Not eating/drinking for days - advice please

My rabbit is roughly 6.5yrs old and a dutch english cross i think. He is a big rabbit and always had a big appetite. He is fed hay and excel light pellets.

I noticed last weekend that he may have not been eating much but i wasn't sure so i kept an eye on him for a day or two.

Turns out I was right and he had definitely stopped eating/drinking. I also noticed on his blanket he had urinated and it had left a chalk like substance. I'm sure he had this before a few years ago and the vet said it was a urine infection and gave him antibiotics.

I took him to the vet on monday 23rd and to be honest i felt like the vet wasn't 100% sure what was wrong. He was given two injections, one for inflammation and the other was an antibiotic to start him off. I was given antibiotics to syringe twice daily as well as food packs to mix with water and syringe if he still wasn't eating (which isn't the easiest of things to do) They have asked me to take him back on Friday 27th if things haven't improved for x-rays and tests.

The vet expressed his bladder when he was there and his urine was of a creamy consistency. He is refusing to eat his hay and pellets still although when i gave him some greens (dandelion leaves) he scoffed them down no problem. I have tried treats and other things he normally loves but he isn't interested. His cage is almost bone dry, and hardly any poop. I'm not sure i can wait until friday before he is seen again? Does anyone know what could possibly be wrong?

He went blind in one eye a few months ago and it just seems to be one thing after another

Sounds like your bun needs to see a rabbit savvy vet. It's pretty much an emergency situation if not eating and not pooing

As Jojos post. i think you need a rabbit savvy vet in your area ..

The very best of luck to you both,..

Fee xxx

I don't know what is wrong for definite but the lack of appetite and poo means he really needs to go back to the vet as an emergency. It could be dental pain (did the vet check his teeth with a scope?), or he could have a blockage or gas. I think feeding the recovery food is not good if he isn't pooing, as he could have an obstruction.

I'd call the vet in your situation, but if you aren't confident in the vet you'll need to find a more competent rabbit vet. You could start a thread asking for recommendations in your area. He likely needs more pain relief (the anti inflammatory he was given before) then a proper exam to see what is causing the problem.

I have been thinking that but don't know how to find one near or in edinburgh?

The vet said that his teeth had a few sharp points but wasn't all that concerned. He said if he has to come back in and go under anesthetic then they will do his teeth at the same time..

Thanks for the advice

Sorry your rabbit is so poorly. I would try to get him seen again by a vet as soon as possible. Good luck - it is such a worry when pets are unwell, especially over holidays.

I'm sorry to hear this.

I think I would simply phone the emergency vet in your area to get immediate help. I'd also start a thread here to see if there is anyone local to you who could provide you with a recommendation.

Good luck.


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Go on the advance search bit and type rabbit savvy vet in .......... and put your area they may be a good chance someone has asked before on . The forum.

lisaam said:

The vet said that his teeth had a few sharp points but wasn't all that concerned. He said if he has to come back in and go under anesthetic then they will do his teeth at the same time..

Thanks for the advice

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The Royal D I C K Vet school is a fab training facility in Edinburgh with a fab reputation,,, There is nothing they dont know about bunnies. Local rescues use them...

Fee xxx

Sorry to hear your bunny isn't well.

Often when a rabbit is feeling poorly or in pain, they can stop feeling like eating and then because of the design of rabbit's digestive system it shuts down and food doesn't move through the gut as normal. This is very serious and generally needs urgent intervention to get them back eating asap. It sounds like your rabbit could have a urine related problem, and the lack of eating/pooping (called stasis as the gut is in stasis ie not moving food) is secondary but needs to be sorted out as a priority whilst working out what the underlying issue is.

Your gut feeling is right, it's unusual for a vet to expect you to wait so long to been seen again. Often with the symptoms your rabbit has they would be admitted and given fluids/painkillers/gut mobility drugs. Even when a rabbit goes home it should have been with a supply of painkillers/gut mobility drugs along side the food your rabbits been given. I'd also expect the vet to want them back the next day if no improvement - not to wait 5 days. I imagine the holidays are part of the issue.

If you phone your vets normal phone number it should give information on what to do out of hours. Also, reading their website is sounds like the Rabbit Clinic at the Royal **** School offer out of hours appointments so they would be an option, the number is: (0131) 650 7650. What you can do is describe what's happened and how your rabbit's doing and they'll help you judge how soon your rabbits needs to be seen.

I'm a little hopeful as he is more alert. He wasn't even coming out of his cage on sunday/monday where as now he is hopping about and trying to fight back when feeding him etc.

The vet practice I use are usually very good but i've seen a new vet the past few times i've been in and he just doesn't seem to be that clued up on rabbits. It was a late appointment monday and there was no one else I could see unfortunately.

I've just fed him a little more of his food via syringe and some water but to be honest he isn't having any of it. I will phone the royal vet school tomorrow and hopefully speak to someone who can help if not I will phone my vet emergency number and get some advice.

