GI Stasis! New bunny owner! HELP :(

[KaitAndPiper]

My 11 month old spayed female lionhead is going through GI stasis I don't know what to do.

Two nights ago Piper started refusing kale. Which is her FAVOURITE. And we noticed she was hiding away and didn't want us around. She had stopped eating and pooping. She had a hard time getting comfortable sitting or lying down. The breeder said she likely had gas, so we bought simethicone and gave her a dose around 130 AM Saturday.

Another dose of simethicone was given at 8am Saturday and we also gave her a dose of the painkiller left over from her spay, because I read that managing their pain is key. She seemed to perk up after that and was eating hay and veggies (and pineapple) willingly again. We gave another dose of simethicone throughout the day and again 12 hours later with her second dose of painkiller.

Today she is doing much better. She had a dose of simethicone and her buprenorphine at 8am. She is pooping (but her poops are smaller than usual and some are strung together). She binkied this morning and is grooming herself and coming out to visit again. But she isn't drinking at all, and that's why I'm worried.

I'm trying to water her veggies down to make sure she gets some hydration but she isn't willingly taking water. At the breeders recommendation we picked up pedialyte and tried to give by syringe but she is fussy and will not take it. It drips out of her mouth. She ended up biting me and running away. I don't want to stress her out even more.

What do I do? I know she needs to drink. Will she drink in her own time? The other signs seem to be positive right? The pooping and eating and grooming seem mostly normal.

(Our exotic vet isn't in until tomorrow and emergency vets in Thunder Bay don't treat buns. Do we bring her in tomorrow to get checked?)

We are just super nervous and on edge because Piper is the first bun we have ever had and we don't want to see anything happen to her

 

[Imbrium]

Recovery from GI stasis often begins with smaller poops... the fact that they're strung together and that she stopped pooping completely at one point suggests a hairball as a probable cause of the stasis. Unlike cats, rabbits are incapable of vomiting - that means hairballs can pose a significant threat (or even become life-threatening if the stasis isn't treated). Strung-together poops suggest that the hairball is breaking up and making its' way through the digestive system. That said, simethicone is super safe so there's no harm in giving it even if you're not sure that gas is the problem. I would bring her in to the vet tomorrow just to be on the safe side if she's not 100% yet, though - painkillers are a good start, but a vet can also give you metoclopromide or cisapride (gut motility drugs) to help (don't give cat hairball medication, btw - that stuff is designed to bring hair out the front end, which isn't an option for rabbits).

If she's been eating a lot of leafy green veggies, those contain a good amount of water which may be why she's not drinking much.

Make sure the pedialyte is unflavored (or at least doesn't have any artificial sweeteners in it). If she's eating hay, you could try using a spray bottle to mist some of her hay with a little bit of pedialyte, water or very diluted apple juice... just remove the stuff you misted after a while if it hasn't been eaten, that way it can't spoil/mildew.

Also, are you using a water bottle or a bowl? Most bunnies seem to drink more from bowls, so if she's got a water bottle, I would offer water in a bowl as well (something heavy and hard to tip over, because many bunnies will play "catch" with themselves if the bowl is light enough).

Back to the hairball topic, rabbits molt four times a year (two heavy, where they replace their entire coat, and two light). That's the theory, anyway - mine never seem to stop shedding! When they're molting, it's important to brush their fur on a regular basis to help remove some of it and reduce the amount they ingest while grooming. I swear by the Furminator, but any non-wire-tipped brush can be used.

 

[KaitAndPiper]

I'm assuming hairball as well. Shes shedding a lot lately and we haven't been brushing her as much as we would like because she hates it and always runs away. Definitely going to be forcing brushing from now on.

Pedialyte is unflavored but we put a bit of apple juice into it per the breeders recommendations. She has a water bottle and a bowl of water and she isn't touching either at the moment. Aside from syringe feeding her until tomorrow I'm not sure what to do and the syringe isn't working.

