pollys not acting normal and didnt eat much

[JBun]

Stop feeding the turnip greens. It's possible they are causing all of this. They are a cruciferous leafy veggie, and can possibly be the cause of the gas and upset stomach. There's another member on here who's rabbit had problems with turnip greens causing stomach upset. So stop those completely and see if she starts to improve.

The poop is looking pretty good, so as long as she is pooping even a little, then she is also eating at least a little bit. It does help the digestion, for them to run around and play. So let her run around as much as possible. Yes, the reason they stop eating is because of pain and/or nausea. It could be from gas pain, or other health problem causing the pain. That is typically why a pain med is given when a rabbit is experiencing GI stasis. The best pain med to use for rabbits, is metacam. But it is rx, so you would have to get it from your vet. But if this is food related and you are able to sort out if it is the turnip greens causing it, or maybe something else, then she should stop having gas and start feeling better, and the pain meds wouldn't be necessary. But that belly does look like it may be bloated in that picture.

So has she been eating any hay? Hay really is one of the best things for her to be eating, but I know that she has to do it on her own. You can't really make her eat it.

 

[flemish giant]

I think she is. This morning the hay was pat down like she was laying in there Nd with the mount she's pooping she must be eating some hay. I'll stop the turnip greens. I think they probably should've mentioned it on the sites I looked up vegetables for.

 

[RabbitGirl101]

We will have to disagree because we are trying to give treatments for two different things. GI Stasis is different from a fur/wool blockage.
I've had rabbits with bloat/ GI Stasis and let me tell you it is not the same thing, its a lot harder to fix. It happened very late at night and I was able to massage the gas out, you could hear the gas popping when you ran your hand over their stomachs. Luckily I was able to massage all the gas out and they are fine now. When my grandmas rabbit had a blockage, the mineral oil did the trick and he recovered a lot quicker than my rabbits that had the GI Stasis

 

[RabbitGirl101]

Mineral oil is an "old school" treatment for GI stasis. In addition to what Claire has related it is very, very easy for a rabbit to aspirate mineral oil when it is administered.... "a terrible way for a rabbit to die." stated Pam Nock ( ARBA judge) and RO mod
It WAS a treatment many years ago but it is no longer an acceptable or current treatment.

Not if you administrate it correctly. MANY people use it still today, and let me tell you there are no problems. If you guys don't agree with me thats your opinion. I know I can name at LEAST 20 people that use mineral oil. Some related to me, others that i had just met. If you give it to your rabbit on the back yes anything could kill your rabbit that way, you rabbit has to be in a sitting position. Also the amount you don't want to administer to much only a teaspoon even for the larger of breeds. So no it IS a treatment for rabbits and still used to this day with amazing results. You have to remember that if you don't correctly give it to your rabbit your rabbit can choke and die. The reason it was called old school is because people were giving it to their rabbits on their back. Making the rabbit choke.

 

[JBun]

We will have to disagree because we are trying to give treatments for two different things. GI Stasis is different from a fur/wool blockage.
I've had rabbits with bloat/ GI Stasis and let me tell you it is not the same thing, its a lot harder to fix. It happened very late at night and I was able to massage the gas out, you could hear the gas popping when you ran your hand over their stomachs. Luckily I was able to massage all the gas out and they are fine now. When my grandmas rabbit had a blockage, the mineral oil did the trick and he recovered a lot quicker than my rabbits that had the GI Stasis

The definition of the word 'stasis' is a state of inactivity or a stoppage of flow of a body fluid. GI stasis is what used to commonly be called hairballs or fur blockage. GI stasis is a slowdown of a rabbits digestive system, that can in turn lead to a blockage. There are many things that can cause it. A rabbit molting and ingesting too much fur, too many carbs and sugars in the diet, a sensitivity to certain veggies, stress, and other health problems that cause discomfort and pain that causes a rabbit to stop eating and thus the gut slowing down. Stasis is just a term to describe a set of symptoms that can have many causes. Bloat on the other hand, is not the same thing as GI stasis, though stasis occurs with bloat. Bloat is a term to describe extreme distension of a rabbits abdomen. It can be caused by a reaction to a certain food, bacteria, and other unknown causes. When this happens, GI stasis usually does as well, as the gut slows down or stops. The two terms are just descriptions of symptoms. Even if you were to ask several knowledgeable breeders, you may get some different answers, but you'll find the general consensus is that bloat and GI stasis(or wool block), are two different things. If you want to read a description of the cause of stasis and what exactly it is, you can check out these links, or even ask some of the other breeders on RO. Even Barbi Brown, a well known breeder, describes GI stasis as wool block and a slowdown of the gut.

http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/gi_stasis_in_rabbits.htm
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=484#.UZ8FPbx7LTo.twitter
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

 

[flemish giant]

OK well anyway.... what should I be doing right now? She eats any cilantro I give her so I've been giving her unlimited. Most of her poops are still small and some are sticking together (I don't see anyhair). Should I continue with the gas meds? I've only given one dose I fell asleep.

 

[flemish giant]

She's eating all her veggies. So I'm gonna stop feeding veggies unless I need to continue BC I'm pretty sure she ate more than 2 cups. Bout to go get more pellets BC I'm out and I'll see if she will eatany of those.

How do I get her poops normal? Will they get normal eventually or do I need to be doing something? Maybe pick up some papya tablets? I think she may be starting her moult but I'm not sure.

 

[RabbitGirl101]

The definition of the word 'stasis' is a state of inactivity or a stoppage of flow of a body fluid. GI stasis is what used to commonly be called hairballs or fur blockage. GI stasis is a slowdown of a rabbits digestive system, that can in turn lead to a blockage. There are many things that can cause it. A rabbit molting and ingesting too much fur, too many carbs and sugars in the diet, a sensitivity to certain veggies, stress, and other health problems that cause discomfort and pain that causes a rabbit to stop eating and thus the gut slowing down. Stasis is just a term to describe a set of symptoms that can have many causes. Bloat on the other hand, is not the same thing as GI stasis, though stasis occurs with bloat. Bloat is a term to describe extreme distension of a rabbits abdomen. It can be caused by a reaction to a certain food, bacteria, and other unknown causes. When this happens, GI stasis usually does as well, as the gut slows down or stops. The two terms are just descriptions of symptoms. Even if you were to ask several knowledgeable breeders, you may get some different answers, but you'll find the general consensus is that bloat and GI stasis(or wool block), are two different things. If you want to read a description of the cause of stasis and what exactly it is, you can check out these links, or even ask some of the other breeders on RO. Even Barbi Brown, a well known breeder, describes GI stasis as wool block and a slowdown of the gut.

http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/gi_stasis_in_rabbits.htm
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=484#.UZ8FPbx7LTo.twitter
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

Well I think of GI stasis differently, I guess you could consider i think of it as a serious and non serious case. Yes both are a case that need to be treated. However the blockage I find very easy to treat. The gas build up is when I seek medical attention. I believe at this point we can agree to disagree and leave it at that point. Everyone raises their rabbit differently, some ways may be frowned upon from both sides of the spectrum. However both rabbits will turn out perfectly healthy. Everything's based on opinion and this can definitely be place under the opinionated category. Thanks and have a great day.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Thank you to our Infirmary moderators, tonyshuman, angieluv, and JBun, for that clear explanation of GI stasis vs bloat.
We really appreciate your willingness to share your many years of veterinary expertise with us here on RO.

RabbitGirl101 - your point has been made. Time to move on, please.

Flemish Giant: the standard advice at this point is to push the hay as much as possible. Gas meds as needed. How is the belly doing?

 

[flemish giant]

Here belly feels looser than it was. She ate her veggies and most of her pellets. I added some timothy hay to make her hay more interesting and I'm gonna fill some paper towel rolls and a box with hay. I also gave her a few Papua tablets just in case it was her fur blocking her intestines I think she may be starting to molt.

 

[JBun]

I agree that pushing hay is the best thing if you want to get her poop looking normal again. The fiber from grass hay is what helps get the poop back to a normal size and consistency. And continuing to feed veggies should be a good thing for her too. You may not need to feed as much, but as long as you don't suspect the lettuce, cilantro, or parsley of also causing digestive upset, it will still be good for her to be getting them. Pellets on the other hand are less important at this point, and may actually cause a slowdown again if introduced too quickly and if she isn't eating enough hay at this point. So maybe start slowly reintroducing pellets in small amounts, and encourage the hay eating and veggies. The timothy hay is good to give if she will eat it. I may have missed you mentioning it, but what type of hay is she normally fed?

 

[flemish giant]

She normally gets Bermuda hay. Its the only hay I can find at a feed store around here.

 

[nora123]

Oh great maybe she just had a bit of gas

 

[nora123]

Hi for future reference if one of my bunnies stop eating i first try it with metoclopramide which relieves gas if you havent got any of that then the baby simethicone will help but if my bunny is still not eating after giving a couple of doses of that i presume its not gas and give the metoclopramide or emeprid and start to syringe feed recovery food or liquidised food and water in case its the start of gut stasis sometimes caused by an air ball it can take days for it to clear and i give the metoclopramide 3 times a day until the bunny is eating and pooing normal but do look up barbi brown she covers practically everything hope all this helps

 

[hannaroo]

If the poop was held together by hairs that is most likely the cause the your rabbits gut slowing down. It's prime shedding time ATM and grooming must be increased. My rabbits only have short fur but I have to groom them every other day just to keep the fur at bay!
I would recommend keeping and eye on her and grooming each bun every day until the fur slows down with the malting to prevent this becoming a further issue
There's a lot of good advice here to follow if she sti won't eat much but if this continues I would notify your vet

Good luck x

 

[flemish giant]

Her poop was never held by hair I was just giving the papaya tablets as a precautionary. She's eating normally I'm just waiting for her poop to get back to normal. I'm giving simethecone about 3x a day. She's getting tired of it though.

 

[flemish giant]

OK so im gonna post a few more poop pics. A lot are looking normal but there's still a few that are abnormal. Is the one that looks like it has a tail have hair?

 

[flemish giant]

Do y'all think I can put her with peeta now?

 

[JBun]

It's probably fine to let them be together now, if she is eating and pooping regularly, but you are still going to want to keep an eye on her at feeding time, to make sure she is eating and to keep track of how much. And it looks like her poop isn't normal yet, so you should be able to pick out which ones are hers. It doesn't look like there is fur in them, but are just very irregular shaped. I would think that she should be getting back to normal soon. If she isn't but is eating a little still, you could try cutting veggies out, just to see if one of them is causing the problem, but make sure she is eating a lot of hay instead. If she isn't back to normal in a day or two, and her poop is still irregular shaped, you may want to get her checked by your vet, or at the very least get a fecal test done. Just to rule out parasites. A mild case of digestive upset really shouldn't be going on for too long, or it probably means that something else is going on with your rabbit.

If she seems to be doing alright and doesn't seem to be feeling uncomfortable, you can probably hold off on the simethicone for now, but keep an eye on her behavior to make sure she doesn't start having gas problems again.

 

[flemish giant]

I think I'll keep them seperated till her poop is normal.