Symptoms of GI Stasis? Rabbit Eating Pellets More Than Hay

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amandaaaa_xxo

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Hey everyone :)

I'm new to this rabbit forum. I own a two year old holland dwarf lop. I feed him his pellets and unlimited oaten hay. I also feed him a variety of vegetables and herbs and fruits. I also provide him water in his drinking bottle. Everyday I provide him with fresh food and water.

Three weeks ago I noticed that he was sneezing and making grunting like sounds. I took him to the vet and was told he was a minor upper respiratory infection. The doctor told me to give him oral medicine for 7 days. After the 7 days, he was still sneezing a little and I was told to continue the medicine for another 7 days. It's been two weeks now and I noticed that he still sneezes a bit and so I took him to the vet again. A different doctor examined him and I was told he was fine, no signs of sickness. She told me he had no nose discharge and even though he has a little bit of a dribble under his chin, that he had no dental problems. She told me he seems healthy and has healthy fur coat. Also, after the medicine, his poo have become smaller. Some are small and some are normal sized.

A few days ago I noticed that he seems to be eating his vegetables and pellets more than his hay. I also noticed that he's been drinking a lot of water. For two days he was drinking a lot of water and on some occasions, he would sit there underneath the drinking bottle all hunched with his eyes half closed. I thought he had a stomach upset and so I managed to massage his tummy, I think this did help as he doesn't do this hunched up posture anymore.

Today I heard him grind his teeth. I'm not sure why? I felt him everywhere because I thought he may have injured himself when running in our backyard but everything is in place. I told the vet about this and she told me sometimes it may not be pain, but anger or discomfort. Because I don't let him run on hot days outside, he may not like to be confined in his cage.

Apart from this, everything is fine. I'm just worried that he isn't eating his hay as much. And the tooth grinding that happens here and there. How do I get my rabbit to eat more of his hay? I give him fresh hay 2-3 times a day to encourage him to eat.

By the way, his name is Wilson :)

Any ideas on how to make him eat his hay again? And be a happy bunny?
 
Hey everyone :)

I own a two year old holland dwarf lop named Wilson. I noticed today that he isn't pooping as much? I got him checked out by a vet TWICE (in the last two weeks) for any dental problems, nose or eye discharge etc. I was told by both the doctors that he is fine and not showing any signs of anything major. I noticed that because of his medicine that he took before due to a minor URI, that his poop became smaller and some are egg shaped. Last week, his poop went back to normal and today, I noticed that his poop are small and he's not producing A LOT? He ate today, but he normally sleeps during the day and doesn't eat as much during the day compared to night.

Should I take him back again for a third time? I don't want him to have any gut issues. I'm scared of the whole GI Stasis etc. unless he has gas pain? Should I rub his tummy? I know rabbits are meant to poop all the time but today in his cage, I noticed that there isn't as much poo
 
Is he still sneezing? It's possible that the sneezing is an allergy to the type of hay your feeding or possibly the litter in his tray if you're using wood shavings. Some rabbits are allergic to timothy hay but not to orchard grass or meadow hay for example. You can also encourage more hay eating by offering different types, as some bunnies are fussy with their hay.

It does sound like something may be a little off, but it's so tough to tell just from what you're telling us. Perhaps try offering a bowl of water in addition to the bottle in case for some reason he's having trouble drinking from the bottle all of a sudden.
 
I have never introduced anything new to him for the past three years. Can rabbits all of a sudden develop an allergy to something they've been eating for that long? I don't have any wood shavings in his cage, and I don't have any bedding hay either. I lay newspaper in his cage and then his hay.

I will try your suggestion of offering different hay :) thank you!
 
Sorry I misread about how long you have had him. In that case it's very unlikely it's an allergy, although different batches of hay can certainly be more dusty than others if you have bought new hay recently.

When they checked for dental problems did they do an x-ray? Rabbit teeth can't be properly checked without one because the molars can't be seen 100% and you also can't see the root growth. Rabbit teeth can overgrow in the roots as well as from the top. An issue with teeth explains drooling and could be effecting sinuses too. Another way to check for discharge is to check the inside of the front legs, as that's where rabbits wipe their nose :)
 
That's okay :) no the doctors didn't do an x-Ray scan. they just looked inside his mouth, they opened it wide open. He's eating all the 'hard' foods such as the stalks of parsley, corn, his pellets and some hay. Doesn't this mean that he CAN chew and that his teeth have no problem? What do the discharge look like? What can I look for under his paws? I'm just very worried :( the vet clinic recommended me to see a rabbit specialist if I was that concerned because they can narrow it down for me. I did contact a nearest specialist and they gave me a quote including the prices for a consultation, blood test and x Ray (minus sedation) and altogether it is $412. It is expensive but I don't want to leave my rabbit in any pain. I just thought I would post my concerns here to get feedback from other rabbit owners before I go in to see a specialist.
 
