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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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 Stasis recovery

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    • HouseMiniLops
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        Our almost 2 year old mini lop was diagnosed with GI stasis on Tuesday morning.  We were given reglan (metoclopramide) and benebac and he was given subcutaneous fluids.  On Wednesday I called back concerned he also needed pain meds, we took him in again, and he was given Bupranex and more IV fluids by a vet tech since the rabbit vet was out.  We were also told to start syringe feeding him a mixture of baby food, ground up pellets, pineapple juice and Metamucil.  During the evening and night he deteriorated and I took him back in yesterday (Thursday) to see our rabbit vet again.  She added the antibiotic baytril since he has had a low fever (103.4) since this started.  She also said though that if we did not see significant improvement by Saturday we should bring him in to be euthanized. 

        The more I look at him, and research bunny stasis online, the more the concept of putting him to sleep just seems so completely wrong.  He is gradually improving, but it is very slow.  Since yesterday evening, he has started eating very small amounts of parsley, cilantro, broccoli, and timothy hay on his own.  He is passing a very occasional poop.  He is also though just more interested in things and moving around more.  Since this started, he has made a point of jumping up on our bed and sleeping next to us every night.  My concern though is that he clearly still needs help.  I’m not sure if/how much we should still be syringe feeding him at this point, and he’ll be out of pain meds by tomorrow, and out of reglan by Sunday.  When I asked the vet about more on Thursday, she said if he still needed them by the time we ran out we should just put him to sleep.   

        I’ve pretty much completely lost faith in the vet at this point.  So my question is, should I just call tomorrow and demand more meds, or try somehow to find a new vet?  We live in a rural area, and I suspect we would have to drive at least 40 minutes to find another exotic pet vet.  I’m also not sure if the current treatment plan is the most effective, and we just need to give it more time, or if we should be trying something different.  I can order Oxbow critical care with 2 day delivery, or try baby gas drops.  Any experience/thoughts on this are welcome.  Thank you!


      • Kokaneeandkahlua
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          So sorry you are going through this.

          I only think you would euthanize for gi stasis if there is a blockage or significant damage to the intestines.

          I’m not sure where you live, but is there another vet you can see? I’m wincing at the Metamucil, pineapple juice, lack of pain meds in the initial treatment etc. It doesn’t sound like the vet you saw is way out in left field, but also doesn’t sound like he/she is very up to date.

          In the meantime, can you get your hands on some critical care (http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/vets/products/critical_care) this is ideal for force feeding/syringe feeding. Your rabbit is doing some eating on his own so I don’t think there is a blockage, and critical care is more ideal than ground pellets. You can purchase it at most vet clinics, you can also buy online.

          I would also grab some pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not pie mix) and feed that too. I often mix critical care, pumpkin, juice (apple/carrot) and water. Sometimes they’ll even eat it on their own.

          My advice, look for another vet, and get as much food in any way shape or form down as possible. After things are settled, see if you can your rabbit checked (x-rayed) for dental issues-it’s often the cause and once you get a handle on that you can reduce or eliminate repeat episodes.

          Please keep us posted!


        • HouseMiniLops
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            Thank you kokaneeandkahlua!

            I’ll try to find some of the critical care tomorrow, but in the meantime, do you think I should keep feeding the pellet mixture? So far I’ve been doing it when ever he goes more than 4 hours without eating, but he has been taking in small amount of greens about that often lately.

            I knew the vet was really not very knowledgeable when she told me yesterday to try berry yogurt. She’s very nice, but probably in her 60s, and as you said, just not that up-to-date. I’m definitely going to try and find a different vet, but I don’t have high hopes about finding one on a weekend I’m also not sure I want to drag him in to the vet again, especially since a different vet will be a long car ride. Do you have any idea if I should try to get more pain meds from her if I can’t find a different vet tomorrow? He’s not gnashing his teeth anymore or curling up or anything, but I worry he may still be hurting. He’s being very affectionate, and definitely more interested in checking things out. He just picked up one of my son’s toys with his mouth and flung it across the floor. I just wish he would poop and eat more.


          • Bam
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              Hi, I just want to say it’s fine to syringe-feed pellet ground up and mixed with water until you get hold of Critical Care, but omit all the sweet stuff, it can cause overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria in the gut. You can give a probiotic but bnot in the form of dairy. There is a type for small pets called benebac.

              You can ask for more painmeds, it’s good to have some at home in case he seems to need it. It sounds like he’s doing much better already!

              For gas-problems and stomach issues I give baby gas drops, simethicone, there are different brand-names in different countries. It’s considered safe by Medirabbit and many BBers use it. It’s a good thing to always keep in your home, as part of a bunny-first-aid-kit.You can also give tummy-rubs to get the intestines moving.

