I'm very glad to hear that Boon is feeling better. And thats great that you have an apt with a rabbit specialist. Hope all goes well with your visit.

I know that this thread is from May-ish, but I'm writing here to say that Boon is going through the exact same thing that happened in May.

Three days ago, he began to pass very few large, mucus covered poos, and his appetite went south.

I decreased his pellets, gave him Bene-Bac daily (I normally give it to him a few times a week, because he has such a history of stasis issues), doubled up on the hay, have been giving him about 3ml of simethicone every 4-8 hours.

Nothing.

So the next day, which was two days ago, I started him on Reglan. DESPITE the fact he always did better on Cisapride, I did the Reglan this time because he just was weaned off Cisapride after being on it for 2 weeks straight during his neuter which went very well.
He continued to periodically pass very few large, mucous covered poos, and peeing, but at least he was passing stuff and eating/drinking (thought much less than usual).

Today, I woke up to find that he had not eaten a bit of his hay, pellets or green leafy veggies. I FREAKED. Switched him from Reglan to the Cisapride in hopes that it would work better---it did not. Called the vet even though today is a Sunday, a tech answered, and I suggested a "safe" laxative for a bunny. Vet called in Lactulose, (not to be confused with Laxotone) - Lactulose is like a sugar that draws moisture into the contents of the gut.
And of course, made an appointment---soonest he can be seen is at 9pm at night. *Sigh*

I picked up the lactulose and started him on IV Lactated Ringers solution (the vet gave me some to have on hand since he has a history of this). He was so dehydrated, his body absorbed the solution very rapidly.
I also gave him some Metacam at this point, along with the fluids, Cisapride and Simethicone for today.

Also went to the grocery store for more varietys of veggies.

He won't touch any of them. Won't eat a damn thing!

force-fed him about 15cc of very diluted Critical Care divided into two doses, morning and night - he hates the stuff so I try not to over-do it.

He's been drinking on his own periodically, but so far, he has not pooped in over 24 hours, and hasn't peed in about 12 hours, despite force feedings of critical care, water, and Benebac. He did voluntarily take many drinks of water, just won't eat more than tiny piece of hay once a day.

Tonight, I switched him back to Reglan. Tomorrow, I'll probably give him both - not at the same time though.

What saved him last time was an enema administered by the veterinarian. It enabled him to pass 12 large, very hardened and dried up blockage poos, and from there, it all just came piling out (if you read back on this entry, you will see how it all just started coming out in ridiculous amounts, turned to diarrhea basically, but it also saved his life).

However, his belly feels very soft and doughey, unlike last time when it was very bloated and hard.

Hopefully the vet can give him another enema tomorrow and hopefully it works like it did last time.

I'm afraid to go to sleep tonight for fear of waking up to him over the rainbow tomorrow. :*(

prayers please.

I'm so sorry to hear Boon is unwell again. I'm really hoping the vet can fix him up asap. So you're going to the vet on Tuesday? Kind of confusing because of the time zone differences. I wish there was something I could do to help. Please keep us updated.

(((((((Feel Better Boon))))))

Hi LPT,

I'm going to the vet in about 9 hours, it will be 9pm at night. It's the only they could get him in, and the only time I'll have transportation to get there anyway.

I'm hoping they give him even more fluids an enema, as that is what saved him last time.

I'm going to attempt to give him IV fluids myself this afternoon... last night my friend gave them to him. The vet's office showed me how, but they showed me with a barrel syringe and everytime I try to give him fluids that way, it hurts him and he flinches and gets injured. The IV fluids that go in as a drip are much more comfortable to him and easier for me.... wish me luck

He ate 1 leaf of escarole and 1 strand of cilantro, left 1 large, hardened, dried poo.

I still don't know whether to put him on both the cisapride and the Reglan or not....or just stay with the Reglan.... since Cisapride did nothing for him yesterday.... which is unusual...usually Reglan is useless...and it still kind of is

Oh no you poor thing! He is a tricky one. Sending many {{{{{{VIBES}}}}}}

It's interesting the tech suggested lactulose. This is something I've heard is used for rabbits with "Cow Poop Syndrome" and in the treatment protocol that Dr Krempels uses for the condition. Did you ever get in touch with her?

A lot of what you have described about him in the past makes him a candidate for this condition IMO.

Forgive me if this has already been asked but has he ever had his teeth thoroughly examined? Recently?  This is a long thread and I haven't re-read it all sorry.

Wow. Sending Boon some much needed healing vibes! I hope your luck gets better with him. Let us know what the vet says and if there was anything they could do to help him! Poor little guy...

In another note, did you see the specialist you were going to see the first time?? You mentioned it a couple of comments above. Just wondering if you were able to come up with a better diagnosis of Boon.

