Entitled ‘Don’t stop moving - gut stasis in rabbits’ her lecture will focus on one of the most common reasons for presentation of a rabbit case – a condition which  also needs to be treated as an emergency. The rabbit gut really must never stop moving! 

It takes a two part approach to support these patients – the gut stasis needs to be treated and as the rabbit recovers, the aetiology of the condition needs to be explored, since stasis is a clinical sign and not a diagnosis. Non-production of droppings or inappetance for 12 hours or longer suggests that there is a risk of stasis and should prompt an assessment of the patient.

Molly’s talk, which is sponsored by Supreme Petfoods, will address the physiological consequences of gut stasis and explain why it’s such a serious condition. She will also discuss the diagnostic tools that can be used to establish the root cause and allow measures to be put in place to prevent recurrence. Treatment of stasis will focus on the medications that can be used for prompt resolution.

Nutrition plays an important role in stasis – the importance of good sources of long fibre and the ability to be able to feed continuously on appropriate food will be discussed. The risk of stasis is one of the reasons that withholding food pre-operatively is not a recommended strategy for rabbits. A common issue is that rabbit owners fail to understand the need to offer long fibre, or fail to give access to sufficient amounts consistently. A balanced diet is crucial when it comes to maintaining normal gut motility.

Supreme Petfoods offer a range of free resources for practices at https://supremepetfoods.com/vet-zone/. As well as providing CPD, there are a number of protocols and forms available for download that can help improve the clinical care of rabbits and other small furries, covering everything from fluid therapy and placement of an intraosseous catheter, to a master class in small animal laparoscopy.  Practices can also access waiting room videos here that help educate clients on the best way to care for exotic pets.