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Daisy is still not good :o( more vibes needed please

ripminnie

Wise Old Thumper
After yesterdays episode I thought Daisy was getting better. She had a metacam injection at the vets. I knew there was something wrong with her tummy but the vet said there wasn't :( I know my bunnies! He reckoned it was a spur on her molar causing her pain, but I'm 90% sure it's nothing to do with her teeth. She picked up yesterday afternoon, had some grass, some hay, and all of her tea (spring greens, kale, watercress and a bit of carrot). She was fine last night. This morning she didn't want her pellets again, but had a run round the garden and just pottered about, then later on she did go and eat quite a lot of her pellets, she had a drink, had some hay, and I thought everything was fine. BUT this afternoon she had no interest in playing out, she just sat in the kennel, even later on when she is always out (teatime). I kept pestering her with hay, greens, water, carrot - no interest whatsoever :( we gave her 1ml of dog metacam as instructed by the vet, and later syringed her 2ml water (didn't have any bigger syringes :(). She didn't want to swallow the water. After a while she did come out, but just sat there. She hasnt had any tea tonight. She has been to the litter tray and done quite a pile of poops and a little wee, but looked very uncomfortable while she was doing it :( yesterday she passed a huge furry poop and then improved dramatically, so that's what I thought would happen again. There was a bit of fur in her poops but not much today. She isn't actually moulting enough for this to cause a problem really. I just don't get it :? :(
When she moves it looks like her belly is hanging down and swinging a lot more than normal. The vet said she is a bit overweight, but she doesn't normally look like that when she moves!! I just need to know what's wrong with her. I wish I had a proper rabbit vet :( please send vibes for her, she's not a happy bunny right now :(
 
I hope that Daisy feels better soon. It's so difficult when you know your bunnies and know something isn't right and the vet doesn't hear or see.
 
Did the Vet examine her spine ?

To me it sounds as though back pain may be an issue, rather than a gut problem :? The 'saggy belly' could be due to her arching her back to try to get more comfy. Just a guess obviously as I cant see her.

Is she weeing OK ?

Drinking a normal amount ?
 
Poor Daisy bun. Its so frustrating when you don't have a vet that will listen. Are there any other vets in the area you could try and see if they are rabbit savvy? Sending Daisy tonnes and tonnes of vibes and nosey rubs xxxxxxxx
 
Did the Vet examine her spine ?

To me it sounds as though back pain may be an issue, rather than a gut problem :? The 'saggy belly' could be due to her arching her back to try to get more comfy. Just a guess obviously as I cant see her.

Is she weeing OK ?

Drinking a normal amount ?

No he didn't examine her spine :( he was really busy and behind with appointments :( he checked her teeth, her tummy and her ears, and took her temperature.

I would say that she needs to drink more, but I'm having trouble getting her to. I can't tell whether she's struggling to wee or poo or both :( I'm not sure about the spine thing, she seems to be jumping on and off things with no problems. I don't really know what to do. I don't want to take her back to to the vets as they are just guessing really. It isn't her teeth, I know it isn't.
 
I am totally baffled :? I wish bunnies could talk! Last night at bedtime Daisy looked terrible, she was huddled next to the heater and still wouldn't eat a thing. This morning she came bombing out of the kennel and binkied round the garden :shock: she still doesn't want her pellets though. Do you think there could be something in them making her ill??! Digby eats them but he's not as keen on the SS as he used to be for excel. Should I swap back? I just don't know what to do, it keeps happening and I need to know why! Daisy has been Nomming some hay and done a big pile of poops.
 
Glad she is a bit better. Hay-eating is excellent news. Although SS is generally considered better than Excel because of its higher fibre content it might be that it just doesn't suit some bunnies as well.
 
I am totally baffled :? I wish bunnies could talk! Last night at bedtime Daisy looked terrible, she was huddled next to the heater and still wouldn't eat a thing. This morning she came bombing out of the kennel and binkied round the garden :shock: she still doesn't want her pellets though. Do you think there could be something in them making her ill??! Digby eats them but he's not as keen on the SS as he used to be for excel. Should I swap back? I just don't know what to do, it keeps happening and I need to know why! Daisy has been Nomming some hay and done a big pile of poops.

To me it is sounding more like a Urinary Tract problem rather than a GI tract one. The back pain issue was a random guess, but now you have explained a bit more UT issues do seem like a possibility.

If she is not drinking much she may have a build-up of calcium sediment in her bladder causing irritation and intermittent cystitis. The discomfort from this would be enough to put her off eating.

Have you ever noticed any sludgy wee ?

SS contains a lot of Alfalfa, something to be avoided in Rabbits with bladder issues. Never under-estimate the ability of a Rabbit being capable of knowing what their body does and does not need. That *might* be why she is not eating the SS pellets.
 
Hi Jane, thank you :wave: I haven't noticed any sludgy wee, but it would be difficult to see because there's so much hay in their litter tray! If that was the problem, what would solve it? I know she needs to drink more, but would she need antibiotics, and anything else? I used to think my vet was quite good, I'm rapidly changing my mind! :( could something cause her bladder to swell? She looked massive last night :(


To me it is sounding more like a Urinary Tract problem rather than a GI tract one. The back pain issue was a random guess, but now you have explained a bit more UT issues do seem like a possibility.

If she is not drinking much she may have a build-up of calcium sediment in her bladder causing irritation and intermittent cystitis. The discomfort from this would be enough to put her off eating.

Have you ever noticed any sludgy wee ?

SS contains a lot of Alfalfa, something to be avoided in Rabbits with bladder issues. Never under-estimate the ability of a Rabbit being capable of knowing what their body does and does not need. That *might* be why she is not eating the SS pellets.
 
If Daisy does have bladder issues, what would be best to feed her? :wave:

I am not saying that bladder issues are a certainty, just a possibility

Given the coming and going of symptoms is what I have observed in a Rabbit with a lot of bladder sediment.

A wee sample would give the Vet some information, such as is there any active infection, are there a large amount of crystals in the urine (which could point towards bladder/kidney stones)

Treatments would depend on what problem is diagnosed

As for diet, that too would depend on what the problem actually is. It is possible for a Rabbit to get cystitis without having bladder sludge/stones at all. If sludge is an issue then reducing overall calcium intake would be necessary.

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/calcium.htm

Does Daisy have a bowl to drink from ? Most Rabbits do tend to drink more from a bowl. Serving Veg left wet from washing them can also help water intake.
 
Thanks for that info :wave: how on earth do you go about getting a wee sample??
Yes they have a big dog bowl to drink from :D
 
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