How To Rehydrate An Elderly Bunny?

The last couple of days - temperatures have hit around 33 degrees Celsius here, and unfortunately I don't feel heat, but my poor bunny does, although his ears don't feel desperately hot to anyone in the family. And in the very hot and cold days - I always watch my bunny like a hawk.

Littleblack - the love of my life - is a 9yr old, Netherland dwarf male, and he hasn't been drinking very much in the past 4 days, so I started providing water in a bowl for him in addition to the bottle. The first day he drank a fair bit - but the second he hasn't drunk as much - and he hasn't touched his bottle at all, which I've been changing twice a day so it stays fresh. He basically hasn't drunk anywhere near as much as he used to.

Today his fur looks a little worse for wear - he's still eating, and gobbled up some of his grain, an inch of cucumber and a Romaine leaf yesterday/today at 2am, and the day before also, as well as cranberries too, that I soaked in water. He's still urinating normally, and is pooping normal healthy poops. He's just usually such an active bunny, and drinks a lot. He seems otherwise bright enough - and he is moulting as expected to the day that he usually starts moulting - and during moulting his mood always flattens out, and his general consumption of food usually drops - just not his drinking. That's why I am concerned this time.

The Rabbit savvy vet yesterday, suggested a course of Baytril in case there is anything underlying going on, but said 'its really just more for the sake of doing something rather than nothing', as at the vet's he appeared his usual normal self. The vet also said he was a little dehydrated but nothing major. His fur isn't in as good condition as he would like it to be, but then he is moulting and an elderly bunny, And as we don't have air con in the car, that in this heat, unless we felt it was critical, not to bring him over, but to call first. He did say it was our choice, but the heat of the car, combined with stress of the open windowed journey was more of a risk to Littleblack. He said try the Baytril and if no change, then he would take bloods. But the lack of water intake in this heat, really concerns me - should I put him on Diaralyte to support him in the heat? Also thinking of giving him a dose of Metatone, as it worked wonders with my Guinea pigs, but I've never used it on bunnies. Any advice on that?

I'm so scared of losing my buddy. I lost Lightsa - ( http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...fast-Growth-Rate-Cancer&p=5640374#post5640374 ) only a few weeks ago, and the family are still devastated over his passing. I can't bear the idea of saying goodbye to my special little guard bunny.

I've put a rotating fan on in the room now, in case it is the heat, and the breeze washes over his area every few seconds, and I have placed a thin cotton sheet over one end of his cage, so he doesn't get a draft. Anything else I should be doing?

Have you tried giving him filtered water ?

Can you increase the amount of fresh veg he has as that would contribute to his fluid intake.

Personally I would not give the Metatone

A probiotic added to the water sometimes encourages Rabbits to drink more

As does adding a few drops of Echinacea

Some people also suggest adding a little pure apple juice to the water. But I would not give too much of this as the high sugar content may cause gut dysbiosis.

I worry how little my bunnies drink so I give them parsley and other herb and leaves really wet so they have some fluids by eating them :wave:

I've used the apple juice before and my buns love it. Just a tea spoon of unsweetened juice in the bowl of water should do it. Don't leave it down too long and wash thoroughly after, in this weather the last thing you want to do is attract flies. I give them apple juice water at Christmas and on their birthdays. Once, when they had what looked to be the beginning of stasis, and after a check up at the vet's, I put a bowl of apple water down next to a bowl plain fresh water and they had a few sips of the apple water and then a good long drink of the plain water.

Good luck, I hope everything turns out ok.

Update:

I brushed Littleblack a lot, to help him shed the fur, and now have fans running around the clock in the room - not pointed directly at him - and gave him diaralyte, and some Pro-biotic, and apple juice separately but in the same feed every 2-3 hours - and as instructed by the vet some Metatone - no more than 2mls a day.

Well, I don't know if it's because he fought hard to not be syringe fed, and was sorely un-impressed by the whole indignity of it all - but yesterday he drank on his own from a new bought bowl for the first time in 5 days, and he started eating properly again. He had been dropping his food out his cage down the back as I discovered on his every 4 days complete cleanout.

His droppings are softer than normal, but today every time I've looked up, he's been resting, or stuffing his face with loads of fresh Alfalfa hay. He's happily also mastered the art of a mini binky followed by a frog legged splurge on the floor, and stretch out completely his full length, and then suck in some hay and munching like that. He really isn't normal! LOL.

I've been soaking the Romaine lettuce for a couple hours before feeding too - and he's had cucumber and carrot, and a little watermelon. All small portions, but he is eating and moving about a lot more again.

I think the heat that arrived in London UK, suddenly really threw him and aged him. I shall continue to watch him like a Hawk.

Thanks everyone!