LONG stasis, unknown cause - help?

[molly]

I'm at my whits end and I don't know if I'm missing something.

I have three rabbits - a bonded pair and Chantale, an adult female.

Chantale was originally a foster rabbit I brought home from the local SPCA. She had uterine cancer so she was spayed a few weeks later and I eventually adopted her. Her surrender forms listed her as 2 years old so she's probably 3 or older now.

She's free range in my bedroom 22 hrs/day (she's in a cage when my rats are out) and gets unlimited grass hay and plenty of veggies. (Romaine, leaf and Boston Lettuce, dandelion, corriander, parsley, dill, spring mix, arugula, carrot tops, bok choy, brocoli, cauliflower, kale, fennel, peppers, Belgium endive, raddichio, etc.)

On the evening of Jan. 28, I noticed some Chantale's poops were a little small. I wasn't overly concerned because there were lots of droppings in her litter box and most of them were normal. The next night, there were none. I also realized that although her veggie consumption remained normal, her hay consumption was almost nil. I had recently opened a new box of Timothy but I generally mix 3-4 types of hay and switching has never been an issue.

I syringe fed her that night and the next morning there were no droppings again. I took her temperature when I syringe fed her and in the morning and it was normal. I called the vet, started fluids and Metacam and took her in the next day. The vet prescribed Metacam, Cisapride, Ranitidine and Simathicone. When her temperature dropped below 38 on the weekend, we added Metronidazole. She was also getting sub-q fluids, papaya tablets and Benebac.

For three weeks, her temperature continued fluctuating and she continued eating some veggies but no hay. She would stop producing fecal droppings on and off and when she did, they were dry. She's not a rabbit that sheds a lot and I haven't found significant amounts of fur in her droppings. Two visual exams and an xray showed no dental issues. She had blood taken and there was nothing abnormal. She remained relatively happy and active throughout this time, no signs of pain, although she was moderately stressed and depressed by all the treatments.

At the end of the third week, I felt like she was deteriorating (her temperature dropped below 37 a few times) and we switched Cisapride for Trimebutine and added Lactulose. Within a day and a half, her droppings increased in size and quality (they were moist) and she started eating hay again. I weaned her off the meds and she continued to do well.

A week after stopping meds, she's back in full stasis again. I started by just syringe feeding her the first night but when that wasn't enough, I added fluids, Metacam, Simethicone and Trimebutine. She's absolutely miserable, really unhappy with me but I don't know what choice I have. We have a vet appointment tomorrow for my other rabbits, I don't know if there's a point in bringing her along, my vet will give me more meds and fluids for her as he just saw her for the same problem, I just don't know if there's something else he can look at.

One thing I noticed during her previous stasis is that when I syringe fed Critical Care, she seemed to stop producing fecal droppings. When I syringe fed this formula, she seemed to improve a bit: http://www.fuzzieskingdom.com/herbs/remedies/syringe-feeding.html

The xrays got a good look at her jaw/teeth and her stomach and cecum (no visible obstructions) but not her lungs for some reason. She did have uterine cancer and it can spread to the lungs but the xrays taken when she was diagnosed showed no issues and she has no significant respiratory symptoms. Sometimes she makes a slight nasal grunt when I put her down on the floor, but I assume that's because there's some pressure on her chest.

I have no idea what's causing her GI issues but I'm worried there's something serious going on. It doesn't seem normal to me that a rabbit be in stasis this long without good reason. I think the decreased hay consumption is a symptom, not the cause of her stasis so I really don't think it's her teeth. She's never had a fever and her WBC is normal, so we don't think there's an infection either.

Does anyone have any ideas on what else we could look at?

 

[JBun]

Did the vet do any testing for liver and kidney function, urinalysis? Before all of this started, was she being fed pellets as well, or just the hay and veggies?

If she was doing better on the other food mix, then I would feed that to her instead of the critical care.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

I'm at my whits end and I don't know if I'm missing something.

I have three rabbits - a bonded pair and Chantale, an adult female.

Chantale was originally a foster rabbit I brought home from the local SPCA. She had uterine cancer so she was spayed a few weeks later and I eventually adopted her. Her surrender forms listed her as 2 years old so she's probably 3 or older now.

She's free range in my bedroom 22 hrs/day (she's in a cage when my rats are out) and gets unlimited grass hay and plenty of veggies. (Romaine, leaf and Boston Lettuce, dandelion, corriander, parsley, dill, spring mix, arugula, carrot tops, bok choy, brocoli, cauliflower, kale, fennel, peppers, Belgium endive, raddichio, etc.)