Hey everyone :)

I noticed that my rabbit would do some tooth grinding even though he is eating and drinking fine. I had him checked out twice by two different doctors at a vet clinic/hospital and one of them told me he has a minor upper respiratory infection and I was told to give him medicine, orally. I did that for 14 days and noticed that he still sneezed here and there. The second doctor (I went in a few days ago) examined him and told me he is fine. He wasn't showing any signs of dental problems (despite a bit of dribble under his chin) and no nose discharge. I'm really worried :( he doesn't seem to be eating his hay as much?
 
Hey everyone :)

I noticed the last few days that my rabbit isn't eating his hay as much. He's a holland dwarf lop and he is two years old. I've been feeding him oaten hay and have not changed it to any other hay. I lately found that he only nibbles on a few and then leaves it. I provide him with fresh hay 2-3 times a day. I also notice that he sneezes when he's in his cage near his hay as well. I had him checked out by a vet and was told he has a minor upper respiratory infection and was told to give him oral medicine for 14 days. This was three weeks ago and till this day, he sneezes here and there. He doesn't sneeze when he's away from his hay.

I know hay makes up 85% of a rabbits diet and so I need him to eat his hay to be sure he has all the fibre. How do I encourage his hay intake again?
 
Hey everyone :)

I have a 2 year old holland dwarf lop named Wilson. I feed him oaten hay, pellets, and a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. I provide him fresh food and water daily.

Three weeks ago I noticed that he started sneezing, but had no eye and nose discharge. I took him to the vet and was told he had a minor upper respiratory infection and I then had to give him oral medicine for two weeks. A few days ago, I noticed a bit of dribble under his chin and so I took him to the vet again. A different doctor examined him and told me he was showing no signs of dental problems, even though she didn't do an x-Ray. Two days ago, I noticed that he would sit in a hunched position, eyes half closed, under his drinking bottle (he does this behaviour some times). He refuses to eat his hay. He only nibbles some and then leaves it. He's eating his pellets and some vegetables and fruits, and he is also drinking a lot of water. I also noticed that he isn't producing a lot of poop either. I'm really scared that he is presenting with GI Stasis!! He also does some tooth grinding.

I'm taking him to the vet again on Friday for a dental check up. In the mean time, how do I relax him? I hate to see him in pain. I have no idea how he developed GI Stasis, if this is what he has.
 
Could be a bad batch. I would inspect it closely then go out and buy a couple different kinds of Timothy hay to see if he likes any others better. Rabbits can be very picky about their hay. Maybe this batch is also a dusty one making him sneeze. We always joke that our rabbits will only eat hay that's been hand cut by virgins by the light of a full moon.
 
He developed it by not eating enough hay. If in pain he needs pain medication, simethicone drops, warmth and a lot of love. He should probably have a full dental checkup which actually involves sedation. Without sedation there's no way they can see those teeth well enough.
 
Drooling, excessive drinking, eye squinting, sneezing/nasal discharge, tooth grinding, selective eating/not eating certain foods, can all point to a possible dental problem. A rabbit with dental problems can sometimes still eat other foods when they can't eat their hay, as hay requires a different grinding action to eat, so it may be more painful to eat hay as opposed to the pellets, and soft foods will be even easier on the mouth to eat.

There is a slight possibility it could be a problem with the hay instead. So you could try a different type of hay, but if that doesn't work you should get his teeth looked at as most of the symptoms point to dental issues as the likely cause. I don't know that I would start off with all those expensive tests as some of them may not be necessary for the vet to accurately diagnose the problem, though it would be best to have him seen by the specialist as an experienced rabbit vet makes a big difference when trying to get an accurate diagnosis and the proper treatment. I would start off with having them do a conscious dental exam first. They may be able to see what the problem is just in a conscious exam even though your other vet couldn't, and if so that could save you a lot if the other tests aren't needed. If they don't find anything during a conscious exam, then they may need to do an exam under sedation to get a better look at the back teeth, and it may be a good idea to have xrays done at the same time to check if there are any tooth root issues or infection. But I would start with the conscious exam and go from there.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/AcquiredMolarAbnRabbits.htm

In the meantime, I would be cutting any fruit, corn, or sugary/starchy foods out of his diet, especially while he's not eating hay, as the sugars will just contribute to a slowdown of his digestion(small poop) and could lead to an imbalance in gut flora, especially without the extra fiber he would normally be getting from eating hay. One thing you can try until you get this mystery sorted, is if you have plain grass hay pellets available to buy, get some of those and see if he will eat them. I'm not sure what you have there, but here in the US they make them to give to large livestock like horses. They are just plain pellets made from only hay, with nothing else added. You can even soften them in warm water if needed.
 
