Unwell bunny - any advice?

Unwell bunny - any advice?

I currently have a poorly bun. She is a house bun who has been single since the loss of her husbun back in February. She seemed to settle in well to being indoors though and is naturally inquisitive and nosey!

She has gone off her food. It has been very hot lately so at first I wasn't sure how much lethargy was due to the heat, but as she still hopping about in the evenings but wasn't eating when it was cooler and nothing was happening in the litter tray I took her to the vet first thing yesterday morning.

After examining her the verdict was as expected a stomach problem, no noise and a loss of appetite, plus some tooth grinding so the poor thing was obviously in pain He gave her an injection, and then gave me some sachets with electrolites in to mix with her water, plus a syringe of some pre and probiotic paste to give her 3x day. She had her first one there but spat it out, despite the fact that most rabbits apparently don't mind the taste of it.

I tried in vain to give her another dose later that day on my own and was getting really upset that she was fighting me, so rang the vet for advice. The nurse said that I could bring her in and they would help me so I did so. I am slightly relieved to know that it was not just me as she was just as 'feisty' there and was spitting it and out generally resisting swallowing. We successfully managed to give her some liquid food (green powder mixed with water) instead, albeit it a bit of a struggle.

I then got a friend to help me and we managed to give some more later in the evening - though not sure exactly how much. In any case, I also managed to entice her to eat some of my fresh basil so felt a bit more positive that she was getting some nutrients and perhaps a bit of appetite back.

By this morning there was thankfully evidence in her litter tray that things were starting to work again. I have also managed to get her to eat some more herbs (basil, parsley) and also some cabbage, though I have had to hold it and entice her to eat it. I also washed it to try to help her fluid intake. She is still not that interested in anything from her bowl or dry food though. I have been keeping an eye on her today and also been keeping in contact with the vet, but decided not to take her in again at the moment unless she relapses as she had such a stressful day yesterday. She is also looking a little wary of me today. I hope that she is now slowly on the mend, but will watch her closely to ensure that this is actually the case.

I have some questions though and would welcome advice as it is making me question everything!

Is she likely to crave or be enticed to eat some things more than others (i.e. like we would be after a stomach upset?) I thought of herbs because of the smell - is this a good idea? If I can only get her to eat a bit what should I focus on in particular?

Is it likely that her food has gone stale or would she just not want her pellets at the moment? Also I buy large quantities of nice fresh local hay - how long should I keep this and do you know if this is likely to go stale?

Have I been giving her the wrong things? I give her rabbit excel pellets, veg, plenty of hay and water plus occasion treats (from the herbal naturals range)?

How long is it likely to take before she gets better and how can I help things along?

Is it possible that part of the problem is that she’s bored or lonely or am I not stimulating her enough? Any suggestions for how I can play and interact with her a bit more?

Maybe I'm being a bit paranoid about some of the above but I want to do all I can for her to nurse her back to health and prevent similar problems developing in future as she is my little sweetheart

Give her access to fresh herbs, finely chopped or grated veg, plenty of water, dandelions/plantain/bramble leaves (anything that is wild that they really like), fresh grass, good quality hay. Let her have as much of any of that as she wants. She may not want her pellets for a while but leave them available in case she changes her mind. You could try mushing some with water and seeing if she eats them that way. Try & replace everything every few hours so that it's really enticing. Fluids are very important especially in this heat so keep an eye on how much she's drinking. You may need to syringe some water in. If she's poo'd overnight and has eaten a little today that's a good sign and it's sounds like you caught her tummy ache in time

Her normal diet sounds ok to me. Re. hay, I wouldn't keep it for more than a year but so long as it's kept somewhere dry and well aired it should be fine.

Might she have chewed something in the house? If she IS bored this may be a sign. Have you thought about getting her a new friend for company?

Did the vet check her teeth?

How is she this afternoon?

Hello and welcome :wave:

Sorry to hear your bunny is poorly.

I think it is perfectly normal for buns to only be tempted by fresh foods when they have had a poorly tum. I would regularly offer herbs, rocket, dandelions, greens, grated carrot etc to try to temp him to eat. My Fizz has been the same since monday, he fought like a lion against the medicine and recovery food on day one and two but today he is obviously feeling better, ate lots overnight and has eaten his meds mixed in to some grated veg He enjoyed some leaves from our apple tree last night which I think helped and I let him have a good run around in his run each evening as excercise helps to get the gut moving.

Keep going and hopefully you will soon see an improvement.

I agree with these 2 replies. Is she able to go out and have a run around in the garden. Exercise can stimulate the gut and she may feel like nibbling on grass or plants if she's allowed! Here's hoping she makes a speedy recovery.

Thank you

Thank you for your replies. This is really helpful and reassures me that I'm on the right lines. Things still seem to be moving through which is really good. She's a bit fussy with her food but with perseverance (and harrassment!) she has eaten herbs and some greens. She seems happier this evening than this afternoon and is much more active, which will also hopefully help her gut.

To answer your question too, the vet gave her a thorough check over including her teeth, which seemed fine. She had also lost a bit of weigh but nothing too extreme thankfully. She also seems to have forgiven me for her ordeal yesterday and might even like me again!

I'll keep going with enticing her with whatever I can and see how she goes. Thanks again for your advice and for being supportive.

Will keep you posted!

As promised, just wanted to report that Mousy is doing well

She is thankfully getting back to normal and is her old self again. Thanks again for you advice. I'll make sure I keep a close eye on her!

I'm glad to hear that!

Just read this thread, so glad to hear Mousy is getting better again
Stasis is an absolute nightmare and as alot of people on here will tell you can crop up without warning and for seemingly no reason. You did everything right though, well done for getting her through it

Have you thought about getting her a new companion? She'll be a much happier bun if you do and theres plenty of lovely neutered bucks in resues throughout the country looking for a great new mum and lovely new wifey

So happy to read of Mousy's recovery! It's such a relief. Well done on bringing her through it.

My little Mimi is now going through this for the second time in a month (It's what brought my back here today. Of course no vets are open on a Sunday! )