Super-sensitive Bunny Tummy...

[Jenk]

I've previously posted megacolon questions, since my Zoe has suffered GI stasis (i.e. slowdown, not complete stasis). I'm uncertain that megacolon is her issue; her fecals range from tiny to huge and are often misshapen (usually large and oblong). She's never had the watery discharge characteristic ofmegacolon. Recent tests haven't revealed anything other than various bacterial and certain blood-chemistry imbalances.

I removed pellets from Zoe's diet longago, uncertain if they, or veggies, caused her to developgas/ GI stasis. I've fed her solelytimothy hay for the past 1.5 mos., since her last stasis bout occurred two days after she tried a little oat hay.

Zoe's vet wants me to keep her on an enzyme-probiotic compound for an undertermined timeandstressed that I feed her greens (sinceshe's not receiving the proper nutrients from hay). Still, I'm scared that even "gentler" foods (e.g., green-leaf lettuce, parsley) could throw off her digestive tract.

Does anyonehave any advice? I'm beyond frustrated; but that's to be expected, since laypeople and vets alike can't seem to agree on rabbit digestive issues.

Thank you,

Jenk

 

[Marietta]

The only thing I can think of is to give her tiny-tiny pieces veeery gradually, in order to test. Your vet is right in saying that hay doesn't contain the proteins, vitamins and nutritional elements that greens and -even more- pellets have. In regard to what may have been causing Zoe gas and tummy upset it would be more probable that veggies were the culpit rather than pellets. Why not try -again, 2-3 pieces at a time- a good high quality-high in fibre-low in protein pellet brand? If I were in your place (and mind you, my bun is a dwarf hotot with megacolon/GI tract/intestinall sensitivity problems), and I had to choose between trying the pellets or the veggies, I'd go for the pellets first.

Lastly, megacolon is not necessarily associated with watery discharge. This is the aftermath of GI disorders in general, not particularly megacolon. The result of megacolon is the bigger, ubnormal sized poop production (due to the bigger diameter of the colon in comparison to a normal-sized one).

Marietta

 

[Jenk]

Marietta wrote:

The only thing I can think of is to give her tiny-tiny pieces veeery gradually, in order to test. Your vet is right in saying that hay doesn't contain the proteins, vitamins and nutritional elements that greens and -even more- pellets have. In regard to what may have been causing Zoe gas and tummy upset it would be more probable that veggies were the culpit rather than pellets. Why not try -again, 2-3 pieces at a time- a good high quality-high in fibre-low in protein pellet brand? If I were in your place (and mind you, my bun is a dwarf hotot with megacolon/GI tract/intestinall sensitivity problems), and I had to choose between trying the pellets or the veggies, I'd go for the pellets first.

Thinking back...When Zoe first showed signs of digestive issues, she was primarily on timothy hay and pellets. Granted, the root of her problem could be a bacterial imbalance (which her vet suspects) or a physiological/ mechanical malfunction (as I suspect is also an issue).

Either way, I've had more people advise me against pellets, saying that the protein levels, even if relatively low, tend to cause gas/ stasis for extra-sensitive bunnies.

As it is, Zoe didn't eat her normal amount of hay last night, and her poops have turned somewhat funny-looking (a little more than usual) last night; I suspect the change is from the stress we caused her by trying to syringe-feed her an enzyme-probiotic compound that the vet wants her on.

God help me if I've managed to throw her into stasis six weeks from the last time....