              I don’t know if you’ve already read this, but it’s a great article from an approved source:
              http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

              Keep him hydrated and keep giving him pellet-slurry and try to get CC and keep us posted!!!


            • Roberta
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                It’s a long slow process. Keep syringe feeding. 10-30 ml of critical care (or equivalent) at least twice a day. Simethicone 1ml twice a day. Lots of fresh moistened aromatic herbs. Plus pain meds and if prescribed, antiobiotics. Steamed pumpkin mash can also be added or sugar free pureed/steamed apple, mashed banana and any goodies he will eat willingly. Poops could be small and dark at first and it might take 3-4 weeks before they look entirely normal again.


              • HouseMiniLops
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                  It looks like PetSmart doesn’t carry critical care, and so far I can’t find another rabbit vet that is open today. I can order it from amazon, but it won’t get here until sometime tomorrow at the earliest. We have plain pureed pumpkin that we made and froze in the fall, and I’m thinking about mixing that with some ground up pellets and water. I’ll try the gas drops. We already have benebac that we are giving him twice a day.

                  Are there any signs of pain I should look for other than teeth grinding and hunching? He’s been digging at the floor a lot since this started, and I’m not sure if that is a pain sign.

                  The molar problem hypothesis makes a lot of sense, since it would probably explain the fever and unwillingness to eat. I wish she had x-rayed his mouth when she x-rayed his stomach.

                  Thank you so much for you help! It’s frustrating feeling like the internet and an online forum has better information than your vet.


                • Bam
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                    Pumpkin is liked by most rabbits. It has good fiber. You can absolutely mix it with ground pellets and water. In bags of hay there’s often “hay-residue” in the bottom, if you have a fine metal sieve, you can “grind” that with a spoon and mix it with the pellet/pumpkin mash. I did that for my bunny Yohio when I had to syringe-feed him in November, last year. He turned out to have a molar-problem, he got well when the irregularities were ground down. A rabbit needs to be sedated in order for the vet to check the molars properly, the first time my vet checked my Yohio’s teeth (with an otoscope) he was awake so she couldn’t see the very small spurs he had. Some rabbits (like my Yohio) have sensitive mouths and some rabbits can go a long time with big molar spurs without giving any signs of not feeling well.

                    I hope your bunny will get well soon! You seem like a very competent bunny-owner!


                  • HouseMiniLops
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                      I found another vet that sees rabbits and has critical care in stock that I can get today. It’s a 40 minute drive, but worth it I think. Their rabbit vet is not in today and they will not do any kind of phone consultation without seeing him first. I hate to have to put him in the car for so long, but I think that I’ll take him in to see them next week.


                    • Megabunny
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                        40 minutes seems like a long car ride for a rabbit, and maybe it is when they’re sick, but sounds like the right thing to do, and, for the most part, it’s not that bad of a trip for a rabbit. Just keep hay in there in case he wants to much (fingers crossed!) Let us know. And it’s a good idea to get up during the night to encourage eating if he isn’t eating on his own, during these early days.


                      • HouseMiniLops
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                          Any ideas on when I should stop giving him the pain meds or reglan? We’ll finish the antibiotic course and the benebac, but I’m not sure how to tell when he is well enough to stop syringe feeding and the other meds. He’s doing amazingly well and clearly making steady progress. He’s been pooping almost normally today and actually going over to his food tray to look for food (although still not eating his old amount). He’s still sleeping a lot more than normal, but that could be partly the pain meds. We syringe fed him this morning, but I’m not sure whether or not to do it again this evening.

                          Thank you for the pumpkin tip – I can’t believe how much easier syringe feeding got when we switched from to that from the baby food/pineapple/pellet mixture!


                        • Megabunny
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                            I don’t feel right giving you too much info because I haven’t had the horror of this to draw on for experience, thank heavens, so I’m thinking the others will pipe up soon enough. At a guess, I’d say if he’s eating but still not that much, maybe just force feed less than you otherwise might, but still get some down him??

                            Pumpkin is a wonderful thing!

                            Seems like people play it by ear and watch them, try them with less force feeding/meds and monitor them. Again, hoping someone gets on before it’s much later. Sorry. That’s what I would suggest, but I don’t claim to be any expert on this.


                          • Paradigm
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                              Not an expert, but I waited until he seemed to be eating mostly normally then skipped a dose. If he seemed pained or slowed eating (or I had to leave him for a while) I gave him more.

                              He was off pain meds within 72 hours.


                            • Bam
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                                I had to call several times to get painkillers for Yohio, and when he got them, I saw improvement. I only gave it for like 2-3 days before he started to eat on his own.


                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                  Any update on your bunny?


                                • HouseMiniLops
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                                    Yes, he seems to be doing quite well, thank you! I think he is almost fully recovered. He’s just finishing up his antibiotic and bene-bac.


                                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                                  Forum DIET & CARE Stasis recovery