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Lucy Ricardo is not eating!

Hello! I have a three year old dutch rabbit that my husband and I adopted from a rescue. Lucy is house trained and fixed and is allowed to run freely at all times, (in a bunny proofed home of course!) Lucy usually comes running down the hall for food from the kitchen first thing every morning. Lucy usually gets some lettuce, a carrot, or berries for a treat. Today Lucy had to be offered blueberries and she didn't touch them. I then offered her some greens like spinich, and nothing. I got desparate and try her ultimate fav, a granola bar. No reaction what so ever. I put her water dish infront of her and she did drink a little. Then I took her outside to graze in the grass. She did nibble on a few things, but not as much as she usually does. She seems to just want to lay out. I did hear her grind her teeth loudly. Something I havent heard before. Could she need her teeth ground? How much will that cost?? I'm so worried about her. I don't know of any small animal vets where I live, and frankly the cost of just walking into the vet scares me! But obviously I want to do what I can to help my bun.
 
I really don't know. Could be her teeth. You will need to take her to a vets, if she is not eating properly as it could get serious and bunnies go down hill very fast. Often within 24 hours.

You need to go tomorrow. What ever the expense, you could be saving Lucy's life.
 
JUst to back up what BYB has said - you must get Lucy to a rabbit knowledgeable vet with great urgency.
 
Hi all! Thanks for the advice. I didn't sleep very well at all last night because I was so worried the Lucy wouldn't make it through! We got her to a vet first thing in the morning and they took her right away without an appointment. It turns out Lucy has some type of intestinal issue but it was caught really early, and the vet prescribed antibiotics and painkillers to administer twice a day with a syringe. Lucy has taken her medicine twice now, but is still not eating. I believe she is drinking though. Her mouth is all wet and smells funny. Could it be from the meds? She also seems "doped up", is that also normal? The vet said she was in great health otherwise and that her teeth ears and bum looked good. I just don't know when to expect her to feel like herself again, and start eating!!
 
Did the vet explain what kind of 'intestinal issue' it was and what meds were perscribed? Her not eating at all is worrying.
 
She did not say what kind of issue it was exactly, she said that when she felt Lucy's gut she was experiencing discomfort. So she prescribed Cisapride as the antibiotic and Burprenorphine as the painkiller. I am not sure if she has any relief, but I haven't heard her grind her teeth since starting the meds, the vet said that was a sign that she was in pain. I just checked on her and her mouth is soaked!! It smells like fish, and she still has not eaten anything. So frustrated. How long till the meds work?
 
i'm sorry i haven't heard of those medications. :? she really needs some pain relief like metacam. was it a rabbit vet you saw? maybe someone on here can recommend one if not. she will also need a medication to stimulate the gut aswell and also recovery food if she is not eating or drinking.

is there a different vets you can get to? if she's not eating i would ring the vets as soon as they open and take her back personally and ask for pain relief.

as i said, maybe someone here can recommend a good vets. :wave:
 
She did not say what kind of issue it was exactly, she said that when she felt Lucy's gut she was experiencing discomfort. So she prescribed Cisapride as the antibiotic and Burprenorphine as the painkiller. I am not sure if she has any relief, but I haven't heard her grind her teeth since starting the meds, the vet said that was a sign that she was in pain. I just checked on her and her mouth is soaked!! It smells like fish, and she still has not eaten anything. So frustrated. How long till the meds work?

Cisapride is not an antibiotic, it is a gut motility stimulant

Buprenorphine is an opiate analgesic, so it may cause the Rabbit to become drowsy

The wet smelly mouth indicates a potential DENTAL problem, this could be molar spurs (sharp spikes on the check teeth). Spurs can damage the cheeks and tongue and the fact that there is an offensive smell may well mean that infection has set in. I am assuming this issue has been addressed by the Vet ?

IMO Lucy requires *ongoing* treatment and I would get her back to the Vet to try to establish the *primary cause* of her anorexia. I suspect it may be Dental Disease.
 
I'd certainly take your rabbit back to the vets.

My rabbit had similar problems a week ago - not eating, loudly grinding teeth, not wanting to move much, laying on his side etc - so I know what you're currently going through! I took a trip to the emergency vets (as it was a Sunday) who after an examination gave him an injection for the pain, an injection to keep the gut moving and an injection of fluids under the skin to stop him becoming dehydrated. The vets gave me a tube of fiberplex (a prebiotic to help with gut bacteria), 2 syringes and some emergency food stuff that I had to mix up with water and feed him via syringe - all this was just to keep him stable until I could get him to my normal vets on the Monday. The vet also suggested I syringe feed him small amounts of pineapple juice as the enzymes in it can help break up any blockages on his insides.

From what I've read on this problem, there are many possible causes - eating the wrong type of food, overeating, not enough exercise, injury problems (which cause them pain and so they stop eating), dental problems etc. I'm presuming your vets has already examined your rabbit and rules out an injury and dental problems?

In my rabbit's case it was wind in his stomach (although the root cause still remains a mystery, so I'm slightly paranoid now!). My normal vet took him in overnight to do an x-ray to check for any blockages and give him treatment. I walked out the next day with a happy, healthy bunny.

All of the above treatment cost me approx £250 though, but £100+ of that was due to having to visit an emergency vets, while £50 was the cost of an x-ray. Suffice to say I've since taken out pet insurance! I've also picked up some Infacol as many people on here swear by it as a means to address wind in rabbits.
 
The vet checked her teeth and molars and said they were excellent. The medication has made her quite drowsy and I got to thinking that maybe shes drooling. With the pain medication being administered in her cheeks, perhaps its smelly residue. The vet that saw her is a small/exotic animal vet. Now its the long weekend and they are closed today, Monday and reopen tuesday. Lucy still hasn't eaten anything and it never came up whether we should be force feeding. She's hangin' on. Thank you all for the suggestions
 
Lucy passed away this afternoon. It was a horrible sight to see. My heart is so broken. I feel like the vet let us down. Our emergency clinic doesn't deal with small animals and the vets are closed today. Lucy was only three years old. Rest in peace my little Lucy Goosey.
 
Oh Darling Im so very very sorry.
Ive just read this thread all the way through, hoping a vet could sort the cause, but now I see shes gone.
So very sad for you.
Binky over the Bridge,Lucy.xxxx

Pop her in Rainbow Bridge.Do a tribute.Let out some of those tears.xxxx
 
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