stasis

[Aki]

So, yesterday my two bunnies were fine. I called them to eat their vegetables and they came and were eating when I left them.
This morning, Aki (my 6 year old kinda nethie) didn't come for her pellets and she stayed a bit hunched in a corner. I immediatly called the vet, because... we all know the dreaded signs that something is just not right.
He saw her and she had Xrays. So, her stomach is too full - it's stasis. He gave her a shot of metacam and of something for gut mobility and sent me home with the metacam, the gut mobility thing and a paste carrot-flavored which is supposed to give her fibers. he told me to massage her tummy 4 times a day. I gave her the fiber thing when I went home and she ate it. I put hay freaking everywhere in her room...
What else can I do ? I'm completely freaking out - she's my baby and her diet is supposedly perfect, with lots of hay and fresh vegetables and just a bit of high quality pellets. How could she get gut stasis?
Should I give her water too? Or juice?
The thing is , I have no idea if she poops at all or not or when she last did because she lives with another rabbit. I thought about separating them so I could know, but I'm afraid it's going to stress her out more and make it worse.
I was supposed to go to my parents tomorrow for the holidays (ten days). I was supposed to leave my rabbits at home with someone coming twice a day to feed them. It's not an option anymore, but I don't know if I can bring my rabbits wih me. It's 2 hours of train (and 20 mn walking until the train station and 15 mn of car with my mother afterwards - I don't own a car). I'm afraid that the travel is going to stress her out too much. I'm considering just staying at home, but it would be problematic, as one of my sister made a suicide attempt last night and is now hospitalized - because bad things never come one at a time.

The vet didn't seem very worried and told me that Aki should recover, but all the things I read on the Internet seem to say otherwise.
I would appreciate any input. Thank you.

 

[stevesmum]

Wow your rabbit has pulled the classic "I'm gonna get sick just in time for a major holiday or weekend, when you have plans to leave me". I feel for you. I would definitely give water if she will let you, and try hand feeding choice pieces of hay and her most favourite greens ( just a bit). I find that shoving hay in their face at regular intervals can get them to eat sooner. Also try to keep her warm by putting a warm water bottle next to her if her companion isn't snuggling her. I'd avoid juice if possible, sugar makes things worse. Any major stressors like taking her on a trip or bringing in a stranger for caregiving could set her recovery back. Is there any way to delay your trip a couple days? I hope everything works out for you! Good luck

 

[Aki]

Thank you for your reply. Yes, the timing really made me wonder what I did to deserve that. On the other hand, it was probably better she pulled the sick thing today than after my departure (or on the 24th-25th when all the vet offices will be closed ^^').
I think you're right about the stress, so I decided to delay my departure and took a train ticket for saturday afternoon. I hope in the meantime I can decide if it is better to take the rabbits with me or to leave them to the care of someone else.

I gave her the paste which is supposed to be fibers twice already, I syringe fed her water twice too and I just gave her the thing supposed to help with gut mobility. She fussed a lot but took everything in the end. I put hay and wet greens EVERYWHERE but the other rabbit is eating it all...
I massaged her the best I could everytime I gave her something too and she seemed to like it.
I don't think she's eating, but aside from that she looks surprisingly normal. She's washing herself and running away in fear when she sees me (the power of syringe, I guess ^^). She's been snuggling with her husbunny in their little house or in the big cardboard box they have all day, she doesn't seem to be cold.

I try not to raise my hopes up. It's hard seeing her so incredibly normal and trying to prepare myself for the fact that she could not recover from it (even if, of course, I'm glad that the metacam seems to do its job).

I bought some baby food (100% carrot). Can I try giving her some? I thought it could help hydrate her... The vet actually didn't talk to me at all about syringe feeding her something else than the meds and I was so frazzled I forgot to ask...

 

[Azerane]

If her stomach is already full and impacted or blocked, you don't really want to be syringe feeding as it can make it worse by causing a bigger build up. If you could separate them just with a play pen fence, it would be helpful for you to see if she is eating/pooping etc. But they can still have limited interaction through the bars. It sounds like she's improving with her behaviour, but you really need to be sure that she's pooping and eating.

 

[Aki]

Yes, she looks a lot better than this morning, but I guess it's just the pain med taking effect. She hates the syringe, but luckily, she drank all her meds once I succeeded in getting her to stop moving for a second.

I don't really have anything like a play pen. I thought about putting her in their cage (they have a cage, but it's kept open, as they have their own room) but then I got worried that she would move around less and then stimulate her gut movement even less. I guess I could put her husbunny in the cage, even though he probably wouldn't take it very well. I am very much torn between the need to know what she eats / poops and the fear of making her worse by changing something and stressing her out.

 

[stevesmum]

No I would leave them together. I think she will pull through, just give it time. She needs him for the support. If she does poop it will probably be small and hard little things anyway, not the healthy round ones. Don't give anything with a lot of sugar, like carrot food. I guess you could mix in a little with the pellet slurry though.

 

[Aki]

Thank you for your kind words, stevesmum. Yes, I figured the poops she would make would be weird looking for a while. I saw her hop in the litterbox, but I figured it was a desperate attempt on her part to avoid my loving care (something like : 'you wouldn't dare to bother me while in my litterbox, WOULD YOU?').
So, you think I should feed her some pellet slurry? I read tons of threads and articles all day about stasis and I came with about 50% telling me to syringe feed her pellet slurry / canned pumpkin / critical care and 50% saying that you shouldn't syringe feed anything to a bunny with stasis because it could add to the blockage. The two options sound logical to me : on one hand, I worry that her guts can't move if her stomach is empty and about her losing strenght (her weight was completely normal this morning, but I know rabbits can weaken fast), on the other hand, if she's not pooping, I don't think she needs more things in her belly.
God, it's so hard to try to make the "good" decision. And I really hope she pulls through, first and foremost because I love her to death (she's a little monster, horribly stubborn and a neat freak and she's just the greatest rabbit ever - she should get to die at 90 years old in her sleep), but also because with her sudden illness, I'll get to spend Christmas completely alone nursing her instead of going to my parents... I can live with that if she gets better, but it will be truly horrible if she dies on me. The things we do for them... ^^

 

[stevesmum]

Well, did the X-ray show a blockage? Because if so no we're not supposed to feed them. But I think the vet would be a heck of a lot more concerned if that were the case. Did he give you directions for feeding, or provide you with critical care? Also, did he give you anything for pain? Gas is painful, and bunnies with pain don't want to eat. Keep us posted.. Every rabbit deserves to live til they're 90

 

[Aki]

No, there was no blockage on the x-rays. I was given metacam for the pain, to give her once a day, and I massage her belly 4 times a day. She doesn't seem to be in pain this morning, she is moving around and doesn't stay hunched like yesterday morning. I wasn't told anything about feeding her and wasn't given critical care. I know about it and should have asked, but I was completely out of it (I received a phone call telling me one of my sister was in the hospital after a suicide attempt at the same time I noticed something was off with Aki - Merry Christmas, they say...) and I didn't think about it.
On the bright side, I saw her eating some hay yesterday night. And i saw her hoping in the litter tray this morning. She's not doing anything yet, but I'll take what I can get... She took her meds this morning too. She tried to scratch / bite me and pointedly washed herself after I touched her which kinda reassured me - I felt like crying yesterday when she didn't mauled the vet's hands : when she's her normal self she's a MONSTER with strangers.
So, well, I'm feeling cautiously optimistic for now. ^^

 

[Aki]

Just an update to say that Aki is eating hay and drinking water again. I saw her pooping too, so I think she's almost recovered ^^. I'm very relieved...

 

[stevesmum]

Awesome !! Merry Christmas to you and your fur babies !

 

[flemishwhite]

Just an update to say that Aki is eating hay and drinking water again. I saw her pooping too, so I think she's almost recovered ^^. I'm very relieved...

I was really happy to read this. I lost a beloved bunny to GI statis.

 

[Aki]

Thank you! My problem now is that I'm supposed to go on a 8 day trip at my parents house in 2 hours. I am torn between leaving the rabbits at home, with my petsitter coming twice a day, to avoid stressing them out with the travel (I go by train and it's a 3 hours trip) and taking them with me so I can monitor Aki - she's pooping but her eating habit aren't 100% normal yet. I really don't know what to do. If she relapses while I'm away, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself but I'm afraid the trip would stress her out and make her sick again. That stasis really has rotten timing...

 

[stevesmum]

I would leave them at home and stay in touch with the pet sitter at least daily. Much less stressful for your bunny, sick or not sick. Rabbits do best in their home.

 

[Aki]

In the end, I decided to leave them at home, as Aki looked really stressed out by her visit to the vet and all. I was really worried about leaving her, but the petsitter says she's doing very well and is eating and hoping around, so I guess it was the best solution. Thank you!