Digestive Issues

With a rabbits extremely delicate digestive system, a common problem that plagues pet owners and breeders alike is digestive issues. If a rabbit stops eating for over 24 hours, death can quickly ensue. So it is important to figure out what is going on with your rabbit and how to fix it before the digestive system stops completely, which is called GI Stasis, or Gastrointestinal Stasis.

The first step is to answer a few questions. Is the rabbit producing excessive amounts of manure? Is the rabbit not produces fecal matter at all? Does the rabbit have soft or runny poo? Does the fecal matter have lots of hair in it?

Excessive amounts of manure or soft/runny poo indicates diarrhea. If you determine your rabbit has diarrhea, remove all pellets and free feed as much hay as your rabbit will eat. Make sure your rabbit is drinking. I also give the rabbit BeneBac or ProBios, which is a probiotic containing beneficial bacteria that helps a rabbit with digestive issues. Dandelions often help with the process of eliminating runny poo as well. If your rabbit's symptoms become severe enough you may have to take your rabbit to the vet. Diarrhea is often caused by a diet high in sugar, energy, carbs, and too low in fiber. Keep that in mind to prevent further incidents if you feed a low fiber, high sugar/carbohydrate diet.

If the rabbit is not producing any fecal matter, it likely has GI Stasis. Symptoms of GI Stasis are: little to no fecal matter, lethargy, sitting in a hunched over position, diarrhea, no gut sounds, and refusal to eat for more than 12 hours. Infant gas drops (simethicone) are helpful, because the rabbit may have gas, which extra hay and BeneBac won't help. A rabbit with gas can also be in severe pain; so nothing will help until you get rid of gas. Pedialyte (administered via syringe) will help hydrate a rabbit. I use one cup clean water, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt. If the rabbit isn't eating either, I will add pellets, vegetable baby food, or canned pumpkin and syringe feed the rabbit. Fresh herbs, such as raspberry leaves, parsley, thyme, etc., can tempt a rabbit to begin eating as well.

Using the above suggestions, I have saved 9 out of 10 rabbits that suffered from digestive issues. But obviously, if you cannot provide the solution and your rabbit is not getting better, it is best to take your rabbit to the vet, or put it down humanely. It is our job as pet owners to make sure our pets are happy and healthy.