Urgent, need help with diet re: GI stasis

[beanbun]

Hi everyone,

First time posting here! We found our bunny Bean on the side of the road about two months ago. She has been through a lot -- her hind legs were broken and never reset/treated, her ears were chewed off, and she has what seems to be permanent bald spots around her ear "stumps" and eyes. Needless to say she has a lot of character and we have grown to love her dearly in a short time. We are very experienced dog and cat rescuers but this is our first bun.

Yesterday morning she was not eating -- VERY unusual for her. I knew about GI stasis so we took her to the emergency vet right away. They did an xray and listened to her gut, checked her teeth (they're fine) and diagnosed stasis on the spot. They kept her overnight and gave her fluids, motility drugs, baytril, critical care, and pain meds. We picked her up this afternoon and while she is not out of the woods she has certainly improved a lot and seems to feel better. We are now watching her closely and continuing with home care -- the meds, syringe feeding, etc.

My question is this: I have received A LOT of conflicting information from vets, vet techs, and online about what kind of diet is best for a stasis-prone bun. Some people, including two vets at the ER, are telling us to restrict leafy greens and encourage her to eat pellets. This seems counterintuitive to me. Wouldn't the greens do more for her gut than the pellets? She does LOVE her pellets, but I figure they offer no hydration and are just a lot of condensed dry matter -- is that really what she needs? My lay person logic and instinct says she'd do better with more fresh veggies to loosen things up. Is this totally incorrect? Why is the vet telling us the pellets are the best thing? Aren't they the most unnatural of all the foods available to her (hay, veggies, pellets)? I would think a wild rabbit's diet would be closer to hay + veggies. Also, she was eating plenty of pellets when the stasis hit her, so doesn't it make sense that they could have contributed to the problem?

We are also giving her orchard hay which she is sort of casually interested in but doesn't seem to enjoy consuming in large quantities. The pellets are Nature's Promise Timothy Pellets. Are these okay?

Please advise, I am so confused here. I'm not convinced these vets really know what they're talking about! I don't want to keep offering a generous amount of pellets if they are harming her, and I don't want to restrict the fresh produce if it will help her!

Thanks in advance!

 

[JBun]

Not all vets are very knowledgeable about rabbits. What changes to make for a rabbit that has had stasis is going to depend on what caused it. Many things can cause a rabbit to get stasis, dental problems, other health problems, stress, molting and ingesting a lot of fur, not enough fiber in the diet, an intolerance to a certain veggie or food, too many carbs and sugars in the diet.

Have you figured out what caused her stasis and has it happened more than this one time? What ever caused it though, hay, and usually non cruciferous leafy veggies, are the best thing to give a rabbit to help bring them out of stasis and get them back to normal. This is because of what stasis is in the first place. It's a slowdown of the digestive system with an overgrowth of bad bacteria. Feeding pellets that contain grains and sugars just feed this bad bacteria, where as hay and leafy veggies have moisture and fiber that get the GI tract moving. So any vet that is recommending pellets for a rabbit in and coming out of stasis, doesn't appear to understand stasis very well. The only time I would suggest feeding pellets to a stasis bun, is if it absolutely won't eat anything else and/or there is nothing better available. But feeding greens to a stasis bun can be tricky too, as sometimes certain veggies will cause a rabbit to go into stasis. Most often I have found that a cruciferous veggie has been the cause of this happening, including leafy ones. So as long as you avoid all cruciferous veggies and stick to very basic and easily tolerated leafy greens like dark leafy lettuce, cilantro, parsley, carrot greens, then they are really good and beneficial to give to a rabbit with a stasis problem, as the moisture is very helpful. Often leafy greens are the first thing a rabbit will eat when coming out of stasis, and may be the only thing it will eat at first. When my rabbit developed stasis from the stress of being in a new home, I was syringe feeding critical care food mix for the first few days, but the first thing he would start eating on his own were carrot greens, parsley, and green leaf lettuce. In fact he wasn't used to hay and wouldn't touch it. But as he started eating pellets again, he ended up in stasis a few weeks later. This happened a couple times before I figured out it was the pellets causing the repeated bouts with stasis. Once I stopped the pellets, he didn't have stasis again. I tried reintroducing different types of pellets very slowly, but each time he started showing signs of discomfort. So I stopped trying pellets altogether and he has been fine since. I have three rabbits that are sensitive to the carbs and sugars in pellets and treats. The one rabbit can't have any or he'll get sick, the other two can have a very small amount and they are ok. I've found that hay is the best thing for these rabbits as it keeps their digestive system moving well, along with a few specific veggies, and it just depends on the individual rabbit whether or not pellets have to be eliminated or just reduced. So if you suspect that the pellets are the cause of your rabbits stasis, you could try reducing pellet amounts, and just make sure she is making up for it with increased hay consumption. Then keep a really close eye on her poop and behavior after eating pellets. My only indication of my rabbit being uncomfortable, was him laying on his belly with his back feet tucked under and his butt pushed up a little, and squinting his eyes. It was hard to tell, but I knew there was just something off about his behavior. Also their poop can be a good indication of a problem. Smaller than usual, irregular, or mushy poop, indicates a digestive problem.

