higher than usual

– His x-ray showed no issues or blockages, but showed a large gas bubble in his stomach

He was administered sub-Q fluids there, then I was given metacam and metroclopram to give him when I got home. She told me to bring him back tomorrow afteternoon for more fluids, or tomorrow morning if he seems worse or lethargic. 

Now that I’m home, I’m still really worried — I gave him the meds about two hours ago and spent some time holding him, which he normally wouldn’t let me do for long periods of time. He seemed to be shivering a bit, so I’ve turned the heat up to 75 and out an extra blanket on top of his cage. Since then, he’s been alternating between bunny flops and sitting on his stomach stretched out with his legs behind him. He’s produced a few small pieces of poop with lots of hair in them. He still hasn’t eaten anything. 

I have a few questions, but would love input on the above info just to reassure myself that I did what I was supposed to do: 

– Should his low temp be a concern?

– Why is he flopping and lounging when there’s clearly something going on? 

– Has this happened to your bunny?

I haven’t posted before, but I’m here all the time reading and learning. Thank you in advance for any comfort or wisdom you can provide. 

I think I’m just going to take him in to the vet in the morning regardless, just for my peace of mind. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I really don’t want to lose him, or for him to suffer in any way. 

 

 

[jerseygirl]

Hello
Sorry your guy is not feeling well!
A lot of what you describe is like what I see when my rabbits have a gas episode. It’s one of the few times they’ll allow me to hold them without giving me rabbitude. The flopping & stretching out oddly could be Peter trying to find relief from the tummy discomfort. As too his temp, it is a little low (maybe slight shock again from pain) so getting him warm is good. Hopefully the metacam the vet gave will make him more comfortable.

I would try massage on his stomach or giving infant gas meds like Gas-X. This is a link to a good article in helping stasis. It’s long, so just scroll down to “Mechanical Treatments” and look thru Massage, Smithecone, and Temperature sub headings. http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

(((Vibes))) for Peter!

Edit to add: I just re-read part from that article on Temp. Sorry if I have alarmed you!  How did the E Vet take his temp? Do monitor him closely of course. Unless you can take his temp yourself, it’s going to be some guess work. He could be “shivering” or trembling but I do think keeping him warm is going to be beneficial either way.

[jess&peter]

Thank you so very much for your response. I just got home form the 24 hour clinic in Berkeley where they advised me to leave him overnight. He started the loud tooth grinding / hunching behavior and seemed incredibly uncomfortable. I couldn’t handle waiting it out, and I’m so glad I took him in. His body temp was even lower (fallen from 98 to 94), he was breathing rapidly, more lethargic, but also restless. I’ll post an update when I hear from them in the morning.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Sending “Get Well Vibes to little Peter”.

I’ve dealt with this with my bunnies before, it can be a rough road but hang in there!

[bunnyluvr]

How is he this morning?

[jess&peter]

Okay — just picked him up from the emergency vet and took him back to his regular clinic. He had hypothermia, gas, and possible stasis — it may be working itself out, though, with the combo of warm fluids, metacam, and something prescribed to promote motility. He’s at the vet all day for observation, but he did manage to eat a few dried strawberries and seemed much perkier. When I made the decision to bring him to the emergency clinic last night, he was lethargic, shaking, and just not himself. He still hasn’t pooped — fingers crossed that things get moving asap.

I cannot thank you enough for the support. It really means the world to me.

[jess&peter]

By the way, Bunnyluvr, I am a native Houstonian living in CA — glad to see there are bunny fans in my home town! : )

[Sarita]

Continued vibes to Peter.

Any ideas from your regular vet on what could have caused this? That combination is pretty standard for getting their guts moving – I call it the stasis cocktail.

[bunnyluvr]

Hope he feels better soon, poor little guy! ((((((((((((feel better vibes))))))))))))))))

By the way I am a native Californian (San Jose) living in Houston

[jess&peter]

Thank you again!

