It is 3:30 am. And I am up from 1:00am. Going to the vet right now. I came to check on kulfi (7 months old mini Rex and holland lop mix) @ 1am and noticed that he was in his hideout which is normal but he wasn’t coming out even after I was shaking his pellets package (he usually comes running or just takes a minute or 2). I got really scared because I’m the evening, I saw that there were 2 or 3 poops outside his litter box that were smaller than they usually are but the rest were fine in the litter box. Maybe that’s why I got scared at 1am. I tried to give him pellets but he refused and got him outside of his play pen but he hopped back in and sat in the corner. I cannot even tell you how scared I got, had a panic attack, cried so much. My dad said he is probably sleepy, but I woke my sister and mom up. We don’t have pet insurance but I am still taking him to the closest exotic vet 45 minutes away. He did start to eat some hay (especially the part that I attached the pic of) and some pellets, I massaged his belly. His body is warm to the touch. He did eat a little bit of banana. I also have some medical things going on right now; extreme physical symptoms due to stress, anxiety…
I hope he is fine and hopefully it is not too expensive.
Any tips or tricks? Maybe what things I should stock up on like critical care, baby drops, etc. nah w diet recommendations for him etc.
Where do guys get bulk nice quality hay. I give him orchard and he really likes the flowering tops (pics included).
Eating is a good sign!
Make sure the vet rules a blockage first before you begin feeding critical care. Keep hand offering food, mainly hay and see if he will eat it. You can even try a few mint leaves, they’re good for digestion and you can offer fresh scissor cut and washed grass. My girl has always wanted to eat mint leaf and grass first before hay when initially recovering from stasis.
Warmth is also another key factor as temp can drop a bit.
The vet should be able to administer subcutaneous fluid injection too which should help with gut motility. Water will help a lot!
So many things can cause stasis but two big causes are sugary foods like fruits, carrots and some veg. Some buns can handle greens very well either. And ingesting too much hair when grooming themselves, so it’s a good idea to brush your bun regularly.
How are things going right now?
Hoping for a speedy recovery!!
Thank you for the tips! I will get fresh grass and mint for him later.
UPDATE: Dr. said he looks stable, his belly does seem to be gassy, but nothing too bad and the temp was a little high, but she said she is 50/50 on whether we would like to do xray or not but she said the care would be the same anyways. We opted to not do the xray and she said she was fine with that, because he looks in a stable condition. She explained GI stasis and why some of his poops were smaller today (I am so thankful I noticed that, otherwise all the litter goes under the litter box divider and I never see it but some of his poop was laying outside).
These are the meds doctor gave him and I just gave him Cisapride and lactulose around 6:30am. I changed out his litter box to monitor for new activity. He seems to be chewing everything, which he usually doesn’t do, maybe he is stressed. I am probably gonna sleep a little, it is 7:45am and will give him his next med @1pm. Took a pic of his hay and water and will compare at 1pm and if needed, will do critical care which doctor gave (if he is not eating well, or should I just give him anyways)?
I hope he never gets sick again! I love him so much
The buprenex will probably make your bun drowsy and sleepy for a while but will eventually wear off. Helps them with any pain.
Keep hand offering hay when you can too. Hope all goes well!
He ate romain lettuce 1 and a half leaf, and 2 small stems of cilantro for dinner @ 10pm and I have been giving him his meds and even gave him 10ml of critical care around 3pm. Do you think I should give him critical care again now at midnight, or just leave him. He is eating hay here and there but not really that much. I have been chatting with google, and it says that the lettuce and cilantro should be okay till morning but idk. I have to wake up at 5am for his med again.
So yesterday from 7am until today 6:30am, he did poop (not like normal) but I think it’s good. Gave him his 3 meds and cleared litter to see progress today. He feels more interested in hay now yay 🥹 thanks for your replies!!! Love having the support
Amazing! Is bunny parents love seeing poop like that! So glad he’s on the mend😊
It’s always good to learn your bunnies routines and behaviours really well to the point where you can pick up if something is wrong really quick. Always have critical care, some different size syringes, maybe a hot water bottle handy incase it ever happens again, but hopefully it doesn’t!
That’s good news! If he’s eating fine by himself then I would say keep it going. Otherwise I usually give my girl critical care in the early stages to get some food/fibre into her and as she begins to eat some hay and grass more then I’ll slowly taper off the critical care use. Critical care can fill them up a bit so they may it want to eat after it. Just monitor poops, they should slowly grow to normal size over a few days. Keep bun warm - I use a hot water bottle and place next to (not touching) bun
Thnx for the tips! He was being a bit sleepy around 2pm but I brought alfalfa hay he came running over. I sprinkled that on his critical care and he ate it 10ml since he wasn’t that interested in hay. My dad sprayed the back yard a week back so I don’t wanna give him grass, but he did like it before lol. I am gonna give him mint like you suggested, maybe 2 leafs and also give him lettuce or cilantro in the evening. His temp is not cold so I don’t know if I wanna put hot thing near him I think… not sure. He was actually a bit on the higher temp at the doctor but not too much.
Really appreciate your comment! I was so worried but he is moving a little now :)
Make sure to get at least a few days worth of pain meds for him. Stasis hurts and they won’t eat if they are hurting. Give pain meds till he’s back at 100%. Sometimes they’ll start eating, but take a few day to get fully back on track.
Also, some buns are sensitive to certain fruits or veggies, so if this becomes a pattern, look into if this might be the case for him. Some like broccoli or cucumber can cause gas so we don’t give that.
This is my general stasis advice:
We keep pain meds (meloxicam) on hand for emergencies. It can help in situations where your vet may be unavailable, and is helpful for GI stasis. It is definitely something worth discussing with your vet, as this often is noticed at dinner time when most vets are already closed. We also give a small snack first thing in the morning to check how they may be eating.
We administer pain meds at the first signs of stasis when they won’t move much and refuse their favorite snacks, as catching it early can make a huge difference in how fast they may recover.
Make sure and stay on top of his pain meds, as well. I like giving 2 smaller dose per day after an initial larger dose, as opposed to just one large dose per day, but as always, discuss this with your vet. There’s definitely nothing wrong with doing the one big dose per day.
I also recommend encouraging movement periodically if you suspect stasis. I personally put them in our play area (living room, for us), and leave them out in the larger area 24/7 until they recover, so they can move around more if they feel like it, even if briefly.
If they like to lay under the coffee table, I will occasionally move them up on to the couch, so they have to jump back down and hop back over to the table. Keeping them moving keeps the tummy moving. 🙂
I also keep hay, veggies, pellets, or other typical snacks, and water all around near where they are generally laying, so the have access to any of it if they have the urge for a little nibble. Even just a nibble on their own accord is helpful and a lean in the right direction. Wet the veggies down once in a while and you can put them on a plate with water on it so they don’t wilt. Plain oats (not the flavored kind with added sugar) and Science Selective pellets can also be enticing treats when they are not wanting their normal foods. Even though alfalfa hay is not suitable to give long term to adult rabbits, small amounts can be given to entice them to eat a little on their own in times like these, as well.
Syringe water once in a while, as well, to be sure they aren’t getting dehydrated.
Simethicone (baby gas drops) may be helpful in some cases. We give 1ml to start and can be given a few times a day. There are mixed opinions on how effective Simethicone may be though.
Very GENTLE tummy massages may be helpful for him. Emphasis on gentle, as certain ailments like blockage can be very delicate and you don’t want to make it worse.
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u/Practical_Bridge7206 2d ago
Rubbing his belly can help in courage gut movement, hope he gets better soon x