On the evening of Jan. 28, I noticed some Chantale's poops were a little small. I wasn't overly concerned because there were lots of droppings in her litter box and most of them were normal. The next night, there were none. I also realized that although her veggie consumption remained normal, her hay consumption was almost nil. I had recently opened a new box of Timothy but I generally mix 3-4 types of hay and switching has never been an issue.

I syringe fed her that night and the next morning there were no droppings again. I took her temperature when I syringe fed her and in the morning and it was normal. I called the vet, started fluids and Metacam and took her in the next day. The vet prescribed Metacam, Cisapride, Ranitidine and Simathicone. When her temperature dropped below 38 on the weekend, we added Metronidazole. She was also getting sub-q fluids, papaya tablets and Benebac.

For three weeks, her temperature continued fluctuating and she continued eating some veggies but no hay. She would stop producing fecal droppings on and off and when she did, they were dry. She's not a rabbit that sheds a lot and I haven't found significant amounts of fur in her droppings. Two visual exams and an xray showed no dental issues. She had blood taken and there was nothing abnormal. She remained relatively happy and active throughout this time, no signs of pain, although she was moderately stressed and depressed by all the treatments.

At the end of the third week, I felt like she was deteriorating (her temperature dropped below 37 a few times) and we switched Cisapride for Trimebutine and added Lactulose. Within a day and a half, her droppings increased in size and quality (they were moist) and she started eating hay again. I weaned her off the meds and she continued to do well.

A week after stopping meds, she's back in full stasis again. I started by just syringe feeding her the first night but when that wasn't enough, I added fluids, Metacam, Simethicone and Trimebutine. She's absolutely miserable, really unhappy with me but I don't know what choice I have. We have a vet appointment tomorrow for my other rabbits, I don't know if there's a point in bringing her along, my vet will give me more meds and fluids for her as he just saw her for the same problem, I just don't know if there's something else he can look at.

One thing I noticed during her previous stasis is that when I syringe fed Critical Care, she seemed to stop producing fecal droppings. When I syringe fed this formula, she seemed to improve a bit: http://www.fuzzieskingdom.com/herbs/remedies/syringe-feeding.html

The xrays got a good look at her jaw/teeth and her stomach and cecum (no visible obstructions) but not her lungs for some reason. She did have uterine cancer and it can spread to the lungs but the xrays taken when she was diagnosed showed no issues and she has no significant respiratory symptoms. Sometimes she makes a slight nasal grunt when I put her down on the floor, but I assume that's because there's some pressure on her chest.

I have no idea what's causing her GI issues but I'm worried there's something serious going on. It doesn't seem normal to me that a rabbit be in stasis this long without good reason. I think the decreased hay consumption is a symptom, not the cause of her stasis so I really don't think it's her teeth. She's never had a fever and her WBC is normal, so we don't think there's an infection either.

Does anyone have any ideas on what else we could look at?

---rabbits are strict herbivores,,that given the teeth/mouth must be in good working order..diet must be 70%-grasses-ie.timothy/orchard,with a small amount of quality pellets+,-lots of water..now if there are small or no poops here is a link that will help http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html no poops is serious as the gi tract must be kept functioning at optimum speed--let us know what helps.--sincerely james waller--ink iris::happybunny::community:

 

[molly]

Did the vet do any testing for liver and kidney function, urinalysis? Before all of this started, was she being fed pellets as well, or just the hay and veggies?

If she was doing better on the other food mix, then I would feed that to her instead of the critical care.

Kidney and liver function were looked at in the blood analysis. No unrinalysis because her urine is normal (not dark, doesn't smell abnormal, no sludge) and her bladder showed no sludge in the xrays.

She ate pellets when I fostered her but when I decided to adopt, I weaned her off. She used to get 1/8 cup per day or less until early November. She never had GI issues prior to this and had consistently large, healthy fecal droppings.

I am feeding the other syringe feed formula, I just thought it may be significant so I mentioned it.

 

[molly]

---rabbits are strict herbivores,,that given the teeth/mouth must be in good working order..diet must be 70%-grasses-ie.timothy/orchard,with a small amount of quality pellets+,-lots of water..now if there are small or no poops here is a link that will help http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html no poops is serious as the gi tract must be kept functioning at optimum speed--let us know what helps.--sincerely james waller--ink iris::happybunny::community:

I know you quoted my text but did you bother reading it?

 

[JBun]

It could be that the carbs and sugars in the critical care food, was adding to her stomach upset, so I'm glad you have this alternative food.

My rabbit that had stasis, kept getting it again until I figured out it was the pellets that were causing it. Once I took him off pellets he stopped getting it. With your rabbit not having pellets, and if you also don't give her any fruit, sugars, grains, or starches, the only way that I could think of for this to be food related and not health related, would be if one of the veggies she's getting might be causing gas and an upset stomach. I know turnip greens had caused an upset stomach with one persons rabbit that I know, so veggies can definitely be a culprit. Maybe try eliminating the veggies that could be causing gas, and just stick with feeding a few of the more mild leafy greens like leafy lettuce, parsley, and coriander. You may even have to cut back to a hay only diet if this doesn't stop the stasis, just to be able to rule out the veggies as being the possible cause. I can't think of any other diagnostic test that you haven't already had done. I really hope you are able to figure out the cause. I know how stressful it can be to have a rabbit going through stasis.

 

[tonyshuman]

I would try another bag of Timothy just for kicks. It might be bad in a way you can't perceive but she can, and it could be a simple preference issue for her. It sounds like you're doing a very thorough job of trying to figure this out. Was there anything else abnormal on the x-rays? I assume your vet would have told you if he saw or felt masses. Also, does giving her a pain med help? This is a really complicated case, and it sounds like you've eliminated most possible causes. It may be helpful to get additional diagnostics done, especially since she previously had cancer. It might be a good idea to visit your nearest vet school and get a CT or MRI done to look for abnormal growths. She could be not eating due to pain due to a tumor you can't see on x-ray or feel in a physical exam. Most tumors show up clear on x-ray, so if they are in a location where there normally would be a dark signal, you may not see them. The lungs are not the only place that tumors can metastitize to. We had a bunny with thymus cancer, and it looked like a slight enlargement of the heart on x-ray. I'm sorry I can't offer much more suggestions than to try a different bag of hay and get more advanced diagnostics done. I think she needs to see another vet since the one you see, who may be a fine vet, seems to have run out of ideas. A vet school or having a vet from the vet school consult with your vet (via phone if they're far away) may be helpful.

 

[molly]

I have tried different types of hay - I mostly give Timothy but I have two other types (orchard grass and mixed grass/clover hay from a friend's boyfriend's horse farm) that I mix in. I also got some mixed grass hay from the SPCA to try out. She nibbled on the SPCA hay a little more but not nearly enough. I'm really limited in other types of hay that I can get/give - I live in a city and don't drive and getting hay shipped from the states (Kleenmama, Sweet Meadow) is way too expensive.

When she came out of the first stasis, she went back to eating tons of hay, I don't think the hay is the cause but rather that she's not eating hay because it gives her an upset stomach.

I deal with stasis fairly regularly, I volunteer in the exotics department of a shelter with 70-100 rabbits at any given time and I will sometimes bring home sick animals in an emergency, stabilize them, and send them to another foster home. I also see the status reports and treatment courses of the rabbits in other emergency foster homes so I know what to do and what to expect and when to worry.

As soon as she started having issues, I cut out cruciferous veggies (those in the cabbage family - broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy) and recently I've really cut back fennel and peppers (mostly green) as well. I rarely give them anything sugary other than carrot or apple peels and even then, it's not even once a week. They used to get topinambour (Jerusalem artichoke root) but my male doesn't tolerate it well so it's cut out. Her diet right now consists of dark leaf lettuces, dandelion, herbs (dill, parsley, coriander), Belgium endive and kale. I'm not sure about the kale - it's recommended in the U of M article on stasis but it is in the cabbage family - she goes for it first though and I'm only giving her a few stalks per day. All of those veggies have been part of her diet since she arrived in July of last year and she's never had an issue.

*** I did feed fennel a fair bit before this week because it would entice her to eat (she does eat veggies when in stasis but her appetite decreases) but I've stopped because it's a little high in calories and I think carbs.

She has never shown signs of pain or discomfort (other than being miserable that she's getting force fed and sub q fluids) and the Metacam improved nothing. I give her the Simethicone daily because it's unlikely to cause side effects, but she's never had much gas.

We do have a vet school in town and the vet did say the next step is to get a CT scan. He's not recommending it at this point, he didn't even recommend the blood work but I was uneasy so I had it done. I can go to the vet at the school (my vet lectures there as well from time to time) but it's going to be another $400 and a lot of stress for her - I'm pretty sure it will be at least 6 hours to get there and back, maybe longer. I will spend the money if necessary, it's just been an awful year for vet emergencies and I want to make sure I'm not spending money on a pointless test and then I don't have money for something that one of my animals actually needs. (I don't know if that makes sense.)

My vet is not overly concerned because of her general condition otherwise (she always runs around the clinic exploring when we go) but he also said he's never seen a rabbit in stasis like this for so long. I'm going to talk to him again tonight, see if he's more concerned now that she's back in stasis. I haven't added the Lactulose back to her drug regimen because I'm trying to see if it was the Trimebutine, the Lactulose or both that helped her last time.

The reason I mentioned lung cancer is that uterine tumours often metastasize to the lungs and she had uterine cancer. I know she can have a tumour anywhere, I just think it's weird the stasis is the only symptom. I have a lot of experience with rats and tumours and even with the unusual ones, once you are aware of them, you often notice behaviour changes when you go back in your mind. That isn't the case with Chantale. I'm a hermit, spend most of my days with my animals... I try to be pretty attentive.

 

[tonyshuman]

Yeah, a CT scan is difficult. They have to do general anesthesia and usually intubate so it is a long day. It sounds like you have a lot of experience and know what to do. My bunnies love kale too but I have heard of it causing gas. It may be worth trying to eliminate, but since taking all the other gassy veggies out didn't do much, I don't know if it's likely to change things. I mentioned the other possibilities because pain in general can make a bunny not want to eat enough to keep the GI moving correctly. If her behavior is fine and her body condition is fine, you may not need to worry. However, we had a bunny with thymoma and he was completely normal, happy, running around crazy, until the week before he passed away. He hid it very well--we only found out because he would have sneezing fits and we had been through several treatments to try to get rid of them before we went to x-ray and saw the tumor. He lived with pretty significant tumor growth in his abdomen for around 6 months without complaint, and that's only after we found the tumor.

It can often take weeks for a bunny to get back to normal after a stasis bout. Some bunnies have to be on motility drugs or dietary supplements like probiotics for life. I don't think it's the best to have a bun constantly on motility drugs, this developed rather suddenly, and she was fine before the initial stasis bout, so I would be hesitant to think a slow GI tract is just her normal state of being. Have you looked into megacolon? It's a condition that can be genetic that results in low GI motility.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Mechanical_diseases/megacolon.pdf
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Differential/mega_differential.htm

Is there any chance she could have been exposed to a pesticide or herbicide? They can reduce GI motility. It's usually transient, but nerve damage could be involved. A final thing that you've probably already looked into is parasites but I want to mention it anyway. Also, have you tried canned pumpkin? It's a bit sweet but has a lot of good wet fiber.

This is a list of the possible things that can lead to stasis (ileus)
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Differential/generalities_ileus.htm

However it's possible that she'll need special gut management in her lifetime. Some bunnies are just different. I would hope getting the GI flora correct with pre and probiotics could get a bunny to a healthy state where they didn't need motility drugs, but I have heard of situations where that didn't happen.

 

[molly]

Thanks for the links. I have a fair understanding of what Megacolon does (I've learned so much keeping a mid-sized rat colony for years) and I'm pretty sure that's not a possibility. There's no bloating, no impaction, poops are consistent albeit small and dry. It also seems like Megacolon in rabbits it tied to the English spot gene? I should have mentioned before, Chantale is a harlequin rabbit that has many of the physical characteristics of a rex (she doesn't have a rex coat, just looks like one.)

Here are some pictures of her, the first is from last week when she started eating hay again (a photo worthy event!) and the second from a few months ago, 'helping' me organize rat hammocks:

It's almost like she has trouble drawing fluid into her intestines. She doesn't drink a lot of water out of her bowl, no matter what I do to encourage her.

I had debated whether to try canned pumpkin before but was too scared. I lost a rabbit last year to enterotoxemia - not because she was on antibiotics for months and had soft stools after a bladder stone caused a partial obstruction but because my apartment building had a fire alarm at 3 am that lasted hours and the new system was set so loud I thought my own ear drums were going to burst, even after I tied blankets around the speaker to muffle the sound. I knew that stress could kill a bunny but it didn't dawn on me and when she got violently ill the next evening there was nothing I could do to save her.

Ever since that awful experience, I've been super strict about their diets. Even more than I was before. I always wonder if she may have had a chance if I'd been able to get her soft stools under control or switched from oral abs to PenG. I'll see if I can find some pumpkin at the store, it's probably worth a try at this point.

I don't think she's been exposed to pesticides or herbicides unless there were excessive levels in their veggies or hay. We live on the 11th floor, my buns don't see the outside world unless they're going to the vet.

The vet said he looked at discussions on the exotic DVM boards this week about long GIS and the consensus is that it sometimes takes a month or two of motility drugs to get a bunny back to normal and the cause remains unknown. He did bring up a CT scan again but didn't advise it at this point. We do have another exotics clinic I like (my vet used to work there and I followed him when he left) but I they have the same diagnostic equipment my own vet does so I don't know how much more insight they'd have.

She seems a bit happier today than yesterday, she really got depressed when I started the fluids back up again. I think her droppings are improving but it's hard to say. We agreed with my vet to give her Trimebutine and Ranitidine for 4 weeks to see if that will help her get back to normal. If she shows signs of discomfort, has gas or her temp is too low I'll add the other drugs back in. If that doesn't work, I'll have to look into an ultrasound or CT scan for her.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

---rabbits are strict herbivores,,that given the teeth/mouth must be in good working order..diet must be 70%-grasses-ie.timothy/orchard,with a small amount of quality pellets+,-lots of water..now if there are small or no poops here is a link that will help http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html no poops is serious as the gi tract must be kept functioning at optimum speed--let us know what helps.--sincerely james waller--ink iris::happybunny::community:

---i added a link for support of molly,,-yes i read your issue.,-was my comment too short or you simply didnot understand it.??--just trying to help-no offense taken,--sincerely james waller--sounds like you are a very good mom..:agree:bunnieskiss:headflick:

 

[tonyshuman]

Megacolon is sometimes linked to the Spot gene, but it isn't exclusively found in spots or their relatives. There were a couple of Hotots who had it on the forum a while ago, and that breed was created from Spots. Not sure what breeds were mixed to create harlis. Sometimes the Hotots would have mushy poos, sometimes tiny poos, sometimes normal poos. It wasn't consistent and the disease often isn't consistent in what kind of poos it creates. I think megacolon is probably a number of problems combined into one, just like people used to talk about "rabbit snuffles," which isn't one disease but rather a symptom of several syndromes.

Are you weaning her off the lactulose gradually? I would assume that you are weaning all the drugs in a gradual manner, but just want to check. I have also heard what your vet said about stasis taking a long time to resolve. However, bunnies can become dependent on some of these GI stimulating drugs in order to function properly and weaning them off can also take a long time. If she's starting to eat hay, you might start weaning her off again. It's important to be really patient, and maybe if you have setback not returning to the starting point of the weaning off process, but instead to the most recent point you got to.

 

[molly]

Agh! My internet connection timed out.

I still don't think it's MC because there haven't been any issues with impaction but I'll look into it more.

I did wean her off the meds but over four days. I don't know if that was long enough. When she started eating hay, she had been on Lactulose for 4 days and Trimebutine two. I decreased force feedings and fluids quite quickly (she was eating tons on her own), stopped Simethicone, Metro and Metacam and halved the Trimebutine and Lactulose. After two days, I stopped the Lactulose and after another two I stopped the Trimebutine. She was fine for 4-5 days, then her poops got a little dry (but they were still a good size) and the next day they were smaller so I started syringe feeding again. The syringe feeding didn't change anything so I called the vet and started fluids, Trimebutine, Metacam and Simethicone.

When I stopped the Simethicone and Metacam the other day she got really gassy and she's still somewhat gassy even though I'm giving her some Simethicone again. I'm just tired and frustrated at this point. The last thing I want is for her to have long term issues, she' so young.

The vet said to only add the Lactulose back as a last resort... I don't know when that point is but I'm emailing him tonight.

 

[missyscove]

It sounds like you've got a tricky case on your hands (and a very cute little girl).

Any chance she could have eaten something that's causing a foreign body (something like fabric might not show up on radiographs). If she were a dog I'd want to see a barium study, but I don't know if we even do barium studies with rabbits.
Personally I'm not comfortable with a pellet-free diet because I like the comfort of knowing that all the micronutrients my rabbits need are in their pellet. The two of them share just 1/4 cup of pellets a day, and I look at it almost like a multivitamin so I know my bases are covered. If she's not eating well, I wouldn't cut out the veggies you feel are high in calories, she probably needs the energy.
Is she still getting the probiotic?

 

[JBun]

Pellets do make it easier for most rabbits to get the required nutrition, but some rabbits can't tolerate them. I have two mega colon rabbits. One can't have any pellets at all or he'll go into stasis, the other can have a very small amount of pellets, but with both rabbits, I have to be very strict with their diets or they will go into stasis. I'm also careful about what veggies I give them. I think @Ape337's rabbit Freckles, can't have pellets or certain veggies, because they cause stasis problems with him. So even though the veggies haven't caused problems for your rabbit in the past, rabbits can just develop problems with foods as they get older, and it isn't always the cruciferous veggies that can cause problems. So it is still a possibility that one or more of the veggies is causing the stasis.

It could also be as Christina mentioned, that some foreign object is causing the problem, or also, your rabbit may just need a longer period of time to be weaned off her meds.

A good way to know for sure if your rabbit has mega colon, is by it's poop. It will vary, normally, from large to small, and often be irregular shaped. Here are a couple pictures of the poop from my two mega colon rabbits. This is what their poops normally look like, and they often look more irregularly shaped like this, when they've been out running around.

 

[molly]

It sounds like you've got a tricky case on your hands (and a very cute little girl).

Any chance she could have eaten something that's causing a foreign body (something like fabric might not show up on radiographs). If she were a dog I'd want to see a barium study, but I don't know if we even do barium studies with rabbits.
Personally I'm not comfortable with a pellet-free diet because I like the comfort of knowing that all the micronutrients my rabbits need are in their pellet. The two of them share just 1/4 cup of pellets a day, and I look at it almost like a multivitamin so I know my bases are covered. If she's not eating well, I wouldn't cut out the veggies you feel are high in calories, she probably needs the energy.
Is she still getting the probiotic?

I wrote a reply before and lost it, so here goes again...

The decision to discontinue feeding pellets to my original two rabbits was not one that I took lightly because I too was worried about their health. I researched it and then discussed it with my vet and he explained that as long as they have enough fibre in their diet, veggies and their cecotrophes will provide them all the nutrients they need. My previous exotic vet in my home town recommends the same thing as do many AEMV member vets.

I give a wide variety of leafy veggies (I buy between 14 and 20 varieties per week) and different types of hay. None of my rabbits have issues keeping weight on, maintaining healthy muscle mass, poor coats, etc. Not to mention, I almost never see sludge in their pee, which I did even when feeding 1.5 tbsp of Oxbow Adult to each 5 lb. rabbit. In addition, as 'treats', I give a variety of products from this company 2-3 times per week: http://www.fuzzieskingdom.com/ and Oxbow Papaya Fruit Plus every day (I know there's no clinical evidence they work but they do seem to help).

You mentioned in another thread that you don't trust veggies to give them all the micronutrients but you're assuming that micronutrients in pellets survive processing and storage. I'm pretty sure most don't. Vitamins and minerals in
vegetables are much more absorbable than in pellets and are easier for the body to discard of if they get too much.

She normally eats tons of hay so she gets plenty of fibre, I am not worried about her lacking nutrients. She is the only bunny I have ever had whose cecotrophes I have never seen a trace of as well, indicating she probably had a healthy gut flora load prior to this.

I have also fed the exact opposite - unlimited hay, pellets and almost no veggies because that's what the shelter where we adopted them told us was best. They were not in as good a shape and developed health issues as a result.

I also frequently feed pellets (along with veggies and hay) to fosters because I know most adopters will and I don't want them to be shocked. I feed 1/8 cup or less, depending on the situation. I notice all of those rabbits eat much less hay than my own. Even my other female (another failed foster) needed regular molar trims until I adopted her. I weaned her off pellets and she started eating a ton of hay. When I just took her for her annual checkup and her molars were perfect, even though they needed to be trimmed every 6 months when she was at the shelter. More hay consumption increases the healthy bacteria in the gut, which in turn ensures cecotrophes contain everything a rabbit needs.

My last reason for not feeding pellets is this situation right here. Pellets are high in carbs (even Oxbow, which is the only pellet available in Canada that I will feed) and carbs are the last thing you want when you have a rabbit in stasis. If I had to wean her off pellets right now, it would put more stress on her system. Feeding pellets when the GIT rhythms have slowed is dangerous for most rabbits.