Also he has had an issue with his droppings being very runny and sticky for a month or so now. I'm having to clean him every day/2 days as it's just sticking to his fur in big clumps and getting all matted. The vet had given me pro biotic stuff to syringe think it was for about a week or 10 days but that's not cleared it up either. I mentioned it again when i was in on Monday and he never really commented on it. Definitely needs a proper check up from a rabbit savvy vet I think. Hopefully it will all get sorted soon and he will recover from it all. Thanks for all your help

I think you need to take him to an emergency rabbit savvy vet tonight. A rabbit that has not been eating or pooing properly for so long will be in serious trouble. I hope you manage to get him to a vet soon. The vet you saw clearly had no idea how to treat a rabbit. It sounds like it could be several things going "wrong"; being picky with food is a sign of dental problems, the chalky pee could be a UTI or maybe kidney stones/bladder sludge, this may be because of the dental problems.

Ideally he would need to be admitted so they can stabalise him and investigate further.

Sending vibes for your bunny. x

lisaam said:

My rabbit is roughly 6.5yrs old and a dutch english cross i think. He is a big rabbit and always had a big appetite. He is fed hay and excel light pellets.

I noticed last weekend that he may have not been eating much but i wasn't sure so i kept an eye on him for a day or two.

Turns out I was right and he had definitely stopped eating/drinking. I also noticed on his blanket he had urinated and it had left a chalk like substance. I'm sure he had this before a few years ago and the vet said it was a urine infection and gave him antibiotics.

I took him to the vet on monday 23rd and to be honest i felt like the vet wasn't 100% sure what was wrong. He was given two injections, one for inflammation and the other was an antibiotic to start him off. I was given antibiotics to syringe twice daily as well as food packs to mix with water and syringe if he still wasn't eating (which isn't the easiest of things to do) They have asked me to take him back on Friday 27th if things haven't improved for x-rays and tests.

The vet expressed his bladder when he was there and his urine was of a creamy consistency. He is refusing to eat his hay and pellets still although when i gave him some greens (dandelion leaves) he scoffed them down no problem. I have tried treats and other things he normally loves but he isn't interested. His cage is almost bone dry, and hardly any poop. I'm not sure i can wait until friday before he is seen again? Does anyone know what could possibly be wrong?

He went blind in one eye a few months ago and it just seems to be one thing after another

Click to expand...

It sounds as though he may have bladder sludge or even bladder stones. This can progress to effect the kidneys too. If he is now not urinating or hardly urinating he may have a urolith (stone) causing an obstruction in his urinary tract. Not only would this be very painful,certainly bad enough to cause a Rabbit to stop eating, but left untreated (surgery) it would be fatal

Your Rabbit's GI tract will also be severely effected due to the lack of eating/drinking. This will cause gut stasis and subsequent liver damage.

Your Rabbit needs to be seen by a Vet again today as a matter of urgency. The information you have provided here indicates that he is potentially critically ill and he cannot possibly wait another 24 hours for treatment

I am sorry if this post reads as 'blunt and to the point' but I am just trying to convey the seriousness of the situation based on my interpretation of the information you have given.

Jack's-Jane said:

It sounds as though he may have bladder sludge or even bladder stones. This can progress to effect the kidneys too. If he is now not urinating or hardly urinating he may have a urolith (stone) causing an obstruction in his urinary tract. Not only would this be very painful,certainly bad enough to cause a Rabbit to stop eating, but left untreated (surgery) it would be fatal

Your Rabbit's GI tract will also be severely effected due to the lack of eating/drinking. This will cause gut stasis and subsequent liver damage.

Your Rabbit needs to be seen by a Vet again today as a matter of urgency. The information you have provided here indicates that he is potentially critically ill and he cannot possibly wait another 24 hours for treatment

I am sorry if this post reads as 'blunt and to the point' but I am just trying to convey the seriousness of the situation based on my interpretation of the information you have given.

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janes advice is spot on, i'd get your bun to a vets asap, let us know how you get on x

Poor fella
How is he now?

I have my fingers crossed for you and your bunny. I hope you managed to track down a good vet to get him seen, it's going to be tough at this time of year unfortunately

Hi

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you all i have been so busy. Thanks for all the comments.

I know the situation was serious from everything i had read online and knowing what my rabbit is normally like I knew it wasn't good but the vets advice etc at the time of visit made it out like he could wait a day or two so i was left feeling like i was just overreacting.

I phoned the d*** vet and they wouldn't accept him unless i had a referral from my vet surgery.

I managed to get hold of a big bunch of dandelion leaves and he happily munched through the lot which made me feel a bit better. Also he started to urinate and there were a few droppings in his cage. He was also keen to go outside and hop about a little was a lot more like the old him than he had been all week.

Anyway an update. He has undergone anesthetic, they found several ulcers around his mouth. Also as they had mentioned when i was in on Monday he had a few sharp bits on his teeth. Obviously all of this causing him a lot of pain they could understand why he didn't want to eat. So they sorted the teeth out and I have to continue with the antibiotics to fight any infection in the ulcers. Also he went for an x ray which showed nothing abnormal except his bladder was full. They put in a catheter and drained out 500ml of urine and sludge/chalky substance which i told them i had found on his blanket. They flushed him all out and cleaned him up so they think he should be on the mend and feeling a lot better. They explained a lot of that is to do with calcium?

I have to continue with dandelion leaves as that is what he is most keen to eat at the moment and if he still refuses to drink syringe in fluids along with his antibiotics until they are finished.

Glad to hear he's doing better.

Yes, the sludge is calcium related but it isn't necessarily as simple as reducing calcium intake in food as I believe they can leach calcium out of their bones if they don't eat enough. It's a really difficult problem if perpetual. I shouldn't worry for now but dandelions are high in calcium. Plenty of fluids help.


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