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concerned about low weight

little-laura

little-laura

Wise Old Thumper
Hello

I posted this in rabbit chat but was told it was probably better to post in here

Yuki is four shes not really eating much of her pellets but is eating veggies I am alittle concerned as I feel that she feels too light and is under weight.

I would like advice on what pellets and veggies would be best to help her gain weight and how to make pellets more appealing to her
 
little-laura said:
Hello

I posted this in rabbit chat but was told it was probably better to post in here

Yuki is four shes not really eating much of her pellets but is eating veggies I am alittle concerned as I feel that she feels too light and is under weight.

I would like advice on what pellets and veggies would be best to help her gain weight and how to make pellets more appealing to her
Click to expand...

I have posted on your other thread.

How much hay is Yuki eating? This as I am sure you already know should be 80%+ of her diet.

Then about 10-15 % veggies and then a tiny top up of pellets.

If she's not bothered just about the pellets I wouldn't be too worried if she is eating lots and lots of hay and enjoys her veg.

How much veg are you feeding?

A rabbit will easily choose to fill up on veg given half the chance so it's best to limit this to just a tiny handful each day.

What veg are you feeding? If you are feeding lots of green foods such as broccoli, spring greens, kale, beans, savoy, it could be a problem with calcium.

What type of bun is she and what is her weight?

When was her last vet trip to get her teeth checked?

If you have seen a change in her behaviour, have you felt she is unwell at all or just not eating the pellets?

What size are her poos? They should be big and golden and break open easily. If they don't, they her hay intake possibly isn't enough.

What pellets are you feeding and how much?

Sorry for all the questions but it'll help us answer your original question.

Helen:D
 
The Duchess said:
I have posted on your other thread.

How much hay is Yuki eating? This as I am sure you already know should be 80%+ of her diet.

Then about 10-15 % veggies and then a tiny top up of pellets.

If she's not bothered just about the pellets I wouldn't be too worried if she is eating lots and lots of hay and enjoys her veg.

How much veg are you feeding?

A rabbit will easily choose to fill up on veg given half the chance so it's best to limit this to just a tiny handful each day.

What veg are you feeding? If you are feeding lots of green foods such as broccoli, spring greens, kale, beans, savoy, it could be a problem with calcium.

What type of bun is she and what is her weight?

When was her last vet trip to get her teeth checked?

If you have seen a change in her behaviour, have you felt she is unwell at all or just not eating the pellets?

What size are her poos? They should be big and golden and break open easily. If they don't, they her hay intake possibly isn't enough.

What pellets are you feeding and how much?

Sorry for all the questions but it'll help us answer your original question.

Helen:D
Click to expand...

Yuki has plenty of fresh hay provided everyday which she is always eating, 1/4 to 1/2 cups of pellets, and a small handful of veggies I rotate through the veggies but her favourite is greens

her poos I believe are the right size and golden but arent as dry as I would like....

shes had her teeth filed recently and she was neutered last month and had a full health check she was eating her pellets fine until recently shes eating a lot of hey though...

I give her lots of hay daily



here is a photo I took of her a few minuets ago she has beautiful blue eyes.
I was told by the place I rescued her from that she was a new zealand white but I know she isnt she hasnt got any of the traits for a start her body and ears are far to small.

IMG00738-20110222-1202.jpg


(the damage to the ear was caused by something in the anaesthetic, a bit of her ear tissue died and dropped off.... the vet has been treating it)

The vet weighed her before she was neutered last month and didnt seem worried but I am really concerned with how slim and light she feels, I am not sure of her weight though and dont have scales to check >_<


she is running about playing so isnt lethargic but....I will phone the vet tomorrow to get some advice... any advice in the mean time is highly welcomed
 
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If she normally eats her pellets quite happily then it's a concern that she's stopped for no apparent reason. I would take her to the vets as soon as possible (and you can get her weighed then).
 
She is beautiful and it's very difficult to say from the photo as she looks like she's having a moult, but she does look a bit underweight to me. Thing is it's very difficult to tell even when they are with you unless you weigh them.

I know from my own experience that my boy Noah was underweight as he'd always had dental issues and had ongoing checks, but all of a sudden one day the weight just appeared to have 'dropped' off him despite him still eating well and having no obvious teeth issues. He was on pratically permanent pain relief for roots that kept him maintained.

Sadly he died suddenly and totally unexpectedly - he was very underweight and we didn't get to the bottom of it.

I would defintely recommend a vet trip and also regular weighing as this is so important. If you could get a set of bathroom scales then you could monitor the issue better. Vet's have software on their computers to track weight and so should be able to use the information to see what's happening. She will have been weighed when she was spayed and should have been done again when she had her teeth attended to.

Was the dental conscious or unconscious? If conscious, it could be that the work done wasn't sufficient and so the issue is still current.

EC is also a possibility because a rabbit that has recently have 'stress' can be laid open to the parasite becoming active. When the immune system is challenged, then EC can get working. Worth talking to you vet about and worming too, particularly if there are any other symptoms.

