Gut-stasis/ Hairball Question...

[Jenk]

Is it possible for a rabbit to havea hairball blockage and still produce normal-/ healthy-looking poops at a regular rate? Or is it generally a given that any form of blockage would severely slow down (or even stop) poop production?

Thank you,

Jenk

 

[naturestee]

If it's a partial blockage or one that is slowly moving through the system then a rabbit could be pooping also although it would be a lot less.

Blockages, especially "hairballs," are actually pretty rare as the cause of stasis problems. They more often occur as a secondary effect. The gut slows down due to X problem (dental, intestinal infection, any illness causing rabbit not to eat, etc.), causing junk to build up and form a blockage.

Check out the info in the Library, there's lots of great info on stasis.

 

[Jenk]

Naturestee writes:

If it's a partial blockage or one that is slowly moving through the system then a rabbit could be pooping also although it would be a lot less.

Late last week, I'd thought that my bun, Emma, was experiencing the early stages of GI stasis. (Her poops decreased somewhat, both in size and quantity.) I syringe-fed her extrawater and some Pedialyte for a few days, after which her poop production went right back to normal. (She's on adiet heavily-laden with timothy hay, which her vet said should provide enough fiber to pullshed hair through her digestive tract without any issue.)

The fact that she's pooping normally (in size and quantity) now makes me feel better; but, at times, I find myself wondering (perhaps needlessly) if she may be experiencing some form of digestive upset. (I'll read more in the forum library for additional info.)

Blockages, especially "hairballs," are actually pretty rare as the cause of stasis problems. They more often occur as a secondary effect. The gut slows down due to X problem (dental, intestinal infection, any illness causing rabbit not to eat, etc.), causing junk to build up and form a blockage.

Oh, that I know. I was just wondering if it's possible for a bun to have a relatively small blockage of shed hairthat still allows the appearance of "normal" poop production.

Thanks, Naturestee.

 

[naturestee]

At least in my buns, smaller and less frequent poops means they're having minor issues (most often from molting) and need extra liquids to keep everything moving properly. Canned pumpkin works like a charm for me.

I have to add the hairball part in because a lot of people and a surprising number of vets still believethat hairballs are the primary cause of stasis, so they end up not treating the actual cause.

So, Emma's poop is back to normal now? Or is it slightly off still? My boy Loki is still recovering from a bad bout of stasis due to dental problems. I actually just stopped his pain medsMonday and had stopped syringe feeding on Friday night. His poops still aren't normal (dry and crumbly) and it looks like it might take a little time for his system to be back to normal. My vet actually wanted me to syringe feed him 80 mL of Critical Care a day until his poops were normal but no way am I going to force that on the poor bun when he's willing to eat on his own.

 

[Jenk]

Naturestee,

Emma was molting heavily when her poops became smaller and more scant. Afew days later, after extra fluids,her production returned to normal and her molting greatly decreased.

Now I know how early to start watching for a bunny molt! I suspect that Emma started molting sometime in early-to-mid March. And even though she gets a lot of personal attention from me and my husband everyday, we didn't really noticeher molt until she started leaving a large swatch of hair on our clothes.

Since giving her extra water (even on her veggies) andPedialyte, Emma's poops look stellar. (Herquantity of them seems back to normal, too.) I told her yesterday that her poops are so perfect-looking that we could model them (for potential/ new bun owners wondering how "normal" rabbits poops should look). :biggrin2:

BTW, I'm not upset that you explained the hairball myth to me; you understand the importance of busting this myth, and you couldn't have possibly known what I do (and don't) know about rabbits. Besides, I've been peppering the forum with all sorts of questions, which might make anyone suspect that I don't know the hairball myth, as well. :biggrin2: