Wool block, Fur block, Hairballs or... Gut Stasis in Rabbits

revised 4/6/06

"My rabbit won't eat or drink and there is no poop in his litter pan!  What is wrong with him and what can I do?" 

Your rabbit could be suffering from a gut stasis or what is commonly called a fur ball, or woolblock.  Your rabbit vet is the best source for treatment and recovery options, but if you cannot get to a vet, we have some information and suggestions for home treatment below.  Don't ignore these symptoms!

Quick Links

General Information

Symptoms of Woolblock/Gut Stasis

Causes of Woolblock/Gut Stasis

Other Reasons Your Rabbit Stops Eating/Drinking

Treatment Goals

Treatment of Woolblock

When To Visit The Vet

Prognosis and Prevention of Woolblock

Additional Resources and Reading

General Information-woolblock or gut stasis?

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Wool block, (woolblock) or fur block is a condition people describe when a rabbit's gut stops working.  Usually this problem is at first blamed on a hair accumulation in the stomach because rabbits ingest hair from grooming and other sources, and cannot vomit to remove it, like a cat can.  A hairball is made up of hair and digestive particles and is held together with a mucus-type substance. Many people assume that when their rabbit stops eating or defecating, that their rabbit is suffering from a 'furball', especially if the rabbit is also molting.

Apparently many rabbits have hair balls of various sizes within their stomachs and live evidently normal lives, with no problems related to the hair ball.  It is only when several factors unite causing a gut stasis, that the hair ball changes (becomes dried out, larger, moves into a position blocking the intestinal opening) and then presents a problem to the rabbit, but I am not certain the hairball is the first cause of the problem. 

It has been known for a long time that a rabbit's digestive system is very similar to a horse's - both process food in much the same way (other than the rabbit and it's cecum) and suffer like sensitivities to stress, feed changes, carbohydrate overloads and the effects of water intake on the stool/bowels. 

Since I've had horses throughout a good part of my life, and in fact lost my first pony to colic and a gut torsion, I can relate my experience with horses somewhat to our rabbit hobby.  I think a rabbit suffering from a so-called furball is actually having a gut stasis of some sort.

There is evidence that the nerves affecting gut operation can go haywire to cause a multitude of digestive problems, certainly gut stasis is a prominent one.  I do think that the real cause of what people call a hairball or woolblock episode, is really a reaction of the nerves supplying the digestive system resulting in a gut stasis episode - .  Many of the articles I've read on gut stasis seem to confirm this also.

Some breeders believe the predisposition to woolblock, as we'll continue to call it here, is an inherited one, and there appears to be some supporting evidence of this in that some of these breeders only use wool block-free rabbits in their breeding program and successfully produce animals that do not suffer wool block episodes - I wonder if "defective" or overly-sensitive gut nerves are an inherited trait?

There appears to be two forms of this condition;  an acute attack where the gut shuts down which is a life-threatening event, and a more chronic condition where the rabbit suffers slower-developing, less-intense attacks, intermittently throughout life.

Both types warrant immediate attention!  A rabbit suffering from either type of attack can wither away and die without treatment. 

Symptoms of Woolblock or gut stasis

• decreased amount of, or lack of hard fecal pellets or the appearance of smaller-than-normal fecal pellets

• along with a refusal to eat or drink, or a noticeable decrease in appetite

• sullen appearance, inactive - often sitting in corner

• advanced or acute case rabbits may also exhibit teeth-grinding and other strange sounds, a hunched position, straining as if trying to defecate

Contributing factors causing Woolblock or gut stasis

Our own observations lead us to believe that a few factors, especially in combination with each other, play an important roll in causing a woolblock/gut stasis attack:

Lack of high-fiber diet - food is supposed to move quickly through the rabbit's digestive tract and fiber hastens this journey.  Lack of fiber in the rabbit's diet may cause a slowing of the digestion process, setting the scene for an overgrowth of bacteria.

