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Bunny not eating much - update

M

Mrs P

New Kit
Hi, in April this year I adopted a rabbit who turned up on my driveway as no-one came to claim him after a few weeks. I had him checked over by the vet who said he was fine and was a neutered bun but couldnt say how old he was. Last week I noticed that his 2 front teeth at the top were very thin and curved slightly but I didnt seem too concerned as he was eating and drinking fine and the teeth were quite short. The last few days he hasnt really been eating much of his dried food (normally its eaten quite quickly!). He's never eaten hay since I've had him despite buying different varieties. He has been eating bits of cabbage and a bit of broccoli but not huge amounts. He is pooping but not as much. I'm taking him to the vets tonight but wondered if anyone had some advice? I have kept rabbits previously but its been a couple of years since my last one passed away and obviously with my bun (called Bunsen) its difficult as I have no idea of his history.
Many thanks.
 
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Sounds as though he has Dental problems. This may involve his molars aswell as his incisors. He is eating soft food as it may be painful for him to eat hard food.
The fact that he is a poor hay eater makes me as sure as is possible that his lack of food intake and consequent reduced gut motility is directly related to Dental problems.

Good luck at the Vets.
 
my guess is also the molar too. Either molar growing upwards that needs to be cut, or

teethovergrow2.jpg
 
Well I went to the vets last night and they examined Bunsen. Turns out both his front teeth have been removed previously and has just been left with the pegs/spurs at the top. The vet said his molars need to be rasped down as they are making his tongue sore. He is booked in for tomorrow to have the operation so fingers crossed and the vet gave him a pain relief injection.

He is eating but only very small amounts, have been trying to get him to eat various soft food (broccoli, savoy cabbage and some mashed up pellets) but has has a bit and turns his nose up. He recoiled at the mashed up pellets so thats definetly a no! Has anyone got any ideas of what I can feed him between now and his op and also after his op? In himself he is still very lively and active which I think is a good sign.

Thanks for your help and advice so far.
 
Hi if he wont eat on his own then you could try feeding his pellets mushed up with water and syringed into his mouth , i have had a lot of rabbits go through a dental and they are eating food right after the op so hopefully he will be fine . good luck x
 
Update

Well Bunsen had his operation yesterday and all went well, they said his gums were quite sore due to the molars digging in but he's had some painkillers and should be ok to eat. Got him home and spent ages trying to get him to eat something but he kept turning his nose up. The vet gave me some liquid food to syringe feed him if he wasnt eating but he really put up a fight when we tried to feed him! I went back to him a bit later and he ate some cabbage and broccoli so I tucked him up for the night. This morning he was very lively and seemed a bit more like his old self, eating a bit of his dried food and munching happily on some greens so I'm very pleased :)

Back to the vet in the morning for a check up, think it may be that he'll have to have this done every so often. Its made such a difference to the shape of his face, he looks much thinner!
 
overgrown molars

Hi glad bun is recovering well. Please can i just say that if this is an ongoing problem and these dental problems often are that over grown molars can be quickly and painlessly trimmed WITHOUT the use of a general anasthetic by a competent, qualified person using special dental gags, bone roungers and dental files. Depending on the severity of the problem trimming is often desirable on a monthly basis to prevent the buns mouth getting sore at which point he will start to eat less and look miserable, obviously it would do the poor bun no good at all to have a general anasthetic every month so it is well worth finding some one in your area with the relevant qualification, equipment and skill. Kindest regards and good luck with bun.
 
juju6464 said:
Hi glad bun is recovering well. Please can i just say that if this is an ongoing problem and these dental problems often are that over grown molars can be quickly and painlessly trimmed WITHOUT the use of a general anasthetic by a competent, qualified person using special dental gags, bone roungers and dental files. Depending on the severity of the problem trimming is often desirable on a monthly basis to prevent the buns mouth getting sore at which point he will start to eat less and look miserable, obviously it would do the poor bun no good at all to have a general anasthetic every month so it is well worth finding some one in your area with the relevant qualification, equipment and skill. Kindest regards and good luck with bun.
Click to expand...

It does worry me that this may be an ongoing problem and I dont like the thought of having him go through a general anaesthetic every couple of months. As he was a rescue bun his past is a bit of a mystery but he's obviously had previous problems as both his upper and lower front teeth have been removed. I've had a few rabbits previously but never had one with dental problems before so this is all a bit new to me so I do appreciate all your advice. I will do a bit of research to see if I can find someone who does trimming. Thanks again.
 
overgrown molars

Hi i forgot to add that if you visit the cambridge cavy trust web site some one there will be able to tell you if there is anyone in your region specializing in dentistry. Hope bun is eating today. Thinking of you both. Julie. x
 
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