GI recovery

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Oglie2000

Oglie2000

Active Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2013
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Location
Ohio
I was wondering if anyone knew how long it took for a bunny to recover from GI problems? A few days ago (2 days) my bunny wasn't eating, drinking, pooping, or peeing, so I gave him the anti-gas medicine, force feed fluids, and watched him closely to see if we needed to make an emergency run to the vets. After a few hours he pooped (2 pellets) and peed, and right after that he ate his greens and pellets. He is now eating and drinking on his own for a day and a half. I am however concerned he still isn't pooping as much as before this problem. I was wondering if anyone knew how long it would take for things to go back to normal for him?

I don't see any discomfort from him and he is currently running around and did a binky, which he hasn't done for a few days. He is running around like he owns the place telling my cats who is the boss, so I don't really think there is any discomfort there. I'm not too concerned it's an emergency since his behaviors are back to normal, the size and amount of poop is just concerning. His only new behavior is that he wants to jump up on the couch, and I think that might just be because that is where I cuddled him, gave him love, and medicine. I think he might just like like it because he may find it a comforting place to go.

I have also moved his cage father away from the heat/air register. He lives in our finished attic where we hang out all the time (our tv/family room). We have heat and air registers up there, so not to worry for too cold or hot. I was wondering if maybe that was the problem. We have lived in this house a year, and he has been near the register but not in line of it. I think since it got so cold this year fast, that may have had an impact on him as well. I moved him well away from it to see if that him out.

There is currently a ring a round the rosy game happening with my cat (his favorite buddy) and him.
 
Oglie2000 said:
I was wondering if anyone knew how long it took for a bunny to recover from GI problems? A few days ago (2 days) my bunny wasn't eating, drinking, pooping, or peeing, so I gave him the anti-gas medicine, force feed fluids, and watched him closely to see if we needed to make an emergency run to the vets. After a few hours he pooped (2 pellets) and peed, and right after that he ate his greens and pellets. He is now eating and drinking on his own for a day and a half. I am however concerned he still isn't pooping as much as before this problem. I was wondering if anyone knew how long it would take for things to go back to normal for him?

I don't see any discomfort from him and he is currently running around and did a binky, which he hasn't done for a few days. He is running around like he owns the place telling my cats who is the boss, so I don't really think there is any discomfort there. I'm not too concerned it's an emergency since his behaviors are back to normal, the size and amount of poop is just concerning. His only new behavior is that he wants to jump up on the couch, and I think that might just be because that is where I cuddled him, gave him love, and medicine. I think he might just like like it because he may find it a comforting place to go.

I have also moved his cage father away from the heat/air register. He lives in our finished attic where we hang out all the time (our tv/family room). We have heat and air registers up there, so not to worry for too cold or hot. I was wondering if maybe that was the problem. We have lived in this house a year, and he has been near the register but not in line of it. I think since it got so cold this year fast, that may have had an impact on him as well. I moved him well away from it to see if that him out.

There is currently a ring a round the rosy game happening with my cat (his favorite buddy) and him.
Click to expand...
--gi-stasis,yes-i could write a book about that,alot of people already have.!!--diet,water-is critical for any lagamorph,-ie.timothy,orchard grasses are mandatory,some quality pellets for vitamins,and water--the rabbit online library is full of ideas,and facts or a website like http://www.medirabbit.com ---no poops-12 to 24 hours equal exotic dvm visit-for an exam or radiograph,--everything starts in the mouth-ie bad teeth,overbite/chewing,grass caught between teeth-anything..--the gi tract is an eco-system in itself,--incorrect food source can jepordize the rabbits health-as they are prey animals,which have strong stress related problems,,-there is a lot to read about gi tract,please read as much as you can ,-a rabbits behavior can be very important in diagnosing medical problems,--sincerely james waller :pink iris::USAflagwaving::bunnydance::happybunny:
 
It can take a few days for the pooping to get back to normal, due to the fact that a rabbit has stopped eating for a certain amount of time and it has slowed things down and thrown the microflora balance off. You will want to keep a close eye on if your bun is eating his regular amounts of food, especially keeping a close eye on how much hay is being consumed. Good hydration is also very important, so also make sure he is drinking normally as well.

I wouldn't think the heater would affect him too much unless it was particularly warm where his cage was and he was showing signs of getting too hot.

As long as he is behaving normally, pooping, and eating his hay well, then it should get back to normal in a few days. One thing I will do if I notice a rabbit with smaller poops or digestive upset, is eliminate sugary starchy treats and reduce pellet amounts a little, to help increase the rabbits hay consumption. Grass hay, especially the stalky bits, more than anything helps get a rabbits digestion back to functioning normally. Though you do have to ensure when reducing other foods, that the rabbit is in fact eating more hay.
 
He is kind of avoiding hay right now, but I have the mint scented kind because that was his favorite before he had this problem. I am going to run out to the store tomorrow to get the plain hay. He is eating hay just not a lot. He will take more of it if I had feed him it. When I hand him the hay he likes it better for some reason.

