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Not eating as much, getting worried U/D P21

nessar

Warren Veteran
Since last night Barney has hardly touched his hay. His rack should be empty by now but its almost full. He is still eating herbs and pellets and apple sticks fine, he just isnt eating his hay, not even his favourite oat hay. His water consumption hasnt been as much as usual but I think this is because he is not eating dry hay.

His poops are smaller and darker than usual but not as small as they have been in the past (when I first got him and fed him too much pellets and veg). There arent as many as usual but its not a lot less.

What is happening? Is his gut slowing down? Should I feed him more pellets/veg?


UPDATE POST 21
 
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He has his teeth checked in November and all was good then, and he hardly ate any hay at the time, less than half the amount he does now. So I'm hoping its not this...

Can this wait till morning as long as he continues to eat? He is having the odd strand but not anywhere near as much as usual. He's eating grass fine and a bowl of mixed hay, readigrass and dried herbs is going down well.


eta Jane would they need to put him under anesthetic and have a good look at his teeth? He didnt react well to anesthetic last time - he refused to drink properly for a week and I had to syringe him liquids :(
 
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He has his teeth checked in November and all was good then, and he hardly ate any hay at the time, less than half the amount he does now. So I'm hoping its not this...

Can this wait till morning as long as he continues to eat? He is having the odd strand but not anywhere near as much as usual. He's eating grass fine and a bowl of mixed hay, readigrass and dried herbs is going down well.

I would say fine to wait to see what hes like in morning.. as he is eating
 
I would definitely have his teeth looked at, problems could easily have developed since November! Sorrel used to have her dentals at 8 week intervals because that's how quick the spurs grew back.

Hope he's ok, and remember if his gut is slowing down for whatever reason, the sooner he sees the vet the better his prognosis x
 
I will take him in the morning if he hasnt started eating hay properly again.

Should I ask for xrays? I'm thinking just in case of it being a tooth root? Anyone know how much extra they generally cost? I know checking his teeth is around £50. I'm guessing petplan wont cover it, as its a dental issue.

Urgh, I'm starting to regret spending £155 on glasses for myself yesterday...


eta - is there any other reason apart from teeth he could be like this? And is there anything I can do?
 
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I would go for just a simple look in the mouth with an otoscope *first* as it may be as simple as molar spurs.

If not, there's a whole variety of other tests they will want to do - I'm not well up on these but someone else may be along to clarify.

If he does have spurs or another visible tooth problem, and he does go under anaesthetic to have a dental, I would definitely ask for x rays to be done at the same time to assess the extent of the problem; he's under GA anyway so it's the ideal opportunity.

eg when Sorrel had all her dental issues, I had x rays done during a dental, and we were able to see that she had appalling roots, and complications from her abcess, this helped me make decisions about her susequent care. When Marnie chin had her dental, she also had x rays, and her roots are fine - again helping me make the best decision for her.


Anyway I'm getting too far ahead, because we don't yet know if Barney's problems are due to teeth or something entirely different. Let us know how he does though.:wave:

ETA Chcking his teeth is £50?! :shock: They just charge a standard consult fee at my vets, £16. It only takes a minute or two. I believe Petplan cover dental isses if the rabbit has had annual dental checks since the insurance was first taken out.
 
Ooooh we are having hay nomming! Fairly enthusiastic too!

Hopefully he'll eat loads overnight and we wont have to go to the vets tomorrow.
 
I'd go to the vets anyway for a checkup- i take mine every month for dental check ups as spurs can overgrow at any point- i used to have them 4 weeks apart- but now some have gone for 3 months without dental ops. I would always always take them in though for a checkup even if they don't have runny eyes etc etc.
 
ETA Chcking his teeth is £50?! :shock: They just charge a standard consult fee at my vets, £16. It only takes a minute or two. I believe Petplan cover dental isses if the rabbit has had annual dental checks since the insurance was first taken out.

Not sure but I think the price I was quoted for one done under sedation or anesthetic, the lady I saw wasnt my normal vet and she didnt seem too sure if it would need anesthetic or not. It was because his eyes are running, because of snuffles but teeth were suspected as a possible secondary cause. As it was we never checked as the eyes improved with meds, but they havent quite stopped running yet.

I think even if he starts eating hay like normal I might ring up and ask if they think its worth checking as it does seem suspicious.

Could anything I could have done, or anything other than teeth cause this kind of slow down?
 
