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  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

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    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Millie's turn to not eat U/D coming home this evening

K

Kirotea

Mama Doe
As you know Maddie had a not eating episode recently and now it's Millie's turn :( I feel like a terrible bunny mummy. She was perfectly fine this morning and then I got home and she refused to eat and kept getting up and lying back down. I got a vet appointment and her gut was very slow. He checked her teeth and there are a few spurs apparently although they didn't seem to have rubbed or anything. She's had an injection and pain killer I think and I've got two medicines to give her. I've got a follow up appointment and then I need to decide whether to put her under GA for a dental too :(
 
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I hope she's eating soon :( Both of mine stopped eating this week, I swear this time of year is horrible for keeping rabbits.
 
steph182 said:
I hope she's eating soon :( Both of mine stopped eating this week, I swear this time of year is horrible for keeping rabbits.
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I thought it might have been because of the horrific moult she's having but it seems her teeth might be a problem too. I'm so upset! :(

I thought she'd just eaten a pellet but she just chewed it for a second and then dropped it. I don't know if that's good or bad!
 
Kirotea said:
I thought it might have been because of the horrific moult she's having but it seems her teeth might be a problem too. I'm so upset! :(

I thought she'd just eaten a pellet but she just chewed it for a second and then dropped it. I don't know if that's good or bad!
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Sounds as though she may have a sore mouth. After examining her did the Vet advise you to start syringe feeding her ?

I hope that she feels better soon xx
 
He gave her the injection for her gut and then metacam in case it's her teeth hurting her. He's given me emeprid and said to give her that in the morning now and then 2 or 3 times a day. I've got more metacam to give her once a day too. He said he couldn't see that her teeth were rubbing but there were some sharp bits.

She's lying down more comfortably now but still refusing food. I don't know how often to try her with something. I can't leave it by her because Maddie eats it!

Can I do anything else to help? Will making her run around help?
 
Kirotea said:
He gave her the injection for her gut and then metacam in case it's her teeth hurting her. He's given me emeprid and said to give her that in the morning now and then 2 or 3 times a day. I've got more metacam to give her once a day too. He said he couldn't see that her teeth were rubbing but there were some sharp bits.

She's lying down more comfortably now but still refusing food. I don't know how often to try her with something. I can't leave it by her because Maddie eats it!

Can I do anything else to help? Will making her run around help?
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Not if it is her mouth that is sore. What did the Vet say about syringe feeds ?
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Not if it is her mouth that is sore. What did the Vet say about syringe feeds ?
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He didn't say anything about syringe feeding food, just the medicine. He's not a vet I've seen before because I booked a last minute appointment. Can her teeth have affected her so quickly? She was binkying like crazy round the living room just last night and ate her pellets this morning.
 
Kirotea said:
He didn't say anything about syringe feeding food, just the medicine. He's not a vet I've seen before because I booked a last minute appointment. Can her teeth have affected her so quickly? She was binkying like crazy round the living room just last night and ate her pellets this morning.
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Yes, if she has a sharp tooth/teeth then the discomfort can come on 'all of a sudden'. Rather as it might if we bit our cheek or tongue. If the Vet was certain there is no risk of an intestinal obstruction/gastric dilation (has she poo'd today ?) Then she will need syringe feeds if she is eating nothing for herself at all.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Yes, if she has a sharp tooth/teeth then the discomfort can come on 'all of a sudden'. Rather as it might if we bit our cheek or tongue. If the Vet was certain there is no risk of an intestinal obstruction/gastric dilation (has she poo'd today ?) Then she will need syringe feeds if she is eating nothing for herself at all.
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He said there was no blockage. There's poo in the tray but it could belong to Maddie. There's no odd ones. The problem is I don't know when she stopped eating. She was eating at 8:45am when I went to work and then wasn't when I got home at 5:30pm.

She's had a drink but still no food or poo :(
 
Kirotea said:
He said there was no blockage. There's poo in the tray but it could belong to Maddie. There's no odd ones. The problem is I don't know when she stopped eating. She was eating at 8:45am when I went to work and then wasn't when I got home at 5:30pm.

She's had a drink but still no food or poo :(
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If the Vet ruled out an obstruction then I think you do need to give her some syringe feeds. You can make up a liquid feed using her normal pellets if you do not have any Critical Care. You just soak a few pellets in boiled water, when they are soft mash them to a paste and add a bit more water until the paste is of a consistency that can be drawn up into a syringe. You can make the nozzle of the syringe wider by poking the prong of a fork down it.

I have to go off line now, I do hope that Millie shows signs of improvement soon. If in doubt give the out of hours Vet a call for further advice xx
 
Jack's-Jane said:
If the Vet ruled out an obstruction then I think you do need to give her some syringe feeds. You can make up a liquid feed using her normal pellets if you do not have any Critical Care. You just soak a few pellets in boiled water, when they are soft mash them to a paste and add a bit more water until the paste is of a consistency that can be drawn up into a syringe. You can make the nozzle of the syringe wider by poking the prong of a fork down it.

I have to go off line now, I do hope that Millie shows signs of improvement soon. If in doubt give the out of hours Vet a call for further advice xx
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Thanks Jane. I think Maddie was eating by now after she had the injection thing so I'm quite worried. I'm not sure I'm cut out for this :( I'm such a stresshead anyway and I'm here on my own too.
 
I hope Millie is OK and you can manage to get some syringe food into her.

Don't feel alone, there's always someone on RU and you could always phone the out of ours vet if you are still worried.

Thinking of you and Millie, I know how stressful it is when they are poorly. xx
 
I've just syringed feed her 1ml of pellet mush. I only had a spare 1ml syringe. I don't know if that's enough though. Should I do more? How often? It was a complete nightmare to catch her and she looks traumatised :(
 
I can't help I'm afraid but really feel for you. I know how stressful it is, one of mine was "off" last week, but thankfully started eating again on her own. Good luck, if you need to, phone vets for advice xx
 
Hey Kirotea, I'm so sorry to hear Millie isn't feeling well :( I've just posted about one of my buns Chinook, who has almost identical symptoms!

She suddenly stopped eating this morning, so she's had emeprid, baytril and metacam. The Baytril and metacam is once a day, and the emeprid is 3 times a day. I'm also syringe feeding her 3-5ml of critical care every 3 hours. Thankfully, after the initial injections she perked up massively and is eating by herself and seems back to normal for the most part.

I would try and give Millie another couple of ml if you can. If she has stopped taking in food for any reason, then that's not good as I'm sure you know.

Chinook has small spurs on her molars, which haven't caused any ulcerations or indentations, but we think that might be the cause of her problems. She's going in for a dental (her first) in the morning. I'm terrified, but I trust my vet. If you're nervous about the op, make sure it's with your regular vet, or one you trust in another practise—it will put your mind at ease.

Sending Millie lots of "eat and feel better soon" vibes xxx

PS. Vibes for you and your stress too, I know how awful these experiences can be xxx
 
She's still not right. We'll be going back to the vets.

I've had the worse night ever. I'm not cut out for this. I'm useless at picking them up and it causes them a lot of stress. I had a panic attack at one point. I'm seriously thinking I need to rehome them because they need someone who can take care of them better. I feel like the most selfish person in the world but I don't think I can cope with it :(
 
Even if she is a small bunny I would give her a lot more pellet mush/syringe food, especially since she is likely quite empty from not eating for a while. Is she drinking? If not, syringe some water into her also.
 
Kirotea said:
She's still not right. We'll be going back to the vets.

I've had the worse night ever. I'm not cut out for this. I'm useless at picking them up and it causes them a lot of stress. I had a panic attack at one point. I'm seriously thinking I need to rehome them because they need someone who can take care of them better. I feel like the most selfish person in the world but I don't think I can cope with it :(
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You absolutely are the right person to care for them just perhaps not so confident with the hand-on stuff. I have similar issues but luckily my vet always admits 'not eating' rabbits and sends them home when they are eating. You just need the right combination of owner and vet. You will probably feel better about the hands-on side of things when you are less tired (been there too!).

I hope she goes on well at the vets and the teeth (or whatever) are sorted and you can feel less stressed.
 
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