Your rabbit's litter tray is one of the best indicators of his general health status... happiness is a nice pile of rabbit raisins!

Healthy rabbit guts contain the right type of food (high fibre, moderate protein, low starch); constantly moving through the system; and a healthy bacterial population in the large bowel. If any of these things change then rabbits can die within hours. Any or all of the following may occur with or without diarrhoea.

fluid shifts causing dehydration and shock
toxins released inside the gut
pain
disturbance of bacterial flora.
electrolyte (salt) disturbances

WHAT CAN GO WRONG

There's an enormous number of nasty-sounding diseases that can affect rabbit guts, but very few of them are important in adult houserabbits. The commonest cause of GI problems in companion rabbits is if the gut slows down and stops - gastrointestinal stasis or "ileus".

Baby rabbits, on the other hand, are very susceptible to tummy upsets, for a number of reasons. Their gut bacteria not be fully established after weaning; diet is likely to be changed and there is the stress of leaving mum and going to a new home. Bunnies in pet shops have an additional change of environment to cope with which increases the risk of GI problems.


GI stasis

Sometimes rabbit guts simply stop moving. There's nearly always an underlying cause - pain; dental problems; hidden infection; general debility. "Fur balls" are often diagnosed in rabbits with GI stasis, but it's more likely that fur has accumulated in a sluggish gut rather than causing the problem in the first place.

If a rabbit develops GI stasis, the droppings become small and miss-shapen over a few days and the appetite gradually reduces. Once the gut has come to a standstill ("ileus") the rabbit will be very quiet; pass little or no faeces, and may show signs of abdominal discomfort.

If your bunny stops eating, it's an emergency. You must get your rabbit to a good rabbit vet as soon as possible. He'll need intensive supportive therapy until the guts start moving again, but the underlying cause must be identified and treated too.

GI obstruction

GI stasis develops over days - in fact you may spend a day or two trying to decide if your bunny is poorly or not. In contrast, if the gut actually becomes blocked, things are much more serious. Within hours the rabbit will become desperately ill - collapsed, quiet, anorexic and often in severe pain.

GI infection

Bunnies can become infected with a parasite called coccidiosis; bacterial infections; or viruses. The effects vary - some rabbits develop diarrhoea; others "bloat". Coccidiosis can usually be seen under the microscope, so remember to take a faeces sample to the vet.

Mucoid enteropathies

It's been known for many years that young rabbits may develop a severe illness characterised by abdominal pain; loss of appetite; and production of jelly like material from the back passage. Problems usually occur around weaning, but can occur later. Lack of dietary fibre is strongly implicated in many cases of mucoid enteropathy.

But that's not the whole story. Rabbits with mucoid enteropathy have virtually identical pathological changes to horses suffering from the dreaded disease Grass Sickness. Gut movement is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and it's this network of nerves that seems to go wrong in mucoid enteropathies - the intestines come to a standstill and secrete excess mucus. Some rabbits develop signs suggesting disruption to other parts of the autonomic nervous system, such as a relatively slow heart rate and urinary incontinence.

Acute attacks are usually fatal in both rabbits and horses. Occasional survivors are reported, but only after very intensive supportive care. The chronic variant of the disease carries a better prognosis.

Grass sickness is a major concern of the equine industry, and research into it may well unravel the mysteries of mucoid enteropathies in rabbits. However until a cause has been identified then no specific treatment is available.

Antibiotic associated diarrhoea

1. Mild

Many antibiotics cause some alteration in the bacterial population of the gut, which can cause loose stools. This is usually mild.

2. Severe

Some antibiotics cause severe and often fatal diarrhoea in rabbits, because they allow a toxin-producing strain of Clostridium bacteria to multiply preferentially within the gut. This is why antibiotics have to be used carefully in rabbits.

TREATING SICK RABBITS

1) General supportive measures (applies to any sick rabbit):

- Warmth

Poorly bunnies need warmth and quiet .

- Fluids

The key to treating any critically ill rabbit is warmed fluids by a suitable route. Rabbits need 80-100ml of fluid per kg every 24 hours, plus replacement of losses.

Fluid losses from the gut contain salts (electrolytes) as well as water, Both need to be replaced: plain water may not be sufficient.

Orally Fluids by mouth only helps mildly affected rabbits. If the guts are at a standstill or the rabbit is shocked, the fluid will not be absorbed. Oral electrolyte replacement fluids (e.g. Lectade) can be obtained from the vet . It 's very difficult to give the quantity of fluid required by syringing into a reluctant rabbit!

Subcutaneously This is the most popular way to give fluids to sick rabbits. Fluid is injected under the loose skin of the scruff, from where it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Desperately sick rabbits don't reliably absorb subcut fluids, because blood supply to the skin is reduced in shock.

Intravenous, intraperitoneal or intraosseous fluids will be required if your rabbit is seriously ill.