He's eating all the 'hard' foods such as the stalks of parsley, corn, his pellets and some hay .

Rabbits should not be fed corn. Here is a quote from http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html


"Some types of seeds (especially things like "Canadian peas" and corn kernels) have hulls that are indigestible to a rabbit, and can cause life-threatening intestinal impactions/blockages.
Corn, fresh or dried, is NOT safe for rabbits. The hull of corn kernels is composed of a complex polysaccharide (not cellulose and pectin, of which plant cell walls are more commonly composed, and which a rabbit can digest) which rabbits cannot digest. We know of more than one rabbit who suffered intestinal impactions because of the indigestible corn hulls. After emergency medical treatment, when the poor rabbits finally passed the corn, their fecal pellets were nearly solid corn hulls! Those rabbits were lucky."
 
Wait. On another post you mentioned that your rabbit is outside in the backyard roaming all day long. If so, then is there grass and other plants out there that bunny is eating?

How are you refreshing hay 2-3 times per day in his cage if he is outside all day? Could you clarify the situation please?
 
Especially if he's drooling you should get an x-ray done on his teeth, as teeth overgrow at the root as well as on top. Rabbits will stop eating or eat less when they are in pain which can certainly lead to stasis. It's likely he's leaving the hay because it's more painful to eat. Hay has to be ground down thoroughly before being swallowed and it's probably painful for him to do that which is why he's still eating soft veggies and his pellets, even though the pellets are hard they don't take a lot of grinding.
 
We are trying to answer your question and help you but you have multiple threads about the same topic, will be merging them into one to make it easier for people to have the full picture and better help your rabbit :)
 
That does make sense. That could be why he isn't eating his hay and eating his other food. Hay does require a different motion of chewing etc. I booked an appointment for tomorrow at a rabbit specialist clinic and will start off with a standard check up. The receptionist told me based on what they find, they'll determine whether to have x-Rays done or not.

When I put my rabbit outside, the indoor house cage that he stays in when he's inside the house, I take that and place it outside as well, so he can run around and play and hop in his cage whenever he wants to eat or drink. That's how I refresh his hay 2-3 times daily, because I place his cage outside when he's outside, and bring it back inside when I catch him.

I don't offer Corn everyday. I offer it in VERY SMALL quantities (uncooked) every 4 days or so. I won't provide him with the starchy foods for now until I go in tomorrow for the specialist to examine him. I have noticed that he isn't producing much poop as I mentioned earlier and this is a very worrying concern for me. He won't poop as much if he doesn't eat his hay.

It seems as though the medication the vet gave me to give to my rabbit orally (the medicine that was used to treat the minor URI) made him worse over the weeks. It was just last week where he stopped eating the hay out of no where. Randomly. I give him the oxbow oaten hay. Which other hay is good for rabbits? Maybe I can try switching up the hay as well, but I want to be careful because I don't want to upset his stomach or himself any further.
 
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Of all the issues with your rabbit, I think I can only contribute with the sneezing issue. Bunny began sneezing maybe at her 9 year old age mark. Apparently bunnies have all their life, a bacteria in their respiratory system that will cause the sneezing. In their younger years, their immune system surpresses this bacteria. When they get older, their immune system degrades. Our bunny vet gave us an oral bacteriacide that targeted this bacteria. After the recommended dosage, her sneezing stopped.
 
Regarding the grass hay pellets, I have heard of them and from faint memory do recall seeing them on the shelves in the pet warehouse I normally go to, to purchase food for my rabbit. I will definitely ask for that and purcqhse it :) thank you.

From now until tomorrow, is it safe for my rabbit to eat pellets and parsley? That's all he's eating from what I can see. He only nibbles on a few pieces of hay and then leaves it. Based on all your posts here, it could be a dental problem in which is causing his reluctance from eating hay.

I really appreciate all your help :)
 
Our bunny vet gave us an oral bacteriacide that targeted this bacteria. After the recommended dosage, her sneezing stopped.

That's good to hear! :) unfortunately with my rabbit, the sneezing hasn't stopped and it's been one month now. The medicine that I was told to give orally to my rabbit, was only initially prescribed for 7 days. After those 7 days, he was still sneezing and the doctor then told me to continue for another 7 days. Basically after 14 days, he was still sneezing. Until now actually. But as I mentioned before, I'm going in tomorrow to a rabbit specialist clinic and hopefully they will determine the underlying causes for his sneezes, drool, excess drinking and teeth grinding.
 

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