Stasis Recovery

[Aaron]

My bunny Sebastian was diagnosed with stress induced GI Stasis last Wednesday or Thursday and has been on Benebac, Critical Care and another med for his tummy. I have given him his dosages and he has been eating, drinking and pooping alot. But, how long is the recovery time of this, and could there be a relapse? He finished up his last dosage of CC today, and he still has some of the others left. Should I continue giving it to him? Please answer!

[Bam]

Benebac can be given in a maintenance dose, and it’s great if you continue giving him that. There might be instructions on the package, i think you give it a couple of times a wekk after the bun has recovered, but it’s not really possible to overdose (the surplus just gets pooped out).

If he’s eating and drinking like he should, you can stop the CC. Keep an eye of course so his poop stays big and he eats his normal amount of food. What’s the other med you mention? Common meds a vet would prescribe are a motility drug or a painkiller or an antibiotic – if it is an antibiotic he should do the full course as prescribed by your vet, that’s important to avoid relapses.

Relapses can occur, and poop can look weird for 2 weeks after a bad bout of stasis. So keep an eye out.

[Aaron]

I am not home at the moment, but I will definitely check to see what the medication is called. I think the reason he got this stress induced GI Stasis is that we just got a new bunny (Juliet) and he can sense that a new bunny is here. He has seen her multiple times. I amd going to attempt to bond them this weekend, if they meet, will he get stasis again from the new stress of another bunny?

[Bam]

It’d probably be good if you could give him something she’s had and so let him explore her scent thoroughly. Many use stuffies that they switch between the bunnies. After that you can switch litter boxes between the rabbits.

If you just got Juliet, it might be a good idea to let her settle in a bit longer before you actually let the buns meet “bunny to bunny”.

[Aaron]

We got Juliet on 1/22, and has settled in great. Could I switch out some toys?

[Bam]

Yes, I think that’d be great!

[sarahthegemini]

I agree with Bam, I think it would be good to let him adjust as it were to her scent before any actual meetings. That might help keep him from feeling too stressed.

Glad to hear your bun is eating, drinking and pooping!

[Aaron]

His medication is called metoclopramide. I took some of the toys and swapped them. He just rubbed his chin on everything, and she ignored his things. She has settled in awesome btw! We were planning to start bonding them this Saturday, but should I wait because he has just had Stasis? Could the bonding cause a relapse?

[Bam]

Metoclopramide is a motility drug. As a rule you stop that when the bun is back to normal eating-and pooping-habits. Keep a close eye though, f ex empty his litterbox and refill with all fresh litter so you can keep track of how much he poops and the size of his poops.

Bonding is stressful for rabbits, so he might need another week of toy-swapping and litter-box swapping. That he chinned Juliet’s toy means he claimed it. Many buns will do that with whatever new thing you give them, but some buns don’t. They have really really good sense of smell though, so they know another bun has had that toy. You can step it up by rubbing the toys (somewhat lightly) against each bunny, so even more scent sticks to them, then swop again.

If you like you can start a bonding-thread in the bonding-section. You can f ex make a bonding-diary, preferably with pictures once they start interacting, and people can then comment and offer tips.

[Aaron]

This morning, I gave him his normal pellets, and he didn’t eat them like he normally does. When I out it down, he just looked at it and went to chew his cardboard. Im really worried, and I noticed a few small poops in his litter box. Does he have a relapse? He did eventually eat everything and I gave him his benebac and motility drug. I tried by mouth, but not much got in, so I mixed it with food. He did eat his papaya treats. I really hope he is ok, I dont want him to die! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! Im literally crying right now. Please answer

[Bam]

It’s always an observandum when a bun refuses food, but it’s great that he ate eventually. Did the vet check his molars when you took him in for the stasis? Sometimes cardboard chewing and reluctance to eat certain types of food can mean there’s a molar issue (spurs).

If this goes on, I’m thinking there might be another underlying reason for his stasis, not “just” stress. Is he eating hay?

[Dobbythehousebunny]

My bunny Dobby had gi status last month, we caught it early and he recovered the next week after cc and medications. That weekend it came back really bad and we nearly lost him. After a day at the vets with cc every two hours and a drip, I continued with cc every two hours for four days then every four hours for three days and he’s completely back to normal! Remove the cardboard as they get full on it, and really encourage hay, it’s vital when they have gi. We also took away vegetables to encourage him to eat hay (he didn’t eat or poo for three days, or clean himself) Keep going with the cc I would give seven siringes at a time!! As soon as he’s eating normally you can start to slow it down. So hope he’s okay I know how horrendous it is!

[Aaron]

I just got home, I haven’t noticed any hay eating, but he probably did while I was gone, and he ate hay yesterday, alot of it. I checked his litterbox, and there were some poops in there along with some outside on his newspaper. They were for the most part normal shaped. I gave him a few pellets to eat, and he ate them all. I do not have any critical care left, and he is a little stinker when it comes to syringes. He hates it. We tried everything. He squirms and flinches and gets out of our grip. It is a 2 person job! I have been mixing his benebac and the metoclopomide in with some pellets and treats, and he will eventually eat it. Is that ok to do? Does he need it directly by mouth?

[Bam]

He doesn’t need to get it directly by mouth. Any way he gets it in him is fine. I’m glad to hear he fights being syringe fed -as impractical as it is for the human, it’s still a great sign.

To replace CC you can soak pellets in water and maybe add sth yummy like baby fruit-or veg pure to the mush.

2 weeks is considered a normal amount of time for complete recovery from stasis. If he stops eating and pooping altogether, you should of course take him in again, but from your description it still sounds manageable at home.

[Dobbythehousebunny]

I found putting him on a table, standing behind then holding his head from under his chin, be firm. Put the siringe in the side of his mouth as putting in the front it can go down his windpipe. Try and get more cc if you can. Sounds good he ate his pellets! I don’t know for sure but I’ve heard people do that I’m sure it’s fine! Good luck!

[Aaron]

I am going to call the vet anyway, just to be sure, where do they sell CC? I will try that table method tonight when he gets his next dose. I hope he is ok.

[Aaron]

Now, I really was hoping to bond him and Juliet on the weekend, but should I hold off because of the stasis?

[Deleted User]

You can buy more from your Vet or at online stores such as BinkyBunny!

Critical Care Link

Good Luck! Blessings to you and Bunnies!

[Author]

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