When Rabbits Get Sick: Buns' Bout With GI Stasis

WHEN RABBITS GET SICK: BUNS' BOUT WITH GI STASIS By Amy & Zach Phillips-Gary Sometimes living with a house rabbit requires you to be a detective. Silent as bunnies tend to be, you may not know they are sick unless you are paying close attention to clues. S/he cannot whimper, meow or chirp to alert you that medical attention is needed. Recently we had to play bunny detectives with our Dutch breed house rabbit Buns who became seriously ill with a condition known as GI Stasis. This is also called ileus. It indicates sluggish movement in the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to liver damage, even death. It is often misdiagnosed as hairballs or wool block. We hope that the following information and account of our experience with this serious house rabbit illness will help you collect your house rabbit's clues and track down culprits that endanger her/his health. For other house rabbit hints, facts, and stories, please visit http://www.rabbitinfocenter.com And remember, it is essential that bunny detectives work with their rabbit-knowledgeable veterinarians. The Case of Buns' Bout with GI Stasis Sunday 3pm: Weekly rabbit pen cleaning. Performed usual tasks: cleaned up multiple waste droppings, sprayed floor of pen with vinegar. Opened new bag of timothy hay, re-filled hay basket. Monday 1:11 pm: Note that Buns has not eaten usual amount of hay and find fewer waste droppings than usual in pen. Decide to record these clues and call our veterinarian who is experienced with rabbit care. Tuesday 10:00 am: Observe very few waste droppings in pen. Hay is still uneaten. We are officially worried. Tuesday 3:15 pm: Visit with rabbit specialist vet. Diagnosis is GI Stasis (aka ileus). Rabbit is given a shot to help stimulate digestive system and clear out gas. Improvement should be noticed by morning. Wednesday 8:00 am: No improvement noticed. Noticing loud crunching of teeth. Really really worried now. We call make another vet appointment. Wednesday 4:30 pm: Second visit with vet. Force feeding with Oxbow Hay Company's Critical Care formula is prescribed as well as another shot. Medicine in hand, we head home. Thursday 7:45 am: House rabbit Buns is starting to show improvement. He actually likes the Critical Care formula fed to him in a syringe and other medicine. Rabbit is even eating some pellets again as well as timothy hay cube treats. Friday and Saturday: Repeat force feeding and pills as prescribed by vet. Steady improvement of rabbit noted. Sunday 6:20 pm: Buns observed eating small amounts of timothy hay. More waste droppings in pen are also observed. We continue another day of "force feeding" though he loves the Critical Care formula. This house rabbit appears to be back on track. Case closed. We still don't completely understand what caused Bun's case of GI Stasis. With the help of our vet, we have some theories including the possibility of a "bad" batch of hay (Buns is known to be a picky eater). It could also have been the vinegar that was used to clean his pen. However, what we do know is that once a rabbit stops ingesting those vital grass hays, it doesn't take long for GI Stasis to take hold and, if left untreated, can quickly kill a bunny. More Information About GI Stasis: POSSIBLE CAUSES OF GI STASIS Stress Infections Dental Problems Urinary Tract Disorder: Gas Dehydration Unbalanced Diet SYMPTOMS OF GI STASIS Waste Dropping Abnormalities Loud tummy growling Lethargic No appetite. Crunching of teeth *To learn more about a rabbit's digestive system and dietary needs please visit http://www.rabbitinfocenter.com/dietandnutrition.htm