Bunnyluvr — what a funny coincidence — I’m in Oakland! : )

No hypothesis on what caused the stasis — he’s on the tail end of a heavy shed, but had been fine until not eating his greens yesterday afternoon. I know how quickly things can deteriorate, and the big red letter warning on the top of the forum pages about not eating or pooping made me want to act quickly. What a lifesaver. When I took him back for emergency care last night, they told me he was quite likely not going to make it. It was awesome to see him perkier this morning — will post more when I know how things are progressing.

Serious love to you guys — what a great support system.

[KatnipCrzy]

jess&peter-   You obviously love your bunny a lot and he is lucky to have you as an owner.  I went thru an episode with one of my bunnies involving taking him to an emer clinic, regular vet (work there) and then to an exotics vet.  And it was about 5-7 days to work to force feed my bunny, give him pain meds, I was able to give SQ fluids at home, and I used Simethicone (Gas-X) to help break up the gas bubbles and did what tummy massage he would allow.  Fortunately my bunnys temp never fell below normal like that- so it is a good thing you took him in!

Are you having to force feed Peter Critical Care?  Some vets do not like to use pain meds with stasis as that can also possibly slow the gut down- but my bunny was in so much pain that he did not start to improve until I gave pain meds.  But he was not prescribed Metoclopramide (Reglan) either as the vets were not comfortable with that.  But I called around after that and found another vet that seems to be more up on treating with Reglan (or other gut motility drug).  It was intersting to see his x-rays- he had them twice- first at the e-clinic and then 2 days later at the exotics vet and fortunately they saw improvement and that things were moving.  But I sure never want to go thru that again!

(((healing vibes for Peter))

[Cassi&Charlie]

Nothing to add but (((hugs))) and (((Healing vibes))) Hope little Peter is doing better.

[jerseygirl]

Ditto! Really glad you took him back in. I believe that decision probably saved his life. Sending continued (((healling vibes ))) to Peter.

[wiseleyd]

Get better, Peter!!!!

[jess&peter]

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Good news for right now — he stayed at the clinic all day on fluids, they got his temp stabilized, and called me to let me know when he started eating, drinking, and pooping again. Thank goodness. I’m home with him now and gave him a bowl of greens with lots of water still on them and he’s munching little bits here and there. No poop yet, but hopefully soon.

I cannot say enough how thankful I am to have this forum as both a resource and a support system. Just knowing that others out there understand how terrifying and helpless it is to have a sick bunny made all the difference for me — and the info I’ve learned on the boards almost certainly helped to save his life.

I’ll post more if anything changes overnight, but I wanted to post a couple of things I learned in case it helps someone else:

– A temp lower than 100 really is an emergency. I was sent home with him last night the first time when he was known to have a temp of 98.8. Within hours of being back home, he was showing signs of hypothermia. I gave him a hot water bottle, went to the 24 vet immediately, and was told the quick action likely saved him. His temp had fallen four degrees or so in just a couple of hours.

– Trust your intuition. I knew yesterday afternoon when he didn’t greet me at the door per usual that something was up. When I offered food and he refused, I knew it was an urgent situation. I was so glad to have the contact info for the after-hours and 24-hour clinics at hand already so I didn’t have to waste time tracking down a place that would know how to treat rabbits.

– Sometimes it’s best to do the vet exam on the floor so they can’t squirm off the table. The vet I saw this morning suggested it and it made him so much more comfortable and less likely to make a run for it.

– Get insurance. Thank goodness I had the forethought. It doesn’t cover everything, but $1,800 is… well… $1,800.

– Peter is a charmer. The employees at both vets were fawning over him and he seemed to know it, even when he was still feeling really crummy. One of the vets even wrote in big letters on her report that he’s the sweetest bunny she’s met. I agree (though I’m sure yours are awesome, too! : )

That’s about all I can think of right now. I am sitting next to him as I type this and he’s just started to eat again, this time with more enthusiasm. I want to thank all of you again for taking the time to read this and offer suggestions, support, and positivity.

