Gastrointestinal Stasis

[GreenApple]

Hi,

Lady Pil (Pil Suk Bun)is a mix between a netherland dwarf and lionhead rabbit. She is small, has short hair, sheds a LOT, and gets a lion mane on winters. She is about 1year and 10 months old.
The background story of my dilemman:
She was diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Stasis on Friday evening. She ate very little on Thrusday and nothing on Friday. That is when I freaked out and rushed her to the hospital. Dr. Torres took an x-ray of Lady Pil and she found out that there were not gas stops, or blockage, but the GI was empty! The Doc was alarmed, since rabbits should never,ever, have an empty GI. Lady Pil was syringe feed some critical care food and given medicine for the pain and some laxative that will allow the food to go through.
The Symptoms:
She did not eat for almost a whole day
She did not drink any water
she spent two days hiding behing a desk, lethargic, grinding her teeth, and all hunched up.
Her stomach made loud grumbling noises
The treatment:
She has to be syringe feed 3 times per day, given pain medicine and the laxative once a day.
The problem:
Lady Pil has not recovered her appetite.
According to the doc Lady Pil should be getting her appetite back but so far all she ate all weekend is a small handful of hay
The Doc says that if lady Pil doesnt get her appetite soon (within a day or two) she will have to be hospitalized. The word "hospitalized" has me extremely worried, will my rabbit make it through? I barely afforded the emergency trip to the hospital, how am I going to pay for hospitalization bills?
The question:
what can I do to increase my bunny's appetite?
how can I syringe feed my rabbit? I tried just holding onto her but she has proven to be a fighter and a gymnast. I have to feed her 3 times a day but yesterday I only managed 2 times. I tried the bunny burrito method but she counterattacked with the "hide the head like a turtle" method. Also I had an early exam this morning and I missed feeding her, how will this affect her?
I can't feed her at midday because of school, so, would it be ok to feed her in the morning (6am), late afternoon (6pm) and midnight? is this too sporadic?
My rabbit refuses to eat vegetables. I have given her every vegetable on the list of approved veggies by the Rabbit Society. She had a buffet, but she merely sniffed and went back to being all hunched and moody.
She also refuses to eat hay. I tried placing the hay on her mouth but she throws it away, or splits in in half and moves on.
Everytime I have to syringe feed her she fights a bloddy battle. and it takes about an hour to feed her 15ml of food. (about 20 ml of food ends up in the towel because she spits it out or refuses to chew)
She has not drank a drop of water since Friday. The only thing that is keeping her is the critical care food.
What should I do so that she drinks water again? I heard about adding juice, but the doc told me that one of the reason's Lady Pil is sick is because I gave her a diet full of sweets.
what can I do to make my rabbit eat again?
Her stool is looking better, is not the normal size, it is small but at least it is round. It got darker, is this normal?
Any tips? please help a first time rabbit owner who is about to lose her mind.

Thanks

 

[GreenApple]

By the way, Lady Pil's diet used to be made of Fiesta Mix (a mixture of pellets, seeds, sweets, and nuts), unlimited hay, apples, bananas, mango, watermelon (only last summer, this summer she refused to eat it), pears, and other fruits. Also this summer my parents bought a lot of almonds and shared them with Pil.She loved it so much! but I think that might have added to the problem. The only veggies I gave her were carrots, celery, and cilandro. I am afraid of lettuce because I read somewhere that it can cause diaherria and I heard differnt things about the other vegetables so I was too scared to try them on Pil.
Now, I have refused to give her any of her fiesta mix and she refuses to eat anything else. Is it just me or is she in a hunger strike? should I just give up and give her her old fiesta mix? I mean, as long as she eat something...

 

[Blue eyes]

It is important to keep up with the critical care. The fact that she's pooping is a good sign. Did he give you pain medication to use at home? If bunny is sitting hunched up then she is uncomfortable which will not make her want to eat. Reducing her pain is very important in making her want to eat again. There should be an oral medication for her that he can prescribe over the phone.

