How do I continue?

[SDShorty]

My Dori I believe has GI Stasis. She hasn't eaten for over a day now. I took her to the vet yesterday because I was worried, they gave her subcue fluids and some motility meds to help stuff to get moving along. They also gave her a shot of the motility stuff in the vet's office. He told me to keep her hydrated and feed her baby food if she still doesn't eat to help things move along. But here i lies my problem. She will not allow me to give her anything. This morning I noticed she still isn't eating or drinking, and her poops are tiny. I tried force feeding her some Pedialyte and some baby food, but it was a 30 minute battle that resulted only in a few small syringes of each to go into her mouth.

I just read on the House Rabbit Society website that I shouldn't force things too much because the stress it's causing her could make things worse. That I need to be patient and allow the meds to work. So now I don't know what to do because she's not eating or drinking. I tried at least 3 different methods to try and get these syringes of fluids and baby food in her, but it was so difficult, she is a large 9lb rabbit and nearly impossible to get anything into her mouth when she clamps her jaw shut. I want her to stay hydrated, but I also don't want to keep stressing her out so badly as I know she is.

Any suggestions on what to do? I am worried about her.

 

[JimD]

Keeping her hydrated is going to be important.
Does she use a water bottle? Try giving her a bowl , too.

Try some parsley.
Wet it really well and wave it in her face....kind of nudging it against her nose and mouth. Sometimes they'll bite at it and then end up eating it.

Canned pumpkin is one of the best hings to give a bun that needs fiber and liquid. She if she'll just eat it willingly off a spoon.

NutriCal is a great diet supplement for buns when they go off their feed.
Some buns will eat it willingly...or smear some on their front paws and they'll lick it off.

Syringing can be challenging, but may be the only way to get something into her.
Wrap her up in a bunny-burrito. Talk to her calmly...keep your composure....but be firm in you control to let her know that you're the "Big Kahuna".
Insert the tip if the syringe on the side of her mouth behind her front teeth and slowly administer the food or liquid.
Pedialyte is good to use straight up....or to mix with food to thin it out.
I find a small syringe works best for me. I use a bunch of 1cc....I prepare them before I start.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Sending lots of prayers and good thoughts.ray:

 

[pamnock]

I use Nutrical. Stasis has many causes, some very serious, so a vet visit is probably in order (especially for hydration).

 

[JimD]

pamnock wrote:

Stasis has many causes, some very serious, so a vet visit is probably in order (especially for hydration).

:yeahthat::yeahthat::yeahthat:

Thanks, Pam! I should have included that in my post!! .... my bad!!

 

[SDShorty]

Well as I stated in my post, I did take her to the vet already and he gave her fluids via injection, he said he didn't feel any masses or obstructions. He asked me to just give her meds and try to syringe feed her for 2 days, and if she wasn't getting better to give him a call and perhaps we can do x-rays after that. So today is day 1.

I did try again to give her some pedialyte via syringe, and I managed to get some in there. Its hard because when I put the syringe through the side of her mouth, about 3/4 of what I try to put in comes right back out, maybe I'm trying to give her too much at once? I try to give her about 1 cc at a time. Maybe I need a smaller syringe. If she's not better by this evening though I will give the vet a call again. It's hard because this vet charges me $50 for every visit, so I"m starting to run low on funds after a few hundred dollars in vet bills already .

I have had to hand feed guinea pigs before the pellet mash formula with pumpkin, it sounds like its similar for the buns, so I will do that with her as well.

I just hope she starts to feel better soon =(.

Thank you all very much for all the advice.

 

[SDShorty]

I forgot to add, she does already drink from a bowl and not a bottle. Last night I marked the level of water to see if she had drank anything, and it was the same. I even left her one bowl with pedialyte and then one with water hoping she'd take from either one, but nothing =(. I just put in another call to the vet this morning to see if he has any suggestions for me as well. I had to come in to work, but hoping he calls me back soon so I can make a quick trip home during lunch to try and give her some more fluids

 

[elrohwen]

Some great advice.