Jess & Peter

[jess&peter]

Oh, and to answer a couple of questions —

– He was never put on Critical Care. The vet he was with today was about to offer it to him, but he started eating the greens and hay they had left in his cage, so she decided to wait on it. I have some on hand now in case he stops taking his ‘real’ food.

– The vet thinks it was a hair mass that caused the stasis. He’s still in a shedding phase, so I’m going to be even more intense about getting the hair off of him myself while it lasts.

– The vets took his temp rectally and did it several times during each visit to make sure they were getting an accurate read. He was so lethargic when it was happening that he didn’t struggle at all, but I’m sure once he recovers it will be more of a challenge…

[KatnipCrzy]

I have pet insurance for Schroeder also- and I was reimbursed $300- total bills was about $600 (I was able to do SQ fluids at home- and he did not need to be hospitalized- since he was not hypothermic).  It is nice to get a reimbursement that is more than the yearly premium for him!

[bunnyluvr]

Hooray! So happy to hear Peter is feeling better and home with you! Continued healing vibes to your sweet boy! ((((((((Peter))))))))

[Sarita]

Good advice and I’m glad your Peter rabbit is feeling better :~)

[jess&peter]

He’s still doing well! He slept under the covers with me last night and stayed warm. He’s eaten a TON of greens soaked in water, groomed himself, and most importantly, he’s still pooping! It’s not up to normal volume yet, but hopefully will increase as the weekend continues. We’re still on the reglan and metacam for the next few days, too. I may take him in tomorow for more sub-q fluids just to be safe.

Next step is submitting the insurance forms. I’ll keep you posted on the reimbursement…

I’m going to remain cautiously optimistic that he’s turned the corner. Please continue to sending healing vibes, and I will do the same for your bunnies — wishing you continued good health and love. : )

 

[Sarita]

Continued vibes for Peter.

[jerseygirl]

Oh there he is! Cute little fella too! Ditto Sarita there – that’s great advice you gave above.

[Sarita]

Oh, he’s absolutely adorable!

[BinkyBunny]

I am so glad you got him help when you did. The advice you gave was right on, and that feeling of something not being right is so important when dealing with bunnies. At those temperatures too, your bunny was going into shock so your actions really were life-saving.

It sounds like your bunny is on the road to recovery!

With Jacks vet bill that was also over $1000 dollars—can’t remember the amount exactly but I know it was around $1300, the insurance reimbursed about $800 total if I am remembering correctly. And it takes less than a month for me to get the reinbursement. You can now even go online and see the claim is– What process it’s in (Entered, Being Reviewed, Payment sent etc etc)

Continued healing vibes!

[KatnipCrzy]

Are Peters poos normally round and uniform in shape when he is feeling well?  My bunny Schroeder, has Cow Poop Syndrome- something that rabbit expert Dana Krempels has reported and is knowledgable about- but vets don’t seem to know anything about it.  But abnormal poos are a symptom of this disorder.  Schroeder has always had large, misshaped poos since I got him.  But now that I know he might have a GI disorder- I give him Enulose once a day- and he seems to do well (a prescription medication).

[jess&peter]

Hi again,

Great news to news report (with fingers crossed) — he’s eating, pooping, peeing, and acting pretty feisty. I even got a couple of little binkies last night! He did have a short bout of hiccups last night, which was new, but I offered him hay and they stopped as soon as he started eating.

Since I got him home, he’s gotten unlimited bowls of greens (easy stuff like red and green leaf lettuce), hay, and pellets. I’m going to keep giving him greens, but should I pull back a little make sure he’s eating enough hay?

KatnipCrzy, his nornal poop is very uniform. When his episode started, they were still round, but tiny and strung together with hair. I’ll keep an eye out for irregular shapes. Thanks for giving me something to look out for!