 

[Imbrium]

If she HATES brushing, some other things you can try are a) getting your hands damp and running them over the rabbit (rinse and repeat) and b) rolling packing tape or masking tape sticky-side-out around your fingers (cheap DIY lint-roller, basically) and rolling your hand over the rabbit until the tape loses its stickiness.

Is she eating leafy veggies with a decent water content? If so, serving them still damp helps too. (It sounded like you were probably already doing this...)

Gently pull up the skin on the back of your rabbit’s neck (scruff area) - if the skin goes back pretty quickly, she probably isn't dehydrated. If it doesn't snap back into place or it is very tight, she probably is. *IF* she doesn't appear to be dehydrated and if she's eating, pooping and running around pretty normally and getting some water from veggies, I wouldn't try to force the water issue. Just keep an eye on her and get her to the vet in the morning.

 

[Imbrium]

Alrighty, I'm wandering away from the computer for a bit... posting again to avoid the chance of an edit being missed if you happen to be responding at the same time.

If she appears dehydrated and you're concerned that tomorrow morning is too long to wait for a vet's attention, I would call the emergency vets in the area and say something like "I know you don't normally treat exotics, but my rabbit appears severely dehydrated and I was wondering if you could ask the vet on duty if they would be willing to administer sub-cutaneous fluids to tide her over until our regular vet opens." While a vet may not be willing to diagnose or administer medication to a species they don't normally treat, they might agree to do something as basic as administering fluids in a pinch. Sometimes it's all in how you ask.

Given that there aren't emergency vets who treat rabbits in your area, it's worth talking to your regular vet about expanding your home emergency kit. Metacam (or other rabbit-safe pain med) and some sort of motility drug can be life-savers and GI stasis can't necessarily wait for regular business hours. If you seem knowledgeable and educated about rabbit care, come across as responsible and explain the situation, vets can be pretty flexible about at-home stuff. Heck, I've heard from someone here on RO whose vet taught them how to do sub-q fluids at home and provided the necessary stuff to do it (after they'd had to bring a chronically ill rabbit in for it repeatedly, I believe).

 

[KaitAndPiper]

We have some metoclopramide leftover from when she was spayed. Should we be administering this in addition to the pain meds? She is pooping. Not as much as usual but still enough to make me a bit reassured. Would metoclopramide help move things along/ get her drinking again?

Shes currently snoozing behind the couch, which is one of her newer hiding places. I'm worried about stressing her out by continuously picking her up, putting her in a towel burrito, and force feeding liquids or meds. I know stress shuts down the digestive system (in any animal, not just buns!) So I'm worried about creating additional stress for her.

Should we stop her from grooming herself as well? If she has a hairball I don't want her to add to it.

 

[Skip&Piper]

I have no advice since I am a super new bunny owner as well, just wanted to add that I also have a Piper, and I’m sending my best wishes for her speedy recovery!

 

[KaitAndPiper]

I have no advice since I am a super new bunny owner as well, just wanted to add that I also have a Piper, and I’m sending my best wishes for her speedy recovery!

Aw thank you! I hope your Piper is doing better than ours is today ♡♡ My boyfriend and I have been anxious beyond belief this weekend taking care of her

 

[Imbrium]

Wow, your vet gave out metoclopromide with a spay? Nice! Definitely administer a dose, as much as she hates the syringe.

Let her groom herself, just try to find a reasonably low stress way to help with the grooming to reduce how much she ingests. Encouraging lots of hay eating (the fiber helps push hay through) and water drinking (when she's not being super stubborn about it) also helps prevent/remedy hairballs. Cutting back on or avoiding sugary treats like fruit when the shedding is bad can also help. Oh, and my bunnies say that lots of nose rubs and such help counter-act the stress of towel burritos .

I'm so glad that you already had the key stuff for treating GI stasis! It sounds like you guys are doing a great job doting on her and nursing her back to health.