I haven't really given him any treats. I did give him a papya enzyme tablet to help if he had any hairball issues that is about the only sugary treat I have given. I was trying to promote eating the hay. He does seem to eat more hay during the day but at night he seems to just eat pellets and greens, with an occasional munch on hay, but that's normal for him.

I did give him an alfa hay and berry hard treat (tons of fiber in it) to see if maybe he was having a dental problem that lead to all of this. He is chewing on that without any noticeable problems.

I do have another question. I am using the hay hopper that came with the cage and it sits on the outside of the cage. He needs to pull the hay through the bars. Is there a better solution for hay? What kind of things do you use to hold the hay? I was wondering if maybe that caused him problems like he hurt his nose or something. I would line the cage with it like I used to but I am really trying to watch his poop, and he doesn't necessarily use the litter pan for that all the time. Once he is better I will put the hay back in as lining too.
 
From your detailed description, I think I can see why he isn't eating much hay. Some of those hay racks just make it a hassle for bunny to get the hay out so they just eat less hay. I'd suggest putting hay directly into a large litter box. I'll attach a photo of how I set up my litter box. But the real key is making sure that the hay is refreshed twice per day (whether it is gone or not).

There is something about offering fresh hay that encourages them to eat more (this is what you are seeing when you hand feed). A large amount of hay that is just left in a hay rack is more likely to just get ignored. By putting fresh hay down in the box, he will see it as "fresh" and will usually start munching right away.

A general guide to go by is that a rabbit should be eating its body size in hay every day.

(Keeping hay in the litter box will also help keep it more contained. That will make clean-up easier than putting it all over the cage floor.)

litter with current buns.jpg
 
I will have to try that. I know he liked the hay being in the bottom of the cage so maybe he will like this as well.
 
Oglie2000 said:
He is kind of avoiding hay right now, but I have the mint scented kind because that was his favorite before he had this problem. I am going to run out to the store tomorrow to get the plain hay. He is eating hay just not a lot. He will take more of it if I had feed him it. When I hand him the hay he likes it better for some reason.

I haven't really given him any treats. I did give him a papya enzyme tablet to help if he had any hairball issues that is about the only sugary treat I have given. I was trying to promote eating the hay. He does seem to eat more hay during the day but at night he seems to just eat pellets and greens, with an occasional munch on hay, but that's normal for him.

I did give him an alfa hay and berry hard treat (tons of fiber in it) to see if maybe he was having a dental problem that lead to all of this. He is chewing on that without any noticeable problems.

I do have another question. I am using the hay hopper that came with the cage and it sits on the outside of the cage. He needs to pull the hay through the bars. Is there a better solution for hay? What kind of things do you use to hold the hay? I was wondering if maybe that caused him problems like he hurt his nose or something. I would line the cage with it like I used to but I am really trying to watch his poop, and he doesn't necessarily use the litter pan for that all the time. Once he is better I will put the hay back in as lining too.
Click to expand...
--hay-(animal bedding) is a term for grasses,but I rarely use it,because it causes major confusion,--grasses-ie.timothy,orchard,etc -is good for everything from poop boxes to food bins,-the grasses should be kept off the floor and very accessible-and easily taregeted,,--I use a short wire flower fence-(3in.spacing)- for holding the grasses--these grasses require washing down with lots of water -(never feed moldy,dirty,grasses)..here is a website which will help with gi tract/poops http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html --sincerely james waller :pink iris::bunnydance::USAflagwaving::blushan:
 
He has started eating the hay again. While he was running around last night I found the cause of all his problems. He passed a large poo pellet that was oddly shaped and he had a lot of fur in it.

Despite my efforts of brushing him he still got a hair problem. He likes to obsessively lick himself. He always has since I got him.
 
Oglie2000 said:
He has started eating the hay again. While he was running around last night I found the cause of all his problems. He passed a large poo pellet that was oddly shaped and he had a lot of fur in it.

Despite my efforts of brushing him he still got a hair problem. He likes to obsessively lick himself. He always has since I got him.
Click to expand...
--rabbits are chewers and consummate groomers--inevitably swallowing fur,-in such a case we need to add extra grasses and water-(rabbits lack the ability to throw up therefore what goes in must go all the way through.)--feline on the other hand can throw up swallowed fur,--a rabbits stomach should always feel doughy(soft)--fur balls as such are a misnomer for rabbits--therefore do-not give feline medication to a rabbit it will complicate the situation...sincerely james waller :bunny22::bunnybutt::happyrabbit::dutch-
 
My first bunny died from the GI stasis and her stomach was not doughy it was bloated, however she just passed away too fast. I think it was less than 12 hours she just gave up, she is the one in my avitar. Adam Bomb however through all of this still had a doughy feeling tummy. I just started treatment as soon as I seen he wouldn't take food from me that was not like him.

I didn't give Adam bomb any hair ball medicine for cats. I did give him the infant simethicone and that helped him tremendously. He started eating and pooped after the 3rd dose of it.

He is now fully back to normal. It just seems that he started to shed a lot this year since it got cold fast. I actually think he might be more active more than ever since I first got him.
 
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