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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum DIET & CARE Chronic GI stasis, is this a thing?

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    • cin
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        Hey guys, 

        My boy Ben went into GI stasis around October and he was in the hospital for four days. They didn’t want to release him until he was eating on his own and when he finally came home I had still had to syringe feed him criticalcare, adminster Tremadol, and give him IV fluids. He HATES being handled, so the whole experience is a nightmare for both of us. (Biting and kicking)

        Well, yesterday I noticed he just wasn’t himself again – the biggest clue is when he shows no interest in his favorite veggie parsley. He eats parsley like a monster, and is always begging for more when he’s done. I tried everything he usually eats, and nothing. I started giving him CriticalCare feedings and Tremadol again (I emailed the doctor and he told me to start doing this as soon as I notice the behavior). All night I worried about him – this morning I called our emergency doctor and she said to continue the CriticalCare/Tremedol treatments and to check in with my regular doctor on Monday. I explained to her everything, and she didn’t seem to think it was an emergency just yet. Whats weird is when he goes into stasis, he’s never lethargic and remains fairly active. Although, she did say that if he wasn’t much better by tomorrow he might have to stay another night at the hospital. I’ve read that a lot of vets give the bun fluids and send them home? Is them having to stay overnight a normal?

         

        They tested for everything last time – and did xrays. They said he’s one of the healthiest bunnies on the inside that they have ever seen – so they seemed kind of stumped as to what the cause is. They warned me that it might come back – so I’m always looking for the signs, I just didn’t expect for it to come again so soon. His diet is fairly ok, I wish he ate a larger variety of veggies but he’s a very picky bun and if he doesn’t like it its hard to get him to eat it. Right now he likes Parsley, Romaine and Mustard Greens (I give him veggies in the morning, afternoon, and again before going to bed) He always loves carrots but I only give that to him as a treat. He doesn’t seem to care for palettes and eats a fair amount of Timothy hay (unlimited access). 

        He doesn’t seem to be in much pain – or at least he’s very good at not showing it. I love him to death but his treatment is getting very expensive – last time it cost just over 1500 dollars. Not to mention he is fighting me every step of the way. This morning he kicked so hard that he must have snugged his nail on the couch we were sitting in and he tore his nail. I saw blood and it scared me to death! It stopped bleed fairly quickly though – and I was able to help him clean it out a bit. 

        As far as pooping goes, I saw just one this morning when I put him in the bathtub for a while (I have two buns, and I couldn’t really tell who’s poop belongs to whom unless I separate them). I took a small nap after his feeding this morning and woke up hours later and I don’t think he’s moved from his spot under the bed which again is odd for him and it doesn’t look like he’s used the litterbox. I’m just really hoping he snaps out of this quickly this time – so so worried about him. 


      • Snowytoshi
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          Some rabbits have much more delicate digestive systems then others, this could be caused by stress as a baby, genetic problems, or improper diet early on. There are some things that may cause a reaction more then others, so it may help to write down what he eats and the quanity to see if particular things correspond with G.I. problems.


        • Sarita
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            Did they check his teeth? How old is he? It really should not be one of those things – it is usually one of those things because we as owners can not figure out what is wrong.


          • cin
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              He’s about 3 1/2 now. The last time he was in they did say he has very early stages of a mild dental disease but they did not think it was the cause of it. Its just something that we need to keep checking for in the future. 

              (His last feeding went better! He ate a few pieces of parsley with his criticalcare this time.)


            • Sarita
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                I think it is the dental disease – this is a VERY common cause of gi stasis. It is very common for rabbits with dental problems to be on and off of their usual diet.


              • tanlover14
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                  I have to agree with Sarita. I’m pretty confident it really could be the dental problems also.


                • cin
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                    I will ask my doctor tomorrow morning when I talk to him. Last time we spoke about it he didn’t seem to think it would be something we would have to worry about right away so we didn’t talk about that much during our last visit. Do mild/early cases lead to surgery? I guess that’s mostly what I’m concerned about. I know buns aren’t good candidates for surgery.


                  • Sarita
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                      Well, it’s not surgery, they file their teeth. I have two 10 year old rabbits that get regular dental trims with no problems and one 3.5 year old netherland dwarf that gets regular trims as well – every 3 to 4 months.

                      There is a bigger risk in not taking care of the molar spurs and dental problems. My netherland dwarf was dumped at a guinea pig rescue because he was not eating – it turns out he had a dental abscess which needed treating and due to the abscess he has no lower left molars and he is now at risk of losing another upper molar but the vet wants to try to keep that as long as possible since he’s got so few teeth. Granted this is probably an extreme example but dental problems can lead to gi stasis, in fact it’s probably a leading cause of this.

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                  Forum DIET & CARE Chronic GI stasis, is this a thing?