stasis? gas? need help figuring out what happened

[odyssey~]

Hi there,

I came home from school today and gave Odyssey her pellets. I noticed she wasn't coming out of her hideout which is odd so I offered her a few in there. She didn't take it and looked very uncomfortable- she kept pressing her tummy on the ground. I freaked out a lot because she wasn't eating- my dad said she last ate at breakfast and this was around 2pm. I offered banana, blueberry, romaine, cilantro, grape and she wanted none of it.

She started moving around a bit and went to move to another hideout and then I started calling some vets. All 5 nearby (within 2 hours driving) exoctic vets were at capacity which made me quite unsettled knowing the state she was in. I gave her some belly rubs (she felt really bloated, and was also on the cold side) and it seemed to help because she started eating a little bit of pellets and then after half hour she nibbled on some hay which was good.

As of now she's loafing and will take hay/pellets but no veggies. And she just farted a couple times too. Her personality is almost back to normal now- she's climbing all over me, sniffing everything, foraging for pellets and exploring.

Will she be okay and gradually start taking veggies again? And is it actual stasis (I didn't think she'd take food again that fast) or just a bad gas bubble? Also, no vets near me have space except for non exotic vets- does she need to go to the vet if she's starting to eat again? And is it okay if I give her more pellets than usual (she normally gets 1 tsp but today she got 3 tsp so far) because that's what she'll eat?

Sorry if this doesn't make much sense I'm still kinda freaking out. Any help appreciated, thanks!

 

[John Wick]

Sounds like bad gas that she's managing -- eating hay is what will be most helpful, so while unusual for her -baseline- that she's not eating veggies, it is fine that she isn't. Hay is most important.

Stasis, formally, is a condition when the gut stops moving because of XYZ reason, such as a blockage or being full of gas. Since you are noting things are moving (farting and she's eating), the gas likely did not build up to a significant extent/long enough that it led to full-blown GI stasis. Again, eating points to recovery, as oppose to worsening. So the question isn't really stasis or gas, but is the gas bad enough that now your rabbit is in stasis? The answer seems to be no based on her resuming to eat.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Gastrointestinal_stasis

 

[JBun]

Like John said, hay is most important. If she's eating hay well and drinking fine, I wouldn't worry whether she's eating veggies or pellets for now. Hay will help push through whatever caused the stomach upset.

Then make sure she is staying warm. I will check the ears and if they feel really cold then the rabbit is likely too cold. If she's cold then I would help her warm up with the proper rabbit safe heat source. And gentle belly massages and encouraging movement will all help get the gas bubbles through and out of the digestive tract.

If she is continuing to show discomfort, baby gas drops will sometimes help. It's the first thing I try when a rabbit stops eating due to possible stomach upset and they aren't showing other more severe symptoms. Often it works and they get back to eating and feeling normal, but if it doesn't then it's time for the vet.

(baby gas drops/simethicone info)
https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/
You also need to check over her food to make sure there's nothing off about her pellets and hay, especially if it was just a new bag/batch that was started prior to this happening. And check the veggies carefully to make sure nothing is spoiled.

 

[odyssey~]

Thank you for your responses!

She started eating veggies again late last night and her personality and diet seems pretty normal this morning.

I tried to give her some gas drops but she kept running away and I wasn't able to give them to her. Any tips for if I need to do it again?

We recently started a new bale of hay and I noticed it had more dandelions in it than usual...not sure if this was a problem?

 

[JBun]

Only if your rabbit is sensitive to dandelions, or if they're moldy in any way.

Tips on how to medicate rabbits:
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Medicating_your_rabbit