These are some of the better links I've found on stasis.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.pdf
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=484#.UZ8FPbx7LTo.twitter

 

[beanbun]

JBun, THANK YOU so much for your reply! Everything you said makes total sense and honestly backs up my own intuition about the situation. I am highly suspect of the pellets. She has seemed to develop more of a liking for the pellets over the past month... maybe it was that combined with the molting that triggered this bout. We have reduced the pellets but now I'm tempted to withhold them altogether at least until we are through this crisis... maybe permanently, too. I completely agree about the starchiness not being good for them -- it makes so much sense. And we don't know her history since we rescued her in June so who knows how and what she was eating before she came to us.

We have been unable to identify a cause of the stasis. The molting/pellets thing is my best guess. Xrays revealed no blockage, no mass, and dental exam revealed no overgrown teeth.

She had some decent poops overnight and early this morning. A bit small in size but a definite huge improvement overall. I have not seen many (any?) new poops in about 9 hours now, but she is very interested in her veggies and hay and seems to be feeling better overall. I am really eager to see some more poops show up, though, for peace of mind.

She is on baytril, tramadol, reglan, another gut drug (begins with a C), critical care, and benebac.

It makes me so frustrated when the vets go around dispensing erroneous advice. I asked VERY explicitly about the pellets question/issue and it almost seemed like they didn't comprehend what I was saying... they just sort of regurgitate what sounds like a canned response -- that pellets provide good fiber and the fresh veggies should be offered more as a treat in very limited quantities. But they don't seem to "get" my point about the pellets being extremely dry/dense/starchy vs the natural fiber AND hydration and other nutrients that the fresh greens provide. It's so weird.

Anyway we don't know if she has gone into stasis before but based on the fact that she seems to show signs of having been severely neglected in the past, I kind of doubt it -- only because it seems like a person who would allow her to break both her legs, have her ears chewed off etc and not treat any of that would never bother to nurse her through something like stasis.

So thank you again for your reply. We have just removed the pellets from her feeding area and are going to watch and wait and will continue with all the meds and critical care. I will post again with any updates!

 

[JBun]

Well, you did a great thing rescuing this little bun. She's in a good home now, where she'll be loved and cared for.

You'll usually get the best advice on rabbit diet and care, from good exotic vets, but even then it can vary. I've almost found that you have to become self educated in rabbit care and illnesses, to even know if your vet is good or not. There just don't seem to be a lot of experienced rabbit vets out there. I think the UK is a little bit better because rabbits are a very common pet there.

