Aimee, a very sweet Dwarf Lop bunny, came to Westmoor because she had stopped eating and defecating for 24 hours. She initially had diarrhoea which seemed to improve, but then ceased to produce any faeces or eat anything at all.

When a bunny stops eating and pooing this is called gut stasis and can be very serious and potentially fatal. The passage of ingesta slows or stops resulting in impaction, causing the bunny to feel further unwell and resulting in a vicious cycle.

We performed X-rays and used a camera scope to look into Aimee’s stomach to check there was no obstructions. All we found was a hairball in her stomach but this is a normal finding in rabbits.

Aimee was admitted to hospital where she received intravenous fluid therapy, pain relief and gut stimulants to encourage ingesta along. She also received regular syringe feedings and exercise encouragement. Aimee had a lot of character whilst in hospital and kept gnawing out her fluid line! After a couple of days she started to eat on her own and was discharged. Her owner reports she is now back to her usual tricks pulling things off the coffee table!

There are lots of causes and contributing factors of gut stasis in rabbits including dental disease, pain and obesity. Diet is very important and bunnies should receive 80-90% hay with the remainder consisting of a small portion of pellets and fresh vegetables. If you notice a rabbit has stopped eating or defecating this is an emergency so is important to contact your vet straight away!