Lowies GI Stasis

Question
QUESTION: Hi again Dana.  Lowie is still alive and kicking, and eating and drinking.  He's getting greens twice a day, all the water he can drink, and we continue the cisapride and cyproheptadine twice a day.  However, despite all this, his poops remain small. What can you recommend to increase the size of his pellets?  I am going to keep him on the motility and appetite drugs until they run out.

Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for all your great advice Dana!

Anne
VB, VA

ANSWER: Dear Anne,

Small poops can be a sign that the GI contents are not adequately hydrated.  Please ask your vet about adding lactulose to Lowie's medications.  It might be wise to couple this with some degree of subQ fluid therapy, as lactulose is an osmotic laxative that will draw water from the body tissues and into the gut, hydrating the gut contents and making them softer and easier to pass.  But you don't want Lowie's body tissues to become dehydrated from this, so be sure he stays well hydrated as per your vet's instructions.

I hope that will help "jump start" things and get Lowie back on track.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Dana.  We have been giving him lots of water orally.  What is the difference between giving Lowie water orally versus sub-Q?

We gave him sub-q fluids last night and this afternoon.  Do you recommend giving them more frequently than twice a day?

Thanks again!

Answer
Dear Anne,

You can give a bunny a lot more fluid in one go with subQ than you can orally.  But the main difference with subQ is that the fluid *must* travel through the bloodstream and very likely to the kidneys to exit the body, unlike oral fluids, which may just pass straight through the gut, unless absorbed by the intestinal villi, into the bloodstream.

If you're trying to hydrate gut contents, then oral liquid is important.  But subQ fluids are also important to keep the bunny fully hydrated so that his gut contents don't hydate at the expense of his body tissues.

Total fluid intake for a mammal is about 10% of body mass per day, best given in 2-3 doses (not all at once!).  You don't want to give more than necessary, and the number of doses inj which you parse out the entire day's worth depends on the bunny's state of hydration and general health. For this, you should consult your vet, who has the best idea of Lowie's overall condition.

Hope this helps.

Dana