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Yet another Scarlet thread

RedFraggle

RedFraggle

Warren Veteran
So, this week, Scarlet (our dental bun) has gone right back to where she was following her last dental (January). She's eating, pooing and weeing but her behaviour pattern is all wrong.
She is eating her food several hours after it went in the run (but she is eating it), she was flopped today (she never flops) she spent several hours in the tunnel (she never does that). She's preferring to eat hay when there's nuggets and recovery food available and generally being a bit odd and out of character. She's alert, bouncing around etc.. I just took her some more recovery food out now and she was straight in it.
I'm really concerned this isn't just a teeth issue. She was like this for 2 months after her last dental.
We've cancelled our holiday for the 10th (bye bye £600) so we can get her to FHB a week earlier than scheduled.
Any ideas?
 
They don't sound like obviously negative behaviours, although I appreciate a change is worrying.

Could she be flopping out and chilling in the tunnel because she's more relaxed now her tooth isn't bothering her?
Could she be eating hay now because she can, whereas she might have been struggling before because of her teeth?

Also could spring fever be playing any part?
 
She's been eating loads of hay anyway lately. She sometimes goes towards hay even when her teeth are bad depending on what exactly is going on. She never leaves recovery or nuggets for hay though. She's just totally out of character. They started their usual spring fever antics weeks ago so I don't think it's that.
The best way to describe it is almost as if she has got dementia. Eating at odd times, behaviour out of character. It's exactly how she was in January. We know she lost no weight then as she was being weighed every ten days at the vets. So she ate enough, just not her normal eating pattern.
 
Hmm I don't know then. It sounds strange, but not necessarily bad strange. I hope Frances has some ideas!
 
Could her eyesight have deteriorated? Or maybe her sense of smell somehow? I'm wondering if she doesn't know the pellets and recovery food is there, but she knows where the hay is.
 
Her eyes are pretty bad but her sense of smell is ok. She knows when Squeak is nearby as she hope over to him. I'm wondering if there's something neurological going on. I wish we at least knew how old she is.
 
Bone pain ? ie Osteomyelitis in her jaw ?

Has she had recent skull radiographs ?

Any sign of a foul smell from her mouth? If any damage has been done to the enamel/dentine of her molars (from 'clipping' done by the other Vet recently) this would significantly increase risk of infection getting into the tooth/gums/tooth root/jaw bone.

All cases of osteomyelitis in the jaw that I have seen involved the Rabbits behaving in the same way you describe for Scarlet. Especially the eating hay and soft food but no pellets and the lying down in 'odd' places and favouring being in an enclosed area eg a tunnel or under a box.

I hope FHB can help, in the meantime I wonder if Scarlet should be on an increased level of analgesia ?? If it is osteomyelitis that would cause ongoing significant pain and more often than not Metacam is not sufficient, even at the maximum dose rate. Tramadol is usually needed too.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Bone pain ? ie Osteomyelitis in her jaw ?

Has she had recent skull radiographs ?

Any sign of a foul smell from her mouth? If any damage has been done to the enamel/dentine of her molars (from 'clipping' done by the other Vet recently) this would significantly increase risk of infection getting into the tooth/gums/tooth root/jaw bone.

All cases of osteomyelitis in the jaw that I have seen involved the Rabbits behaving in the same way you describe for Scarlet. Especially the eating hay and soft food but no pellets and the lying down in 'odd' places and favouring being in an enclosed area eg a tunnel or under a box.

I hope FHB can help, in the meantime I wonder if Scarlet should be on an increased level of analgesia ?? If it is osteomyelitis that would cause ongoing significant pain and more often than not Metacam is not sufficient, even at the maximum dose rate. Tramadol is usually needed too.
Click to expand...

She hasn't had any x-rays for a while. I'm planning on getting FHB to do them.
There's no foul smell and the tooth shows no visible damage. Our regular vet said what had been done was the same as would have been done under GA and that it looked really good.
Her odd behaviour is intermittant. She's bad in the mornings and bouncing around like normal on an evening. There was great excitement at a new cat in the garden last night with her going up to the edge of the run, having a good sniff and then sitting right up next to it. She likes cats.
This morning she's no interest in any food or anything but has eaten overnight.
She's not on any pain relief (and wasn't when she was like this in January). I've put some metacam in her recovery food this morning but obviously she has to eat it to get it.
I'm going to ring FHB today and see if she can go either today (I don't think Frances works Fridays though) or next week. Then I'll have to ring my boss and explain why I won't be where I'm meant to be.
We're also watching Orinoco's behaviour as when she is stressed he acts odd too. He is being absolutely fine.
 
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