Just wanted to say again — thank you so much for the support and healing vibes. Your questions, kindness, and support helped both Peter and myself through this. I plan on sticking around and look forward to getting to know you and your bunnies!

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Yay! Thats wonderful that he is doing better! I would say that feeding him lots of green is good! I don’t think you should necessarily pull back on them to make sure he is eating hay, but I am not sure, someone else might be able to tell you more surely.

My bunny Schroeder, has Cow Poop Syndrome- something that rabbit expert Dana Krempels has reported and is knowledgable about- but vets don’t seem to know anything about it.

Cow poop syndrome? Is that when the poop is often irregular? I read it is when the bunny’s poop is larger and more egg shaped. Is this true? Because Fern has always had irregular poop shapes, often because they have hair in them? Is this a problem? Is there anything I should do about it? (Sorry about asking a question in your thread Jess&peter)

EDIT: I will have to look at Ferns poop and compare it to your bunny Schroeder’s poop (I found the tread about it on Binky bunny). So do you just feed your bunny lactaluse for this? – I read about it and I don’t want Fern’s intestines to get all scarred up if she does have it.

[KatnipCrzy]

Moonlight Wolf-

  Schroeder’s poos have always been large and misshaped.  I got him as an adult from the Humane Society- he was housed at a pet store for adoption.  He ate crappy pellets, limited hay and no veggies from what I can tell.  So I attributed this to poor diet at first and it did not seem to bother him- so I did not think much of it.  Now I know better.  Schroeder and Cotton are the same size (within a few ounces) both are Mini Lops- and his poos are about twice the size of Cotton’s.  His poos are about the same size as Griffin’s who is a much larger rabbit.

  My vet did not know anything about Cow Poop Syndrome-and even consulted other exotics vet thru an online forum that only vets can subscribe to and pay an annual fee for the “consult” service.  None of them knew about CWP.  But my vet read the info about CWP, and adivsed me to email a question to Dana Krempels at allexperts and see what the response was.  I have started him on the Enulose- I was nervous to start off at full dose- so I worked him up to the 3 mls.  Schroeder LOVES the Enulose- in fact he has ruined a couple of syringes by chewing the tip off- he always bites the syringe and tries to pull it into the cage.  Enulose is prescription- is not terribly expensive- about $30 a bottle that will last for quite a while.  His poos are still larger than what I would consider normal, but they do not look as dry, and they are still mis-shaped most of the time.  But I feel better knowing that I am proactively treating the problem.  His GI issue was horrid to deal with- my husband and I fought like terrible because I was exhausted from getting up to check on him plus the worry and constant treatment took its toll on me.  By the end of the treatment my husband had to take over gettng up in the middle of the night to give meds, rub his belly, etc because I needed to get uninterrupted sleep. 

  Schroeder also fits the color profile for rabbits that are predisposed to this GI disorder.

[jess&peter]

Well, he’s stopped popping again. It’s been about two hours — I’m trying not to panic. I’m going to give him two more hours, then I’m taking him back in.

He doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable — no restless stretching or lounging yet. He’s eaten TONS of greens today — like three big bowls, eaten hay, pellets, and had plenty of water. He’s still on meds for pain and motility. He’s been active and happy, I think, since I got him home last night.

Fingers crossed I see something soon…

[Carrot Lane Bunny]

do you have any papaya tablets? maybe give him one?

[jess&peter]

I don’t have any on hand — I’m giving him another hour before going back to the vet.

: (

[MimzMum]

I just went through a bout of stasis with my Holland lop male, and I found that during recovery, the poo will tend to start and stop. Drove me crazy with worry. Everything I’ve read says that this can be normal and you need to keep the bunny as unstressed as possible and give the treatment time to work. It can take as long as two weeks for all functions to return to completely normal.
I’m not sure two hours is long enough to be a concern. But you must go with what you vet has told you to do.
Is he in pain? In a hunched position or does he seem to be shivering again?
I just reread your post and see that he’s eating lots of greens. That’s good. I notice my bun seems to desire more greens since his stasis. As long as stuff is still going in, then something should be coming out probably by this evening.
It stinks when they are sick over the weekend. I’m fortunate in that my vet is open Sat.’s & Sun.’s, or I’d be a basket case. (Although some folks here may vote that I already am one…lol.)