There are others on this forum who have more experience with GI stasis and hopefully they will jump on here and also advise.

As far as the diet you've been feeding her, it's true that pellet food with fruit, seeds, nuts is bunny junk food. But any switches to her diet should be done gradually. You mix the old with the healthier new over the span of a week so her gut can adjust. Just gradually decrease the portion of old to new. Hay should be a grass hay like timothy or orchard, etc- not alfalfa. Fruits are considered a special treat and should be fed no more than a tablespoon or 2 total per day at most. Carrots are to be considered a treat like a fruit - so if she gets a 1" slice of carrot one day, she should not have any fruit that day. Daily veggies should consist of dark green leafy veggies. Iceberg is the only lettuce to avoid. Romaine, green or red wrinkle leaf are just fine.

Here's a further reference for you on diet:
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

 

[GreenApple]

She is pooping but very little, should she be pooping more after two days of critical care food? I giver oral pain medication every 24hrs but she is still very lethargic and lazy. She wasnt an active bunny before, more like a couch potato like me, but she used to play around during the evening and mornings and now she just lays around. By the way, is it normal for a bunny to sleep most of the day. When she was healthy she used to sleep most of the day, if I bugged her to play she would grunt and move to another sleeping spot. She would come and play in the afternoon but if I bugged her around noon she would be one unhappy bunny.
Thank you for your advice. I think i will give her a bit of her old fiesta mix with her food today, maybe half of what I gave her before along with a new pellet. She used to eat Kaytee Timothy Hay but then last month I switch her to All living things' Timothy hay. I am thinking of switching her back to Kaytee's. Do you recommend another brand? does the brand matter?

 

[Blue eyes]

Brand of hay doesn't matter. You just want to pick whichever bag looks more green or fresh.
A bunny who is overweight can behave as you describe. Did the vet mention anything about her weight condition?
I would be sure to keep the vet apprised of her condition.
Hopefully we'll get more response on here from those who have dealt with GI stasis.

When you do feed hay, refresh with new before the old runs out. I know my buns will ignore hay that's sat for awhile, but as soon as I put some "new" hay in, they munch right away.

 

[JBun]

I would hold off on giving her her old food yet. She may not eat it anyways. I've found when my rabbits stop eating, that when they do start eating again they will first go for veggies, then as they feel even better, they will start to munch on hay, then they will finally start eating the pellets last. With her old food being full of treats it would only contribute to increased GI stasis problems. If you want to try her pellets I would pick all of the treat pieces out so that only the green pellet food is left. You don't want her having any grains, carbs, or sugars. You said you've given her cilantro, you could try giving her that. Cilantro was actually the first thing my bun started to eat when he had stasis. Always make sure she has a pile of hay for when she decides to start eating it. Grass hay is the best thing for them. It shouldn't matter that you changed brands unless for some reason she won't eat it cause she doesn't like the new kind. You could always get a bag of her old kind of hay and try that... I had to change my buns pellet food when he got stasis so I gave him the oxbow adult rabbit food because it had very similar ingredients to the critical care food that I was already feeding him everyday. It had already been several days that he didn't have any of his old pellet food, plus it was similar to the critical care, and he wasn't eating very much of it anyways so I wasn't too worried about switching him to it right away. I would ask your vet what they think about switching the food right now. It was hard to syringe feed my bun. I set him on a towel on my lap, he was sitting up and I would have to kind of scruff the back of his neck to be able to get the syringe in the corner of his mouth, then I would just squirt in little tiny amounts at a time and wait for him to chew on what I just gave him before squirting a little more in. They can't really spit out once you really get it in their mouth. They key is making sure the syringe tip is actually in there. Rabbits won't start eating on their own until they start feeling better. I would see if she'll start eating some cilantro and stay away from sugar, including carrots. Sugar could just make her even more sick than she is now. You could also try tummy rubs if she'll tolerate it. It was hard to syringe feed my rabbit water and I was worried he would aspirate it so I just mixed in extra water to his critical care so it was kind of a thick soupy consistancy, and he got his water that way. I have a 3 lb rabbit and I was feeding him about 9ml a feeding, but I was also feeding every 3 hr. until bedtime. What meds is she getting, what pain med, and you said a laxative. Is she getting baytril or a probiotic? GI stasis is caused by bad bacteria overgrowth so usually the vet will prescibe an antibiiotic and a probiotic. I know the vet said she didn't have gas but does your buns stomach feel bloated at all. If she doe's have gas that might be why she won't eat on her own yet.

 

[Imbrium]

here's a great video on syringe feeding: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg[/ame]

make sure you're getting the syringe in the gap between her front and back teeth

you can try feeding 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (plain, not the pie filling kind) per day until she's feeling better - it'll help keep her digestive tract moving and it provides valuable fiber. you can water it down a little and syringe feed it if she won't eat it herself.

did not eating hay start before she actually got sick or after? if before, she may not like the hay and you might want to try her old brand or a different kind of grass hay (timothy, oat, wheat, orchard grass, bermuda, coastal, etc. are all grass hays - there are lots to choose from).

 

[JBun]

GreenApple wrote:

She is pooping but very little, should she be pooping more after two days of critical care food? I giver oral pain medication every 24hrs but she is still very lethargic and lazy. She wasnt an active bunny before, more like a couch potato like me, but she used to play around during the evening and mornings and now she just lays around. By the way, is it normal for a bunny to sleep most of the day. When she was healthy she used to sleep most of the day, if I bugged her to play she would grunt and move to another sleeping spot. She would come and play in the afternoon but if I bugged her around noon she would be one unhappy bunny.

She should poop more as she eats more. The important things are water and hay to keep her digestion moist and moving. If she's even eating a little hay that's really good. Try any leafy greens that she's used to. They'll give her added moisture. Rinse them when you give them to her and the she'll get a little extra water from it. Don't skip her feedings. These feedings are what keep her digestion moving and aids in her recovery. Even though she's not eating or eating much on her own, as long as she's getting her critical care and enough water, and she's pooping even a little bit, then she's doing good. It's when she's not eating and not pooping that you have to worry. So as long as those poops are coming out then it's looking good. I had to feed my bun critical care over a week til he was consistantly eating enough to be ok. Like I mentiloned before, I added water to my critical care to make sure my bun was getting enough fluids.

About her not liking to be bugged during the day, I think that's not strange. Rabbits are most active in the morning and evening. My rabbits sleep most of the day with a little bit of snacking. With her not being active now, it's cause she's not feeling well. My boy hardly moved around at all until he started feeling better. I can't stress enough staying away from carbs and sugars. One of my rabbits died from gi stasis because I was feeding her treats and didn't realize how it was affecting her. I would recommend reading up on gi stasis so you understand what causes it and what to look out for. Now I'm a totally paranoid bunny momma and the only treat my buns get is maybe half a baby carrot, and that's only if they are completely healthy buns. One of the keys to catching gi stasis early is understanding how their poop changes and is affected. If you see changes in their poop from the normal sized round ones, and you catch it early enough you can actually save their lives. I'm really happy to hear your bun is pooping, that sounds very hopeful to me.

 

[GreenApple]

Blue eyes wrote:

Brand of hay doesn't matter. You just want to pick whichever bag looks more green or fresh.
A bunny who is overweight can behave as you describe. Did the vet mention anything about her weight condition?
I would be sure to keep the vet apprised of her condition.
Hopefully we'll get more response on here from those who have dealt with GI stasis.

When you do feed hay, refresh with new before the old runs out. I know my buns will ignore hay that's sat for awhile, but as soon as I put some "new" hay in, they munch right away.

