Fur block or GI Stasis?!

[BronsonsHuman]

My poor ginger boy Bronson isn't eating and we're not sure if it's GI stasis or fur block? His poops are often connected because he sheds so often and grooms his mate a lot too.
He's had a dosage of critatical care at home and a pain relief shot at the vet. Any tips on what to try next? I heard to try Parafin oil and puréed apple?
View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1425895962.123090.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1425895996.433957.jpg

 

[majorv]

Sounds more like hairballs/wool block. Is he drinking water? You can put some electrolytes in his water and syringe it into him if he isn't drinking much. Some people give fresh pineapple juice or papaya to get the the hair moving out. You could also give him some probiotics, too, like benebac. I'm surprised your vet didn't give you some gut motility drugs to get things moving.

 

[squidpop]

I've had the same problem with my rabbit. I really believe in hydration, hydration and more hydration... which means syringing lots of electrolytes and fluids, because the gut needs to be hydrated to get the blockage moving. So, when it happens to my rabbit first thing I do is use a 3ml syringe and syringe feed 15ml-25ml electrolytes/fluids (a tablespoon or more). Then I wait 2-3 hours and do it again. You aren't really supposed to syringe food because if it is a complete blockage, food could add to the blockage.

I think the following excerpt from this article supports the idea of hydrating the rabbit as much as possible. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=484

You also need to brush as much loose fur off the rabbit as possible or even shave and clip.
After the rabbit starts eating again I continue to puree slice of apple into their water to encourage them to drink more water for a week afterwards.

 

[BronsonsHuman]

Thank you!
That makes a lot of sense. We bushed him on the weekend but he must have tidied himself up afterwards and ingested fur then. He's gone to the vets today for more fluids while we're at work. Will hydrate hydrate hydrate when I get him home. I feel so bad about the food now, poor boy. Of course it would make a blockage worse.

 

[JBun]

What further treatment is needed will depend on what the vet determined was the cause of the stasis. GI stasis is just a symptom. There are many things that can cause it to occur. Most common is digestive related, either from insufficient fiber/too many carbs in the diet or some sort of gastric upset. But other things like dental problems, bladder/kidney/liver issues, injury, infection, cancer, etc can cause it to occur as well. Basically anything that causes pain or discomfort, can cause a rabbit to stop eating which can result in stasis. Did your vet do any diagnostics like xrays, blood tests, etc to determine a cause?
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.pdf
http://rabbit.org/sluggish-motility-in-the-gastrointestinal-tract-2/

Are you continuing to syringe feed throughout the day? If the vet has determined there is not a complete blockage, then he does need to continue to be syringe fed if he isn't eating on his own, as this will keep the digestive tract moving. Though hydration is very important, hydration alone won't fix the problem.

Is he eating anything on his own, is he pooping at all and what do they look like? What is his diet normally like, and does he usually have normal sized/consistency fecal poop, any mushy poop? Where there any odd behaviors or changes before this occurred?