Lack of water - a rabbit's system is similar to a horse's; lack of sufficient water intake in a horse can lead to 'colic', a painful and sometimes fatal gut blockage.  Those affected in our rabbitry were rabbits that normally drank very little water, we believe there is a direct relationship between lack of water and woolblock.

Overweight, inactive, older rabbits - we've noticed that the few rabbits we've had who've suffered from wool block, have been overweight and fairly inactive rabbits who were all adults, most over 2 years old.

Stress - as most rabbit enthusiasts already know, stress is an important factor in many rabbit illnesses and conditions.  Stress seems to have a direct affect on the rabbit's gut motility and oftentimes causes problems related to proper digestion.

Other reasons your rabbit may stop eating and drinking

You must look at your rabbit's 'whole picture' to determine the cause of why he stopped eating/drinking!  Your rabbit may not even be suffering a gut stasis, but simply has another reason why he or she is not eating or drinking.  Now keep in mind, you may not have a lot of time to determine other causes before you being treatment, if your rabbit is in a severe state you first must get him treatment. 

The first thing to consider is your rabbit's food; feed can spoil or contain contaminants such as mycotoxins, that can cause your rabbit to go off feed.  Many breeders will remove the feed and try using feed from a new, unopened bag to see if it makes a difference.  If you have other rabbits, their behavior can be a valuable clue; if all or most of your rabbits are experiencing the same symptoms - you should look first at the feed and possible mycotoxin poisoning. 

Treats and extras; have you recently introduced a new treat, vegetable, fruit or other extra food?  Carbohydrate overload can cause a gut stasis episode as can reaction to a new food or treat.

Ingestion of non-edible objects; did your rabbit chew up and ingest part of his plastic litterpan. toy or a good amount of carpeting? Look for anything he might have eaten that could cause an actual intestinal blockage!

Water; is your rabbit's water source clean and in proper working order (automatic waterers and water bottles - check the operation)

Hay; have you recently changed hay types or sources?  Hay, especially bought directly from a farmer or stable can contain poisonous plants, dust, mold and other toxins.  Perhaps try switching to commercially-prepared grass hay from a pet store for a few days to see if your hay was the culprit.

Other physical conditions; does your rabbit have problems with his teeth?  Have your vet assess your rabbit's molars, especially if your rabbit develops a chronic habit of not eating much.  Many other diseases and conditions can cause chronic wasting also; internal parasites, heavy infestation of external parasites.  Recent births, pregnancies and lactation, operations and treatments with medicines can all present their own problems too.  Thoroughly check your rabbit over for other physical causes.

Environmental conditions; is something putting your rabbit under stress such as predators or pests in your rabbitry? Extreme heat and humidity may cause your rabbit to go off feed.   Look at your rabbit's overall living conditions to see if there is something causing undue stress.

Treatment Goals

• To stimulate the gut and get it working again

• To keep the rabbit well-hydrated

• To entice the rabbit to begin eating and drinking again

• To keep the rabbit as pain-free, comfortable and stress-free as possible

Treatment

WARNING: We are not veterinarians!  The treatment plan below is based upon our own limited experiences treating woolblock.  We offer no guarantees that our treatments will work for you - always consult your veterinarian before you begin any treatment plan!

We treat woolblock or gut stasis in stages, based upon symptoms present.  Do not treat too aggressively - you may cause more harm than good-especially if suspect your rabbit has another illness or disease other than woolblock/gut stasis.  During treatment, keep your rabbit as calm and stress-free as possible-don't move him to a different location or separate him from a buddy he may have!:

On the first day symptoms are noticed, such as; the rabbit not eating, along with the absence of fecal pellets or the appearance of smaller-than-normal pellets we:

1) Give the rabbit a dose of a probiotic gel, such as Benepac or Pro-Biotics.  Instructions for dosages are on the tubes.  We will feed this once or twice during the first day.

