Theo’s showing signs of stasis again

[Theodorusrex]

He was his normal happy self last night bunking around and begging for the raspberries and cherries me and my husband were eating. Came down this morning and normally when I put his breakfast out he goes mad for it but he didn’t move from his shelf in his pen this morning – he was sitting kinda hunched but I wasn’t worried at that point because he sits like that when a new person comes in the room sometimes. So i put his breakfast down and he doesn’t move. I move it to his shelf in case he hadn’t seen it – he doesn’t move. I try him with his favourite treat and he refuses it. The exact same as last Saturday. He has been back to his normal self past 4 days or so but now we’re back to this. I’m so worried there’s a blockage or something. I gave him some critical care from a syringe and 1ml of simeticone and some belly massages. Gonna give him half an hour and see if he starts nibbling – if he doesn’t it’s back to the vet. Thankfully they’re at least open this time ? does anyone have any ideas about what could be causing this?

[Bam]

I’m sorry to hear this. i don’t know whay this is happening, some bunnies are prone to GI issues. It could be a hereditary issue or just that his tummy hasn’t fully recovered yet – these things can take months. You know about bunny appropriate diet and hay and everything, so it’s most likely absolutely not sth you are doing wrong. Some buns get GI probs when they start a shed, some are extra sensitive to stress like from hot weather.

I hope this is just gas and that it will resolve itself with simethicone and exercise and some gentle belly rubs.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Poor Theo Might this be a flare-up from his last episode after staying at that bunny hotel? It may take a while for his gut flora to stabilise after he was fed incorrectly.

[beebun]

Oh, no, theo! I’m sorry that he’s at it again. I concur with Bam- maybe he’s not fully done with his previous tummy issue and the bacteria in his guts are still woozy.

Is he pooping okay?

[Bam]

I do think it’s connected to the first episode and the over/feeding at the boarder’s. Have you tried probiotics for him? There are some really good ones available in the UK.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Well it’s great that you have the CC on board to give him straight away and the Simeticone and of course the belly rubs…
Yes, don’t hesitate for a vet visit – tomorrow’s Sunday !

[Theodorusrex]

I agree with you all – I feel so guilty for leaving him with that incompetent man ? he came so highly recommended though but I guess proper rabbit care isn’t well known where I’m from.
Haven’t been to the vet yet – the simeticone seemed to help him and he started to nibble a little of his carrot tops. Wouldn’t touch his pellets at first but over the next couple of hours nibbled about 1/4 of his bowl. He did about 10 smallish almond-shaped poops. Promising signs – not eaten anything since so keeping a really tight eye. Our vets is open for another 6h and the emergency vet system is excellent here so I’m going to continue to keep a real tight eye.

I was thinking of trying him on some probiotics- what kind would you recommend bam? I know very little about them for rabbits

[Vienna Blue in France]

Yay Theo – go boy go !! Nibble away to your little heart’s content !!
Have you written to the bunny boarder? Or written an account on his ‘tripadvisor’ page or something….? Not nasty and bitter, just informative for others?

[Bam]

Nibbling is great! In my personal bunny-experience, simethicone can often do wonders!
I have tried Protexin’s range of probiotics for buns. It’s a UK company and VetUK have their products at good prices, but you should check postage to NI of course. I currently use Profibre rabbit and synbiotic D-C, because they have microorganisms that are naturally present in the rabbit gut. There are other brands, but avoid those that only have lactobacillus because those are not natural to buns and tend not to survive in the bunny gut.
Please don’t feel guilty for boarding him with that man. You couldn’t have had any idea. It’s such a weird thing to do, feed an adult bun ad lib.

[Theodorusrex]

Ah fab, thanks Bam I will order some today and try him with them. Should I wait until he is back to his old self or is sooner better?

Vienna, I really want to email him but I don’t know how to say ‘you made my rabbit obese and may have had part in his awful tummy troubles’ in a nice way and I’m really not a confrontational kind of person!! lol

He is doing a little better, still nibbling on some wet greens and gave him another dose of simeticone seeing as it seemed to help him so quickly. He’s more active anyway but no more poop yet. Definitely on the up again thankfully – he damn near scared me to death this morning!! I can almost see him laughing to himself as he nibbles his greens.
Thanks again sincerely for all the support ?

[Q8bunny]

Aww… poor darling
((((((Nomnom & Poos))))))

Amazon sells Benebac – it’s where I got mine for our ER kit. Before it arrived, the one time Chewie was poorly and needed to maintain healthy gut flora during antibiotics I gave him a bit of Activia yogur or kefir mixed with a smidge of honey daily for a couple of weeks. Worked a charm. Maybe try it?