I find that the easiest way to force feed is to kneel down behind the bunny, so your knees kind of hold their body and keep them from backing up. Then use your hand to hold down the shoulders to keep her from moving forward. I find it also helps if you do this with the bunny directly facing the pen wall or another solid surface so they'll be even less likely to try to move forward. Then stick the syringe in and feed. This method doesn't involve picking them up and should require a minimum of chasing. My girl is very difficult about being handled and I was able to force feed her and give her meds multiple times a day for a few days using this method.

 

[SDShorty]

Thank you Elrohwen, I will try that today. Do you ever have the issue of more food coming out of their mouth than in their mouth? I think I figured out how to get the syringe in there, but now the problem is that when I press down on it, some of it gets in her mouth, and the rest comes right back out, even when I get the syringe in pretty good. Eeesh, this is so stressful, for me and her!

 

[pamnock]

SDShorty wrote:

Do you ever have the issue of more food coming out of their mouth than in their mouth?

That's why Nutrical is so much easier to administer - you only need to give a very small amount.

 

[SDShorty]

Is Nutrical similar to Critical Care? I believe my vet has Critical Care, I will ask him when he calls me back if I can get some from them

 

[ra7751]

Umm....I have to disagree on a couple of things here. First, I never allow motility drugs to be used in rabbits. There is far too much risk and little or no benefit. There is a very fine line that isn't very clear about when to use and when not to use motility drugs. Motility drugs are alsoa "win-win" for vets....if they work, the vet is a hero, it is doesn't, you waited too long to get to a vet....a no lose situation for the vet. Gel type products such as laxatone (cat hairball treatment) or NutriCal is inappropriate as they tend to further dehydrate and compress any mass in the gut. I know many use NutriCal butwe have seen (in both domestic and wild animals) that this product isn't the best idea. Hydration is the key. Any animal will die from dehydration long before starvation. I have had rabbits not eat for a week at a time during a GI event. Major GI events here are met with lots of hydration....either sub-q or IV. You should not force food into a balky gut. It has to be hydrated and flexible to move anything thru....and you get that by hydration.

Randy

 

[SDShorty]

Randy, do you have any suggestions to hydrating at home if I have a hard time getting fluids in her via syringe? I can't do IV or sub-q at home, so I need some help figuring this out. As I metioned I am getting the syringe in there through the side of her mouth behind her front teeth, but when I press down most of the water comes back out. What would you do in this situation?

 

[JimD]

Once you get the syringe in the side of her mouth, give her just a little bit and then wiggle the tip of the syringe around a bit until she starts to move her mouth....and then slowly continue to put a bit in at a time.
Keep the tip of the syringe moving around so she keeps moving her mouth.
She'll be trying to push the syringe out with her tongue and this will make her swallow most of whatever you're trying to get into her.

 

[SDShorty]

It sounds like I definitely need a smaller syringe, because I have a huge one with a long tip, but maybe that's uncomfortable for her to have in her mouth.

 

[pamnock]

Nutrical is very different from cat hairball products (completely different forumla and purpose) - it actually promotes hydration!

 

[JimD]

SDShorty wrote:

Is Nutrical similar to Critical Care? I believe my vet has Critical Care, I will ask him when he calls me back if I can get some from them

NutriCal is different from Critical Care.....
....you can buy it in most pet stores. You'll find it in the dog & cat or ferret formula.....it's all the same stuff. Look in the vitamin/supplement section.

Critical Care is usually only obtainable thru a vet. It's a good thing to use if the bun is in need of a high protein/vitamin type of supplement.

 

[SDShorty]

Oh thank you Jim! I am going to look for it today, I have a couple pet stores nearby including Pet Smart, so maybe I can find the NutriCal there. Is it a liquid formula?

 

[SDShorty]

Is Nutristat the same thing as Nutrical? I called a nearby petstore and that was all they had.

 

[JimD]

They're both made by Tomlyn, and seem to be very similar.

 

[SDShorty]

Well I talked to the vet and he doesn't want me to give her the Nutrical stuff, he wants me to first bring her in for Xrays to further assess whether she may actually have a blockage after all. So tomorrow morning she will be dropped off at the vet's office.

In addition, I rushed home during my lunch hour and gave her some more fluids. I was a bit more successful this time. I was able to get at least a few syringes of pedialyte in her. The syringes are I think about 10 CCs each.