2) Give the rabbit an oral cat-lax type product.  We use a malt-flavored gel.  For rabbits that will not readily eat this, we smear an inch-long ribbon or more on either their lips or their front paws and they almost always will lick it off. During the first day we will give this a few times.  Some people use plain mineral oil instead of cat-lax paste - use about 3 to 8 cc and feed using an oral needle-less syringe - but do not hold the rabbit upside down to administer this or you risk him inhaling the oil into his lungs.  We do not continue with any oil-type treatment beyond the first day because we are wary too much may cause more gut problems for the rabbit.

3) To stimulate the rabbit's appetite we offer; lots of hay, including some tempting alfalfa hay, fresh pineapple chunks, a thick slice of banana.  Emphasis is on hay - as too many sugars and carbs in treat-type foods may cause a further imbalance of gut flora and cause even more distress in the rabbit who's gut is at a standstill.

Oftentimes, a rabbit will begin eating and drinking again after this treatment and all that is needed is to closely monitor the rabbit to make sure he is improving.

If the rabbit does not improve during that first day we will go to the next step:

1) We make a 'slurry' and orally feed this to the rabbit twice in one day for a maximum of one and a half days, using a needle-less syringe. Do not hold the rabbit upside down while feeding this slurry - as with the mineral oil, your rabbit could inhale the product into his lungs if held in a position that is unnatural for eating.

2) Continue with offering a lot of hay and some alfalfa

3) Hydration is very important - if your rabbit is not drinking, you can force feed water every couple of hours.  This method of hydrating the rabbit will only work for a day or day-and-a-half, and in cases of complete gut blockage or stasis, I doubt water fed orally will work at all.  If the rabbit is in distress and a day or two has gone by, you will most likely need to hydrate your rabbit by administering fluids under his skin so his body can absorb enough to be effective.  Your vet can do this for you.  Note: do not administer large amounts of fluid to a rabbit with a known heart or kidney condition without your vet's recommendation!

Usually the rabbit will begin to recover after the above treatment - we watch carefully, continue to make sure he is hydrated and we still supplement daily with some probiotics for several days after an episode.  We do not feed the slurry above for more that a day and a half - we have concern that doing so can cause an imbalance of sugars/carbs and electrolytes which can cause the rabbit more harm than good.  If the rabbit still does not show signs of improvement after the above treatment we go to the next step below.  You should consider veterinary care at this point if you haven't seen any improvement!

For rabbits not showing improvement after the above treatment, or those who have not begun defecating again we will continue with treatment below for a maximum of two days, as long as the rabbit is not getting worse:

1) We again, make a slurry as above, but instead of using the Meat Tenderizer, we use a human stool softener called Ducosate Sodium, available at a pharmacy and commonly called "Colace".  We bought a bottle of 100 mg soft geltabs.  For large rabbits like the French Lops, we give approximately 80 mg of the drug by gently cutting open a geltab and squeezing out most of the liquid (of course, measuring this way is not accurate) into the slurry.  The smaller-sized rabbits, such as the Holland Lops, get about 30-40 mg of the drug, so less than half of the contents of the geltab is squeezed out into the slurry. This drug works by not allowing the intestines to 'suck out' water from the stool, allowing it to stay moist or hydrated. ONLY FEED THIS STOOL SOFTENER ONCE A DAY!  This will usually cause the rabbit to produce stool the day after dosing, if it doesn't, we will repeat the dose for one additional day - and if that doesn't do the trick - it is time for a vet visit.

2) Continue with offering hay

3) Continue with hydration efforts-very important!

4) If the rabbit is not eating, you may decide to force feed several times during each day.  You can modify the slurry above, leaving out the Meat Tenderizer and Colace and perhaps adding some crushed rabbit pellets to the mix.  You can continue with the Simethicone drops for gas pain relief.

A rabbit that recovers at this point may have some soft stool for a day or so, from all the stool-softening drugs, but not diarrhea.  The rabbit should slowly begin eating, drinking and defecating.  Watch closely for several days to make sure the rabbit is steadily progressing to a normal state.  If no improvement, it definitely is time for the vet!

