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Is Smudgy ill?

G

Graeme27Uk

Warren Scout
I have been reading through some of the posts and I have been thinking about Smudge.

Recently she doesn't seem to be pooing lots. When she does poo it seems quite hard. Is this a case of Gastric Stasis or am I worrying about nothing?

What are the signs I should be looking out for?

She seems to be eating lots still though. Hay, greens, etc....


Also on another note we have noticed that Frosty (my o/h calls him Pig-boy) seems to be stealing Smudge's food and not letting her eat properly. They have separate bowls of food if wanted and separate drinking water etc... but when she goes to eat he bounds over and can push her out the way or steal food from her mouth. How can we prevent this?

Thanks for the help.

Graeme
 
Its not stasis but it does sound like she may have a lack of fiber in her diet, is she a good hay eater? Does she drink enough/get plenty of green foods?

Stasis is where the GI tract grinds to a halt and the rabbit no longer eats or poo's. Its extremely dangerous and requires veterinary intervention asap. There are a huge array of causes and sometimes the cause is near on impossible to identify.
 
She eats lots of greens, carrots, straw, hay, all kinds of rabbity foods. Its just recently, like the past week or so, that there's been this change in her pooing.

She does drink, though not that much or at least she doesn't seem to want to drink much.

Is it that she just isnt a big pooer?

If I compare her poo's to Frosty's then his are much bigger and softer than hers. And they eat the same things.
 
Graeme27Uk said:
She eats lots of greens, carrots, straw, hay, all kinds of rabbity foods. Its just recently, like the past week or so, that there's been this change in her pooing.

She does drink, though not that much or at least she doesn't seem to want to drink much.

Is it that she just isnt a big pooer?

If I compare her poo's to Frosty's then his are much bigger and softer than hers. And they eat the same things.
Click to expand...

Dark greens are best, like kale for example. Carrots should be fed as treats as they are high is sugar.

Is it possible to post some pics of the poos side by side? :oops: It may help people get a better idea of what they are like and in kind give you answers.
 
Small poos can be the first sign that a Bun has tooth problems. I would get your Vet to check that your Bun does not have any sharp spurs on her molar (back) teeth

Janex
 
Thea & Bobbin said:
Dark greens are best, like kale for example. Carrots should be fed as treats as they are high is sugar.

Is it possible to post some pics of the poos side by side? :oops: It may help people get a better idea of what they are like and in kind give you answers.
Click to expand...

They get lots of dark greens like kale, spinach, greens, etc. I don't give them lettuce as its pretty much instant runny poo. They get the odd carrot, bit of apple, pear, or sweet thing every now and again.

They do get lots of hay and usually they eat a big bundle of hay at least their own size every night. Smudge isnt eating as much as she was, but is still eating something, including hay.

I guess I could try some nice proper hay as the inlaws got Tesco's Value Hay. Maybe that's upset her as usually she gets nice hay.
 
Going off hay is another indication of teeth issues, as Jane has mentioned.

Perhaps having her MOTd at the vets would put your mind at rest and also nip any up and coming problems in the bud before they take hold and cause any real issues.
 
Thea & Bobbin said:
Dark greens are best, like kale for example. Carrots should be fed as treats as they are high is sugar.

Is it possible to post some pics of the poos side by side? :oops: It may help people get a better idea of what they are like and in kind give you answers.
Click to expand...

Piccies of poo:

PHTO0007.jpg


Smudge's is on the left, Frosty's on the right.

They are about the same size bunny and eat the same things.
 
I'm going to take her to the vets tomorrow for an MoT.... I think I may have found a possible cause for the problem. I caught her ripping up a small corner of the carpet.... and I thought i had bunny proofed their room.

If she has a carpetball or such stuck then is that an operation or can it be moved with laxitives?
 
Graeme27Uk said:
I'm going to take her to the vets tomorrow for an MoT.... I think I may have found a possible cause for the problem. I caught her ripping up a small corner of the carpet.... and I thought i had bunny proofed their room.

If she has a carpetball or such stuck then is that an operation or can it be moved with laxitives?
Click to expand...

Laxitives are not recommended for use in rabbits, their intestins do not function like a dog or cats. An operation on the GI tract is a very very high risk procedure which requires intensive care nursing post-op and carries a poor prognosis.

The best thing to move a potential blockage/foreign object is to encourage the rabbit to take on plenty of fluids to lubricate the gut and lots of fiber to move it though.

X-rays or an ultrasound should be able to show any foreign objects in the stomach.

A vet may mention using gut stimulants such as metaclopromide to improve gut movement. This should only be attempted if the GI tract is NOT obstructed.
 
Ok. Thanks for the info.

I have just checked their food.

They have Rabbit Muesli which is 6% fibre and Dwarf Rabbit Nuggets which are 16% fibre.

As well as dark greens and fresh veggies and hay/straw.


Should I increase their fibre intake?
 
Graeme27Uk said:
Ok. Thanks for the info.

I have just checked their food.

They have Rabbit Muesli which is 6% fibre and Dwarf Rabbit Nuggets which are 16% fibre.

As well as dark greens and fresh veggies and hay/straw.