When my rabbits have had a digestive upset, or signs of stasis, I'll pull pellets completely(or just feed a pinch just to see when they start eating them again) and cut out treats, and only feed hay and leafy greens. I don't want pellets in there complicating things and possibly making it worse. With removing pellets you do have to keep an eye on the hay and veggie consumption to make sure they are eating on their own. If you are finding that she doesn't like the orchard hay very much, you can try a different kind like timothy, Bermuda, coastal, or meadow. But it may just be she was filling up on pellets and just didn't have room for much hay.

 

[jemm]

Good for you beany, hope it all works out, would love to see some pics of the little one

 

[beanbun]

Thanks so much to both of you! Yes, I will have to hunt around to find a decent rabbit vet here in Tucson. I will indeed continue to self-educate. Forums like this are so helpful in that regard.

Since we took away her pellets she is continuing to eat her hay and greens. She actually does seem more interested in the hay than usual. I think you're right and she may have just been loading up on pellets and not bothering with the hay previously.

Since I last posted she pooped a little! Maybe 15 or 20 pellets max, still small but I'm so happy things are still moving through!

Here is a before/after photo of her... Of course the poor thing is looking a bit more like the "before" photo again at the moment thanks to all the stress and messy syringe feeding (we are learning as we go), but I am hopeful that she will be back to her plump and silky self in the near future. The photo is from the day we found on her on the side of the road, and two months later (a week or two ago).

 

[PaGal]

She looks so regal in her after picture and is a very lucky bun to have found a home with you.

I know how worrying it can be when a bun is not interested in eating and having GI issues.

 

[DogCatMom]

You used the term "molting."

Is the bunny an Angora or Angora cross? (I can't tell from the photos.)

If so, look around the Internet (or maybe this site; I just joined yesterday and am not yet familiar with all of the info available) for Angora breeders' practices re. "wool block," sometimes spelled as one word, "woolblock."

 

[JBun]

Poor little thing looks so beat up when you got her. But it doesn't look like it stopped her from settling in nicely. She looks really healthy now. Can she get around ok with her previous leg problems?

Her fecal poop should get back to looking more normal now that she is eating her hay really well. Is she pretty much eating on her own now or are you still having to syringe feed?

There are these rabbit vet listings. Don't know if they'll help at all.
http://www.bhrabbitrescue.org/vet.html
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/az-rabbit-savvy-vets-10067/

 

[beanbun]

DogCatMom, I am no expert when it comes to rabbit breeds! She doesn't seem to be an angora/cross to me, but I could be wrong. Her coat has a speckled or sable look to it, is short but fairly silky. I thought "molting" refers to the regular cyclical shedding cycle in rabbits in general -- is it a breed-specific term?

JBun, she has settled in SO well! She does have some mobility issues. She can move quickly when she needs or wants to but the movements are clumsy and awkward. We are just now getting to the point where we are letting her out in an x-pen for real exercise time during the day. I am 7 months pregnant so we had a bit of a quarantine period after we first found her. She nips occasionally and I didn't want to end up with a bite and have to take antibiotics while pregnant. It is now clear that she is relatively healthy and also learning to trust us, so we are moving forward with more physical activity and socializing/bonding. She is feisty but seems to have such a sweet little heart. She LOVES to have her forehead pet and will run up to me when I approach and demand affection. I have totally fallen in love with her!

Her poops really seemed to improve today after I took the pellets away. She is eating her veggies (which we are wetting with water before offering) and hay and seems to be enjoying it all. So we are syringing the meds still but I'm cutting back on the critical care since she really does not seem to like it and spits a lot out. I'll give it again tomorrow but right now she is eating a good amount and seems quite perky -- almost normal!

My husband and I have worked out a good system for administering the meds -- I'm on "burrito duty" and he does the actual syringing. We seem to have successfully reached some kind of agreement with her -- she tolerates this well and we reward her lots after with pets and veggies!

Edited to add -- JBun, thank you for the vet listings! That is helpful since we are new to Tucson!

 

[jemm]

Nice photos beany, she looks areal cutie, I hope she continues to improve looks like you're doing a great job :highfive: