page_title: Domestic rabbit
section_title: Gastrointestinal stasis
hierarchical_section_title: Domestic rabbit / Health / Gastrointestinal stasis
caption_attribution_description: English: By Ruth Lawson. Otago Polytechnic.
context_page_description: A domestic or domesticated rabbit —more commonly known as a pet rabbit, a bunny, a bun, or a bunny rabbit—is a subspecies of European rabbit. A domestic rabbit kept as a pet may be considered a pocket pet, depending on its size. A male rabbit is known as a buck, a female is a doe, and a young rabbit is a kit, or kitten.
  Rabbits were first used by the Romans as sources of food and fur, and have been kept as pets in Western nations since the 19th century. Beginning in the 1980s, the idea of the domestic rabbit as a house companion, a so-called house rabbit, was promoted. Rabbits can be litter box-trained and come when called, but they need exercise and can damage a house that is not "rabbit proof." Unwanted rabbits end up in animal shelters, especially after the Easter season. Because they have become invasive in Australia, pet rabbits are banned in the state of Queensland.
context_section_description: Gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis) is a serious and potentially fatal condition that occurs in some rabbits in which gut motility is severely reduced and possibly completely stopped. When untreated or improperly treated, GI stasis can be fatal in as little as 24 hours.
  GI stasis is the condition of food not moving through the gut as quickly as normal. The gut contents may dehydrate and compact into a hard, immobile mass (impacted gut), blocking the digestive tract of the rabbit. Food in an immobile gut may also ferment, causing significant gas buildup and resultant gas pain for the rabbit.
  The first noticeable symptom of GI stasis may be that the rabbit suddenly stops eating. Treatment frequently includes intravenous or subcutaneous fluid therapy (rehydration through injection of a balanced electrolyte solution), pain control, possible careful massage to promote gas expulsion and comfort, drugs to promote gut motility, and careful monitoring of all inputs and outputs. The rabbit's diet may also be changed as part of treatment, to include force-feeding to ensure adequate nutrition.  Surgery to remove the blockage is not generally recommended and comes with a poor prognosis.
  Some rabbits are more prone to GI stasis than others. The causes of GI stasis are not completely understood, but common contributing factors are thought to include stress, reduced food intake, low fiber in the diet, dehydration, reduction in exercise or blockage caused by excess fur or carpet ingestion.  Stress factors can include changes in housing, transportation, or medical procedures under anesthesia. As many of these factors may occur together (poor dental structure leading to decreased food intake, followed by a stressful veterinary dental procedure to correct the dental problem) establishing a root cause may be difficult.
  GI stasis is sometimes misdiagnosed as "hair balls" by veterinarians or rabbit keepers not familiar with the condition. While fur is commonly found in the stomach following a fatal case of GI stasis, it is also found in healthy rabbits.  Molting and chewing fur can be a predisposing factor in the occurrence of GI stasis, however, the primary cause is the change in motility of the gut.
caption: Digestive system of the rabbit, by Ruth Lawson, Otago Polytechnic 26 November 2007
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