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Bramble not eating again - teeth trouble
- Thread starter clarebear
- Start date
if you have metacam at home you could phone the vets and ask them if its ok to give drugs yourself. if not i think you need to go to the vets ASAP and get it sorted before it becomes really serious.
i know some people like to try the gripe water and stuff for a while first but i nearly lost Alvin once when he didnt receive pain relief from the start so im very over cautious.
i know some people like to try the gripe water and stuff for a while first but i nearly lost Alvin once when he didnt receive pain relief from the start so im very over cautious.
Bunny Buddy
Wise Old Thumper
Don't give any recovery food until a vet has checked him. If Bramble has a blockage you don't want to put any more food in there as it could be really dangerous. It's unlikely to be a blockage, especially as he's had a recent episode but it's just not worth the risk. Syringing fluids such as gripe water would be okay though.
Edit: opps, Donna bet me to it!
If he doesn't seem really distressed it might be worth just tempting him with various favourites. I usually rush them straight to the vets but Artie has had a couple of episodes recently where he has been out of sorts and refusing food but has picked up on his own.
Oral Metacam is unlikely to be good unless you know when he last ate as its known to cause ulcers (stomach or gut, can't remember which) on an empty stomach, so injectable is better for a not eating rabbit.
*sending vibes*
Edit: opps, Donna bet me to it!
If he doesn't seem really distressed it might be worth just tempting him with various favourites. I usually rush them straight to the vets but Artie has had a couple of episodes recently where he has been out of sorts and refusing food but has picked up on his own.
Oral Metacam is unlikely to be good unless you know when he last ate as its known to cause ulcers (stomach or gut, can't remember which) on an empty stomach, so injectable is better for a not eating rabbit.
*sending vibes*
Last edited:
clarebear
Mama Doe
Took Bramble off to the vets this morning. The vet checked him over and said it was his teeth that was causing all the problems. He has a spur on one side.
He gave him some metacam via injection, which I believe is an anti-inflamatory, and some sachets of protexin bio lapis, which I have to mix with water and give him one a day for the next 5 days.
Poor little chap is not happy. He is just sat in one corner of his hutch, and as far as I know hasn't drunk any of his bio lapis. However, I did just hold a carrot for him, and he ate lots of it, so I was very happy. I think some kale may be gone from his bowl too.
The vet said to get him to eat as much hay as possible, so I am going to cut down on everything else I would usually give him, and try to encourage as much hay eating as possible.
The vet said they would only treat his teeth if they absolutely had too, and to see how he got on first. He said it was only prolonging the problem though, and it could happen again at any time.
So it looks like Bramble might become a dental bunny, poor little bun. I expect this is going to cost me a lot of money (not that I care about that), and I think this is something that isn't covered by insurance.
Do you think he will be okay. I am so worried about him
The vet almost made it sound quite fatal.
He gave him some metacam via injection, which I believe is an anti-inflamatory, and some sachets of protexin bio lapis, which I have to mix with water and give him one a day for the next 5 days.
Poor little chap is not happy. He is just sat in one corner of his hutch, and as far as I know hasn't drunk any of his bio lapis. However, I did just hold a carrot for him, and he ate lots of it, so I was very happy. I think some kale may be gone from his bowl too.
The vet said to get him to eat as much hay as possible, so I am going to cut down on everything else I would usually give him, and try to encourage as much hay eating as possible.
The vet said they would only treat his teeth if they absolutely had too, and to see how he got on first. He said it was only prolonging the problem though, and it could happen again at any time.
So it looks like Bramble might become a dental bunny, poor little bun. I expect this is going to cost me a lot of money (not that I care about that), and I think this is something that isn't covered by insurance.
Do you think he will be okay. I am so worried about him
The vet almost made it sound quite fatal.abbymarysmokey
Wise Old Thumper
I agree with donna. If it's definitely his teeth causing the trouble, it's only going to get worse if he doesn't have dental work done.
i dont really have dental experience Alvin had a spur once and was booked in straight away to get it sorted thankfully the teeth the vet couldnt see at the back were ok.
my gut (and from reading RU) teeth do not get better without a dental, they can be kept stable with Hay sometimes but once the spurs are cutting into the flesh it will be too painful to eat even on metacam :? so i dont know how it will fix itself.
plus if theres a spur where the vet can see then the teeth that cant be seen could also be bad so every mouthful will really hurt.
once a buns gut has stopped it then leads to tummy pain, so until its sorted by a dental itll be a vicious circle of pain.
obviously im not a vet BUT i would be seeking a second opinion on the dental from a recommended bunny savvy vet.
my gut (and from reading RU) teeth do not get better without a dental, they can be kept stable with Hay sometimes but once the spurs are cutting into the flesh it will be too painful to eat even on metacam :? so i dont know how it will fix itself.
plus if theres a spur where the vet can see then the teeth that cant be seen could also be bad so every mouthful will really hurt.
once a buns gut has stopped it then leads to tummy pain, so until its sorted by a dental itll be a vicious circle of pain.
obviously im not a vet BUT i would be seeking a second opinion on the dental from a recommended bunny savvy vet.
prettylupin
Wise Old Thumper
Only for the lucky few, and ONLY if it has not already caused significant clinical symptoms - which it has as clearly it's causing sufficient pain to stop Bramble eating altogether. If the spur is clearly the problem then no doubt it is causing soreness/ulceration to the gums/tongue, and if not yet, then is on the verge of doing so.
A high fibre diet can really help slow down the spur process, and can correct it in the lucky few buns (mine being on of them) but not if there is an underlying serious malocclusion or other dental issues. Lots and lots of hay can really help a bun with spurs but is not the answer to a bun exhibiting pain symptoms like this. IMO that spur needs to be dealt with asap, sometimes vets prefer to get bun through any GI stasis issues to make sure they are up to the GA and dental work, it depends how bad the spur is really. If it's controllable with pain relief enough to get him eating and then put him under then that's fine, but if it's causing damage to the mouth it needs to be dealt with immediately really. Good luck x
abbymarysmokey
Wise Old Thumper
I would if I were you.
A rabbit who isn't eating isn't going to wear his teeth down from eating hay.
It's a common myth that teeth spurs can always be prevented by diet...some rabbits just have wonky teeth which can't wear correctly whatever they eat...and some dental bunnies just can't chew hay, full stop.
prettylupin
Wise Old Thumper
Exactly:thumb:. I think you are going to need to find another vet willing to be a bit more proactive unless you can convince yours to do something sooner rather than later.