Thanks for the advice. She is a bit overweight, she should weight between 2-3 lbs but she weights 4 lbs. She gained weight this summer because my parents kept feeding her almonds. The vet recommended I stop the sweets, which I did, I took away her fiesta mix and threw the almonds. But now she is in a hunger strike and refuses to eat veggies. She is eating a bit of hay, but very little, about a small fist of hay per day.
I will try changing her hay twice a day, do you think it would help if I put hay in toys? she is not a fan of toys but maybe there is something out there that might interest her.

 

[GreenApple]

JBun wrote:

I would hold off on giving her her old food yet. She may not eat it anyways. I've found when my rabbits stop eating, that when they do start eating again they will first go for veggies, then as they feel even better, they will start to munch on hay, then they will finally start eating the pellets last. With her old food being full of treats it would only contribute to increased GI stasis problems. If you want to try her pellets I would pick all of the treat pieces out so that only the green pellet food is left. You don't want her having any grains, carbs, or sugars. You said you've given her cilantro, you could try giving her that. Cilantro was actually the first thing my bun started to eat when he had stasis. Always make sure she has a pile of hay for when she decides to start eating it. Grass hay is the best thing for them. It shouldn't matter that you changed brands unless for some reason she won't eat it cause she doesn't like the new kind. You could always get a bag of her old kind of hay and try that... I had to change my buns pellet food when he got stasis so I gave him the oxbow adult rabbit food because it had very similar ingredients to the critical care food that I was already feeding him everyday. It had already been several days that he didn't have any of his old pellet food, plus it was similar to the critical care, and he wasn't eating very much of it anyways so I wasn't too worried about switching him to it right away. I would ask your vet what they think about switching the food right now. It was hard to syringe feed my bun. I set him on a towel on my lap, he was sitting up and I would have to kind of scruff the back of his neck to be able to get the syringe in the corner of his mouth, then I would just squirt in little tiny amounts at a time and wait for him to chew on what I just gave him before squirting a little more in. They can't really spit out once you really get it in their mouth. They key is making sure the syringe tip is actually in there. Rabbits won't start eating on their own until they start feeling better. I would see if she'll start eating some cilantro and stay away from sugar, including carrots. Sugar could just make her even more sick than she is now. You could also try tummy rubs if she'll tolerate it. It was hard to syringe feed my rabbit water and I was worried he would aspirate it so I just mixed in extra water to his critical care so it was kind of a thick soupy consistancy, and he got his water that way. I have a 3 lb rabbit and I was feeding him about 9ml a feeding, but I was also feeding every 3 hr. until bedtime. What meds is she getting, what pain med, and you said a laxative. Is she getting baytril or a probiotic? GI stasis is caused by bad bacteria overgrowth so usually the vet will prescibe an antibiiotic and a probiotic. I know the vet said she didn't have gas but does your buns stomach feel bloated at all. If she doe's have gas that might be why she won't eat on her own yet.

Did you feed him every 3 hrs from sunrise to sunset? I wish I could do that or that she would let me. I have school most of the day so I can only feed her twice a day. I usually try to syringe feed her 25-30 ml of food. I know it is very little but you have no idea how much I have to suffer to get that much in her. It takes me an hour of fighting. She does this neat trick of refusing to chew until I back away or turn around, then she tries to jump her way to freedom. I tried the bunny burrito but she shakes her head and tucks her head in like a turtle. How do you get your bunny to chew? i tried petting her, letting her take her time, patting her sides a bit, I even offered some cilandro, but she refuses to chew and swallow. how long did you syringe feed your bun? any advice on syringe feeding?
I was mixing some of her old food (fiesta mix) with the hay so that she might be tempted to touch the hay, but I guess I will have to stop now. I think you are right, the sweets in the fiesta mix wont help. Thanks for the advice

 

[GreenApple]

Imbrium wrote:

here's a great video on syringe feeding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGZVYVm5Bg

make sure you're getting the syringe in the gap between her front and back teeth

you can try feeding 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (plain, not the pie filling kind) per day until she's feeling better - it'll help keep her digestive tract moving and it provides valuable fiber. you can water it down a little and syringe feed it if she won't eat it herself.

did not eating hay start before she actually got sick or after? if before, she may not like the hay and you might want to try her old brand or a different kind of grass hay (timothy, oat, wheat, orchard grass, bermuda, coastal, etc. are all grass hays - there are lots to choose from).