When To Visit The Vet

Many rabbit owners will try self-treatment first, due to cost, lack of veterinary care near home, or simply the desire to treat their rabbit on their own.

Those who choose home-treatment must be able to recognize when treatment is not effective and a vet visit is necessary!

If, at any time during this treatment, the rabbit is not improving, appears in pain, or develops new or unusual symptoms - you should take him into your vet.  Your rabbit might have an illness or disease that is worsened by the above treatment - many rabbit illnesses begin with the same symptoms as woolblock/gut stasis; in particular, mycotoxin poisoning which damages the intestinal lining and requires a completely different treatment plan.

Your vet will probably take an X-ray of your rabbit's abdomen to see if a true blockage is present which helps determine a treatment plan, and has more  resources and drugs such as those that promote gastric emptying and gut motility such as Metoclopramide and Cisapride (if there is not a blockage).

Many other intestinal illnesses begin with symptoms similar to what a rabbit with woolblock first exhibits - you need to be on the alert for additional symptoms which could indicate a worsening condition or the start of another disease or illness other than fur block. 

Danger signs to watch for include; excessive thirst sometimes coupled with the rabbit sitting up on the water bowl for extended periods, intense licking of cage wire or objects in the cage, obvious pain, unusual sounds the rabbit makes such as teeth grinding, grunting or squeaking, worsening listlessness, wasting away, dehydration, diarrhea, mucous-coated or jelly-like stools, bloody stools, bloated abdomen, "sloshy" sounding abdomen (similar to a 'rubber water bottle effect'), loss of bladder control, subnormal or elevated temperature, slow heartbeat, panting or labored breathing, paralysis of hind legs, any discharge from eyes, nose or mouth.

Prognosis and Prevention

I have learned from many breeders that a rabbit who has suffered a bout of woolblock is always going to be prone to suffer again.  Many breeders have also expressed their belief that susceptibility to woolblock may be an inherited weakness and will not use the animal for breeding purposes-we agree with and follow this same reasoning.

Successful treatment is often dependant upon detecting symptoms early - extra monitoring of wool block-prone rabbits is needed on a consistent basis.

Stress plays an important roll in preventing future problems with wool block or gut stasis - if a show rabbit survives a wool block episode, we now re-evaluate the importance of ever again showing that rabbit, as the stress from showing surely has the potential to cause another episode or gut stasis.  We learned the hard way about the relationship between stress and gut motility when we lost one of our most prized show does to an acute gut stasis, this is certainly a mistake we will not be repeating.

In the hopes of preventing wool block we:

• Feed hay every night to all our rabbits
• closely monitor water and feed intake
• remove loose hair from molting rabbits and their cages
• prevent and reduce highly stressful situations as much as possible
• We try to acclimate young rabbits to noises and handling in hopes they will develop a tolerance for these normal stresses and not react negatively to them later on.
• don't breed rabbits that have ever had a wool block or gut stasis episode

Our experience with wool block has been very limited; luckily, only a few rabbits of ours have suffered from it, and we no longer show or use them for breeding.  The treatment we list above is a compilation of all the advice we received from fellow breeders during our initial episode of wool block.  We have since been successful pulling rabbits out of wool block using the treatment outlined above, but we are not sure which exact step or medicine did the trick since we used several in combination. 

Further Reading and Resources on woolblock and gut stasis

I continue to find this condition interesting and try to read and research and learn as much as I can from others who report new treatments and findings.  Please enjoy the links below - I have used these for reference for this article, along with our own experiences:

Island Gems Hair Balls / Fur Ball Article

Betty Chu's TLC For English Angoras

Jacque Dumas' Article on Treating Woolblock

GastroIntestinal Stasis, The Silent Killer

How To Feed The Rabbit Gastrointestinal Tract

Metoclopramide Insert

Metoclopramide from the Elephant Formulary

Metoclopramide from Medirabbit.com

Cisapride from Medirabbit.com

I hope your rabbits never suffer woolblock and if they do, I wish you the best of luck in your efforts to treat it!

Cathy LaReau  11/05

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