01/02/2022
GI Stasis (2): Quick Checks and "Prevention"
GI Stasis is the #1 killer for rabbits in the Philippines. As a page owner, almost 90% of consultation messages I get are stasis related. Why is that? Well it's really a secondary condition. Whether there's a dental issue, a bad diet, broken bones, or whatever condition that causes pain, it quite frequently ends up as a stasis issue as well. When there is pain, your rabbit will most likely stop eating and drinking.
As an owner I find that the best chance of recovery comes with very early identification or even some level of "prevention". Those are the owner tips I will discuss today. Hopefully they help you as they have helped me.
1) The P**p Test -- Rabbits have different p**ping habits. Most of them have a p**ping lull from late morning to afternoon, but it's important to know the normal p**p time and quantity. For example, if you have a rabbit that normally p**ps at noon, it merits a closer observation when that doesn't happen. If the p**p is 2-3 hours late, I usually worry already and I attempt some preemptive "first aid".
2) The Wet Pellet and Critical Care Test -- Like p**ping, there's usually an eating lull when your rabbits are sleeping. But how do you distinguish sleeping vs. sick? In my case, every 3-4 hours during this lull, I give a handful of wet pellets (about 8-9 Cuni Complete with 40 ml water and half a teaspoon of Apple Banana Critical Care). Why wet? I find that most stasis cases are also accompanied by dehydration. Why Cuni Complete? It has exellent water absorption. So it's good to sort of "force feed" this way. Sleeping or not, they will jump up for wet pellets. You can also use veggies for this purpose, but I find they jump up more with pellets. If they don't react, then I attempt some preemptive "first aid".
They won't always finish that water. In such cases, I use it again for my next pellet test. I usually give the smaller pellets since there's not much water left (like Sherwood Adult or Oxbow Garden).
3) The Flop & Posture and Location Test -- Bunnies have different sleeping positions, so it's important to know your babies' favoite positions. If they're always hunched or sitting (not flopping), then that merits a bit more observation. If they're staying somewhere new, that may be a sign too (i.e. sleeping on the litter tray). The signs are usually quite subtle, so you have to be good in detecting those.
And those are three simple things you can try to add to your rabbit care routine. While it has not been 100% fool proof in preventing stasis, these have helped me with early detection.
Good luck!
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