As far as feeding veggies high in calories, those same veggies would be high in carbs so I don't think that's a good idea. She is getting syringe fed several times a day, she is active and has maintained her pre-illness weight so I'm not very worried in that regard. She's eating 4-5 cups of leafy veggies per day, which is about her usual.

She is getting a probiotic (BeneBac gel) 2x a day, I didn't mention it because it's pretty standard and it's second nature for me to give it as soon as I see anything off.

It's possible she ingested fabric but a) it'd have to be a big piece to still be causing issues and not be digested, b) if it were very big it would be quite the feat to ingest it without choking, c) the vet didn't feel anything both times he palpated her and d) the stasis did clear up for almost a week. The only other foreign objects in my room are fairly rat safe so I don't think they'd pose that much risk to a bunny. Looking around there are wood chews, a Fisher Price keyring rattle, a few huts, a Busy Bunny grass mat...

I've had a barium test, I can't imagine putting a rabbit though that. I'd rather do the CT scan but I'm still not convinced of it's value (relative to the cons) at the moment.

Her temperature dropped to 36.6 two days ago so I emailed the vet. I asked about possibly tweaking a few things - one was limiting veggies to encourage her to eat hay (he said no) - but for now we're leaving things largely the same. I added Metro and I gave her pumpkin puree today and she seems to be tolerating it well. Hopefully it will make a difference.

@JBun

I know different rabbits tolerate different veggies and that they can change over time (I've seen it with my old man) but it doesn't seem to make a difference what I feed. During the first few weeks of the stasis she mostly ate herbs (coriander, parsley and dill), romaine and fennel. As time went on I introduced more veggies one by one but it didn't seem to make a difference. I'm not giving her fennel anymore (not forever, I'm just cutting back and not giving it every week because it's pretty high in calories) but I am giving her other leafy veggies - dandelion, kale, Belgium endive, leaf lettuce, escarole, endive. I don't feed the same veggies (although I do give lettuce most days) and there doesn't seem to be a difference from day to day.

I'll start keeping a journal though, I'm tired and there may be something I'm missing.

Her poops were always consistent in size before the stasis and are consistent now, although they are smaller than before. There are days when they get a bit bigger but then we have bad days and they get smaller again. I've given up counting them daily but I would say she has at least 100 per day right now.

Chantale still has a fair amount of gas despite the Simethicone. She's not hunched and doesn't seem to be uncomfortable but I can hear it and feel it. I know it's not supposed to be given long term (I don't know why though) but what's considered long term?

I'm also having trouble keeping her temperature up the last couple of days. At least she's cooperative and sits above the heating pad when I put her in the cage. (The cage is propped up off the floor and I have an electric heating pad underneath.) I'm popping in at the vet's tomorrow so I'll discuss it with him again.

 

[molly]

Update: The pumpkin seems to be helping a lot. I mix it with her syringe feed and water and she will even eat it on her own. I mixed up a days worth last night and spoon fed her some and she took it. I left the entire bowl out and it was gone in the morning - about 100 cc worth Her poops are bigger and moister and I haven't given fluids in the last day. She is having trouble with her temp but it seems like her temp is always lower when she's pooping lots (it seemed to happen last time also). She seems to nibble on hay now as well and is more pushy/opinionated, which is closer to her normal self.

I'm very happy, I hope she continues to improve. I'm unsure of when to try weaning her off the Trimebutine if she keeps on improving. *fingers crossed* she keeps getting better and stays that way.

 

[roxyllsk]

Glad to hear she's feeling better, I bet it's so frustrating ... keeping fingers crossed that she's over the hump !

 

[missyscove]

A pellet-free diet certainly can work (although most of us aren't able to get 15-20 kinds of greens a week, wow), but that it's challenging to do and that personally I'm just not confident enough. I feed Oxbow and I trust them as a company to do trials and nutritional analysis on their pellet for me so I know what I'm feeding my rabbit. Personally I wish I had access to a complete and balanced diet for humans!

My thoughts with ingesting fabric were that it could be something along the lines of when an animal will eat a piece of string and cause an intestinal intussusception, but I'm not sure you'd know about something like that without a barium study (again, I don't know if that's something we can even do in rabbits) or an exploratory surgery.

I'm glad to hear she's showing some improvement!