Oh no! (((Healing vibes to Boon))) I hope he gets better!

Just tuning in here but (((((((((((((((((((((((((((VIBES))))))))))))))))))))))))) and best of luck. Keep us posted

I'm very sorry to hear this. It must be so stressful. Please remember to get sleep. Everything seems so much worse when you don't get enough sleep. I hope the vet is able to help boon and from the past they better give him an enema.Sending you healing vibes.

Yes he was diagnosed with possible Megacolon and chronic slow motility of unknown origin.

This recent bout was most likely the result of a molt.

The Lactulose was my idea. it did not help.

He saw the vet tonight and she gave him an enema but his colon is empty while his stomach is about to burst. He has a blockage.

she said there is nothing more she can do except keep giving him the Reglan and keeping him hydrated and cautiously force feeding him. If he does not improve within the next day or so, I should consider putting him down before his stomach ruptures.

Yes Boon saw the exotic specialist a while back he was of no help

However there is one medication, Viokase, which was recommended by Dana Krempels to use cautiously in the case of breaking up and dissolving a severe and genuine blockage. It is animal derived protyolytic enzymes which beak up and dissolve fats, mucus, proteins, etc. and can be helpful in the case of genuine blockage,

 however,

my vet has never heard of such a thing, says she needs to research it and Boon may not have that kind of time, and

Dana Krempels, Ph.D who recommends, recommends it CAUTIOUSLY because it is so powerful thatit can irritate and burn his throat and esophagus which can be very painful.

When I went to write Dana Krempels, it said she is on vacation again until Noveber 1st. So I sent her an email.

I do not know what to do. I have cried myself sick, I have a migraine, Iw ant to throw up and convulse, and i have been clenching my fists so hard that my knuckles are bleeding. I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars in emergencies and also just to get him cleared for neuter surgery which was a breeze compared to this.

if anyone has any info on the Viokase please let me know before it is too late thank you

I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm really hoping for you that things get better and I sincerely hope something dramatically improves before you have to make that hard decision. I wish I could offer more help I really do. But my heart goes out to you. I know this is just about the hardest thing. Please Please Please remember to get sleep and stay hydrated.

I'm so very sorry to hear he is in such a bad state. I am praying for him. ((((((Boon))))) Please feel free to PM me if you need to talk. I know how hard it is dealing with a very sick rabbit.

Hi, everybun,

I woke up today to find a moderate amount of mucousy sausage poos in his.... bed....

He is actually trying to work on eating some hay right now...but he is taking it very, veryyyy slowly - he will eat a few bites and then stop and hunch over, but I am just glad he passed something and is willfully eating even if it's not that much.

LPT, thank you for your kind offer to chat. I may tae you up on that later. For now I am going to get some Bromelain at the vitamin store (the enzyme found in pineapple) and try to find out how much to give him.
Does anyone know??? Have you ever given your bun Bromelain? I'll make a separate post...

Thank goodness! It's good you didn't have to resort to that medicine- it sounds risky.
The lactulose; I believe this is used more as a maintenance thing. A former forum leader here (Katnipcrzy) was giving it the her rabbit daily on dr krempels advice. Perhaps it could benefit Boon as more of a preventative?

More {{{vibes}}}. I hope youre getting some rest and hope updates continue to be positive.

I'm sure Boon would appreciate anything preventative that you can find, maybe you can talk to your vet (the non-idiot vet!) about the options you have
((((((((vibes)))))))

He's such a beautiful boy

O thank good! I'm so glad that something passed. I was terrified to check. I'm sending vibes for even more healing and to see him pull through this.

Also sending Boon continued healing vibes. Pushing for your little guy so badly! Keep us updated on any new occurrences. My heart goes out to you both.

thank you all..

update...

despite my exhilaration and happiness over the poos, when i went to pick him up, it felt like there is a baseball where his stomach should be, and the rest of his gut is gassy and doughey.

heart sunk
spoke too soon on here
and of course...
Around 4pm this afternoon he suddenly stopped ravenously foraging through the hay and veggies and his poos turned to tiny, dehydrated infrequent occurrences.... so after being held up at the store listening to the store owner yack on about how her daughter won a rabbit at a fair (sigh) i didnt get home til like 7 and he didnt get his 100cc fluids til 8....

after the fluids absorbed he ate some hay tonight, a few bites of his cilantro, passed some mucousy stool, but is currently back to being hunched over in pain and that "mass" is still really worrying me

I have an appointment with an exotic specialist on Friday, dont know if he'll make it that long, plus this exotic specialist is all gung-ho about keeping rabbits overnight, with barking dogs and i will not let that happen. and is so money hungry i'm going to go bankrupt over this...que sera...

was up til 6am belly rubbing him, he passed a lot of gas. i was in and out of the bathroom with sick migraine from all the crying.