Thanks for the video, I wish my bunny was as docile as the one in there. Question, do you know if the food has to be that watery? does that help? I usually prepare it so that it is tick like syrup. I was told to do it so it is tick like pancake batter but I have never sucessfully made pancakes.

 

[Blue eyes]

If she's really not eating, then you need to keep trying to feed her critical care any chance you get. Twice a day is not enough.

Have you tried some wet romaine lettuce? I think you said she's refusing cilantro. Keep offering greens anyway. Eventually she should accept it. Persistence is key here. The more often she's fed critical care and offered hay & greens, the quicker she'll recuperate. The canned pumpkin people suggested is plain (not spiced for pie).

 

[Geoff]

sounds like good suggestions above (particularly about continuing to feed her with a syringe, pain meds, fluids etc.). Diet sounds horrible in this rabbit. Grass Hay and fresh leafy greens (please note I did not say 'vegetables'... there are a LOT of veggies I do NOT recommend feeding rabbits- almost anything not leafy green is included- for rabbits having current GI problems like yours) ONLY -stop those pellets and fruit! Good luck!

I would personally not worry about a sudden diet change in her condition- she needs an immediate diet change.

I am not a fan of laxatives in rabbits and reports by most rabbit specialists do not recommend them, so I would be cautious about repeating that. Rabbits do NOT get constipated.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Has she had a vitamin B-12 injection? This can sometimes trigger them to start eating again. It might be somethign to ask the vet about as to whether it would possibly help.

 

[GreenApple]

Bunnylova4eva wrote:

Has she had a vitamin B-12 injection? This can sometimes trigger them to start eating again. It might be somethign to ask the vet about as to whether it would possibly help.

Thank you, I think I will ask. Lady Pil is getting better, her poop is back to normal, but she is refusing to eat the pellets. I tried mixing a bit of the old pellets and the new pellets but she refuses to eat it if it doesnt have her seeds and nuts in it. She also refuses all green leaves with the exception of cilandro.

 

[GreenApple]

Geoff wrote:

sounds like good suggestions above (particularly about continuing to feed her with a syringe, pain meds, fluids etc.). Diet sounds horrible in this rabbit. Grass Hay and fresh leafy greens (please note I did not say 'vegetables'... there are a LOT of veggies I do NOT recommend feeding rabbits- almost anything not leafy green is included- for rabbits having current GI problems like yours) ONLY -stop those pellets and fruit! Good luck!

I would personally not worry about a sudden diet change in her condition- she needs an immediate diet change.

I am not a fan of laxatives in rabbits and reports by most rabbit specialists do not recommend them, so I would be cautious about repeating that. Rabbits do NOT get constipated.

Thanks, yesterday morning was the last time I gave her laxatives and pain medicine. Her poop is back to normal but it is not as much as before. She is simply on a hunger strike. She refuses to eat her pellets and is surviving on hay. I have the pickiest eater in the world. She has also put her paws down and refuses to be syringe fed. I tried, I cried, she just will not swallow the food. Yesterday she made some sounds like a puppy whining and it scared me so much that I gave up and stopped the feeding. It is just too stressful for her. She has also become aggressive. Before she would never bite but now, if I touch her body or try to lift her she gets up and starts biting whatever she can get her teeth on (mainly my poor fingers). I think I will just monitor her for now and see how she does. But do you have any tips on how to get her to eat? I tried the pumpkin, it was a no go.

 

[Imbrium]

if she's eating hay and cilantro, it should be fine - keep offering fresh pellets and chances are she'll eventually give up on getting the old pellets back and start eating the healthier stuff (that's what happened with my bunns and sherwood food). even if she doesn't, they don't HAVE to have pellets to have a healthy diet.