GI Stasis

[VelvetLopBunz]

Velvet was taken to the vet today and diagnosed with GI Stasis. He was given IV fluids and a pain med. We are supposed to give him 5 ml of Oxbow critical care and water every 1- 2 hours through a syringe to force feed. He also has a pain med morning and night. He will turn 2 in February and this is the first time we’ve ever dealt with GI Stasis. Any additional tips for a complete and speedy recovery?

[tobyluv]

I’m sorry that Velvet is dealing with stasis. Did the vet also give him a motility drug? That’s usually part of the treatment.

If Velvet is resistant to being force fed, sometimes you can get a rabbit to eat the Critical Care mixture from a dish or off of your fingers. You can mix a little plain canned pumpkin or baby food into the mixture to make it more enticing.

I hope he’ll be better very soon.

[VelvetLopBunz]

He is definitely resistant to eating critical care and drinking water. Does it matter what baby food I put in? Are some ok for bunnies and some not? I have some pears on hand but they are a bit high in sugar.
He was not given a motility drug.

[tobyluv]

When I used baby food in the past, I got an organic brand. I would get whatever flavor would be most appealing to your bunny. What is his favorite fruit or veggie? Baby food shouldn’t have any added sugar, but it will have some natural sugar from the fruit. You would only add a spoonful to the Critical Care mixture, so that wouldn’t add much sugar.

Is he eating any greens at all? Since he isn’t drinking water, if he is eating something like greens, you can make sure that you wet them before feeding them to him. Make sure that you have plenty of tempting greens on hand for him.

In addition to motility drugs, such as Reglan or cisapride, a vet may give a B-12 shot to a rabbit in the hope that it may stimulate his appetite. Every vet will be somewhat different in their treatment.

[VelvetLopBunz]

Well, we called the vet to ask if there was a med to make him want to eat or something more they could do. They said they are limited in the bunny area, so they can’t do anything. They suggested an emergency vet might know but you know how much $ that would be. We added baby food to critical care and definitely got more in him with the added flavor. He has eaten a piece of cilantro about every 30 minutes.

[tobyluv]

It’s good that you are getting more Critical Care in him and that he is eating some greens.

Most emergency clinics seem to know very little about rabbit care, from what I know about the local clinic and from what I’ve read here in the forums.

Has Velvet shown any indication that he has gas? The signs are pressing their stomachs into the floor, or shifting uncomfortably or twisting and turning. If you suspect that he also has gas, infant simethicone drops are very helpful. The brand I have is Mylicon. You can find it in grocery stores, drug stores, any store that has a baby section. The dosage is 1 ml an hour for 3 hours. The simethicone is completely harmless, with no side effects and just passes out of the body. Don’t force more medicine down him than necessary, but if he shows signs of having gas, the infant simethicone will very likely help.

Keep offering different fresh veggies or hay or pellets to him. Sometimes you can get a rabbit more interested in food if you brush the veggie or piece of hay across his mouth/nose area.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hope your boy is feeling better today!

[Author]

Messages