Chronic GI Stasis- Stress Induced?

[Heather&BunCrew]

My approx. 6-year-old velveteen/dwarf hotot/who-knows-what-else rescued bun, Toby, has been getting GI stasis regularly for almost 2 years now. He gets fed a great diet of a wide range of greens, fruit treats, Small Pet Select pellets (great quality), Oxbow orchard grass hay, and even a daily probiotic recommended by my vet. All in all, he should be the world's healthiest bun! Truly spoiled. Unfortunately, he gets GI stasis around 6+ times a year at this point. Last year was more like 4, but I feel it's been getting more frequent. I notice his abnormal behaviors (laying flat, not eating, not drinking water) almost immediately and go into rescue mode with Meloxicam, Metoclopramide, and infant gas meds. Sometimes, he'll start pooping the next day and eating again, but lately it's been taking him a week to pull through. It is truly painful to watch him press his belly on the floor and look so uncomfortable. My other rescued bun, Brahm, is a Himalayan and healthy as a horse with the same diet/lifestyle (I do know that Himalayans are known for their great health though).

The odd thing about all of this is that it truly seems to happen around a week before I go on a trip/vacation... it's almost too perfect for it to even be coincidental at this point. Is it possible that Toby is sensing any change in behavior (cleaning/packing/stress) and it is causing his stasis? Does anyone else have a bun with chronic stasis and notice the same sort of pattern?

I asked my vet if it could be his diet, and he said it doesn't seem to be the issue. He checks for blockages as well, and there doesn't seem to be any, just gas and discomfort. He always gets fluids to help with dehydration at the vet as well. The vet said he's noticed that rabbits with his coloring/breed (white with some black spots and black around his eyes) tend to get stasis more often. Is this just something that I should accept/comes with age/is just a product of his breed and genetics? If anyone has had a similar experience, any insight, sees anything in my description that I am feeding incorrectly or doing wrong, please do share some wisdom! Thanks for your help. I just want to provide the best for the buns and potentially lessen his stasis bouts.

 

[SableSteel]

That rabbit just looks like a mini rex
Megacolon is very common with that coloration (charlie), and can lead to GI issues so you might want to ask your vet about that.

 

[Heather&BunCrew]

That rabbit just looks like a mini rex
Megacolon is very common with that coloration (charlie), and can lead to GI issues so you might want to ask your vet about that.

Thank you! Yes, he does, I wasn't quite sure what he was so I appreciate the clarification. His velvety fur threw me off.

That makes a ton of sense and does correlate with the coloring aspect that my vet had mentioned... I hadn't ever heard the term "Megacolon", so I'm happy I can finally put a name to the issue at hand. The symptoms and indicators are an exact match for Toby. I'll definitely speak with my vet again, although I'm sure previously he just didn't want to upset me with delving into the details, as megacolon buns' futures tend to be pretty short I'm seeing. Maybe further diet alteration/more greens will help a little.

Thanks for your information and time!

 

[Blue eyes]

Toby, has been getting GI stasis regularly for almost 2 years now. He gets fed a great diet of a wide range of greens, fruit treats, Small Pet Select pellets (great quality), Oxbow orchard grass hay, and even a daily probiotic recommended by my vet.

Having had a number of rabbits, I've learned that some rabbits are far more sensitive to certain foods than other rabbits. That difference only increases as they age. I'd really suggest cutting out all fruits for Toby. Fruit is not any health benefit but could certainly cause issues. I've had rabbits that did fine no matter how much fruit they got. My current rabbit is the opposite. He gets a few craisins or a couple slices of dried banana now and then. If he gets just a couple extra craisins or one extra dried banana slice, it can get him showing signs of GI stress. He gets so little in the way of fruit but even a tiny bit over and his tummy rebels. If you eliminate fruit altogether, it just might help.

 

[JBun]

With megacolon, your rabbit would produce irregular fecal poop as a norm. If your rabbit produces normal round fecal balls then your rabbit doesn't have megacolon. If your rabbit normally produces oval and irregular shaped fecal poop, megacolon is likely and would also explain the frequent bouts with stasis.
http://vgr1.com/megacolon/
If your rabbit doesn't have megacolon, stress can certainly set off a bout of stasis. Diet is another common cause, from a food sensitivity, from too many sugars/carbs in the diet, or from eating food that's gone bad. I had a rabbit that kept getting stasis, one bout after the other, untilI I discovered it was happening due to the pellets(all pellets, and I tested out several) and sugars. I put him on a grass hay and select leafy greens diet and he never had another bout with stasis.