Should I increase their fibre intake?
Click to expand...


I would *reduce* the Pellet Feed, *cut out* the Muesli Mix. This will encourage Bun to eat more hay which should form 80% of a Rabbits diet.
Also, offer water in a bowl as Rabbits tend to drink more from a bowl than from a bottle. A good fluid intake will help promote healthy gut motility.
Exercise is also important and Buns need to have access to a large exercise area for a minimum of 8 hours a day.

Janex :)
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I would *reduce* the Pellet Feed, *cut out* the Muesli Mix. This will encourage Bun to eat more hay which should form 80% of a Rabbits diet.
Also, offer water in a bowl as Rabbits tend to drink more from a bowl than from a bottle. A good fluid intake will help promote healthy gut motility.
Exercise is also important and Buns need to have access to a large exercise area for a minimum of 8 hours a day.

Janex :)
Click to expand...

I don't give them water from bottles, they have it from a bowl (two in fact so they can choose) for your stated reason.

I'll cut out the muesli mix (it wont do Frosty any harm to go on a diet) and see if I can get higher fibre nuggets.

They do get lots of hay and Smudge is eating it just she doesn't seem to be eating as much as she was and her skin is feeling "baggy".

They get loads of exercise as they run about the house all day so thats not an issue.


How do you encourage a rabbit to drink more?
 
I would suggest you get your Vet to check Smudges teeth as all the symptoms you have mentioned (small poo, reduced hay eating, possible weightloss) all point to a problem with the molar (back) teeth. If Smudge is a Lop then that makes Dental problems even more likely as the skull shape of Lops means they are more prone to molar malocclusion

It appears that you are doing all the right things to encourage a good fluid intake. She will also be getting some fluid from the veg you give her :D

Janex
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I would suggest you get your Vet to check Smudges teeth as all the symptoms you have mentioned (small poo, reduced hay eating, possible weightloss) all point to a problem with the molar (back) teeth. If Smudge is a Lop then that makes Dental problems even more likely as the skull shape of Lops means they are more prone to molar malocclusion

It appears that you are doing all the right things to encourage a good fluid intake. She will also be getting some fluid from the veg you give her :D

Janex
Click to expand...

Smudge is the nethie.
 
:):):)Just got back from the vets with Smudge (took Frosty as well just to check him over to...)

Vet said Smudge doesn't seem to be suffering anything in particular. Not dehydrated, and she couldn't feel anything wrong with her belly area.

She checked her teeth and apparently the back ones are ever so slightly beginning to become overgrown and so she has suggested removing the muesli and giving her some hard pellets instead.

She also weighed her and she was 1.6kg. I don't know if thats good for an 8 month old Nethie or not.... but the vet didn't see any concern apart from saying she would like to see some weight gain.

I was amazed actually the Smudge behaved for once at the vets.. no fighting, running or anything... :D

This time it was Frosty who decided to jump off the counter and then scarper as soon as we got him out the box... little ****** that he is.


They have lots of wooden things to gnaw on to prevent their front teeth overgrowing but not sure what to give them for the back teeth... any ideas?

What would wild rabbits have to keep back teeth in check?
 
Graeme27Uk said:
They have lots of wooden things to gnaw on to prevent their front teeth overgrowing but not sure what to give them for the back teeth... any ideas?

What would wild rabbits have to keep back teeth in check?
Click to expand...

A wild rabbits diet is much better at keeping teeth in check because it is made up entirely of roughage. The chewing action required to break down greens and hay into a digestible state require a side to side chewing motion promoting even teeth wear. Sadly the chewing of pellets requires an up and down motion which does not.

The best thing for Smudges teeth is as much good quality hay as she will eat and minimal pellets to encourage her to eat more. However if she is underweight (and she must be a big Nethie to be underweight at 1.6kg) then do not cut her pellets back until the vet is happy with her size.
 
Graeme27Uk said:
:):):)Just got back from the vets with Smudge (took Frosty as well just to check him over to...)

Vet said Smudge doesn't seem to be suffering anything in particular. Not dehydrated, and she couldn't feel anything wrong with her belly area.

She checked her teeth and apparently the back ones are ever so slightly beginning to become overgrown and so she has suggested removing the muesli and giving her some hard pellets instead.

She also weighed her and she was 1.6kg. I don't know if thats good for an 8 month old Nethie or not.... but the vet didn't see any concern apart from saying she would like to see some weight gain.

I was amazed actually the Smudge behaved for once at the vets.. no fighting, running or anything... :D

This time it was Frosty who decided to jump off the counter and then scarper as soon as we got him out the box... little ****** that he is.


They have lots of wooden things to gnaw on to prevent their front teeth overgrowing but not sure what to give them for the back teeth... any ideas?

What would wild rabbits have to keep back teeth in check?
Click to expand...

Hay, hay and more hay !! It really is the most essential part of the Rabbits diet. Adult Rabbits dont *need* a pellet/mueseli feed at all. The ideal diet for a pet Rabbit would be a variety of hays and dried grasses plus a variety of veggies. If you feed lots of pellets/muesli the Bun wont eat much hay which will inevitably cause longterm Dental problems.

Janex
 
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