 

[KaitAndPiper]

Thanks I'm just really worried about her. The vet opens tomorrow at 730am but we have a huge snow storm coming our way so I'm really hoping the clinic doesn't close I'll give her a dose of the medication and maybe try to get some pedialyte in her again with the syringe. Wish me luck

 

[Blue eyes]

Just a tip on syringe feeding. Be sure to not place the tip directly in the mouth (where the tongue is). Rather place it in the side of her cheek (between cheek and gums). That will force her to swallow it without risking causing any aspiration.

 

[KaitAndPiper]

Just a tip on syringe feeding. Be sure to not place the tip directly in the mouth (where the tongue is). Rather place it in the side of her cheek (between cheek and gums). That will force her to swallow it without risking causing any aspiration.

Thank you! I've been worried about that. I keep giving small pumps of the syringe at a time and making sure she moves her mouth around and swallows in between!

 

[Imbrium]

Yeah, there's a gap between the front and back teeth perfect for sticking a syringe into

 

[KaitAndPiper]

Managed to get a dose of metoclopramide into her as well as 2 ccs of pedialyte before she had enough of the bun burrito. Extra kisses and head scratches helped a bit. How will I know if the metoclopramide is doing anything for her?

Shes still lying behind the couch. Occasionally grinding her teeth. Can't give her another dose of the painkillers til 8pm though.

 

[Imbrium]

Well, you won't necessarily be able to tell right away but what you're looking for is a general increase in poop volume. As I mentioned before, poops strung together with hair are a good thing at this point since that means the hair is coming OUT instead of sitting in there causing problems. You may also see improved appetite, actual drinking of water, poops getting back to their usual size/shape, etc. I'm guessing it says on the bottle how often to give the metoclopramide - continue dosing her with it accordingly for at least a couple days (until she's 100% again) or until the vet says to stop.

If she seems to be in pain, she might appreciate some sort of heating pad. The human types would obviously require direct supervision while in use to prevent cord chewing. A good DIY substitute is to fill a sock most of the way with uncooked rice, tie it off and microwave it for a bit. Hold it in your hand for a minute before giving it to her to make sure it isn't too hot, then just put it in a place she likes to loaf and show her where it is so she can decide if she wants to use it. Animals tend to get chilly more easily when sick, plus the warmth might be soothing on her tummy.

 

[KaitAndPiper]

Quick update. Still waiting for morning to come so we can see the vet.

She slept most of the afternoon (typical). Hasn't pooped since noon (not typical).
Shes been forced some pedialyte a dose of metoclopramide. Tried Critical Care but the syringe clogged and it got all over her. Not a happy bun. I tried to make a sick hearing pad for her but she discovered that the baseboard heater was warm so she parked her butt beside it for a while today.

Shes nibbled a small amount of hay, pineapple, and mint since she woke up. And shes chewing a bit on her log cabin. Are these good signs? I'm terrified I'll wake up in the morning to a dead baby bun I dont want to get my hopes up.

 

[memakwed]

Pineapple has natural enzymes that will break down fur the rabbit that is swallowed. Add a little pineapple juice to her water since she likes pineapple this will encourage water intake and help with breaking down her intake of fur during molting. Anytime you see the poop strung together with fur like a strand of pearls and pineapple juice to the water.

 

[Jenny Durling]

How is she doing? Did you get in to see the vet? My Rocky needs regular teeth trimming and goes through a bout of Stasis ever time he has to go under anesthesia! We are getting better at helping him through it. I've got motility drugs from the first time this happened but I try to get things moving without resorting to that first. Simethicone helps and tummy massage. As weird as that sounds, if you can hold your rabbit on an angle with her butt slight raised and massage her belly, she may pass gas. (Believe me, you will know if she does. Stinky! LOL!) It seems to help Rocky alot. I keep critical care on-hand and I will syringe feed him if necessary. Sometimes I just have to offer him bits of food ever few minutes. Normally he will take a bite or two and then stop eating, even if it's a favorite food. If he has a couple of bites every few minutes that seems to get things moving. It just takes alot of time and not everyone is able to be at their rabbit's beck and call. If you can get your vet to give you Cisapride, you'll have the right weapon in your arsenal if this should happen again.