Gi stasis :(

[mmfh]

Well, it finally happened to me . I believe my bun is in gi stasis. She's eight years old and has been very healthy the whole time. The other day she started to refuse food and wasn't eating her hay. Today there are no poops in her litter box after 8 hours . I just massaged her belly, which she tolerated very well, as she is not a hands on bunny, and I lifted her butt in the air, like they say to do on the house bunny site. I hope it's good news that during the massage 10little dried up poop pellets came out. I going to try to massage her a little bit every hour till I can get her into the vet tomorrow. Please pray for my bun or just send good thoughts. Very worried . Thank you. Please let me know if it's a good thing some poop came out. Should I force some water into her or just see if the vet will hydrate her tomorrow? Do they give fluids to buns? :sigh:

 

[mmfh]

P.s. Don't know how to edit, bun was going into the vet to have her teeth checked. Should I still have the vet look at her teeth and take care of them if they need filing if she is also being treated for stasis? Sorry I sound so uneducated on all this, this is the first bunny I have ever owned.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Get a syringe from a pharmacy with a wide enough mouth, and mash up some pellets in water to syringe-feed her. Not eating/pooping for over 8 hours isn't good, and she can't wait till the vets tomorrow; she needs something going through her NOW.

Syringe-feeding is tricky, but the key is to go slow. Hold her firmly and stick the syringe mouth in the gap behind her front teeth and slowly push out the mash, bit by bit, giving her time to swallow. It will get messy if she's uncooperative, but try to get as much in her as you can. If you're not having much luck, try adding a bit of apple juice or mushed banana to the pellet mash.

They can file her teeth while you're there, I don't see why not.

Sending all the good vibes to you two! Let us know how it goes.

 

[mmfh]

Ty, I have syringes so I can soak a bit of food now. I just gave her a wedge of tomato and she ate all but the skin. Again ty!

 

[mmfh]

Omg I just checked on her and she has a tiny pile of about thirty small poops in her litter box!!! Y'all are like sheesh enuf already but that has made me feel like she has a chance

 

[JBun]

In these instances, any poop is good. It is good to continue to encourage her hopping around to help get GI contents moving, as well as gentle belly massages. Check her ears and if they feel abnormally cold, you should provide a warm pack or warm towels to help get her body temp back up. If you suspect the lack of appetite is due to gas pain, you can try some infant gas drops(simethicone, dosing info in link). Provide a water dish if she only has a bottle to drink from.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

There can be many things that can cause a rabbit to go into stasis. Stomach upset is a very common cause, but basically any health condition that causes a rabbit to be in pain can cause them to stop eating. If she is still not feeling well by morning, definitely get her to a rabbit vet right away, and make sure a dental exam is done, usually a conscious one as a start. Xrays may need to be done as well, but this usually requires a GA.

If she is still doing poorly tonight and you can get her to into a decent emergency hours vet with some experience with rabbits, that would really be best.

http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21

For future reference, when a rabbit is not eating or pooping, DO NOT syringe feed any food until a vet has checked and ruled out a complete blockage. Feeding a rabbit that is not pooping and may have a full GI blockage, can further complicate matters and make them worse. Syringing water or pedialyte would be ok though(slowly and carefully to minimize aspiration risk). If a rabbit is still pooping, syringe feeding may be ok, but I wouldn't do it if she is feeling any inclination to eat on her own, as syringe feeding can further stress a rabbit.

 

[mmfh]

Ok, new question. As of now she has had three belly massages and has eaten 2 baby carrots, 2 fresh cranberries, 2 teaspoons of spinach, and a wedge of tomato. I know it's a weird selection but I'm down to the nitty gritty, shopping day is Tuesdays. She is only eating soft, juicy foods. Should I stop giving her anymore of such foods? I don't want to create another problem. I thought maybe some moist pellets, see if she will eat that. Or should I stop feeding her and see if she will eat her hay? (Which she has totally stopped eating) I put a water dish in but she seems to be ignoring it.

 

[Azerane]

You want to push hay for the fiber to get things moving, however eating foods that she is at least used to is better than nothing. If she'll only take soft stuff I agree that mashing up some pellets with some water is certainly better than nothing. If she's gone off hard food it's likely that there are some teeth issues and the pain and lack of eating led to the bout of stasis.