My question is this....if this were a true blockage, how is it that he passes stool when he is maximally hydrated & then becomes hungry enough to num some hay? it may not be much, or it may be large and mucousy, but he passes it when he gets hungry and nums some hay..... this is usually after a huge dose of subQ fluids....
havent given him any bromelain yet...
still having some migraine and will check back soon....

Thoughts: maybe a partial blockage or what he is passing was from his lower tract? Idk...

I think it's the narrow part of the tract that doesn't function properly with that syndrome. Where the stomach and rest of the tract meet. Pyloric something-a-rather.

Has your vet suggested Questran at all? Are you still giving benebac?

{{{Boon}}}. Vibes for you also!

Yes the Pyloric Valve. That does seem to be where his problems are....

I am definitely wondering (and worrying) about the partial blockage. What if it gets bigger? What if it doesn't break up? Is Gastrotomy the only option? Because that's a death sentence I cannot afford.

My vet has never heard of questran

Tried calling her 3 x today and even left messages with the staff. Heard nothing back. He sees the exotic vet Friday, who willmost likely try to squeeze an overnight stay out of me just for the $250 cuz he knows surgery will kill boon.

What about this vet you're seeing Friday? Can you ring and ask them if Questran would be safe to administer? You'd need to find out if safe given there might be a blockage. Its non prescription so if they gave you the green light, you could get it at a store.

It's mentioned in the stasis article: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

Regarding bromelian, I've never used it but I believe it's the main enzyme in Oxbow's papaya tablets. Even more then papain from papaya.

How often are you giving Sub Q? I would make sure to give him the max dosage recommended by your vet. When Bindi had a blockage (he ate teddy bear stuffing) I believe it was the fluids that saved his life. We stayed up all night giving fluids every 4 hours, I believe it was. He wasn't passing any poos at all and after a few days of exhaustive treatments, passed a giant cow patty.

Are you giving Simethicone as well? This might help relieve the gassy buildup and pain that he is probably experiencing.

I'm sorry if you mentioned already but did anyone do an X-ray? I would suggest one to determine if there really is a blockage. He might be experiencing acute bloat which has the same symptoms as a blockage. If the vet is positive (by X-ray) there is no blockage they could administer motility drugs that might help get him moving along again. The vet has to be 100% certain there is no blockage to administer this drug, however. 

((((((Boon- Feel better and get those poops coming))))))

I'm sending vibes. I really hope he pulls through this. He's so strong I'm sure he can do it. And your really starting to concern me. Please be taking care of yourself.Your no help to boon if you get sick from a weak immune system. For every 10 min of crying you need to be drinking 8 fl oz of water to ward off dehydration.

Any update?

Also, sending more vibes your way and hoping for an update!

A good one that is...

And NikitaSue is completely right -- keep yourself up too. So worried about you and Boon.

I think we're all getting a little worried. I hope things are looking up for the both of you.

((((((((((((((vibes for you and boon))))))))))))))

{{{{{Boon & his Mama}}}}}

Hi all,

Sorry to worry you...we're still struggling.

He's been on Reglan for a week and we added Cisapride about 2 days ago.

The mass feels like it is gone, now his belly just feels doughey. I thought last night e was surely going to die, he didn't eat, poop and wasn't even swallowing his meds - BUT - he was doped up on Buprenorphine that the vet gave him about 8 hours prior. I kept putting my ear up to his belly, and heard some normal audible bowel sounds. Gave him about 50cc subQ fluids, and have been doing this once at night, trying to get him to drink on his own during the day, which he has done a few times.

This morning, I woke up and there were a few small, wet poos, and he ate his greens overnight. He was also numming on some small amounts of hay, but it didn't last long. He is back to being hunched over right now, but it's also med time and bellyrub time.

He saw an exotic pet vet last night, because the original exotic pet vet that he once dealt with in Barberton called me up and cancelled the Friday (today) appt - toldme he refuses to see any more of my pets, and doesn't care that my bun is in stasis. They said it was due to "too many past cancellations." I only cancelled once, and I warned him about that - back when Boon was scheduled to get neutered. Boon was a bit constipated that day and I cancelled. So then they made this other excuse, saying I had money problems - well, I do, but I always paid my bills up front. They then ran out of excuses and hung up on me.
That vet cared about nothing but money and fame anyway - he had a bobblehead doll made after him, is featured on all kinds of stupid tv commercials newspaper clippings, and even suggests putting dogs on sedatives during storm season. The invasive crap he wanted to do to boon was not only expensive and invasive but probably would have stressed him into a stasis if he hadn't been in one already.