Come on Peter…let’s see some of those lovely rabbit raisins! ((((((((((healthy poo vibes))))))))))))

[jess&peter]

I just got home from the vet — and of course, after not pooping all day, the second I got him home, he pooped! Not a lot, but some. The vet took an other round of x-rays and found no reason for alarm with what she saw — no visible blockages, no major gas issues. She gave me a bottle of cisapride tablets to use in conjunction with the reglan and metacam — has anyone tried this particular combo before?

I was told if he didn’t poop, or acted lethargic or uncomfortable to take him to the 24 vet tonight. I’m still closely watching him, of course. He’s acting pretty much normal — eating, drinking, and feisty as ever. He’s not showing signs of discomfort or pain right now, so hopefully this will be an uneventful night.

MimzMum, thank you so much for your post — it really eases my mind that this is likely normal and it will take him a while to get back on track. I’m so sorry you’ve gone through this, too! I know I was being slightly alarmist by not giving it more time, but I had a window to get him to his normal vet before they closed and could avoid the expense of the 24 hour vet.

What a learning experience this has been. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just wanted to say again how much I truly appreciate all of you. The comfort and insight you’ve given Peter and me has really made such a difference. I am so grateful.

I’ll keep you posted on this thread if anything changes. Also, I’ll let you know how VPI does with the reimbursements…

[jess&peter]

By the way — ‘((((((((((healthy poo vibes))))))))))))’ made me laugh out loud.

Only a bun’s mom would get it. : )

[Moonlight_Wolf]

More healing vibes going your way!! ((Vibes))

And Katnip – did you have to feed Schroeder Enulose at night? Do you still do that? I will message you so that I don’t take up this thread with my questions.

[sophie*bun]

jess&peter, I’m sorry you are experiencing this. It is truly awful to watch your bunny struggle with gas or GI. I hope everything will be OK with your bunny.

So far, my bunny has had two gas episodes all within the last year. She also flops and lies down on her stomach and looks very uncomfortable.
We have taken her to emergency every time and then to her regular vet the next day and discovered it was gas bubbles and possible GI.
Sometimes gas bubbles can occur in bunnies even if you do everything right, feed them a proper diet, give them lots of hay/water and exercise, so don’t think it’s anything that you could have caused. Just like people, they get upset tummies and some buns are more sensitive than others.

One thing you have to watch for is the temperature, if their temperature is too low they can go into a shock so it’s very important to keep your bunny warm and if possible hydrated (by a syringe). It’s handy to have something like Critical Care from Oxbow on hand, because when your bun is having tummy problems and not eating, Critical Care provides their gut with the necessary fiber to help get it moving.

Best wishes!

[jess&peter]

I’m happy to report that it was an uneventful night — he slept on my bed again (I put an extra blanket on top of the bed and put his cage in the corner so he’d have access to his litter box / food / hay). I think he was exhausted from not sleeping yesterday afternoon — he stretched out and went into the funny deep sleep mode with lots of face twitching. : )

He’s pooping, too. They’re pretty normal looking, though I did find one cluster of 6 pellets stung together with hair. Hopefully it’s all starting to come out now. He’s still on the reglan / cisapride / metacam combo.

sophie*bun, you are so right on. The major thing that was missed on Wednesday night (when he was so close to death) was his temperature — I just trusted the vet when she said she wasn’t concerned. I’m still mad at myself for not knowing about the hypothermia risk with stasis. I actually told the vet yesterday that they made a mistake in sending him back home with me on Wednesday with a temp of 98.8, especially since they also administered room-temp (or cold) sub-q fluids. He was down to 94 when I got him back to the emergency vet around 1am — they immediately started him on warm fluids and put him in an incubator-like thing to keep get his body temp back up.

