Gastrointestinal stasis
Although many humans think this is a disease, GI/Gastrointestinal Stasis is actually nothing more than a symptom.
Gastrointestinal stasis is the name given when there is a decrease in gastrointestinal movement, i.e. your bunny's system isn't working, which ends up causing an imbalance in the intestinal flora and throughout your best friend's system (when the vet starts saying strange words like "motility" or "dysbiosis", this is what he means), this happens for many reasons, the most common being anorexia, pain, teething problems, dehydration, poor diet or a sudden change in diet, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, some medications can also lead to this pathology, stress is often the main factor and here we have fights with other animals or bunnies, predators, the loss of a mate, a change in routine, etc.
In other words, gastrointestinal stasis is the most visible symptom your bunny shows when something isn't right.
With gastrointestinal stasis, the symptoms don't appear very quickly, i.e. if you're paying attention, you'll notice that the bunny starts to behave in a way that isn't normal: it becomes more prostrate, it doesn't drink water or eat, it starts to grind its teeth hard, it often gets into a bunny loaf position (see here), it stops making as many poops or they often get smaller until they stop making them at all, it may stop eating its cecotrophs (those are the poops that bunnies eat, remember?), it may stop eating its cecotrophs. check here if you don´t remember), they become abdominally distended and sometimes there may even be diarrhoea with or without mucus and they are usually very still and quiet.
Although gastrointestinal stasis is a symptom, there are ways of avoiding these problems in bunnies, such as a high-fibre, balanced diet, plenty of water, the bunny needs to be very hydrated, maintain the right routines and a calm environment without too much change or stress, if they are bunnies who like to gnaw on everything, you need to pay attention to what they can gnaw on and not let it happen, during fur changes this is when there are more cases of matting (see here about it), at these times it is very important to reinforce the hay intake and if you want to reinforce it with herbs that help drainage (see here) and hydration, as well as brushing the bunnies frequently.
Whenever you suspect that your bunny may be going into stasis, don't waste any time and talk to your vet. Herbs and remedies won't solve the problem, only the vet will be able to understand what is causing your bunny's stasis and what the best medication is, so only they can tell you what to do, because what you can do to a bunny with stasis (such as promoting the start of a bowel movement by eating porridge, hay or even saline), can kill a bunny with stalling or another problem.
Remember, at no time should you force your best friend to eat and never self-medicate!