There are so many clinical reasons for weightloss and you really do need an expert to check her over. :D
 
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Muppet2 said:
If she normally eats her pellets quite happily then it's a concern that she's stopped for no apparent reason. I would take her to the vets as soon as possible (and you can get her weighed then).
Click to expand...

shes eating everything else like hay and veggies last time I mentioned to the vet shes not eating her pellets she said it was ok as long as she was eating hey and veggies.... yuki has done this before and then started eating them again...

My main concern is how light she looks and feels I called the vets today and the person who is good with rabbits isnt in till tomorrow -____-
 
has she only stopped eatting the pellets since her teeth were done. This sometimes happens and it can help to make the pellets soggy to encourage them to eat them again. She is a beautiful girl. :) i would call the vet for advice just to double check. The fact she eats hay is great because as someone else said that is 80% of there diet and she eats veg so thats good.
 
little-laura said:
shes eating everything else like hay and veggies last time I mentioned to the vet shes not eating her pellets she said it was ok as long as she was eating hey and veggies.... yuki has done this before and then started eating them again...

My main concern is how light she looks and feels I called the vets today and the person who is good with rabbits isnt in till tomorrow -____-
Click to expand...

how old is she? some bunnies get a bit leaner when they get older. If she is still eatting and drinking something it is a good sign but i would phone back tomorrow if you are still worried. SHe is active too so she so that is also a very positive sign , :)
 
The Duchess said:
She is beautiful and it's very difficult to say from the photo as she looks like she's having a moult, but she does look a bit underweight to me. Thing is it's very difficult to tell even when they are with you unless you weigh them.

I know from my own experience that my boy Noah was underweight as he'd always had dental issues and had ongoing checks, but all of a sudden one day the weight just appeared to have 'dropped' off him despite him still eating well and having no obvious teeth issues. He was on pratically permanent pain relief for roots that kept him maintained.

Sadly he died suddenly and totally unexpectedly - he was very underweight and we didn't get to the bottom of it.

I would defintely recommend a vet trip and also regular weighing as this is so important. If you could get a set of bathroom scales then you could monitor the issue better. Vet's have software on their computers to track weight and so should be able to use the information to see what's happening. She will have been weighed when she was spayed and should have been done again when she had her teeth attended to.

Was the dental conscious or unconscious? If conscious, it could be that the work done wasn't sufficient and so the issue is still current.

EC is also a possibility because a rabbit that has recently have 'stress' can be laid open to the parasite becoming active. When the immune system is challenged, then EC can get working. Worth talking to you vet about and worming too, particularly if there are any other symptoms.

There are so many clinical reasons for weightloss and you really do need an expert to check her over. :D
Click to expand...

the teeth were done when she was under anaesthetic

i am so worried >_<

I called again and got her booked in for tomorrow morning
 
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little-laura said:
the teeth were done when she was under anaesthetic

i am so worried >_<

I called again and got her booked in for tomorrow morning
Click to expand...

Please don't be too worried as there can be so many reasons for weight loss and some could be easily treated.

So I am not a vet or medically trained but in my experience I can say:

The vet should have a good look in her mouth, feel her jaw for root bumps, feel her tummy for it's fullness and if it's soft or hard. The vet should also feel for lumps and bumps. There will be other checks too - in fact just a good general healthcheck.

I would ask the vet about EC - it might be worth a course of Panacur as a treatment dose. I personally wouldn't bother with EC testing if it's offered as you would only treat anyway if it came back positive on the two tests that would be needed, so you may as well just treat.

It is odd that it's just the pellets that you have noticed she isn't eating but is eating everything else. Maybe take a poo sample with you when you go - a good vet will be able to say if it's good or not and it might give some clues.
 
The Duchess said:
Please don't be too worried as there can be so many reasons for weight loss and some could be easily treated.

So I am not a vet or medically trained but in my experience I can say:

The vet should have a good look in her mouth, feel her jaw for root bumps, feel her tummy for it's fullness and if it's soft or hard. The vet should also feel for lumps and bumps. There will be other checks too - in fact just a good general healthcheck.

I would ask the vet about EC - it might be worth a course of Panacur as a treatment dose. I personally wouldn't bother with EC testing if it's offered as you would only treat anyway if it came back positive on the two tests that would be needed, so you may as well just treat.

It is odd that it's just the pellets that you have noticed she isn't eating but is eating everything else. Maybe take a poo sample with you when you go - a good vet will be able to say if it's good or not and it might give some clues.
Click to expand...

Thank you for all your help, I shall do that, it is strange about the pellets... someone suggested mushing them but shes never liked mushy foods... >_<
 
little-laura said:
Thank you for all your help, I shall do that, it is strange about the pellets... someone suggested mushing them but shes never liked mushy foods... >_<
Click to expand...

Mushy pellets can have it's uses but to be honest unless it's absolutely necessary, I'd avoid it because it has been suggested that it can clog up an already slow or affected gut movement. My vet isn't pro mush or pro porridge for the same reason, without the large amounts of fibre needed to take it through the gut, it can cause a squidgy mess in the tummy causing more problems than not.

Does that make sense?

The only time I mush pellets is so that they are like very watery soup for syringing when a bunny is in stasis and then I would also make sure that the rabbit is getting lots of fluids too to wash it all through.
 
im putting in pleanty of hey and some veggies I just hope she gains weight soon the vet said give it a week and then come back if I am not happy
 
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