I was panicked but I think it's a good thing we didn't see this vet.

I did frantically find an exotic vet down near Pittsburgh who was able to see him yesterday. He did a thorough oral exam, and said that Boon's bottom front molars are *slightly* overgrown, and if he recovers, we should address that, but it's nothing urgent. He said he didn't feel a blockage, but at this point, boon's GI was just feeling "doughey." At my request he did an x-ray and said that there is no blockage, his belly feels "doughey" at this point and he probably has an overgrowth of bacteria, as some yellow stinky goo was seeping from his bum. He prescribed him Bactrim (the smz liquid) for 14 days, and told me to keep him hydrated and continue the belly rubs and force feedings if he continues to not eat. He said the stuff the other exotic vet, like the general anesthesia for an oral exam, would be so unnecessary, as boon is so cooperative that he was able to do a thorough oral exam without any sedation.

No Questran - Dana said that could block him up more and that is more for cecal dysbiosis (imbalance of gut flora). She mentioned perhaps, if he recovers, getting him on a periodic regimen of Lactulose, as bunnies with this strange neurological genetic disease do well on periodic lactulose treatment, but in general, they don't live long and it is a very tough situation for the owner.

The exotic vet in Pittsburgh said he has seen bunnies with true blockages go on to recover, but whatever blockage he had is gone now. His gut is just static. He doped him up Buprenorphine and I swear I thought Boon was gonna die last night, but perhaps between the Buprenorphine and the stress of going down to Pittsburgh just made him tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. He went a good 12 hours without pooping.

I was sure he'd die overnight, but I woke up to find a few stools in his litterbox; dark, wet and small but there none the less. He ate his greens this morning (all of them!) and has been periodically munching on some small amounts of hay...but it was very short lived. He is back to sleeping now.

My extended fam keeps urging me to put him down but I read Dana's article on Ileus and it says that recovery can happen slowly and in "fits and starts."

Has this been the case generally with other buns in severe stasis??? 

sure, it's going to be a tough road even if he makes it through this because each consecutive bout is worse than the last.... but I just don't want to give up on him yet since he's not in critical condition (the vet said he doesnt think he is in critical condition).....am I wrong for this? How long is too long, anyway?

I was also emailing with Dana Krempels back and forth and she said, while, in general, bunnies with chronic GI issues have a shorter life span than most other bunnies, the fact that he is only a year old and is eating a bit on his own, has some bowel sounds, and producing SOME stool, and that his x-ray was clear, is a good sign, and to keep up with the supportive care (fluids, critical care, belly rubs, motility meds, antibiotic, gas relief, pain relief).
She did say, however, that this could also just be one of those bouts where his GI tract may not start to work again. But she did say that these little signs, him periodically pooping and munching hay/greens is a good sign.

Whenever I put my ear up to his belly, I do hear normal bowel sounds, which is also a good sign.

She highly recommended a second enema but the exotic vet didn't do one. If things go way south again, I will attempt one myself with the help of a rabbit wise friend who has done rabbit enemas before. I am not putting Boon thru another roadtrip for an enema.

At anyrate, since I know now that what we are dealing with right now is the shutdown of his GI tract and that there is no blockage, we just really have to try to get things moving again.....

How long can it take for things to get better? This has been going on for 8 or 9 days now, it was on Sunday and Monday that boon had the mass but that has since passed and since then it is mostly an issue of his gut not working; not wanting to eat, and not pooping very much.

Also, about me... my health was not really good even before this but I am managing. Thanks for the ecommendation of water. I have been feeling dehydrated and just generally sick to my stomach.

Thoughts, hugs, prayers and vibes still needed....and appreciated... thank you my bunny friends

I'm glad to hear things are looking okay. While I can't offer any advice on his stomach, I would like to offer a recent experience that may make you want to consider filing his teeth if they are a bit overgrown. Obviously not In an added trip to the vet but while you are there anyways. I'm recommending this since you said he is calm enough to have this done without the sedative. I recently noticed that Ruby was eating much less hay than usually so I took her to the vet and it turned out to be just from her back teeth being slightly overgrown and were causing small sores in her mouth when she ate. They didn't sedate her by they did give her some Metacam. By the time I was halfway home from the vet ( it's only about 15 minutes drive) she was munching away on the hay in her carrier and since then I've been going through hay like crazy.

Depending on how much stress you think the filing will cause him it may be worth it to take a look at the damage it might be doing to his mouth.

More ((((((((((((((((vibes))))))))))))) for both Boon and yourself. Keep the updates coming, I'm very hopeful for Boon, he seems to be a strong little fighter.