I hope this info will be a lifesaver to someone else!

[jerseygirl]

Oh gosh…. So good you said something though as it can possibly be a learning experience for all. I also saw that meds don’t work properly when a rabbit is hypothermic. I’m just so glad that Peter made it!

[jess&peter]

jerseygirl, I want to say a special thanks to you for replying back to my very first post — I’m on the West coast and it was the middle of the night by the time all of this really got serious. It was such a comfort to have communication with someone about what was happening!

I’m really glad I said something, too — I said it to a different vet at the same facility and now I have a note on his chart that we don’t want to see the first vet again. I am a firm believe, now more than ever, in seeing someone who really is rabbit-savvy — the vet we saw yesterday told me that his temp should have been of utmost concern. It’s frustrating and awful to know that such a critical mistake was made, but again, lesson learned BIG TIME.

I also wanted to share something I’ve learned about administering the cisapride, which is in pill form — I’ve ben crushing the half a tablet dose with the back of a knife, mixing it with a couple drops (tiny drops) of water, and filling a syringe with it. I dipped the end of the syringe in apple sauce, just enough so it tastes like it, and he goes for it immediately. It can also be mixed with Critical Care, but since he’s eating regularly, I didn’t want to go down that path if I didn’t have to. So far so good…

[jerseygirl]

lol…well as you may have seen, Im in Australia so I’m often on when some of the late nighters in the northern hemi are on. Though it’s now 3am here so I guess I’m the late nighter this time round. I was a little worried at the time when you first posted then didn’t reply. It turns out you were returning to the vet – thankfully!

[sophie*bun]

jess & peter,
So happy for you that your bunny is doing better, face twitching sleeps are the best ones I think

P.S. I am not sure where you live, I am in Western Canada, and here they sell a hair remedy that you can give your bun as a preventative when they are shedding.
Also, try papaya tablets or pineapple, they have lots of good enzymes that help break up the hair, you know just in case if this whole thing was because of excess hair?

[jess&peter]

That’s a great suggestion — I bought a bottle of papaya tablets yesterday when I was at the vet (they have a fantastic selection of reasonably priced supplies and toys — lots of the same products as available in the store here). I’m going to make more of an effort with preventative care like brushing, papaya tablets, and sticking with low-impact treats (replacing baby carrots with timothy or veggie treats). I’m a first time rabbit owner, so the last four months have been all about learning and getting to know him. I’m also a worrier, so I think it may have helped that I had read a bit about GI stasis before it happened. : )

What’s the name of the remedy you suggested?

We had a good morning, and he’s stretched out and napping now.

[sophie*bun]

I’m just like you, I worry about my bunny so much too, so you are not alone…lol we do it out of love.
I am also a first time bunny owner, I’ve had Sophie for almost 4 years so some things you get a hang of as you go along.

About the remedy: The one that my bun’s vet recommends is Petromalt, I think it’s also used for cats, but it’s a great preventative aid.
When they go through a shed you give them a nail size portion 2-3 times a week, and when they are not shedding you can give it to them once a week as a preventative (like when they groom themselves and swallow their hair).

What also helps me is Sophie LOVES the vacuum, so every time I take it out to do some cleaning or to vacuum her bunny condo, I give her a good vacuum with a pet brush, it’s hilarious she melts away underneath it.

[jerseygirl]

With petromalt just make sure bunny is really well hydrated before using it. It can coat the poop and make it impermeable to fluids so the can stay a hardened mass if like that before hand. This is a caution I’ve read in relation to petromalt and similar products. I think it can be used sparingly as a preventative if you rabbit is shedding and pooping normally, but when going into stasis be careful about using it then.
Simethicone for gas relief might be another useful thing to have on hand.

[Author]

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