Not sure but I think the price I was quoted for one done under sedation or anesthetic, the lady I saw wasnt my normal vet and she didnt seem too sure if it would need anesthetic or not. It was because his eyes are running, because of snuffles but teeth were suspected as a possible secondary cause. As it was we never checked as the eyes improved with meds, but they havent quite stopped running yet.

I think even if he starts eating hay like normal I might ring up and ask if they think its worth checking as it does seem suspicious.

Could anything I could have done, or anything other than teeth cause this kind of slow down?

Before we start second guessing lets rule out the more common problems first, ie Teeth. All you have said points strongly towards Dental Disease to me. If he does require a GA/Dental I would Definitely get skull radiographs done. IME 'Snuffles' is often the result of Dental Disease, not the other way around.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/Rabbit_dentistry.pdf

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/DacrocystitisRabbit.html
 
Hey guys, thank you first of all for your help, I'd just like a little bit more...


I took Barney to the vets at 9, and just got back with him. He is very unhappy at the moment, he was falling all over the place in the taxi.

The vet had a look at his front teeth and felt his gut and said his intestines feel nice and soft, so everything was still going through. I left him there for a full dental examination done under anesthetic and I asked for xrays too. He had tiny spurs on his teeth, but they are all aligned correctly and she said they were so small it didnt look like it was bothering him. Xrays came back normal, no tooth root problems.

She said he most likely wont need to come back for future dentals but to keep an eye on him in case he stops eating again. She gave him a gut stimulant and metacam.

They warned me that he is still very wobbly but said he should be alright to put back in his home. I did let him out but he was dragging himself around and kept falling over onto his back, hardly any control over his limbs at all. He also tried to jump into the litter tray and was struggled around in the litter, it was so distressing for us both and I thought he might hurt himself so I have put him back in his carrier - is this the right thing to do?

I think he is also grinding his teeth. But it sounds different to when he does it when I'm stroking him..... kind of 'clicky'? I'm worried hes hurt himself falling over or his mouth is sore from the dental - but wouldnt the metacam have stopped the pain?

So she says she isnt sure what caused him to stop eating :? it may have been the teeth but they were very small spurs. He has been eating a bit of hay since coming round so seems to have gotten his appetite back. I am relieved and dissapointed at the same time - relieved because its not serious but dissapointed because 1, he did have some spurs and 2, it is unclear what caused it so it cant be dealt with, I'm worried it will happen again ...
 
I'm surprised they let barney go home while he was still so wobbly! That doesn't sound very good :? Hopefully it will wear off soon and he'll start feeling better. Sending vibes for a quick recovery xx
 
I'm surprised they let barney go home while he was still so wobbly! That doesn't sound very good :? Hopefully it will wear off soon and he'll start feeling better. Sending vibes for a quick recovery xx

I was too, they waited last time till he was okay, this was a different vet today. To be fair they might not have seen it, as in his carrier now he seems fine, just sleepy. It is just when he tries to jump and hop and obviously he cant, and in the taxi I guess it was the motion, its a bumpy road as the council have ripped all the tarmac up and not replaced it :roll:
 
Oh and I forgot to mention he's lost weight.. since week or two ago when he was last weighed on their scales. I thought it was 10g at first so wasnt bothered but just realised it was actually 100g.

I was dieting him, but at the last weigh-in the vet told me to stop as he was a good weight, so I havent changed his diet since then :?
 
I also know what you mean about the different clicking noises, both of mine do both :? When honey was spayed the vet checked her teeth, and he said she has tiny spurs like Barney :( honey has also gone off her hay over the last week, so I'm a bit concerned too. She had a blockage at the weekend though and I was worried sick, but thankfully she seems fine now, eating everything as normal apart from not as much hay and she's gone off carrots :?
 
He is now wandering around his cage as he is much more steady and I wanted to give him access to water. Havent heard him drink any yet (hes quite a noisy drinker). He is eating hay though.

I think hes stopped grinding his teeth....

Hmmm how do you increase a rabbits calorie intake whilst making them eat more hay?

I dont want him to lose any more weight but I do want him to eat more hay to prevent this happening again. :?
 
bumpety bump.. he is eating but not drinking, pooping but very very small poops, smaller than they were yesterday, they're as small as raisins.
 
Just wanted to send some vibes for you and Barney and bump this up to see if anyone can offer advice.
 
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