[drwil]

Noticed you feed him fruits. I have a rabbit who gets stasis if she eats anything high in sugar like carrots or fruit. The other rabbits do not have this problem.

Get bunny to the vet but in the future try feeding only greens like kale and lettuce plus lots of hay. We have almost lost our sugar intolerant bunny 4 times to stasis. She lives on hay and greens.

This might not be your bunny’s problem but it will not hurt to try.

[Theodorusrex]

Q8 I’ve heard lots of people talking about benebac, I’ll have to look into it too. Thanks for the vibes

Drwil he only gets like half a strawberry or a tiny slice of banana etc maybe once a week, he usually gets carrot tops, basil, cilantro, lettuce and then occasionally kale and parsley cause I’ve read they’re not good to feed everyday due to oxalates. I mean he’s never had GI problems before now with his diet but definitely something to consider. I suppose they’re not necessary but I figured they’re better than the Treats you buy in a pet store.

He’s doing a little better this evening ate 3/4 of his greens at dinner time and a few small and misshapen poops.

[Bam]

Sooner is better with probiotics. I agree on the fruit, try going without fruits and without carrots too, because there’s a lot of sugar in both. Carrot tops are excellent though. One of mine can’t have carrots or his tummy acts up. Berries like raspberries and bramble and strawberries is better than fruit (cherries and grapes have lots of sugar though.)
Sending him so many vibes!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Yay Theo, poop away !!!

[Bam]

How is he doing now?

[Theodorusrex]

A little improved again. He managed his pellets this morning – it took him 5h to eat them rather than 5 minutes but he ate them. He’s been nibbling some hay too and did a few poops which look a little more healthy. Hopefully our little guy is on the right road for good This time.

[Bam]

Glad to hear it! Good boy!!

[jerseygirl]

Oh! I lost my post I was typing. Grrr

Just want to offer some healing {{{vibes}}} for Theo. Tummy probs can be tricky to figure out as there can be many causes. Hopefully you won’t see any repeat episodes.

Perhaps you can keep a food diary and also note if there is anything environmental that could possibly be a trigger.
I’m recalling BB member Brambino had Bramble go off food a few times from stress. Turned out a cat outside in the evenings was the cause.
Re food, I have a friend who has a bunny that she no longer feeds banana. Her other rabbit have no problem with it, but for this one guy, it caused tummy upset on a couple occasions. Im not saying banana is a no-go for Theo, just that sometime there can be just one food that a rabbit cannot tolerate. Some cannot even tolerate pellets.

[Q8bunny]

I ate fresh fruit on an empty stomach today and am now paying for it (thank you, Mr Stomach Ulcer), so I feel Theo’s pain. Maybe experimenting with just hay and fresh green leaves for a tiny bit might be just the ticket.

(((continued nomnoms & poos, Theo)))

[Theodorusrex]

He ate his greens just there now with gusto and another small pile of poops in the litter box ? woo.
Ordered protexin probiotic hopefully should arrive in a day or two so I can start him on it – got the pro-fibre one. We’ve cut all goodies out of his diet- poor theo! Lol strictly greens hay and pellets for the foreseeable future.
He’s on the burgess excel mint nuggets – I’m wondering if once this has all settled down a food change would be warranted? I’ve heard such mixed reviews about this food but it seemed to be working for theo so I kept him on it. Previous to that he was getting pets at home own brand food (what he was on when we adopted him) so anything seemed to be an improvement. I see though it has soya beans, oat feed and soya oil in it- assuming these aren’t a good thing? I’ve heard multiple people say their buns can’t tolerate burgess feed.
In case The heat is bothering him I’ve got him rabbit-proof ice pods to keep him cool. Brushing him like a maniac so he doesn’t ingest too much fur. Trying to cover all avenues.
Food diary is already in progress (my mum suggested it actually, she’s not even an animal person but she just adores theo she’s been so worried which is nice lol)
Thanks for all the vibes everyone ?

[Q8bunny]

Sherwood and Oxbow are also quite good, if you get a chance to find Theo a sample.

[Theodorusrex]

I will have to have a look into those – thanks Q8

[Bam]

The Protexin pellets seem super-yummy, so I think he’ll be happy with those. You can scatter them for him so he doesn’t inhale them (I’ve had to scatter them for Bam or serve them in a treat-ball).
You want a pellet with a high fibre content. That’s what’s most important.

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