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:( help rabbit needs fibre what can i give him , he wont eat !!!and loosing weight

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sandysan

Warren Scout
hi
my lil rabbit pepper is very thin and dont eat a lot , i took him to the vet and he said he needs fibre , he is loosing weight a lot and if he dont put on any weight the vet saidn he willhave to be put to sleep to end his suffering,,,, what can i give him ,,,??? he wont eat pellets only green peas
 
sandysan said:
my lil rabbit pepper is very thin and dont eat a lot , i took him to the vet and he said he needs fibre , he is loosing weight a lot and if he dont put on any weight the vet saidn he willhave to be put to sleep to end his suffering,,,, what can i give him ,,,??? he wont eat pellets only green peas
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Find another vet THIS morning. Your vet obviously knows very little about rabbits. Start another thread on here asking for a rabbit savvy vet in the area where you live, someone should be able to advise you, there are quite a few members in west Mids I think. But don't take your bunny back to that vet please! Good luck, I hope you find one who can help xxx
 
Has the Vet checked his teeth ? It sounds as though he most likely cant eat anything but greens because he has a painful mouth due to Dental Disease
 
Your rabbit need urgent medical attention from another vet.

What has your vet given him medication wise?

I would try tempting him with soaked pellets and herbs.
 
How old is Pepper? Has he had his teeth checked under anaesthetic? has he had any X-rays done? How long has he been not eating hay or pellets?

I'd start a new thread asking for a rabbit savvy vet in your area and get him to a specialist for a second opinion, as most good vets don't like to put a bun to sleep if the condition is treatable.
 
fruitandnutcake said:
How old is Pepper? Has he had his teeth checked under anaesthetic? has he had any X-rays done? How long has he been not eating hay or pellets?

I'd start a new thread asking for a rabbit savvy vet in your area and get him to a specialist for a second opinion, as most good vets don't like to put a bun to sleep if the condition is treatable.
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hw has never eaten hay , he is 6 yeARS OLD , AND HE HAS ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH TEETH , HE JUST HAD THEM CHECKED AND CLIPPED YESTERDAY
 
alvins mummy said:
your rabbit need urgent medical attention from another vet.

What has your vet given him medication wise?

I would try tempting him with soaked pellets and herbs.
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my vet didnt give him anything , he had his teeth clipped yesterday , i have tried him with mashed pellets but he wont have it ,,,,,
hes eaten a grated carrot ,, and he picks at his food the bits he likes ,,, all my vet said yesterday was give him fibre ,,,, as he is loosing weight he is very boney , but i dont know what to give him ,,,,
 
sandysan said:
hw has never eaten hay , he is 6 yeARS OLD , AND HE HAS ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH TEETH , HE JUST HAD THEM CHECKED AND CLIPPED YESTERDAY
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Do you mean he had a full Dental under general anaesthetic ?

'Clipping' the teeth is not appropriate as it can cause serious problems. Also, it is 100% impossible to assess all of the teeth whilst a Rabbit is awake. 'Conscious Dentals' are neither thorough or reliable and can lead to much more complex problems.

Is your Vet experienced in the treatment of Rabbits ?
 
jack's-jane said:
do you mean he had a full dental under general anaesthetic ?

'clipping' the teeth is not appropriate as it can cause serious problems. Also, it is 100% impossible to assess all of the teeth whilst a rabbit is awake. 'conscious dentals' are neither thorough or reliable and can lead to much more complex problems.

Is your vet experienced in the treatment of rabbits ?
Click to expand...

can you suggest what i can give my bunny for fibre , he wont eat hay or pellets thanks , is lettuce poisionous for rabbits?
 
sandysan said:
can you suggest what i can give my bunny for fibre , he wont eat hay or pellets thanks , is lettuce poisionous for rabbits?
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Your Rabbit wont be able to eat 'fibre' if he has Dental problems.

Please consider taking him to another Vet, one with experience in treating Dental problems

Also, a full blood profile would be a good idea as he may also have other systemic problems now too, especially relating to his Liver function

Lettuce is not suitable to feed, but as I said, you need to get him seen by an experienced Vet, today preferably.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Your Rabbit wont be able to eat 'fibre' if he has Dental problems.

Please consider taking him to another Vet, one with experience in treating Dental problems

Also, a full blood profile would be a good idea as he may also have other systemic problems now too, especially relating to his Liver function

Lettuce is not suitable to feed, but as I said, you need to get him seen by an experienced Vet, today preferably.
Click to expand...

ok thanks for your advice, i noticed a website by tamsin about fibre it says broccoli and my bunn likes broccoli,,,, i do have a good vet he is very qaulified with all the names after him ,, he has had his teeth done under anaseptic, his teeth arent a problem at the moment , and there is nothing they can do for his teeth anyway.... he just wont eat hay or pellets and is getting very boney and thin ,
today hes eat carrot ,, and a bit of mixed russel rabbit food which i cut into bits ,
 
As others had said your bun really needs to be seen by a rabbit savvy vet.

Did you know that most vet schools only give a couple of hours of theory on rabbits and so often even good vets have very limited knowledge of them. Vets that focus on learning more about rabbits become as we call them 'rabbit savvy' and are much more experienced with rabbits..

Broccoli is only really suitable as a treat or as a minor part of a buns diet as it can cause gas if you give too much which can lead to bloat. It is also not fibrous enough to wear teeth down like you need.

Hay or grass are the only things that would really help, if you feed grass remember to introduce it slowly so that his tummy can adjust to the new food.

But please seek a more savvy vet, your rabbits life likely depends on it :(
 
I've merged the threads into one for you sandysan, as it's easier for you and other members to keep track of what's been advised if it's all kept to one thread. If you're ever not sure where's best to post, then just start the thread in the place you feel fits best and a mod can always move it for you if they feel it'd be better elsewhere. :D

I have nothing to add to the excellent advice you've already been given, so will just send some vibes for your bunny. xxx
 
Your bun really does need to be seen by a rabbit SPECIALIST. No good reputable vet would say that "nothing can be done" for a rabbit's teeth. Also other underlying problems can cause problems which stop bun from eating and exacerbate the dental problem, as a bunny not eating pellets or hay/grass won't wear their teeth down.

Please, please find a specialist vet who will give your bun the best chance of recovering.
 
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At the moment, Fibre is the last thing you need to be worrying about. Your bun clearly isn't eating because a) he is in a lot of pain or b) he can't because something is stopping him...or both!

My bun has had 3 years of dental issues but my vet realised his own limitations and was going to refer him to a specialist for more advanced teeth extraction. What my vet had not realised was that my bun's heart was actually enlarged and pressing on the throat, making it more and more impossible for him to eat...so the less he ate, the worse his teeth got. He is now being treated for his heart condition and will have molar extracted at a later date.

This is what a specialist can do. It doesn't matter how many letters your vet has after his name, it doesn't mean he knows all there is to know about rabbits or recent medical treatments and procedures.

In the meantime, keep tempting your bun with what he can eat to keep his gut moving.
 
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If you live anywhere near Birmingham, I'd recommend Marie Kubiak at Manor Vets in Edgbaston (she's a very knowledgeable rabbit specialist).

Others on this forum have spoken highly of Damson House vets in Solihull, but I haven't used them personally.

I'd echo what others have said about how important it is to take your rabbit to a specialist. However good you believe your vet is, you can't expect them to know everything about rabbits unless they're a specialist - any more than you'd expect your GP to be able to do brain surgery. It doesn't sound as if he's given you the best advice, and I'd be extremely concerned that he's talking about putting your rabbit to sleep. Getting your rabbit to a specialist vet as soon as you possibly can really could save his life.
 
It sounds like his teeth are hurting him and he can't eat because of it.

Where are you based? I think you need a new vet to be honest.

Someone will be able to recommend one to you if you put out an 'ask' on here.

Sending vibes.
 
The vet you have seen clearly does not know much about rabbits, if he did he would have presciped medication and would not be suggesting that you have him pts!!
Rabbits are classed as exotics and not every vet is competent with rabbits.

Right now you need to search for a rabbit savvy vet and get Pepper to them IMEDIATLEY
Rabbits go down hill extremely fast and waiting until tomorrow could be too late.
Try and get him eating, anything is better than nothing and you need to keep his gut going.
He needs pain relief and gut stimulants to get him beter.
 
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