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Appetite after injury, and rubbing face on objects.

ellep

New Kit
Hi!

I have a question about my rabbit, who was recently injured - her head was caught in the door a few days ago. I took her to the vet, who said she didn't seem to have broken anything, and gave her some pain medicine. She is acting mostly like herself now, although she has a very small appetite and is refusing to drink water. We are currently feeding her water with a syringe. If anyone has any tips on how to get her to drink from her regular bowl, I'd appreciate it. We have already tried juice mixed in, but that won't get her to sip from her bowl, either.

One other thing - she came across my hair brush, which is wide with plastic bristles, and she began rubbing her chin quite vigorously. She has since done the same thing several more times, when shown the brush. Is this normal, or could it be something on her face bothering her? She hasn't made any other motions that would suggest pain under her chin, although, as I have said, she isn't eating or drinking normally.

I would really appreciate any insights, thanks!
 
Thanks for responding. I should clarify that she is eating some, but not nearly as much as usual. She is nibbling at her hay, and has eaten some grass. She has occasionally eaten carrot and her herb mix. She will drink when put the dropper in her mouth, but not from the bowl. She is running around and will happily jump up and down from the furniture, but seems to be flopping more than usual (although she does flop quite often normally). If need be, I will of course take her to the vet, but I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do in the meantime to promote drinking and eating (but especially drinking).
 
You could soak her grass and if she eats any greens in water. She would get the water from the greens/grass that way. Does she like any strong smelling herbs like rosemary or mint? if so you could add it too her hay and other food as it seems to pick up the smell of the herbs. This works for Julie when I want her to eat more hay.
 
Oh, forgot to ask. Is she pooping normally and do they look normal color and size? Also are you monitoring her urine? My Julie drinks a lot but I have had other rabbits that didn't seem to drink a lot but still peed the normal amount for them.
 
I think you need to take her back to the Vet. She may need more investigations to see if there is any damage to her jaw/her mouth/her teeth that was missed at the first examination. It sounds as though her dose of analgesia may need adjusting too. She may have bitten her tongue during the accident which could mean that she cannot use a sipper bottle to drink from as it is too painful to do so. So if you have not already done so offer her a bowl of water instead.
 
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