-Pain relief

Rabbits that are in pain will not eat; and if the guts stay empty they may not get going again. Signs of pain include slow, noisy teeth grinding; abnormal posture; straining; lying with tummy pressed to the floor or litter tray; reluctance to move.

Ask the vet to prescribe suitable pain killers. Rabbits with gassy, bloated tummies may benefit from simethicone (Infa-Col), an over the counter medicine for colicky babies which breaks down gas bubbles. Whether it works is debatable, but it won't do any harm. However, simethicone is no substitute for proper, powerful pain relieving drugs.

Occasionally we hear of vets who are reluctant to prescribe pain killers to rabbits. They don't seem to realise that without them the rabbit may not survive. You are the best person to judge if your rabbit is in pain: you may need to insist that your rabbit is given pain killers. If your vet still maintains pain relief is not necessary, you may need to consider asking your vet to refer you for an urgent second opinion.

- Probiotics

In any sick rabbit the bacterial population in the gut is at risk; if your bun has a GI problem, it may be disrupted already. A probiotic ("friendly bacteria") may help crowd out pathogenic bacteria. The problem is how to get live bacteria through the highly acidic stomach, although some commercial preparations claim to manage it. The best probiotic is caecal pellets from a healthy rabbit!

- Laxatives

There may be a place for liquid paraffin or gentle enemas in rabbits with fur in the stomach, bloated abdomens, or clinically impacted bowels.

- Pro-motility agents

Drugs such as metoclopramide and cisapride encourage the gut to keep moving and can help to re-start a gut that has come to a standstill. However they must not be used if the gut is completely blocked. Your vet may decide to x-ray your rabbit's abdomen to determine this and obtain further clues. Cisapride was removed from the UK market in 2000 following concerns over the safety of the drug in humans. Some vets still hold supplies, but otherwise obtaining the drug can be a hassle as it needs to be done on a "named patient" basis from the manufacturer.

- Tempting foods

Always provide fresh, top quality hay. If your bunny stops eating, force feeding small amounts of baby cereal; mushed-up extruded feed; or liquidised greens may be required. You'll need to offer tempting foods (e.g. herbs; freshly picked grass) as well. Your vet may also place a feeding tube through the nose into the stomach.

Rabbits who have stopped eating and gone into full blown GI stasis may take several days to get back to normal - the longer the rabbit was off its food to start with, the longer it will take to get eating again. Keep up the treatment - surgery is normally a very high risk last resort.

2) Specific treatment

If a specific problem has been identified then specific treatment might be possible. Coccidiosis can be treated with sulpha-based drugs. Bacterial diseases may respond to suitable antibiotics, but only if you have a proven diagnosis - otherwise things may get worse. Severe antibiotic associated colitis may be helped by cholestyramine, a drug used in humans to bind cholestrol, as it also binds the Clostridium toxin that poisons the gut.



PREVENTION

The best way to avoid GI upsets is to feed your rabbit a healthy diet and watch for subtle changes in behaviour that may indicate a developing problem.

Never change a rabbit's diet suddenly. It takes at least 1-2 weeks for the gut flora to adjust to a change in diet and so if you are making changes, do so over this time period.

Weaning is a particularly hazardous time, as the youngsters' gut flora has to adapt to solid food rather than milk. A newly-acquired baby bunny should be fed on the same food it was weaned onto, so bring home a supply from the rescue centre or breeder. Baby rabbits purchased from pet shops have the additional stress of two changes of environment in quick succession - and, unless you stick to the same food as the pet shop (at least for the first fortnight), two rapid changes of diet, which may prove too much for them to cope with. Never buy a rabbit less than 8 weeks old unless it is coming directly from the home it was born into, when 6-7 weeks is acceptable so long as there is no change in diet and the rabbit is thriving and well grown.

Hay is vital - all rabbits at any age need access to unlimited, good quality hay. Lack of fibre is a prime cause of many rabbit digestive problems. If good hay is not available, supply another source of roughage such as barley straw or kiln-dried grass such as Redigrass.

Hygiene is very important. Bugs build up in dirty litter trays and hutches. Some bugs produce tough spores or oocysts that are very resistant to disinfectation. Frequent cleaning out (2-3 x per week) is a good idea. Many disinfectants are inactivated by organic matter and will only work on surfaces that have already been thoroughly cleaned. For example, Dettol is rapidly inactivated by small amounts of faeces; Virkon is more active in the presence of organic material. Your vet can advise.

Correct diet is crucial. Stick to one quality branded feed, properly designed and balanced, with hay ad lib. If you want to feed greens then introduce them gradually and feed them regularly. Some feeds contain a prebiotic ("Profeed") which supports the population of friendly bacteria within the gut.

I use this in all my hutches eveytime i clean :http://www.safe4disinfectant.com/disinfectant.html
when I clean i usually brush out and steam clean before i disinfect, Safe 4 products are sold by my local vet and don't harm your animals , it also helps prevent the infections you talk about in the above posts.

In cases of GI stasis I always have a sringe handy to feed them and i have not lost a bunny to GI stasis ever.